Yolen’s Magical World of Poetry
“I just want to go on writing and discovering my stories for the rest of my life because I know that in my tales I make
public what is private, transforming my own joy and sadness into tales for the people.” – Jane Yolen
Introduction:
We decided to teach a unit on poetry and what better way to show children how fun and exciting the world of poetry
is, than by using Jane Yolen as an example. Yolen has a very distinct writing style and appeals to all ages. Also, she
relates her stories to personal experiences and we thought Jane Yolen would be a great author to dissect and research.
Our intended grade level is third grade because of the fantasy element in her writing and the use of rhyme. We wanted to
teach a younger grade how to appreciate poetry and learn how to read and write in a different style. The time frame for
this unit is two weeks, which allots enough time to fully understand her background, writing style, and examples of her
poetry.
Background Information:
Author Summary: This well renowned American author has written over 300 books, 4,500 poems, and over 3,000 short
stories since 1963. She has dedicated her life to writing fiction, non- fiction and fantasy stories for all ages—including
adults. Yolen is best known for writing different types of children’s literature such as picture story books, poems, ABC
books, folktales, short stories, and novels. Many of her books can be used in the classroom and at home. For example,
Yolen’s Dinosaur Series is directed to beginning readers and focuses on positive habits that demonstrate acceptable
behavior in everyday activities. All of her stories contain a moral or message that appeals to children. Her writing style
emphasizes her tendency for rhyme and rhythm in many, if not all, children’s books. This imaginative author has won
countless awards for her many talents, in regards to children’s literature and adult novels.
Awards:
1968- Caldecott Honor: The Emperor and the Kite
1988- Caldecott Medal: Owl Moon
1997- Best Short Story: Sister Emily’s Lightship
1998- Best Novelette: Lost Girls
The Golden Kite
1974- The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales
1975- Honor Book: The Transfigured Hart
1976- Honor Book: Moon Ribbon and Other Tales
1989-Sydney Taylor Book Award: The Devil’s Arithmetic
Christopher Medal
1977- The Seeing Stick
2000- How the Dinosaurs Say Goodnight
The California Young Reader Medal
2001- Armageddon Summer
The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
1985- Adult Novel: Cards of Grief
1993- Adult Novel: Briar Rose
1998- Children’s Novels: The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passenger, Hobby, and Merlin
The National Outdoor Book Award
2002- Children’s Book: Wild Wings
World Fantasy Award
1987- Favorite Folktales from Around the World
National Storytelling Network Oracle Award
2003- Talking Leaves Literacy Award
Finalist for The Nebula
1988- Novella: The Devil’s Arithmetic
1990- Novel: Sister Light, Sister Dark
1991- Novel: White Jenna
Additional Awards
The Rhysling, Asimov’s Magazine Readers Poll Award, Skylark Award, The Association of Jewish Libraries Award, The
Charlotte Award, The Golden State Award, The Golden Sower Award
Connection to her books: Yolen gets her inspiration from things in her day to day life including: readings, song
lyrics, artwork, and even her dreams. Her most influential factor in her writing was the books she read throughout her
childhood. Another contributing factor to Yolen’s writing is the emphasis she places on family. The love and support they
have given her over the years has shown, time and time again, throughout her works. According to Yolen, “I like books
that touch my head and heart at the same time.” Her distinctive style is marked with humor, rhyme and rhythm. The most
important part of her writing is the way she creates different story lines which children can relate too in a fun and
educational way.
Background of Author: Jane Hyatt Yolen was born in the Big Apple, NYC, on February 11, 1939. Her one brother,
Steven, is a journalist in Brazil. Her parents, both of whom were writers, inspired young Jane to follow in their footsteps.
Yolen received her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and later continued to The University of Massachusetts to
receive her master’s in education. Later she was married to her beloved husband, who died five years ago from cancer.
They have three children and six grandchildren. Yolen resides in Hatfield, Massachusetts where she is still writing
children’s books. This summer she aspires to travel to Scotland to explore a new range of venues.
References:
Gale Corporation. (n.d.). Jane Yolen Biography | BookRags.com. BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and more.
Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jane-yolen-aya/
Jeffery, S. (n.d.). Internet Book List: Author Information: Jane Yolen. Internet Book List Home. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://www.iblist.com/author1201.htm
Kennedy, E. (n.d.). An Interview with Jane Yolen Author of 250 plus Children’s Books- Jane Yolen on Her Children's Books and Her Writing Life.
Children's Books - Reviews Articles Lists of Best Children's Books. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/authorsillustrato/a/janeyolen.htm
