Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
UnitNine–AuthorStudy:ReadingLikeaFan
May/June(Level3ReadingBenchmark:V)
Readingworkshop,atitsheart,aimstosetyoungpeopleonthepathtobecominglifelong
readers.Butwhatabouttheyoungsterswhocomeintoourroomspreconditionedinto
believingthattheyaren’tgreat‘readers’?Despiteourbestintentions,theyfailtograspthe
habitsof‘real’readers:theycan’treallyrememberthebookstheyreadrecently,theyhave
no‘nextmust‐read’linedupintheirmind,andtheyoftenleavebooksunfinished.Ofcourse,
theseareprobablythestudentswhoneedourhelpwithdecodingandsynthesizing,who
mightevenneedourhelpwithphonicsstill,andwholikelyhavenotfoundenoughbooksto
engagethemattheirjust‐rightlevels.Butfardeeperthanallthesemechanics,perhaps
theseyoungstersdon’teventhinkofthemselvesasreaders.Theymaybehoveringonthe
peripheryofourinnercircle,neverreallyidentifyingwithwhateveritisthatmakesother
studentspassionate,nose‐in‐book,lost‐to‐the‐worldreaders.Atthispointintheyear,you
likelyhavethesestudentsfirstandforemostonyourmind.“There’snotmuchtimeleft,”
youmightbethinking,“IsthereanotherwayImightbeabletoreachthem?”
Welcome to the Unit
Inthisunitofstudy,you’llstretchyourarmswideandgatherallyouryoungstersintothe
innercircle.Whatevertheirlevelandprevioussuccesswithreading,inthisunit,your
studentswillre‐carvetheiridentitiesasreaders.Specifically,theywillidentifyonebook,
onewriter,whospeakstothem—andusethispowertoleveragethemselvesintobecoming
expertsandinsidersoneverythingthisauthorhaswrittenandalsoeverythingthisauthor
standsfor.Thisisworkthatallstudentscando.Itisapowerfulthingforachildtobeable
tosay,“Ohmyfavoriteauthorisso‐and‐so.”Justname‐droppingafavoriteauthorisaway
tohitchoneself(nomatterhowsuperfluously)tothe‘literaryworld.’Itisevenmore
powerfulforthisyoungstertobeabletotellyoupreciselywhythisauthorisspecial,tobe
abletolisttitlesbythisauthor,toperhapscommentonhowthisauthorhaschangedhis
wayoflivingandseeingtheworld.
Thisunitofstudyhopestotapintosomeofthepowerofknowing,lovingandstudyingan
author’swork,ofeagerlyanticipatingreadinganotherworkbythisauthor,andof
becomingenrichedbythecraftandlifelessonsthisauthor’sbooksprovide.Thisworkwill
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
1 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
2 pullstudentsfirmlyintoforgingauniquepersonalliteraryidentitybyattachingtheirown
namewiththatofanauthorwhospeakstothem.Andwithourhelp,thisisworkthatall
students—notjustthefewstrongeststudentsintheroom—canbegintodo.
Itisalsoworthnotingthattheplacementofthisunitattheendoftheyearwaspurposeful.
Wearehopingthatbysettingupstudentstodevelopas(orbecome)loversofparticular
authors,wewillsetthestageforvoraciousreadingoverthesummer.Intheweeksleftin
theschoolyear,studentscan’tpossiblyreadalloftheirfavoriteauthors’books.Wecan,
however,whetourstudents’appetitesandsetthemupwithatleastonefocusedgameplan
fortheirindependentreadingovertheirsummervacations.
Asyoustartthisfinalmonth,bearinmindthatthisisyourlastchancetoprovidereaders
withsupportinmovinguplevelsoftextdifficulty.Althoughyounodoubtfeellikeyouare
readytowinddownyourteaching,thisisactuallythemonthinwhichyouarelaunching
kidsofftoasummerofpractice.Sonowistheperfecttimetohelpstudentswhoareready
tobreakintoanotherleveloftextdifficulty.Youknowhowtodothis—putthemin
transitionalbaggies,providetextintroductionsandsame‐bookpartnerships.Supportsome
ofthenewvocabularythatreaderswillencounter.Buttherealjobisprobablymore
aroundmotivation.Afterall,kidswillbeenteringanewgradenextyear.Withafinalpush,
theycanenterthatgradereadingatawholedifferentlevel.Andthinkaboutthetextsthat
willbecomeaccessibletothemasaresultofthisfinalpush!You’llabsolutelywanttodothe
booktalks/bookbuzzesthatcreateexcitementaroundthenewlyaccessiblebooks,using
thesocialenergyofkidswho’velovedthosebookstoenergizethisfinalpush.
Overview EssentialQuestion:HowcanIfollowanauthorlikeafanofthatauthor,learningnotonly
aboutthedistinctive,uniquemovesthatauthortendstomakebutalsothinkingaboutthe
topicsandthesesthattheauthortendstoaddress?HowcanInoticethesimilaranddifferent
waysthatanauthorapproachesthesamethemethroughouthisorherwriting?Canthis
thinkingaboutotherauthorshelpmethinkaboutmyownwritinginnewways?  BendI:WhenReadersReadMorethanOneBookbytheSameAuthor,WeCome
toKnowthatAuthor
HowcanIcometoknowanauthorwellsothatIamawareofthatauthor’sdistinctivemoves?
