"While author studies can give useful background, there's nothing like talking with an author about the unique inspiration and process they go through in creating. This sense of connection is part of why people tell stories and become authors in the first place-we need to know we aren't alone. While this connection continues to be true, the truth is a universal one."
This resource presents units of work on 12 popular authors whose works cover early childhood through to secondary interests. Each unit includes an author interview, supporting resources and a lesson outline with curriculum links. Authors include: J C Burke, Larissa Behrandt, Peter Fitzsimons, Jacqueline Wilson, Meg Rosoff, William Dalrymple, Andy Griffiths, Alison Lester, Anita Heiss, John Boyne, Tara June and Winch Ros Gittens
Learning with the Internet
- Learning Focus: How might one of these three integration models
(Author Study, Internet Project, Progressive Stories)
fit with your curriculum so that it impacts student literacy learning. US focus on authors and links but projects can be applied and adapted to meet local needs.
Find and level books with Book Wizard. Plus, get booktalks, lesson plans, author studies, videos, and discussion guides. Note the topic and author search is fine without locking students into leveled reading
A newly published study gives some insight into what may be happening inside young children's brains in each of those situations. And, says lead author Dr. John Hutton, there is an apparent "Goldilocks effect" - some kinds of storytelling may be "too cold" for children, while others are "too hot." And, of course, some are "just right."
Hutton is a researcher and pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital with a special interest in "emergent literacy" - the process of learning to read.
"The concern goes beyond tertiary studies. We conducted a project exploring secondary school teachers' engagement with Australian texts. We found Australian books are not consistently taught in classrooms and, when they are, they more often than not marginalise female, refugee and Indigenous authors. "
"An aversion to reading isn't gender specific, however every time you take a look at any research it always shows that boys read less.
Here are some strategies I've put in place to combat this. I'm not saying these will work for your school, but I've noticed a big uptake in the number of boys in the Library and of course the number of books they are borrowing. "