Kreugre, W. (n.d.). Jane (Hyatt) Yolen Biography | BookRags.com. BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and more.
Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jane-hyatt-yolen-dlb/
Partnership. (n.d.). Jane Yolen — Works » Blog Archive » Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters. Jane Yolen — Author of children’s books, fantasy,
and science fiction, including Owl Moon, The Devil’s Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? .Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://janeyolen.com/works/creepy-monsters-sleepy-monsters/
Washington, D.C.. (n.d.). Reading Rockets: A video interview with Jane Yolen. Reading Rockets: Reading Comprehension & Language Arts
Teaching Strategies for Kids. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/yolen
Introductory Activity:
The student will fill out a worksheet about the background information they find on Jane Yolen, by completing a web quest.
 Gather the students around and read Pretty Princess Pig by Jane Yolen. This book is a humorous tale about a princess pig who
seems to get herself in a mess while getting ready for a party. After reading the book ask the students if they have ever heard
of this author or read any of her books. Tell the students: “Today we are going to embark on a journey to learn about Jane
Yolen life and the books she has written.”
 Students will return to their seat and be given a worksheet to complete.
 Introduce what a web quest consists of and provide an example of how to navigate through a list of websites to answer the
provided questions.
 As a class we will go to the computer lab to conduct our web quest activity.
 Here is the worksheet that the students are expected to complete.
 Answer Sheet for the following Worksheet
1. New York
2. 170
3. 40
4. Any awards on websites is acceptable
5. February , 1939 , Israel
6. Children and Adults
7. Cat
8. Owl Moon
9. 3
10. Read, Read, Read!
Write, Write, Write!
Don’t let anyone stop you from writing.
Annotated Bibliography of Jane Yolen Works
Title
Synopsis
How Do Dinosaurs Play
with Their Friends?
The book describes a dinosaur
who knows how to play with
others and share all of his
belongings. He always treats
everyone in the friendliest way.
Why we chose the Book
Characteristics
Style
of
Writing Teacher Thinking Notes
This book seemed to be a
great teaching tool for
early
childhood
and
elementary grades. In
addition, part of the title,
“Play with Their Friends”
is an important lesson for
all children to learn at
early ages.
Yolen follows a pattern in
rhyme scheme where she
makes the second line rhyme
with the fourth line in each
stanza. Throughout the book
she also uses prompting
questions followed by the
positive answer.
Use in early childhood and early
elementary grades in the beginning of
the school year to enforce expected
classroom rules, procedures, and
behaviors throughout the year. Can also
use for a beginning of the year reading
assignment for the students to do as
homework or classroom read-aloud.
Yolen’s
dinosaur
book
collections all have similar
rhyming techniques. For
example this book models
interesting word choice,
common rhyme schemes,
and story alignment.
Can be used as a fun introduction to a
lesson to grab the student’s attention,
maintain their focus, and teach them
the importance of cleanliness. After
reading the book students may develop
their own sense of tidiness and continue
these habits.
How Do Dinosaurs Clean
Their Rooms?
This book is a great story for
children to learn how to stay
tidy in and outside of the
classroom. Also the various
dinosaur
characters
are
representing common behaviors
that children can relate too.
In the book’s title, “Clean
Their Rooms” stood out as
a positive message to be
enforced for children.
Come to the Fairies Ball
The book depicts a story, alike
Cinderella, in which all fairies
are invited to a ball. One fairy is
left behind and comes to the
ball late wearing tattered
clothes only to discover, that the
prince of fairies will dance with
no other.
Fairies
are
mythical
creatures
that
many
young children grow to
love. The illustrations on
the cover are both colorful
and creative.
The Three Bears Holiday The book is composed of fifteen
Rhyme Book
American holidays such as: New
Years,
Independence
Day,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
This is a great collection of
poem. The three bears are
characterized in each of the
poems.
This book had, “Holiday”
in the title and this theme
is something that many
children find fun and
interesting. The cover also
had three bears on it
which depicts the tale of
Goldie Locks which many
children are familiar with.
Yolen uses the following
techniques:
 Rhyming
couplets
throughout the book
 A B A rhyme scheme
 A B C B D E D pattern
 Personification
in
Ants
 Old
fashion
vocabulary choice
 Alliteration
 Same suffix ending
(-ed)
Beginning
and
ending
announcement have the
same rhyme format
Yolen’s techniques are as
follows:
 A B C B D E C D
pattern
 A A B B C C D D
rhyme scheme
 ABAB CDED FGF
 Graphic expression of
details
 Imagery
 Approximately
3
stanzas per poem
This book can be used to enhance
writing and reading skills for elementary
grades. Also teachers can use this story
as part of a vocabulary lesson. The book
can be a wonderful addition to the class
library.