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
3 
BendII:WhenWereadManyBooksbyanAuthorWeLove,WeApprenticeOurselves
toThatAuthor’sCraft
HowcanIstudythewayanauthorusescrafttechniquestopopouthisorhertheme?HowcanI
apprenticemyselftoanauthor’scraftsothatIread,awarethatIcouldtrysomeofwhatanauthorhas
doneinmyownwriting?

BendIII:BecominganAuthorExpert
HowcanIbecomeanauthor‐expert,becomingsoknowledgeableaboutanauthorthatIcantalkabout
andreferencethatauthor’sworksalmostautomaticallyasifIwasaliteracycritic?

BendIV:ReadersExploretheDeeperConnectionsThatanAuthorInspiresinUs
HowcanIlearnlifelessonsfromtheauthorsthatIlove,thinkingabouthowIcanlivemylifedifferently
becauseofwhatIread?
InBendOne,studentswillworkinclubstogettoknowanauthor,byreadingorrereading
oneortwobooksbythisauthor.Studentswillstudyparticularaspectsofthecontentinthe
booktheyarecurrentlyreadingandthinkabouthowtheseaspectsmightinfactbe
hallmarksofthisauthor’sbodyofwork.InBendTwoclubswillbegintodrawuponallthe
worktheyhavedoneacrosstheyeararoundauthorialintenttonoteandnamespecific
craftmovesthatthisauthormakes,apprenticingthemselvestothisauthor’scraftanduse
oflanguage.ByBendThree,yourreaderswillhavereadmanybooksbythisauthor,aswell
as(perhaps)textsabouttheauthor,andtheywillbeinabetterpositiontocompareand
contrastacrosstexts.Atthisstage,clubscanbegintoanalyzethemesthatrecurinthis
author’sbooksandalsobegintoevaluatethebiggerlifemessagesthattheauthorseemsto
forwardineverybook.Inthefinalbend,studentswillendonasomewhatintrospective
note,witheachindividualreaderexploringwhyheorshegravitatestooneparticular
authoroveranotherandnotingwaysinwhichafavoriteauthor’sworkmovesandshapes
hisorherownthinkingaboutaparticularsubject.Withthatauthor’sworkfirmlyinthe
reader’sgrasp,thestudentwillthenmakeplanstomoveforwardintothesummer,using
everythinghehaslearnedaboutreadingtoprepareforasummerfilledwithpassionate
andconnectedreading.
CCSS/LS Standards Addressed in this Unit:
Thisunitisdesignedtonotonlyengagestudentsintexts,butalsotoaddressmanyofthe
demandsfromtheCommonCore.Especiallyasstudentsareabouttoleavefifthgrade,itis
importantthattheyaregrapplingwithsomeoftheseloftydemandssothattheyarefully
preparedtofacethechallengesofmiddleschool.Inthisunit,they’llbeworkingtoward
manyoftheanchorstandardsastheyinvestigateauthor’scraftthroughwordchoice,
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
structure,pacing,andperspective(AnchorStandards4‐6).They’llalsocontinuetodeepen
theirworkontheme(RL5.2)andstarttodosomeoftheworkofsixthgrade,analyzing
howthemeisconveyedthroughspecificdetailsintheirtexts(RL6.2)andpushdeeperto
compareandcontrastthemesandapproachestothesethemesacrossbooks(RL5.9and
6.9).Further,they’lldeepenconversationsandpushtheirideastonewheightsasthey
engageintheirclubconversations(SL5.1)
Herearesometipstohelpyougetreadytoteachthisunit:
 PrepareTextSets
 SetupClubsPriortoUnitStarting
 ChooseyourReadAloud(s)
Getting Ready PrepareTextSets
Thismonth,nomereone‐hitpublishingwonderandnoordinaryauthorwilldo.You’llwant
topickthestrongest,thebestselling,andthemostpopularauthorstoanchorthisunitin.
Severalnamespopintomind:GaryPaulsen,JacquelineWoodson,JamesHowe,GarySoto,
PatriciaMacLachlan,PatriciaReillyGiff,ClydeRobertBulla,WalterDeanMyers,Suzanne
Collins,LaurenceYep,JudyBlume‐‐thiscouldbeaverylongandvariedlist.The
determiningfactorsarethestudentsinyourroom.Werecommendthatyoumineyour
libraryforthetitlesthathaveprovedmostpopularintheprecedingmonths.Itisalsoa
goodideatoaskyourkidsoutright.Distributeslipsofpaperforthemtowritethetitleof
theoneortwobooksthatthey’velovedthemost,ortheauthorsthey’dlovetoseemoreof,
andusetheseballotsforguidanceonthetext‐setsyou’llmake.
