Author Study Unit
Background Information:
This author study is designed using the Reading/Writing workshop model. Each class session is usually made up of 3 parts:
- Opening: 10-20 minutes (teacher-focused)
- Work time: 20-40 minutes (student-focused)
- Closing: 10-20 minutes (combination of teacher/student-focused)
Sometimes there is not a work time if there is heavy content to present to the students. The closing usually acts a reinforcer
of the content learned and also provides oppoturnities for the students to share their work. The teacher can then give
feedback on the student's work to help the students learn from their friends' work.
The expectations for the students are based on the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS).
These unit plans are meant to be a starting point and should be adjusted based on the student's background knowledge and
based on their interests and needs.
More books are available other than the 9 books used in the plans. The book Flora and Tiger is a book with 19 short
stories about Eric Carle's life and is highly suggested for teachers to read before beginning the author study in addition to being
familiar with his website.
Some materials that are needed every day are blank chart paper, markers, easel or board, dry erase markers, and all charts previously
made should be on display for reference.
Day 1:
Introduce the author by telling some background information and introduce the idea of an author study.
Preview and then read Book 1: Do You Want to Be My Friend? (Eric Carle's favorite book)
(Materials: bio info, Book 1)
Day2:
Re-read Book 1 and discuss the book as a class.
Introduce the students to the concept of Accountable Talk.
Re-write the book as a class so that the students look at the author's work closely.
Assign different pairs or inidividuals a specific page or task to do for the book.
(Materials: Book 1, art materials, partner groups)
Day 3:
Preview and then read Book 2.
Model writing an entry in a Reader's Notebook.
Prepare the students to re-read the book in small groups and to respond in their Reader's Notebook.
(Materials: small groups prepared, Book 2)
Day 4:
Preview and then read Book 3.
Prepare the students to record a response in their Reader's Notebook. They should include a date, picture, and words.
(Materials: Book 3)
Day 5:
Share with students that one of Eric Carle's favorite memories as a small boy was going for walks with his father and looking at
small creatures when his dad lifted a stone or peeled back the bark of a tree. His dad would tell him about the animals and their
life cycles as they hurried out of sight. Eric Carle thinks he writes about animals to honor these memories about his father.
Introduce From Head to Toe, Book 4, by previewing and then read aloud.
Create the Ways to Respond to Books chart. Have the students respond in their Reader's Notebook.
(Materials: Book 4)
Day 6:
Introduce the book after reading Eric Carle's notes. Do a think-aloud during read-aloud, focusing on making connections to the text.
Ask the students to write about connections they made to the text in their Reader's Notebook today. Have them sit with a partner
to talk about their connections first.
During the closing, model writing a text-to-self response. Then add this type of response to your chart.
(Materials: Book 4, Carle's notes printed)
Day 7:
Tell students that making connections to books can help you understand them. Do another think-aloud when reading Book 5 today.
Model writing a text-to-self connection after you finish reading.
Have the students share with a partner and then let a couple share with the class.
Have the students make an entry in their Reader's Notebooks about their text-to-self connections.
(Materials: Book 5)
Day 8:
Re-read Book 5 (optional: with puppets or on a flannel storyboard) and revisit the importance of making text-to-self connections.
Introduce the concept of a "big idea" in books by sharing the big idea in Book 5: hope. Give an example and let some students share.
Model writing a text-to-self entry and then have the students make one in their notebooks.
(Materials: Book 5)
Day 9:
Read Book 6 and then discuss it. Let students take turns touching the pictures while reading aloud. Tell them that Eric Carle
likes for his books to be playful.
After reading and discussing the book, turn the story into a dramatic play. Part of the class will be the chorus by saying,
"The spider didn't answer. She was very busy spinning her web." Go through the pages of the book and ask for students input for what
character they want to be.
Give the spider a ball of string to spin the web. Guide the students through the scenes.
After the play, discuss how drama helps understand a story. Ask them to share connections or new insights after acting out
the story.
(Materials: Book 6, ball of string, list of characters on chart)
Day 10:
Share the big idea from Book 6 is the importance of doing work and discuss what that means. Re-read Book 6 and ask them to think
about the big idea as you read the book.
After reading, discuss the big idea with the students and flip to the pages as they make references.
Then introduce the idea of a text-to-text connection. Share some examples and then add this type to the "Ways to Repond to Books"
chart.
Model writing a text-to-text connection.
(Materials: Book 6, a book that shows a text-to-text connection with Book 6 like the Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Day 11:
Students will work in small groups to write text-to-text connections about books 1-6.
Before they begin, review the books and brainstorm some text-to-text connections.
Each small group will be assigned to one of the books to discuss text-to-text connections.
Then, gather students and discuss text-to-text connections and then have them make an entry in their notebooks to publish.
(Materials: Books 1 through 6)
Day 12:
Make a rubric with the class for a response to literature. Use the "Ways to Respond to Books" as the different types of
responses they may choose. Describe what a good response is and what would need more work. Tell them that they will be choosing
an entry that they want to publish and that they will use this rubric to help make their response better.