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

Teaches
children
about
American
Holidays
and
traditions
Can be used during each month
to provide a background on the
holiday.
Can be put in the class library
and be referred to throughout
the school year
Could be used as an integral
part of lesson based on a
specific holiday.
An introduction tool for holiday
activities
Owl Moon
Sea Watch
This book is about the special
bond between a father and
child. As the story continues the
father teaches his child how to
go “Owling”. Going “Owling” is a
way to call an owl. In the end
they get to see an owl up close
builds a stronger relationship
with the father and the child.
The
book
has
a
cornucopia of creatures
that reside in the sea. It
takes the reader on a
journey of the life they
live and the habitat they
live in.
Owls are one of our
favorite
animals
so
naturally we chose a book
about owls. On the cover
there also appears to be
an adult and a child which
led us to believe that this
book
would
be
a
heartwarming story. We
also figure that child
would like to read this
type of story.
This book is composed of
many
water
color
paintings.
There
are
plenty of diverse seas
creatures mentioned and
talked about. This may
help the student discover
their favorite animal.
Yolen’s characteristic of
writing style, for this book,
entails a water color picture
on one page with the story
on the other. Throughout the
book the pictures take your
eyes on a journey with the
characters.

Yolen uses various poetic
rhyme schemes within each
poem. She also uses active
verbs which helps the sea
creatures come to life.





Perfect for reading aloud to the
whole class
Parents can use this as a bed
time story
Can be used for a lesson that
talks about owls
Can be used in a Science lesson
and talking about
Animal Kingdoms, Sea habitats
and
Species of diverse aquatic life.
Can tie the poem with a song,
for example, “Baby Beluga” with
the Beluga whale in the book
Can be used as a writing activity
such as, the student can select
an animal and write a short
description.
Welcome to the Sea of Throughout the book the reader
Sand
takes a journey through a desert
meeting the various wildlife that
resides there. The illustrations
depict the desert landscape and
conditions that many animals
live in.
This seemed to be a
creative way to learn
about different habits and
the animals that live in the
desert. Through this book
children will get the
opportunity to learn about
a
unique
type
of
environment. In which
many of their favorite
animals may possible live.
Yolen uses the picture book
technique of pictures on the
right page and words on the
left. She also uses some
rhyme to connect different
pages together.





This book can be used for a
Science lesson
Social Studies/ Geography
Use
for
comparing
and
contrasting various habitats
Use for a read aloud
Can be used for higher level
thinking in upper elementary
grades for subjects such as,
reading, writing, and science
Animal Fare
This book is comprised of a
collection of sixteen silly zoo
animal poems. Each poem
describes the natural behavior
of each animal, while adding a
touch humor. For instance, the
poem, Telephant is about a
telephone in the shape of an
elephant.
Young children love to
read about animals. The
pictures in this book are
both goofy and fun. It also
shows animals exhibiting
out of the ordinary
behavior which can be
very intriguing for a group
of youngsters.
Some techniques are:
 ABCB ADED AF
GF
 Typical A B C B D E C
D rhyme scheme
 Uses pictures to tell
the story
 Colorful and wild
illustrations
to
complement
the
poems


