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Jan Brett Author Study

By Colleen Birdsong
Meet the Author

"How do writers create books?"
 Overview


 Understandings & Objectives


 Content


 At A Glance




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Introduction to Jan Brett

After the teacher shares Jan Brett’s web site (www.janbrett.com), explore the web site on your own using either a desktop computer lap or mobile lap top cart.

Be sure to checkout the following items from the web site:




The Mitten

Read the book The Mitten by Jan Brett.  Your teacher may read the book aloud in the traditional fashion, or scan the book and present it using the teacher computer and projector for a more dramatic effect. 

Discover the fact that clues about the next animal to come are given in the border of the previous page.  Once you have made this discovery, use this information to make predictions about what animal will come next. 

Use The Mitten line drawings at (http://www.janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm) to retell the story by creating your own mitten and set of animals.

 



Prewriting

The teacher will read The Umbrella by Jan Brett to the students.  Afterwards, collaboratively complete a Venn diagram comparing The Mitten and The Umbrella.

What are  the similarities between the two stories? 

  • Work together to create an original story that follows the same pattern as the other two stories.
  • Brainstorm other environments that could serve as the setting of the story.  Vote to choose an environment. 
  • Then choose an article of clothing that would be appropriate for the environment.

Using the teacher computer and projector,

  1. Research the chosen environment online to determine what animals live there. 
  2. Keep a running list on the teacher computer. 
  3. Research may be supplemented with books from the classroom or school library. 
  4. Vote to choose eight animals. 
  5. Rank the eight animals in order by size, with the exception that the smallest animal goes last. 
  6. Continue researching to find a defensive strategy used by each animal. 
  7. Record all of this information in a chart to serve as the graphic organizer and story prewriting.

Drafting

Using Windows Journal or an online blog, the teacher will compose the story with the students.  Refer back to The Mitten or The Umbrella when necessary for stylistic guidance. 

The teacher and the students may "share the pen" to varying degrees.  The teacher may wish to call on students and then record their ideas, or pass the teacher computer around and allow the students to record their own thoughts.  Regardless of how the activity is structions, it is important that all students give some imput to the story.

During the drafting process,

  • Use proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling to make the story easier to read. 
  • Use transitional words and find new ways to say things rather than repeating the same phrases to make the story more enjoyable to read. 

After drafting is complete, use Windows Journal to reformat the text and run a spelling and grammar check.


Publishing

Either the teacher or one of the students can draw a black line outline of the selected article of clothing.  If this is done on paper, scan the drawing into the teacher computer.  Otherwise, the drawing could be done in a drawing software.

Format the story pages so that facing pages are mirror images of one another.  Each two page spread should have a border all the way around, with an outline of the article of clothing on either end. 

  • Cut and paste the text onto the pages. 
  • Print out the pages.
  • Work individually or with another student to illustrate each page. 

The teacher may want to project pictures of the animals using the teacher computer and projector for the sake of accuracy and consistency.  Also, it may be helpful to identify what animal is coming next and therefore should be drawn in the article of clothing in the border.

After the illustrations are complete, the teacher can reinforce the cover with construction paper and laminate.  Collate the pages and bind.

When the book is complete, share your story with a class of younger students in the school.



Email to Jan Brett

After you have become experts on Jan Brett and tried their hands at writing a Jan Brett-inspired story of your own, you may have some insights about or questions for the author. 

Using the link on the web site (http://www.janbrett.com/emailjb.html), compose an email with the class using the teacher computer and projector.  You and the other students may wish to tell about their own project, share insights about Jan Brett’s work, or ask questions about her writing process.  Be aware that you may or may not receive a reply due to the volume of emails she receives.