Takeyourstudents’interestsintoaccount.DosomeofyourboyscraveGaryPaulsen‐esque
adventurestoriesandsulkthroughslower‐pacedrelationship‐orientedstories?Might
somegirlslovetocometogethertotalkformallyaboutJudyBlume’splotlines?Doyouhave
afewphilosopherswhocanunpeelseveralinterpretivelayersoffaPatriciaMacLachlan
novel?Keepyourstudents’facesinmindwhilehandpickingtheauthorsaroundwhichyou
createatext‐setofbooks.Whilecreatingtext‐sets,you’llwanttowatchoutforreading
levels.Oneadvantageisthatsomeauthors,suchasGaryPaulsen,havewrittenbooksata
varietyoflevelsthatcansupportarangeofreaders.PaulsentitlesincludeWorksong(J),
Dogteam(P),Hatchet(R),TheWinterRoom(U),andSarny(W).Youwillnoticethatin
additiontowritingatmanylevels,Paulsenalsohasavarietyofbooksateachlevel.You
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
4 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
mightchoosetohavetwoseparatetextsetsforGaryPaulsen,tocatertotwoclubsreading
atseparatelevels‐‐orevenmaketheboldmoveofputtingdifferentleveledreadersinthe
samePaulsenclub.ThelatterwouldrequireenoughPaulsenbookstoholdeveryone’s
interestacrossthemonth.Thisunevenpairingofdifferentlevelsmightpullsomestudents
upintoahigherlevel,sincethey’llhavemoreproficientpeerswithwhomtodiscussand
interpretasharedauthor.Oritmaybackfireandfrustratereaderswhoareusedtoreading
andinterpretingatdisparatelevels!Thesearecalculatedrisksthatonlyyou,withyour
knowledgeofyourparticularstudents,canmake.Werecommendthatyoumonitorclub
progresscloselytooffsetsuchproblemsbeforetheybloomfull‐fledged,matchingreaders
whocansupporteachotherinmultiplewaysthroughoutthemonth’swork.
SetUpClubsPriortotheUnitStarting
Trytokeepnomorethanfourstudentsperclub.Ifhalftheclassoptsferventlyforthesame
favoriteauthor,youmightcreatetwodifferentclubsforthisoneauthor,helpingthetwo
clubsswapbooksaftertheyhavereadanddiscussedthem,andperhapslateraskingthese
clubstocometogethertocomparenotes.Asmuchasispossible,matchreaderstotheir
firstauthorchoice.You’llwanttomakeinformed,carefullyweigheddecisionsaboutwhich
readersareplacedinwhichparticularclub,puttingthereader’stastepreferenceatthe
forefrontofthisdecision.
Chooseyourreadaloud(s)
Ofcourse,you’llneedtoconsiderwhattextsyou’lluseforyourreadaloud.You’llwantto
basethischoiceonafewfactors.Aprimaryconcernwillbe,asinyourchoicesforyourclub
texts,studentinterests.Youwillwanttochooseanauthorthatyouknowwillgrabyour
students’fascination.You’llalsowanttomakesurethatyourauthorhasatleastafewshort
textsthatyoucangetthroughrelativelyquickly.Becausethisunitaddressescrosstext
workanddemandsthatstudentsarelookingforcommonalitiesanddifferencesovera
bodyofwork,you’llneedtomakesurethatthisislogisticallypossibleinthetextsyou
choose.Therefore,youmightchooseanauthorwhohasavarietyofhighlevelshortertexts
likeSandraCisnerosorPatriciaPolacco.Youmightalsochoosetofocusonanauthorwho
hasacombinationofshorterandlongertextssuchasCynthiaRylant,JamesHowe,Kevin
Henkes,orSarahWeeks.(SeetheAppendixforsomesuggestionsfortextsfromthese
authors.)
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
5 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
Asalways,youwillwanttoadministeraninitialassessmenttogaugeyourstudents’needs
andtoinformyourteaching.Considerthemajorgoalsforthisunitandhowyoumight
assesschildrenontheirdevelopmenttowardsthem.Forinstance,weknowthisunitputsa
strongemphasisoncraft,theme,andcomparingandcontrastingacrossbooks.Beforethe
unitbegins,youmightplanashortreadaloudinwhichyouaskchildrentostopandjotin
severalplaces.“Whydidtheauthorincludethissetting/quote/description/etc?”youmight
begin.“Writeabitaboutyourideasanddon’tforgettogiveevidencefromthetextto
supportit!”Andlater,“Whatmightthethemeorlessonofthisstorybe?Howdidtheauthor
showthis?”CollectthesepromptedresponsesandassessthemusingtheLiterature
ReadingLearningProgression.Whatlevelareyourstudentsontheirabilitytointerpret?
Youmay,too,usethe“AnalyzingtheRelationshipbetweenAuthorialIntentandCraft”
strandontheInformationalReadingLearningProgressiontoassessstudents’
understandingofauthors’choices.Thesecontinuawillhelpyouplacechildrenataspecific
level,andprovideideasforwhatstudentsmustdotomovetohigherlevels.Onthesecond
day,youmightreadasecondreadaloudbythesameauthorandaskchildrentodocross‐
textwork.“Stopandjotabouthowthischaracterissimilartothecharacterwereadabout
yesterday”youmightsay.Or,“Howarethelessons/themesinthisstorysimilarordifferent
fromthoseinthetextwereadyesterday?”
Assessment Weencourageyoutotailoryourteachingtothedatayougather.Ifthemajorityofstudents
stillstruggletodevelopmoreinterpretiveideasaboutthelessonsinstories,youmight
considerreturningtosomeoftheworkyoudidinthecharacter,historicalfiction,orsocial
issuesunit.Plantorepeatthisassessmentattheendoftheunitandconsiderifthereare
waysthatyoumightpasstheseassessmentsontosixthgradeteachers.
BendI:WhenReadersReadMorethanOneBookbytheSameAuthor,
WeCometoKnowthatAuthor
Howdoesonereallygettoknowanauthor?FlocksthrongtoseeHansChristianAnderson’s
Copenhagenhouse,touristsseekoutthebronzesculptureofC.S.Lewis’sAlicesittingona
mushroominCentralPark,and,now,crowdsrushtodrinkbutterbeerattheHarryPotter
themeparkinOrlando.This,however,isnotthestuffanauthorstudyistrulymadeof.Nor
doesonereallygettoknowanauthorbyminingbiographicaltrivia.Thinkaboutit:how
muchwouldtheknowledgethatSteinbeckmarriedthreetimesreallyincreaseone’s
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
6 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
7 appreciationforOfMiceandMen?Tobecomeanexpertonanauthor,wedon’tneedtovisit
theirshrineorhometownorinterviewthem.Tobecomeanexpertonanauthor,readers
devourasmanybooksbythatauthorastheycanlaytheirhandson.Wereadandreread
favoriteparts,underlinethelinesthatmakeuslaughaloudorstoptothinkagain.Thisis
themessageyou’llwanttobeginthisunitonauthorstudieswith,teachingclubstosimply
readandrereadbooksthattheirchosenauthorhaswritten.