Can be used to talk about
various four legged animals that
you would find in the zoo.
Can be used as a comic relief for
a lesson on giraffes for example.
The Flying Witch
This story has three characters, a
dad, a little girl, and an evil witch.
At the beginning of the story the
witch craves turnip stew, and is
determined to find a plump child
to add to it for extra flavor. Low
and behold in the tangled forest
a turnip farmer loses his
daughter one evening. The witch
takes the little girl back to her
house but is cleverly outsmarted
by the little girl. The end result is
the turnip farmer, the little girl,
and the “good witch all enjoy
turnip soup together.
Not only was the cover an
attention-grabber but we
assumed that if the story
involved a witch it would
have a great plot and lesson
for young children.
Aside from Yolen’s typical poetic
verse, in this book, she uses the
story format that outlines a
beginning, middle, and a
surprise ending. This type of
story structure also allows for
hidden messages such as
foreshadowing, personification,
and alliteration.
This story is great for read aloud
sessions in between a lesson
where children can let their
minds wonder and inadvertently
learn an important lesson about
the dangers of talking to
strangers.
Barefoot Book of Ballet
Stories
This book is a collection of six
classical ballets. Each ballet story
is comprised of illustrations to
accompany the text. Some
examples are, Swan Lake, The
Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty.
As a young girl, I aspired to be a
ballerina. This book talks about
some of the most popular
ballets
performed.
Young
children could be inspired by
this book and may want to
continue learning about the art
of ballet.
Yolen strays away from her
early elementary writing style
and uses techniques such as
longer
stories,
complex
sequence of events, wide
range of vocabulary, and the
history of ballet.
This book can be used to talk
about the fine arts. Also as an
interesting historical take on
dance. The book talks about
perseverance and determination
which are traits that children
should learn at an early age.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to recognize the main idea and supporting details of selected Jane Yolen books. (Evaluation)
i. Initial Assessment: After reading a selected Jane Yolen story, conduct a group discussion using guiding questions such
as: “What do you think is the main idea of the story?” or “What did you find interesting about the story?”
ii. Informal Assessment: Individually, the students will write a paragraph summarizing the main idea and details of the
story. Teacher will collect the papers and issue a completion grade.
2. After reading Sea Watch, students will be able to classify diverse aquatic life into their specific animal kingdoms.
(Comprehension)
i. Students will be placed in groups of four and complete a Venn diagram. This will be a graded assignment based on
their knowledge and comprehension of the story provided.
3. The student will be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy. (Analysis)
i. Informal Assessment: Students will play the line game. This is where there is a piece of tape dividing the room into
two sections. At the beginning, the teacher will divide the students so half will be on one side and the other half on the
opposite side of the line. Then, the teacher will call out Jane Yolen books that have previously been read and ask the
students to stand of the line if they think the book is reality/fantasy. The teacher can informally assess the students to
see if they have a basic understanding of reality and fantasy.
4. After completing a reading assignment, the student will be able to recognize the sequence of events, with 90% accuracy.
(Knowledge)
i. Formal Assessment: Retelling activity: Each student will be given the sequence events of a story on separate pieces of
paper. They will each rearrange the excerpts of the story to create the correct sequence of events. The teacher will
collect and grade each project. (Note: if the student receives a grade below 90%, the teacher will individually visit
with the student to see where they are having trouble sequencing.)
5. The student will be able to identify ways fictional characters and events reflect real life experiences.
(Comprehension)
i. After a read-aloud session, with the books How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms and How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their
Friends, the students will work in pairs to create their own short story about a fictional character partaking in real-life
behaviors. For example, the students may choose to write a story about an animal that goes school and is a mischievous
student.
Standards:

SC.3.L.15.1 - Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and
invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.

LA.3.2.1.1 - The student will understand the distinguishing features among the common forms of literature. (e.g., poetry,
prose, fiction, drama)

LA.3.1.7.7 - The student will compare and contrast elements, settings, characters, and problems in two texts.

