We have been enjoying books by author and illustrator Jan Brett.
Learning Standards: With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
There are so many wonderful books by this amazing author/illustrator! As we explored her collection, we began to wonder:
How does she gets all of her ideas?
How does she create her books?
What is life like as an author and an illustrator?
We compiled a special collection of resources to research and learn about her work. This allowed us to develop understanding AND practice techniques she uses as part of her craft as an author and illustrator.
Taking Books Beyond the Classroom
During our author study, we spent time closely reading texts in order to compare and contrast stories. We enjoyed a Flipgrid listening center in which children had the opportunity to select a story, and respond with an opinion about the book. Children in New Jersey and California were able to enjoy stories and share opinions with each other.
Family Talk to Share Opinions
- Which story was your favorite? How many stars did you give it? Why?
- Who were the critical characters in each story?
- What were the critical objects?
- Describe the setting in each story.
Real life connections:
- Describe your clothing in winter.
- Practice putting on your winter clothes by yourself. Can you button? Can you zipper? Can you tie?
- Practice zipping and unzipping your coat.
- What winter gear do you wear outside on a cold day? Practice putting it on and taking it off by yourself. Where do you keep your winter clothing safe so it is ready for next time?
More Ways to Play...
We used The Gingerbread Baby and other gingerbread themed books to talk about the five senses and explore descriptive language. We made our own talking gingerbread men using art materials and the Chatterpix app on the iPads. We also used gingerbread play dough for word work this week! You can play at home too!
Family Activity:
Try out the real thing! Here is Jan Brett's official recipe.
Wouldn't it be fun to meet this amazing author/illustrator in real life? You never know where she may turn up!!
Special thanks to Jan Brett's wonderful website from which we were able to collect resources and photos to explore as growing authors and illustrators.