(Materials: "Ways to Respond to Books" chart and blank chart paper)
Day 13:
Review the rubric that was made the day before. Model taking an entry and revising it to make it better.
The students will then work on revising their entry.
After revising, they will work with a partner to examine each other's responses and using the rubric as a guide.
(Materials: Books 1 through 6 and rubric chart)
Day 14:
Before reading The Very Busy Cricket, make sure you have background knowledge about the insects in the book.
Ask the class to share with their buddy their favorite insect or bug. Then ask to share with the class.
Introduce Book 7 and read aloud. After first time, read it again and call attention to the pictures and their importance
in understanding the story.
Go through the book again noting specific pages that imapcted a student's thinking about the book. Mark the page with a
sticky note and write a star on the sticky note.
Make a chart of strategies that good readers use to help them understand the book.
Share the big idea in the book is that love and finding a good friend is important. People, like crickets, look for
someone to love.
(Materials: Book 7, sticky notes, blank chart paper)
Day 15:
Re-read The Quiet Cricket today but focus on the unusual and interesting words. Ask the students to listen for
these while listening to the story again. Think-aloud some examples of unusual and interesting words while reading and
invite them to share examples.
Read the story a second time and do a dramatic play. Divide the class in half and the halves will face each other.
The first half will act out the role of the insects and repeat the dialogue with prompting. The second half will act out
the cricket rubbing his wings together and saying "But nothing happened. Not a sound." with great expression.
Afterwards, discuss the interesting langauge, asking students to share words that they found interesting.
Have the students respond in their Reader's Notebooks.
(Materials: Book 7)
Day16:
Today will focus on the parts of a story and the retelling of a story. Have chart paper ready with the parts labeled
before the lesson.
Introduce the book a special activity. Have students sit in a circle, turn off the lights, and pass a glowing light stick
around. When the student gets the light stick, they can name something that is a source of light or reflects light. If they
don't know something, they can say "pass."
After everyone's had a chance, turn the lights on and preview the book. Discuss fireflies and share the information on the back
cover and on the page opposite the cover page.
Then, discuss the parts of the story individually and write a summary of the beginning, middle, and end with help from the
students.
Have the students write a response in their Reader's Notebook.
(Materials: Book 8, glow stick, chart labeled with book title and beginning, middle, and end spaced out)
Day 17:
Today the students will compare 2 books using a Venn diagram. The 2 books that will be compared are Do You Want to Be
My Friend? and The Very Lonely Firefly. Tell them that comparing books can help you to understand them better.
Tell the class that The Very Lonely Firefly is about belonging and that we all need to be part of a group.
Discuss what different groups they belong to.
Then, re-read Do You Want to Be My Friend? and start discussing similarities and differences between the two books. As
they identify things, write them on the Venn diagram.
Let the students record an entry in their Reader's Notebook.
(Materials: Books 1 and 8, Venn diagram)
Day 18:
Today's purpose is to create a story map on butcher paper of the next book.
Preview The Very Clumsy Click Beetle (but don't open the book yet b/c of the clicking sound).
Read the story and then review the beginning, middle and end strategy.
Introduce another way to think about a story- a story map. Have the students help you fill in the parts of the story map:
title and author, main characters, setting, problem, solution, and favorite part. Have volunteers make a drawing for each of
these sections of the story map.
(Materials: Book 9, large piece of butcher paper for story map)
Day 19:
Re-read The Very Clumsy Click Beetle and then discuss the story map that was made the day before. Add to the
"Ways to Respond to Books" chart that you can write abnout the setting, characters, problem, or solution.
Tell the students that they may want to use the story map to help them write a response. Have them talk with a partner
before they begin writing.
(Materials: Book 9, story map on butcher paper)
Day 20:
Let students choose an Eric Carle book to be re-read.
After re-reading, tell them that they will write a response to any Eric Carle book that was read. They can choose which
type of response they want to do (refer to the chart " Ways to Respond to Books").
Have the students select a book and then talk with a partner before writing.
(Materials: Books 1 through 9, charts)
Day 21:
Refer to the previously made rubric and add to it for the students' final response they will write.
Have the students help write an example and examine the rubric to make any changes.
Note: This will take more than one day. You should provide as many days as the students need to complete their responses.
(Materials: rubric, blank chart paper)
Day 22+:
Re-read a story selected by the students. Then, discuss the book and all the books using all that they've learned.
Make a chart called "Things We Noticed About Eric Carle's Books" and have the students tell things to write on the chart.
Have volunteers illustrate the items.
Let the students start their final response to literature. After writing, they should meet with a partner to revise it to
make it better by referring to the rubric.
(Materials: Books 1 through 9, new rubric)
Last Day
Invite guests to come to the celebration of the author study. Have students share their responses.
(Materials: all charts, books and responses on display)
Other Additional Activities:
Rewrite the stories by changing the characters, setting or events.
Watch the videotape Eric Carle: Picture Writer and then let the class recreate a scene from one of his books using
his techniques.
Explore his website by signing the guest book, sending him an email, or writing a letter.