Authors as Inspiration

Objective Students will be able to locate authors on the internet. Students will search and review various author websites to find activities and background biographical information to help provide students with inspiration in their own writing.

Objective Students will be able to plan, design and integrate appropriate information and instructional elements in to their own lessons as it supports the curriculum.

Introduction Children can learn to be better writers by studying the writing of authors they love. Authors often write about themselves and their own experiences. They are inspired by what they see and do in their own worlds. Many authors now have websites which contain biographical information, writing tips, games and activities for students.

Activity Read the lesson plan on line from the Lucy Calkins series, Authors as Mentors http://books.heinemann.com/Shared/onlineresources/E00604/AuthorsAsMentorsSession1.pdf (date visited 10/31/09)

Visit one or more of the links below and search for authors you or your students enjoy. The websites listed contain links to many author websites. Explore the suggested sites, but also feel free to search for a specific author if you have a favorite not included.

Children’s' Literature Web Guide

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html (date visited 10/30/09)

Harper Collins Authors and Illustrators

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/Kids/AuthorsAndIllustrators/Websites.aspx (date visited 10/30/09)

Reading Rockets Author Interviews http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews (date visited 10/31/09)

Mo Willems http://ow.ly/nTcH (dated visited 10/30/09)

Assignment Make a brief annotated bibliography of the best author websites you find. Does the website include author background, biography, activities and games, and writing ideas? Include specific information and links if applicable. Consider how might you use these websites in the classroom? Now, select one author website from those reviewed and develop a lesson which links to that site. The lesson could be a brief introduction of the website and author or it could highlight a more specific writing lesson such as theme, voice, setting, mood, etc. Please include targeted grade level and subject area.

Submission - Post your activities as an html file to your FTP folder, create a link to the file on your index page, and send your instructor an email notification containing a working hyperlink to the assignment (not to your index page) and the assignment file's URL. Make sure the subject line of your email is in the following format: SLM521-lastname- Authors as Mentors - elective # (if applicable).

Rubric

	unacceptable	developing	accomplished
Objectives	Brief statement of some unaligned objective	Statement of ISTE single aligned objective	Two or more ISTE teacher objectives written in behavioral terms
Introduction	Short statement of information about a topic	Brief, interesting statement of topic information	Brief, well crafted, engaging summary of the information or topic you would like students (adult learner) to explore Presented in a way that will engage their interest
Activity	Some activity related to the objectives	Creative problem solving or information synthesizing activity related to the specific objectives	Problem stated in an engaging way that relates it to the student's prior knowledge or personal experience
Assignment	-Student grade level not indicated. Activity is not grade appropriate. -Activity not user-friendly.	-Student grade level is indicated. -Activity is grade appropriate. -Activity is user-friendly.	-Student grade level is indicated. -Activity is grade appropriate. -Activity is user-friendly. Activity is engaging and interesting.
Rubric	Simple statement of assignment specifications	Brief leveled statement of expectations	Specific, incrementally leveled statements of performance expectations for each component of the assignment

ISTE Standards

II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES

Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.

Teachers:

A. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.

C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.

A complete listing of all ISTE standards can be found at:

National Educational standards for Teachers - http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html