"Who Was...?" Books: Weekly Author Study Series
In this ongoing course, students will read and discuss "Who Was/Is...?" biographies about famous authors, read and explore excerpts from the authors' well-known writing, and create their very own writing pieces inspired by each author.
Roxann Wheeler, M.Ed.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(192)
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. It is preferable that students read the "Who Was/Is..." books outside of class before the live class. However, the live class will be run in such a way that students can still participate in all class activities even if they did not read the book. Each book is approximately 100-115 pages long.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
An author study gives students the opportunity to learn about an author's life, read the author's work, make connections between the author's life and work, and evaluate the style and themes of the author's work. In this ongoing course, students will have the opportunity to do brief author studies. Each week we will read about and explore the life and work of a different author. Students will read and discuss illustrated biographies from the popular "Who Was...?" series. With over 250 titles, this series tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, creators, and legends. Students will read the "Who Was/Is...?" book for that week independently before coming to the live class. In the live class, we will have a rich discussion about the book. Then we will read and examine excerpts from that author's well-known works (or adaptations of their works) together. Finally, students will write a creative piece inspired by the author, with the option to share their work. After each class, I will provide age-appropriate book and website recommendations for students who are interested in reading more by the author and/or about the author. This will give them an opportunity beyond this course to delve deeper into author study for the authors who have piqued their interest the most. The schedule of authors will be as follows: Week 1 Feb. 11th - 17th: "Who Was Roald Dahl?" by True Kelley Week 2 Feb. 18th - 24th: "Who Was Jane Austen?" by Sarah Fabiny Week 3 Feb. 25th - March 2nd: "Who Was Maya Angelou?" by Ellen Labrecque Week 4 March 3rd - 9th: "Who Was Jeff Kinney?" by Patrick Kinney Week 5 March 10th - 16th: "Who Was Beatrix Potter?" by Sarah Fabiny Week 6 March 17th - 23rd: "Who Was William Shakespeare?" by Celeste Davidson Mannis March 24th - 30th: NO CLASS March 31st - April 6th: NO CLASS Week 7 April 7th - 13th: "Who Is R.L. Stine?" by M.D. Payne Week 8 April 14th - 20th: "Who Is J.K. Rowling?" by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso Week 9 April 21st - 27th: "Who Was Dr. Seuss?" by Janet B. Pascal Week 10 April 28th - May 4th: "who Was Judy Blume?" by Kirsten Anderson The schedule and authors moving forward will be announced in early April.
Learning Goals
Students will:
Connect with a community of readers
Experience a variety of writing styles and voices
Practice small group discussion skills
Develop reading skills
Build critical thinking skills
Enhance writing skills
Other Details
Supply List
Students should have their own copy of the books. Here is the book list for the fall term: Week 1 Feb. 11th - 17th: "Who Was Roald Dahl?" by True Kelley Week 2 Feb. 18th - 24th: "Who Was Jane Austen?" by Sarah Fabiny Week 3 Feb. 25th - March 2nd: "Who Was Maya Angelou?" by Ellen Labrecque Week 4 March 3rd - 9th: "Who Was Jeff Kinney?" by Patrick Kinney Week 5 March 10th - 16th: "Who Was Beatrix Potter?" by Sarah Fabiny Week 6 March 17th - 23rd: "Who Was William Shakespeare?" by Celeste Davidson Mannis March 24th - 30th NO CLASS Week 7 March 31st - April 6th: "Who Is R.L. Stine?" by M.D. Payne Week 8 April 7th - 13th "Who Is J.K. Rowling?" by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso Week 9 April 14th - 20th: "Who Was Dr. Seuss?" by Janet B. Pascal Week 10 April 21st - 27th: "who Was Judy Blume?" by Kirsten Anderson Students will also need paper and pencil (or the electronic equivalent) each class for their own writing inspired by the author. I recommend keeping a Writer's Notebook to use throughout the course.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Joined May, 2020
4.9
192reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Maryland Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in Education from Towson University
I am a certified teacher in the state of Maryland in Reading K-12 and English 7-12. I have over 20 years of experience teaching Reading, ELA, and English courses K-12, as well as experience as a reading specialist K-8. Reviews
Live Group Class
$21
weekly1x per week
50 min
Completed by 114 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
3-7 learners per class