Thiswillmeandifferentthingsfordifferentreaders.Forreaderswholaunchintothisstudy
havingonlyreadasinglebookbythisauthor,youmightsuggestthattheystartoffby
rereadingtheonebookthattheydoknow.Otherclubsmightdecidethatbecausetheyall
knowdifferentbooks,theywillstarttheunitbychoosinganewonetogether,perhapswith
familiarcharacters.Eitherway,readerswillstudythisfirstbookclosely,lookingforthe
author’sfingerprints.
Tobeatruefanofanauthor,oneofthefirststepsreaderswilltake,whetherthisistheir
firstbookbytheauthorortheirtwenty‐first,istoallowthemselvestomarvelatthecraft
andthestory.Studentswilllearntostopandtakenoticewhentheyfindthemselves
laughingoutloud,gaspingwithexcitement,tearingup,orinotherwaysimpressedbytheir
author.Wewantthestudentstoallowthemselvestofallinlovewiththeirauthors.They
willcometotheirclubmeetingswithfavoritemoments,sentences,evenwordsmarkedand
readytolingerandgushover.Onthisfirstdayyoumightgatheryourstudentsandsay
somethinglike,“TodayI’mgoingtoteachyouthat
whenyoureadyoucanbecomefansofauthors‐just
“TodayI’mgoingtoteachyouthatwhenyou
likeyou’remusicfansandsportsfans.Whenyou’re
readyoucanbecomefansofauthors‐justlike
fansofasportsteam,youtrytoseeeverygame.When
you’remusicfansandsportsfans.When
you’refansofanauthor,youtrytoreadeverybook
you’refansofanauthor,youtrytoreadevery
bookthey’vewritten.Whenyou’refansof
they’vewritten.Whenyou’refansofmusicians,you
authors,youreadtheirbooks,sometimes
listentotheirsongsoverandoverandmemorize
morethanonce,studyingchapters,
everyword.Whenyou’refansofauthors,youread
paragraphs,evensentencesuntilyouknow
theirbooks,sometimesmorethanonce,studying
themalmostbyheart.Whenyou’refansof
chapters,paragraphs,evensentencesuntilyouknow
authors,youmarkyourfavoriteplacesin
bookstore‐readoverandshare:whereyou
themalmostbyheart.Whenyou’refansofsports,you
laughed,cried,orweresurprised.”
replayhomerunsandtouchdownsandfumblesand
errorsandcheerandgaspoverandoveragain.When
you’refansofauthors,youmarkourfavoriteplacesinbookstore‐readoverandshare:
whereyoulaughed,cried,orweresurprised.”
Oncereadersareimmersedintheirstoriesandenamoredwiththeirauthors,you’llexpect
toseethemrememberinglessonslearnedacrosstheyearontheimportanceofparticular
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
8 elementsandturntheirattentiontothesettingandthecharacters.Onewayreadersgetto
knowanauthorbypayingattentiontothesettingstheauthorcreatesinhisorherbooks.
“Whatistheworldofthestory?”weaskourselves,and“Doesthisauthoralwayscreatethis
sameworld?”Readersmayask,“Whoistheheroofthisstory?Isthisheroliketheheroor
heroineinanotherbookbythisauthor?”Intheirclubconversations,eachchildmight
reportonthesettingandthecharactersinhisorherbookandtogether,theclubcanbegin
tocomparethese.ThePatriciaMacLachlanClubwhoareallreadingdifferentMacLachlan
booksmightnoticeandinquire,“ThestoriesJourneyandSarah,PlainandTallbothtake
placeonafarm.HowisthesettingforEdward’sEyesdifferentfromthese?Howisitthe
same?”Thestudentsreadingthesebookswilleachbeinapositiontocommenton
whatevertheirbookrevealsaboutthiscommonauthor.Similarly,theBarbaraParksClub
whoareallreadingthesamebooksmightbepondering,“IsAlexfromSkinnyBonesatall
similartoHowardfromTheBoyintheRedJacket?HowareAlexandHowardsimilartoor
differentfromMaxie?”
Donotexpectthatallclubswillcomeupwith‘correct’
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatyou cango
answersasaresultoftheseconversations.Justasking
beyondstudyingcharactersinonebook,to
thesequestionsisimportanttoforgingaliterary
nowlookacrossbooksandcompareand
contrastthecharactersindifferentbooksby
awarenessoftheauthorasa‘craftsman,’onewho
thesameauthor.Since,asfans,youareall
moldscharactersandsettingsinspecificways.If
likelytohavereadotherbooksbythisauthor
studentsare,forexample,simplynoticingsettings,
(evenifnotallthesameonesastheother
butnotdoinganymoreanalyticalworkwhen
peopleinourclub)youcanbegindoingthat
thinkingabouttheauthor’schoices,youmightsay,
worknow.Youcanaskourselvesquestions:
Whatdoesthischaracterwant?Whatarehis
“Readers,it’snotenoughtojustnoticethesettingsin
orherstruggles?Howarethesethings
thebooksourauthorswrite.Ialsowanttothink
similartoordifferentfromthecharactersin
aboutwhatthistellsmeaboutmyauthorandwhat
otherbooksI’vereadbythisauthor?”
