"BREATHTAKING.......at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. The tranquility of the art and the powerfully controlled prose underscore the profundity of Say's themes." - Publishers Weekly starred review
Beginning an author study is an exciting time for everyone. Students begin to question out of curiosity who Allen Say is exactly. What kind of books does he write? Will I like them? What will I take away from them? I can assure you that the quote above is a good indication that students will enjoy his books as all others have done in previous years. They are truly captivating and invite us into the Japanese culture more than we could ever imagine.
We have learned much about Allen Say through research this week. Using Mrs. Phillips Symbaloo QR code, she offers students a technological journey through the facts about Allen Say. Students were to listen to videos and read articles that gave them specific information about Allen. They worked in book clubs to generate questions they had about him and checked to see if they could get an answer. Information was recorded and shared among peers. Here's what Ava had to say about Allen and the things she's learned so far.
In addition to research my students were challenged to use the Depth & Complexity icons to respond to Grandfather's Journey. These icons allow them to think differently and deeply about a text.
Each book club group responded to a different icon. We looked at grandfathers character changes over time, characteristics with details, multiple perspectives (points of view), big ideas (specifically themes of the book), unanswered questions, and ethics. Here's what the Audrey had to say about ethics in Grandfather's Journey!
Mallory took a deeper look at our character and discovered that he was a risk taker. She provided evidence from the text that supported her opinion about grandfather.
Celine was asked to think about a dilemma our character was faced with and realized it was the fact that he had to choose between two places he loved most. She then connected it to real dilemma she has faced before.
Lexi determined that this text was written from Allen's Point of View, and that if it had been written by grandfather, we would've had more detailed information about what he experienced.
Alyssa closely observed the overall theme of the text and came up with adventure! She also realized there was more than one theme present and was able to pinpoint family with evidence to support that theme!
Each book club group responded to a different icon. We looked at grandfathers character changes over time, characteristics with details, multiple perspectives (points of view), big ideas (specifically themes of the book), unanswered questions, and ethics. Here's what the Audrey had to say about ethics in Grandfather's Journey!
Mallory took a deeper look at our character and discovered that he was a risk taker. She provided evidence from the text that supported her opinion about grandfather.
Celine was asked to think about a dilemma our character was faced with and realized it was the fact that he had to choose between two places he loved most. She then connected it to real dilemma she has faced before.
Lexi determined that this text was written from Allen's Point of View, and that if it had been written by grandfather, we would've had more detailed information about what he experienced.
Alyssa closely observed the overall theme of the text and came up with adventure! She also realized there was more than one theme present and was able to pinpoint family with evidence to support that theme!
As we continue to learn about Allen Say through his many stories, we hope to be able to share the culture of Japan with you!
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