Duration: 2 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Adaptation: Upper Elementary (4-5), “A Person You Admire” Prompt, Expository Writing
Printable: “Favorite Person” Lesson Plan, Middle School (6-8), Expository Writing

Favorite Person Prompt:

We all have a favorite person, someone who we like or respect more than anyone else. Think about the person in your life you consider your favorite. What is this person like? What does this person do to make him or her your favorite?
Write an essay about this person explaining what he or she is like and the things that he or she does that makes him or her so special to you. (more…)

What made you decide to be an author, and at what stage in your life were you when you made that decision?

I wanted to be a dancer when I was younger, but I couldn’t major in that in college. I always liked reading, so I thought of English – you get to read a lot of books! This brought me into some writing classes, and at that point I got bitten by the bug. I started out with poetry, since you didn’t have to fill up the page with poetry. I then moved to writing plays because it is mostly dialogue driven and is very, very natural. Then I ended up with young adult novels. That was my progression.

You indicated that reading played a role in your becoming a writer, what role did reading play in your youth?

I think it was just someone to relate to. I liked characters that were very different from me, that lived in different parts of the country, that went on different adventures; it broke a lot of barriers for me. I was a middle child, and you’re always looking to be heard and to be understood. Reading was very appealing to me for that reason, plus I lived two blocks from the library, so I went through a lot of books as a young person, pretty effortlessly.

As a Young Writer (1:44) (more…)

Writing can be about anything – including someone else’s writing! This post by Adora Svitak focuses on how to write a book review – including how it differs from a book report.

Adora Svitak is an American child prodigy and internationally published author, known for her essays, stories, poems, blogs, and full-length books. Her book, Flying Fingers describes Adora’s abiding love of language and writing and contains tips and hints for other aspiring writers. In 2005, at the age of 7, Adora began writing blogs and keeping an online journal, where she comments on matters of both international significance and subjects of personal interest. Since Nov, 2005 Adora has been leveraging her talent and fame to promote literacy and interest in reading and writing. She has lectured before large audiences of both students and adults around the world.

Adora is also a user of MY Access!® Home Edition. You can see her talk about using My Access! here.

Learn more about Adora and her work on her website at http://www.adorasvitak.com/

Here are some tips on how to write a book review:

1.) Be sure to include essential information. Essential information includes things like author’s name, title of the book, etc. Give your reader essential information before launching right into your in-depth views on the book. It’s confusing to read a book review when you don’t know the book being reviewed. However, you probably don’t just want to say, “The title of the book is _____ and the author is ______ .” (more…)

Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 Minutes
Printable: The Giver Lesson Plan (PDF)

The Giver by Lois Lowry Intellimetric Prompt:

After experiencing the feeling of love from the Giver and his memories, Jonas thought about the way life must have been when there was love and realized it was probably a “dangerous way to live.” Think about what Jonas meant. What was “dangerous” about that kind of life, and what was a “safe” life like? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each choice? (more…)

What made you decide to be an author, and at what stage in your life were you when you made that decision?

Well, there are probably two different questions in there, and one is “author,” and the other is “children’s author.” For me that was two different decisions. I wanted to be an author or a writer since I was a child. It’s what I always did best, what I loved best. I went to college and majored in writing. But I married young and had children young, so everything got deferred. When I did turn my attention back to it, I was then in my thirties and I was writing for adults. It was a request from a children’s book editor that I write a book for young people that made me turn my attention in that direction. Then, it was the reaction to that book, A Summer to Die, my first novel for young adults. The reaction from young readers made me become aware of the importance of literature for young people, and so gradually, I turned my attention entirely to writing for kids.

Do you ever look back and wonder “What if?”

Do any of us not do that? There was no “what if” for me in terms of becoming a writer. There was nothing else I wanted to do. The only thing I suppose I look back on is, “What if I hadn’t dropped out of college and married at age 19?” That seems to me now a foolish thing to have done. On the other hand I have grown children and grandchildren, and I wouldn’t have those if I hadn’t done what I did. So I think we make our decisions, sometimes they’re foolish, but most often they turn out to be the right ones at the time. (more…)

Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Printable: “Advice to a Candidate” Lesson Plan (PDF)

Advice to a Presidential Candidate Prompt:

As the U.S. Presidential election season heats up, the voices of America’s diverse citizenry cry out, expressing the people’s needs, opinions, and visions for the future.  In the midst of all these competing voices, the Presidential candidates have to carefully consider what they say in return.  Imagine that you have the opportunity to speak privately to the candidate of your choice before he or she makes an important speech.  What would you tell him or her to say to America? (more…)

Duration: 2 class periods of 45-55 Minutes
Adaptations: Upper Elementary (4-5), “A Person You Admire” Prompt, Expository Writing
Printable: “Admirable Woman in History” Lesson Plan (PDF)

An Admirable Woman in History Prompt:

Throughout our history, there have been many admirable women who have had an important impact on our lives.  Whether they were great leaders, writers, or individuals who broke new ground and gender barriers, the roles of many women throughout history are to be admired.  What woman in history do you admire most?  What did she contribute to the world or accomplish in her life that earned your admiration? (more…)