hisbooksarereallyabout.Soit’snotenoughforme
tojustsay,“MostofthebooksI’vereadbyGarySoto
takeplaceinschoolsandhomesinCalifornia.”Ineedtopushfurther.SinceIalreadyknow
thatmostofGarySoto’scharactersareMexican‐American,itmakessensethatCaliforniais
wherethestoriestakeplace.Butalso,manyofthemliveinplacesthataren’tsowealthy,so
Iknowthatcanhaveaneffectonhowthecharactersact,thechoicestheycanmake,etc.”
Youmightalsocoachclubstonotewhetherthesettingfeelsliketoday’sworldora
differentcountry,likemoderntimesorhistoricaltimes,likefamiliarkindsofpeopleor
peoplethatfeeldifferentfromreaders’ownworld...andthentocompareacrossbooksand
seeifthisistrueforeverythingtheauthorwrites.Ofcourse,settingandcharactersareonly
twosuchlensesthatwillhelpdirectstudents’gazesattheirauthor’sbooks.Youmight
returntootherlensesyourstudentshavestudiedandbeenfascinatedbythisyear,even
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
pullingoutoldchartsduringworkshopinterruptionsandteachingshares,toencourage
studentstonotemoreabouttheworktheirauthorisdoingintheircurrentbooksandin
thebookstheyhavereadinthepast.
Asstudentsreadmore,theyshouldcontinuetocollecttheirfavoriteormostadmiredparts
ofthebookstheyarereading,justastheydidinthefirstdaysoftheunit.Studentscould
returntopost‐itsaboutspecificpartsthatmakethemlaughaloudorfeelparticularlysad
orpartsthatmakethemfeellikesomethingisabouttohappenthatwilltwistthestoryin
anunexpecteddirection.Inclubs,theymayponder,“Doallourbookshavepartsthatmake
uslaugh?Isthisauthorfunnyineverystory?”Or“Threereadersinthisclubhavenoted
thatallseemswellatthestartandthenthestorybeginstochangeandeverythinggoes
wrongatonce.Doesthisseemtobesomethingtheauthordoesinallofherbooks?”
Forclubstocomeupwithsuchobservations,theywilllikelyneedcoachingfromyou.As
readerstalkinclubs,listeninandnotepatternsintheirconversations.Itislikelythatmany
willmerelyberetellingthestory.Nudgeclubmembersintoaskingmoreanalyticquestions.
Itisworthrememberingthatoneofthemainthrustsofthisunitistogetstudentstothink
deeplyabouttheirauthor’sworkinordertobecomemorepassionateandinformed
readers.Retellingwillcertainlynotreachthatgoal.Studentsshouldgrowtohavethekinds
ofconversationsthatbookslovershaveonaregularbasis.Itmighthelpyoutothinkofthe
lastbookyoureadandweredyingtotalkaboutwithotherpeople.Whatdidyouwantto
talkabout?Howdidthattalkchangewhenthepersonhadreadthebooktoo?Didyou
discussthemes?Excitingmoments?Deeperunderstandingofthetext?
Readersmightlookdeeperthantheliteralplotlineoftheirbookswhennudgedtonotice
thedecisionsthatmusthavegoneintodevelopingthisplotline.Forexample,studentsmay
begintonoteandcomparethepacingofstories:“Istherealotofactioninthisstory?Does
thisstorybeginwithaction?Istherealotofdialogue?Dothingshappenquicklyoristhe
storyslow‐pacedandfullofdescriptionsofthesetting?Doesthestorymakemehave
questionsrightfromthestart?”Nudgethemintonotingwhethertheauthortendstomake
themgriptheedgeoftheirseatwithworryorifshebuildsatmospherebyrichlydescribing
thesetting‐‐andifthisistrueofeverybookclubmembersread.
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
9 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
10 BendII:WhenWeReadManyBooksbyanAuthorWeLove,We
ApprenticeOurselvestoThatAuthor’sCraft
Withoutevenknowingthatwe’redoingthis,humanstendtomimicwhateverwelove.This
isespeciallytrueforkids.They’lltalkliketheirparents,dressliketheirbestfriends,and
evencopymovesfromus,theirteachers‐‐mimickingexpressionsoractionstheyfindthe
mosteffectiveorenticing.Itisn’taseasyforachildtomimicabelovedauthorwhile
writing,however,orwe’dhavemillionsofRoaldDahls.Withexplicitinstruction,however,
studentscancertainlynoteandnamethespecificcraftmovesthatfavoriteauthorsmake,
andinternalizethesewhenthey’rethinking,talkingorwriting.Withpractice,theycan
developthehabitofreadinglikewriters,learningnotmerelytobewowedbutalsotopay
attentiontothesciencebehindthemagictrick,sothattheycancreatesimilarmagicof
theirown.
