8 Author Study

Grade 8 Author Study

Resource Ideas

Description

Author studies help to develop a community of readers and writers. Reading books by the same author provides students with common discussion topics, and encourages them to develop and give reasons for personal reading preferences. As well, students who explore an author in depth come to view the author as a person and recognize the possibility that they too can be writers. During an author study, students can examine the writer's craft in depth, and identify and categorize a variety of elements of style (e.g., imagery, metaphor, hyperbole, connotation, alliteration, understatement), providing that the study of elements does not detract from the enjoyment of the reading.

See the Sample Unit Framework: Author Study for more detail about this unit

Recommended Authors for Grade 8

The following list of recommended authors is from Sask. Learning. These are suggested authors only and teachers can feel free to choose other authors for study. Some authors are listed for both grades 6-7 and 8-9 because they have written selections that address a range of reading and maturity levels.

Curriculum Materials Centre

Bell, William - Speak to the earth. [Novel set. Grade 4-8 reading level] : a novel /
William Bell. -- Toronto : McClelland, 1996.
202 p.
- RN 1-83838.
  "Seal Books"--T.p.
  Grade level: Int - Jr.
- 1. Environmental protection--Fiction. 2. Loggers--Fiction. 3. Canadian
  fiction. 4. Interpersonal relations--Fiction. 5. Vancouver Island (B.C.)--
  Fiction. 6. British Columbia--Fiction.

Avi [kit] : author study. --- 2 ---
29 books (various titles) + 2 teacher guides.

Grade level: Int - Jr.
Contents: The barn (5 c.) -- Blue heron (8 c.) -- Nothing but the truth
(8 c.) -- A place called ugly (8 c.). Teacher guides: Nothing but the
truth (2 c.).
1. Authors--Study and teaching (Elementary). 2. Language arts
(Elementary).

Web Resources

Children's and Young Adults' Authors & Illustrators - This is an alpahabetical index to internet sites that designed to foster easy access to curriculum related sites for teachers, school librarians, parents and students.
Sample Author Study Unit Outline - William Bell Comments on Social Issues - This author study focuses on novels by the Canadian author, William Bell. In each novel, Bell weaves one or more social issues within an interesting and often fast-paced story. His well-developed characters are forced to face and deal with issues such as illiteracy, inaccuracy of news reporting, people with special needs, family discord, teen pregnancy, and clear cut logging.
Author David Richards - Soldier Boys - Conflict Resolution - An Integrated Resource-Based Learning Unit with an Indian/Metis Perspective - This middle years Language Arts unit on conflict resolution also incorporates Social Studies and Math objectives. Students study the novel Soldier Boys by David Richards to learn about the conflict in the Northwest Resistance, conduct a research project and simulation to learn about Métis history and culture, and then apply their knowledge in a field trip to Fish Creek and Batoche. Other resources are used to teach conflict resolution skills and suggested activities are provided for reinforcing these skills through multiple intelligences. Numerous assessment rubrics are also provided.
Author Gary Paulsen - Paulsen Perspectives - This middle years author study provides several mini lessons on theme, style, character and other literary elements in his novels. Students are also required to create a booktalk on one of Paulsen's novels using PowerPoint and to participate in student-student and student-teacher reading conferences.
Katherine Paterson - This site contains information about several of Katherine Paterson`s novels.
Saskatchewan Authors and Stories of Saskatchewan - These are very structured Saskatchewan author novel studies prepared for a Grade 6,7 and 8 modified classroom (reading at Grades 3 to 8 levels). The novels and stories included are: Tunnels of Time - Mary Harelkin Bishop , Tunnels of Terror - Mary Harelkin Bishop , Mystery of the Missing Will - Jeni Mayer , Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan - Jo-Anne Christensen , More Ghost Stories of Saskatchewan - Jo-Anne Christensen, Ghost Train - John Goodwin. The complete unit is available in PDF format.
Authors and Illustrators - from Houghton-Mifflin Publishing Company come these web sites for teachers. They lead to sites with sophisticated content or elevated reading levels. Use these links to gather additional information for your students, or direct your more advanced students to them.
Reach Out and Touch an Author - from Cyberbee, send your students on an online author scavenger hunt.
Author Studies - A set of links to online resources for a variety of authors
Gary Paulsen @WebEnglish Teacher - Resources to support this author's novels

Web Quests

Forbidden City - A WebQuest for Grade 7 & 8 Language Arts to support the William Bell novel
My Favourite Author - To satisfy his/her many readers, students' design a web page which contains everything that anyone would ever want to know about the author and his/her works. They write an introduction for visitors to the site explaining the purpose of the site. They tell readers about the author's background and create a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list of the most common questions asked about the author and his or her work.
Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party - Students are invited to attend a 19th Century Victorian party, hosted by Scrooge's nephew Fred, to celebrate Scrooge's new outlook on life. The invitation requires that guests assume the persona of a character from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Reading, writing, research, and revelry abound as students explore the internet in search of creating the perfect performance.

Do you have a lesson plan, resource or web site you would like to contribute to this page? Contact us at: Online Learning Centre

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