Please help me with an idea for teaching about authors\illustrators.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I'm organizing 2 classes for our co-op that will focus on easy literary elements. The classes span K-3rd grade.  I have all the classes planned except the first one ... and now my brain is mushy and I can't come up with anything dynamic.  

 

I want to discuss authors\illustrators (some of the younger dc have had very little exposure to these topics) and teach the dc a little about the process of writing and illustrating a book. I'd really love some kind of short video but everything I'm pulling up on youtube is horrible quality, too long, or not what I'm looking for. 

 

I'd also like them to have an illustrating activity.  Something like asking them to do an illustration for a book they already know but would like to see illustrated differently, or maybe give them the name of a book and see what they come up with for a cover illustration.  I don't know...like I said, I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts on what I thought was going to be the easiest of the 9 classes!  

 

Any ideas or links to ideas I could use?

[Lori D.]

The video clips with authors and illustrators at Reading Rockets or at Scholastic might be something like what you're looking for.

 

Definitely read a few beautifully illustrated picture books each class for inspiration! ;)

 

 

For one class, perhaps read several versions of Cinderella (ex: The Korean Cinderella, The Little Glass Flipper (Cinderella Penguin, The Salmon Princess (An Alaskan Cinderella Story), The Irish Cinderlad), or of The Three Little Pigs (ex: The Three Little Javelinas, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot), and have the children be inspired to narrate their own version, after seeing the many different ways it could be done.

 

 

For another class, focus on illustration, and read a traditional folk song, folktale or fairytale they may be familiar with but not necessarily has a lot of visuals attached to it already, and at four different points in the story, stop and have them draw an illustration (maybe have a single sheet of paper with 4 boxes, one for each illustration.

 

 

Maybe try doing a simple Mad Lib with them several times, to illustrate how you can have the same basic story, just change a few words each time and come out with something new.

 

 

How about reading Leo Lionini's story Frederick, and them have it inspire them to either narrate a story they think Frederick might have told, or draw some illustrations of what Frederick's stories might have made them see/imagine.

 

 

Here are some lesson plan ideas:

Celebrate Children's Authors Week

K-2nd lesson plan and worksheets

ideas for author studies from teachers

ideas for using Jan Brett's story, The Mitten

 

 

Just a few thoughts to help jump-start your class planning! Have fun! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Thanks Lori!  The Reading Rockets vids are really good and I love the idea of using Frederick.  We are actually taking these children to see a stage production of some of Lionni's books (Swimmy and Inch by Inch I believe) in the next couple of weeks so that will work out beautifully. :)

[CAmomof4]

This is kind of going a different direction, but might be fun to consider.  In the book Storybook Art they take classic kids' books and show how the illustrator made the artwork, plus there's a project for the kids to replicate that technique.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Art-Hands--Children-Illustrators/dp/093560703X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390931205&sr=1-1&keywords=storybook+art