SincethisistheReadingWorkshop,you’llwanttokeep
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthat
anotherwayyoucangettoknowour
thefocusonreadingratherthanwriting,butreaderscan
authors’booksbetter,andbecome
certainlyreadwithawriter’seyeeveniftheydon’t
evenstrongerreaders,istonotjust
immediatelypenlongpagesusingthetechniquesthey’ve
studythebooksfromtheoutsidein,
observed.Certainlytheeffectsofthisbend’sworkwill
asreaders,buttoalsostudyour
spilloverintothewritingstudentsdo,butourspecific
bookswithourclubsaswriters.You
dothiswhenyouthinkabouthow
focushereistocreatealifelonghabitforstudentsto
you’vestructuredourownstoriesin
lookattextsthewayamechaniclooksatcars—pulling
thepast,andthenlookatthe
allthepiecesapart,thenputtingthembacktogetherto
structuresofthebooksyouhave
developadeeperunderstandingandappreciationfor
readbyourauthorstoseeifthere
howandwhythebookwaswritten.Studentswill
arepatternsthatemerge.”
experiencethisthroughperiodicclosereadingthatyou’ll
conductinyourreadaloudtext.
Youwillwantreaderstonoticehowauthorsuserepetitionorsymbolism,howtheyhave
chosenspecificwordsintheirbooks,andhowtheymightstartorendtheirbooksor
chaptersinsimilarordifferentways.
Onewaystudentscandothisistostudytodifferentaspectsofatextandthendeviseways
topullwhattheyhavelearnedoutofcontexttocompareitwithotherworksbythesame
author.Forexample,youmightshowstudentshowtheycanuseareversestorybookletor
mountaintorecordnotjusttheplotofthestory,butthestructureofthestoriesthey’ve
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
readsofarandthennotehowtherearestructuralsimilaritiesanddifferencesacrossan
author’sbooks.Studentsmightcopyashortsectionoftextthattheylovefromeachofthe
booksthey’vereadsofarintheirreadingnotebookandstudyitforitssentencevariation,
punctuation,andevenwordchoice,mimickingtheclosereadingyou’vedoneasawhole
class.Clubsmaychooseapassagetogetherthatyoucanphotocopy.Then,asaclub,they
canannotatethesepassagesforcraftmoves.Youmightalsoconsiderteachingstudents
thattheycantrytheirhandatwritingintothegapsofastoryintheirreadingnotebooks,
imaginingwhathappensinthescenesthatarenotthere.Whatdothecharacterssound
like?Whatdotheydo?Thesekindsofquickexerciseswilllookdifferentdependingonthe
authorinquestion.ClearlytheclubstudyingJonScieszkawillhaveadifferentauthor’s
styletotrythantheonestudyingKateDiCamillo!Youmightbeginthisteachingbysaying
somethinglike,“TodayIwanttoteachyouthat
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatjustasaclose
anotherwaywecanapprenticeourselvesto
eyeforanauthor’scrafthelpsyoubecome
ourauthorsistoporeoverthosesectionsand
strongerreaders,itcanalsohelpyouas
placeswehavelovedandbeenmovedby.We
writers.Youoccasionallyfindyourself
mightevencopyashortsectionintoour
markingplacesinabooknotjustbecauseit
notebooksandstudywhat’sgoingonhere
movesyouasareader,butbecauseyouwant
totrywhattheauthorisdoingasawriterin
that’saffectingussomuch.Isitthesituation
yourownwriting.”
thecharacterisin?Thecharacter’smotivation?
Isitsentencevariation?Wordchoice?
Punctuation?Wecanthenlooktootherspotsinthesamebookandotherbookstoseeif
thereisevidenceofthisorothermovestheauthortendstomakealotinhisorhercraft.”
Finally,itisworthmentioningthatifyourstudentsareworkingonindependentwriting
projectsinwritingworkshopatthistime,theseauthorstheyarestudyingcouldverywell
serveasmentorauthorsfortheirwritingpieces.Studentscantrytheirhand,evenifjust
experimentallyintheirnotebooks,atwritingdialogueordescriptionsinthestyleand
cadenceoftheirauthor.Toencouragethistypeofwork,youmightsay,“TodayIwantto
teachyouthatjustasacloseeyeforanauthor’scrafthelpsyoubecomestrongerreaders,it
canalsohelpyouaswriters.Youoccasionallyfindourselvesmarkingplacesinabooknot
justbecauseitmovesyouasareader,butbecauseyouwanttotrywhattheauthorisdoing
asawriterinyourownwriting.”
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
11 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
BendIII:BecominganAuthorExpert
IfRowlingweretoreleaseanewbooktomorrow,itwouldbereadonewaybyaRowling
newbie(areaderforwhomthisisthefirstbookbythisauthor)andcompletelydifferently
byaRowlingfan(onewho’sdevouredeveryPotterbookeverwritten,severaltimes).
Whilethenewbiemightreadwithcasualinterest,atruefan’sreadingwouldbuzzwith
cross‐textreferences,withmemoriesofpreviousRowlingcharactersandplotlines,with
satisfiedrecognitionoffamiliarcraftmovesandsyntaxpatterns.Thissecondwayof
readingispowerful—itisthereadingofanexpert,acritic.Thereaderwhotrulyknowsan
authorcanrecognizethatauthor’svoiceandstyleimmediately,muchasonerecognizesthe
footfallofafamilymemberinthedark.Inthisbend,readerswillseektobecomethiskind
ofexpertontheirauthors.
