6Traits Digest #163 - Thursday, March 23, 2000

  Author resources - older students & adults
          by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
  Langston Hughes, and others
          by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
  Dear Peter Rabbit
          by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>


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Subject: Author resources - older students & adults
From: "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 16:39:11 -0700

http://dive.woodstock.edu/~dcox/ohenry/great.html

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/lit-med/lit-med-db/meettheauthors.html

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Subject: Langston Hughes, and others
From: "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 16:50:02 -0700

When I was a junior in high school, my English teacher gave me a lifelong
love and affection for Langston Hughes poetry by playing an old 78
recording of Hughes reading his poem "The Congo."  Perhaps it even gave me
my love of poetry to hear that voice reading the poem with cadence that
felt like a drum beat on a mystic night in magical "deep, dark Africa."
Anyway, here's a link for elementary poetry readers.  It's very long, so
make sure you get all of it, right down to the html at the end. 

TeacherLink, Utah State University 
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/famous/hughe=
s
.html

LESSON:	Langston Hughes 
SUBJECT:	Language Arts
GRADES:	5-6

Then back it up to another long one:

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/LessonPlans/famous/names=
.
html

You'll find Ruby Bridges for 2nd-3rd graders, and many other interesting
characters.

Back up a little more to:

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/TLresources/longterm/index.html

and find lots of resources, including maps, if you have Acrobat installed,
and NASA lessons.

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Subject: Dear Peter Rabbit
From: "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 18:26:18 -0700

Hi, All,

I have been absolutely overwhelmed by my students' responses to the bunny
project!  (Susan Silverman project)  We read the book _Dear Peter Rabbit_
by Alma Flor Ada, a couple of times, and students also had the opportunity
to read it individually, which some did.

We talked about the interaction of the characters and stories involved -
Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Peter Rabbit and The Three Little =
Pigs.
 Most of my students don't even know Peter Rabbit, except from this book.

Then we listed some stories on the board.  The Three Billy Goats Gruff, =
The
Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, and some Mother Goose rhymes, Little
Bo Peep, Little Miss Muffet, Little Boy Blue, The Cat and the Fiddle.

A few of the students who are farther along are sharing their letters.  =
All
I can say is, "Wow!"  I didn't know they had it in them.  =3D)  I guess =
all
the 6 Traits of Writing, the discussions of voice, point of view, etc. =
have
really done the job.  Wait until you see the letter from the spider who =
sat
down beside Little Miss Muffet.  It's hilarious and wonderfully creative.

I'm using the 6Traits to evaluate.  Our district decided that 2nd grades
should be evaluated on letters.  I wish I had done these in time to have
this one be the one evaluated!  The voice is fantastic!  When I have them,
I'll share a few on the mailing list.

I thought if some of you are struggling with friendly letters, this might
be a book you'd like to try.  It's in Spanish, as well, and available from
Amazon.  Just reading the book is a great example of voice.

Susan Nixon
Phoenix, AZ

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