Bythistimeintheunit,yourreadersoughttohavefinishedatleasttwobooksbytheir
favoriteauthor.Theywillbeinapositiontosaywhattheauthortendstodo,connecting
patternsacrossthetwo(ormore)booksandcomingupwithatheoryaboutthethemes
thatthisauthortypicallyaddresses.Ofcourse,clubswillsupportindividualeffortstodo
this.Now,clubswillbereadytolookattheirbooksinterpretively,notingthedeeper
undercurrentsofwhattheirbooksarereallyabout.Studentsmayrecallsomeofthe
commonliterarythemesthatyourstudentsexploredinapreviousunitofstudy(Social
IssuesBookClubs)andaskwhichofthesetheauthortendstorevisit.Doestheauthorwrite
aboutrelationshipsbetweenfriendsandfamilymembersoraboutisolation?Doesthemain
characterloseonethingbutfindsomethingelseofdeepervalue—andifso,whatisthis
newfoundthing?Iseverybookaboutabattlebetweengoodandevil?Aboutgrowingup?
Aboutfindingthecouragewithin?Oraboutbeing
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthat, as
resilientandfightingchallenges?Whatisthemain
expertsonyourauthor,youare
character’sjourneyofgrowth?Oncereadersunearththe
goingtostarttoturnyourcareful
themeinonenovel,Theycanask,“Doestheauthor
gazetowardsthebigissuesand
addressthesamethemeinanotherbook?Listallthe
themesthattendtorun(ornot)
themesthatyouseeinbooksbythisauthor.Doany
throughanauthor’sbooks.Most
authorshaveafewthemesthatthey
commononesemerge?”Readerswilllearnthattheycan
tendtoreturntoagainandagain.We
comeupwithatheoryaboutthethemestheirauthor
canlayoutthebooksthatwehave
tendstoaddress,forexamplethatPaulsen’sstoriesare
readandstarttonotewhatthemes
usuallyaboutaboywhosuddenlyhastobecomeanadult
comeupindifferentbooks.”
orthatMacLachlan’sbooksoftenhavechildrenwho’ve
lostbirthmothersandhavetofindmotherlycomfortin
someoneorsomethingelse.
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
12 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
Readersmightfalteratthestart,especiallyiftheycan’tseemtofindacommontheme.In
BridgetoTerabithia,oneofthebiglessonsKatherinePatersontouchesonisthatwecan
takelessonswehavelearnedfromthepeopleinourlives,evenifwelosethosepeople.But
inLyddie,Patersondealsmostlywiththepoweronegetsfrombecomingeducatedandhow
educationcanhelppeopleescapefrombadsituations.Theremightappeartobeno
commondenominator.Studentsmightlookatathird,fourthandpossiblyevenfifth
Patersonbook.Asaresult,theymayjustcomeawaywiththerealizationthatPatersonis
diverse,shecanwriteaboutanangryfosterchildwhocauseshavocforherlatest,loving
fosterhomeandshecanalsowriteabouttheBreadandRoseslaborstrikein1912.Thisis
fine.Buttheymightdiscoveranideathebookshaveincommon:thatkidscangainstrength
fromoutsideofthemselves—whetherfrombooksorfrompeople—whichcanhelpthemto
becomehappyandindependent.Eitherway,thiscluboughttobeabletotellyouthatas
diverseassheis,Patersonisimmediatelyrecognizablebyherstyleandvoice.Kidsmight
askthemselvesandeachother,“Ifyouhadtorecognizethisauthor’sworkfromamonga
pileofmanycoverless,namelessbooks,howmightyoubeabletotellhisorhervoiceapart
fromtherest?”Eventually,readerswillbeabletopiecetogetherasenseofwhothisauthor
isandalsothekindofthingsthisauthorstandsfor.Forexample,theclubwilltellyouthat
KatherinePatersonmightwriteaboutaveryseriousandgrownupthemebutshewill
alwaysdoitinawaythatsoundsexactlyhowrealkidswouldactinthosesituations,and
thatshedoesn’tshyawayfromissuesandtopics(death,poverty,socialservices,labor)
thatmostpeoplethinkonlyadultscanhandlereadingabout.
Imaginetheliterarycriticwhoknowsanauthorso
wellthatherreviewoftheauthor’slatestbookdrips
withknowledgeofeverythingtheauthorhasever
attemptedinthepast.Suchacriticalreviewmight
tellyou:“ThisworkistypicalRushdie”or,“Withthis
book,Rushdiehasgrownasanauthor,hetouches
new,previouslyunexploredthemessuchas...”or,“This
isRushdieathismosteloquent,surpassingeventhe
vividimageryheachievedin__.”Onlythecriticwho
hasimmersedherselfinathoroughstudyof
Rushdie’sworkwouldbeabletomakeclaimssuch
asthese.Bythispointintheunit,ourstudentsmust
donoless.Astheirclubconversationsbuildupto
formaclearpictureofthisauthor’sliteraryidentity,
youngreadersareinapositiontotellusiftheirbook
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthatasyou
begintounderstandthethemes
andtopicsthatyourauthortends
toreturnto,youcanbegintobuild
asenseofwhatanauthoris
‘knownfor.’Justassomemusicians
areknownfortheiroutrageous
costumesorsomeathletesfortheir
daringplays,youcanbegintosay
somethingsaboutthethemesand
topicsyourauthortendstouseand
toanticipatehowthenextbooks
youareplanningtoreadwillfulfill
orbedifferentfromyour
expectationsaboutthisauthor’s
work.”
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
13 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
is“typicalDahl”or“Dahlathisfunniest,”or“Dahlbeingmoredisgustingthanever.”You
mightteachstudentsthat“aswegoforwardinourbooks,readinganauthorweknowwell,
wecompareeverythingnewwe’rereadingwitholderworksbythisauthor.Weask
ourselves,“Whatisthisauthordoingthatisnew?Inwhatwayisthispartlikeapartin
anotherbookbyhim?”Everythingabouttheauthor’scraft,choiceoftheme,setting,and
characterizationshouldfeelvaguelyfamiliartoourreadersbynow,likelisteningtothe
voiceofsomeonetheyknowwell.Togetatthisidea,youmightteachstudents,“TodayI
wanttoteachyouthatyoucanuseyourknowledgeofanauthor’sbodyofwork—their
topicchoice,themes,craftmoves,plots,settingsandcharacters—tostarttocompareand
contrastbooks.“BabyisclassicPatriciaMacLaughlin,”youcansay.Or,“Thisbookisa
returntothesettingsMacLaughlinmadefamous.”Oreven,“Edward’sEyesisdifferentthan
theusualbooksyou’vecometoexpectfromMacLaughlin.”
BendIV:ReadersExploretheDeeperConnectionsThatanAuthor
InspiresinUsandMakeFutureReadingPlans
JustasstudentswillhaveseenintheSocialIssuesUnit,studentswillagainseethatreading
changesthewaywelookattheworld.ReadingGeraldDurrell,thenaturalist,mightmake
oneforeverlookatawallgeckodifferently,readingZinssermightmeanthatonenever
againwritesasentenceinquitethesamecarelessway,andevenreadingaCosmopolitan
articlemightalterthewayonelooksatmatchingpatterns.Foryoungreaders,afavorite
authorhasthepotentialtodofarmorethanjustentertain.Fromfavoriteauthors,readers
learnimportantdistinctionsbetweencourageandcowardice,callousnessandempathy,
honoranddisgrace.Forthislastbendofwork,youmightinvitereaderstopickuppencil
andpaperandexplorethewaysinwhichtheirfavoriteauthoroffersvaluablewaysof
lookingatorcopingwiththeworld.
Eventhoughthisislargelypersonal,introspectivework,clubmembersmightstillassist
eachotherinexploringthelessonsthattheauthorteachesusinonebook,oragainand
againacrossvariousbooks.Urgestudentstoconnecttheselessonswiththeissuesthat
theythemselvesseeorfaceineverydaylife.
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
14 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Reading Curricular Calendar, Fifth Grade, 2013-2014
Unit Nine – Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
Thisworkrequiresstudentstogrowanidea,andis
thereforequitewell‐suitedtobeingawritingtask.You
“Iwanttoteachyouthatreaderslook
mightdecidetohavestudentspenaquickliterary
totheplacesthatresonateforthem
mostandthenaskthemselves,‘What
essayexplainingtheirconnectiontoaparticularbook
isitaboutmethatthispartofthis
orparticularauthor.Thethinkingforthisworkcan
textisspeakingto?’Youknowthat
startasstudentsjotquicknotesastheyreadandas
youmightnotknowtheanswerright
theytalkinclubs.Theymightmarkthepartsoftheir
away,soitcouldhelptowritelong
bookthatresonateforthemandquicklyjotaboutwhy
aboutthatpart,ortotalktoother
peopleaboutthatpart.These
thatparticularpartofthestoryspoketotheirownlife
momentscanhelpyourealizeyou
orexperience.Duringclubtime,theymaysharethese
caremoreaboutsomethingsthan
jottingswithpeerstoexpandupontheseideas.You
youmighthaveevenknown.”
mayalsochoosetoreplacesomeclubtimewithquiet
writingtimesothatstudentscanfleshoutthe
personalresponsesthatreadinginvokesinthem.
Bythispointintheunit,notonlywillyourreadersknowtheirauthorswell,theywillhave
alsolearnedaboutthemselvesandwhatitisthatconnectsthemtocertainauthorsand
books.Thisistheperfectpointforstudentstothinkabouthowtheymightmoveforward
intothefuture—inthiscase,intotheirsummervacations.Theyshouldlearnthatoneofthe
bestwaystokeeptheirsummerreadinglivesexcitingistobepassionateaboutwhateverit
istheyplantoread.Formanyofthem,thiswillmeancontinuingtheworkoffollowing
theirauthor.Studentsshouldbeawareofavarietyof
“TodayIwanttoteachyouthat
waystoaccessbooks‐‐‐visitstothepubliclibrary,
yourloveofauthorsdoesn’thave
bookorders,bookswaps,orevenloansfromtheclass
tostopjustbecausetheschool
library‐‐‐sothattheycanindependentlyfueltheir
yearisover.Infact,summeris
readinglives,notjustoverthesummer,butforlife.
anevenbettertimeforreaders
becauseyouhaveevenmore
Dependingonyourstudents,youmightevenfindthat
timeforreading!Youcangather
studentswanttosetupfollow‐upbookclubmeetings
togetherbooksbyyourauthors
atamember’shome,atalocallibrary,orarestaurant
thatyouhaven’tyetread.You
orcafe.Oryoumightdecidetosetupaspecial
canfindnewtitlesbyasking
summerreadingbookbaggie,completewithsticky
yourfriendsoryourlibrarian,or
bygoingonlineandvisitingyour
notesandabookmark,thatstudentscancrackopen
favoriteauthor’swebsite.Once
onthelastdayofschool.Nomatterhowyoudecideto
youhavethatlist,youcanbegin
wrapuptheyear,it’smostimportantthatstudents
tocollectthosebooksandmake
feelrevvedupfortheirsummerreadingandaren’t
aplanforreadingthem.”
thinkingofitasadamperontheirsummervacations.
Do not duplicate. For copies, visit our website:
readingandwritingproject.com
DRAFT
2013-2014 ©
15