LA.3.1.7.5 - The student will identify the text structure an author uses (e.g., comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and sequence
of events) and explain how it impacts meaning in text.

LA.3.2.2.3 - The student will organize information to show an understanding of main ideas within a text through charting,
mapping, or summarizing.
Guiding Questions:
1. What is Jane Yolen’s inspiration and how does she use this in her writing?
2. What is Jane Yolen‘s purpose for using rhyme her poetry? What is she trying to convey?
Lesson Plan
1A. Sunshine State Standards:
1B. Goal 3 Standards
LA.3.4.1.2: The student will write a variety of expressive forms (e.g., chapter
books, short stories, poetry, skits, song lyrics) that may employ, but not be
Standard 4- Creative and Critical Thinkers
limited to, figurative language (e.g., simile, onomatopoeia), rhythm, dialogue,
characterization, plot, and appropriate format.
LA.3.2.1.3: The student will identify and explain how language choice helps to
develop mood and meaning in poetry (e.g., sensory and concrete words as well
as figurative language)
2. Objectives
Using Jane Yolen books, the student will be able to accurately identify rhyme scheme in poetry.
Given a poetry template, the student will be able to construct a quatrain.
3. Assessment & Evaluation
a. Initial: During introduction ask students if they knew what a poem was and how to compose one. We also asked if the
students could identify rhyming words in a poem.
B. Informal: As a class we created a poem. I took this time to assess their understanding of rhyme and rhyme scheme.
c. Formal: The students had to create their own poem and this will be a graded assignment.
4. Introduction to Lesson:
5. Materials
“Good morning boys and girls. I want you to watch this short video. (Play
youtube video: I’m A Little Teapot). Has anyone ever heard this song before?
Can someone tell me two words in that song that rhymes with one another?
When you hear a song or hear a story with rhyming words that is called a poem.
For the past few days we have been reading about our author—Jane Yolen.
Thumbs up if you agree that she has written poems in her books? That’s right,
she writes poetry. Today, we will be learning how to make your very own poem.
By raising your hand, can someone tell me one thing you have to have when
making a poem? (The words at the end of the line rhyme) Good, but not all types
of poems have to rhyme. The poem we are working with today will contain
rhyming words. The rhyme scheme is the consistent pattern of the lines in the
poem.”
Construction paper, Lined Paper
Poetry Template
Pencils
Example and Non-example of a poem
6. Technology Integration
Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-74fiayhI&feature=relmfu
Use of Smart Board
7. Teacher Presentation or Facilitation: (includes reviews, practice, and questions)
After the Introduction, we are going to practice identifying rhyming words. “On the smart board I have provided an example of
a poem. We have just talked about rhyming words. Now I am going to show you how to identify the rhyme scheme of a poem.
Can I have a volunteer to come to the board and circle, with a blue marker, the word in the first and third line that rhyme. Great
job! This boys and girls is the first rhyme. I would like another volunteer to circle another two words that rhyme, in the second
and fourth sentence.”
“Since we can see the words circled in blue on the first and the third line rhyme, cat and fat, we are going to mark them with an
a. Marking them with an a shows that both of the lines end with the same rhyme. The rhyming words circled in read, mice and
nice, are going to be marked with a b. We are marking these with a b because they rhyme but have a different rhyme the a. This
is called rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme of this poem is a b a b. (Say it together as a class).”
“Can someone tell me why it is important to identify the rhyme scheme in a poem? Those are good thoughts class. We need to
be able to identify the rhyming words and understand what technique the author is using. Boys and Girls I brought in a very
special book to show you. Can anyone guess who the author might be? Yes, it is Jane Yolen. This book is called The Three Bears
Holiday Rhyme Book. This book is full of poems about the Holidays we celebrate here in the United States. I am going to read a
few poems from this book.” (Read Book) (As I read ask questions to assess their comprehension of rhyme scheme)
“Now using the poem from this book, Independence Day we are going to write a poem as a class. Make sure you remember
what we learned earlier about rhyme scheme. Let’s brainstorm ideas as a class of what we know about the 4 th of July. (Students
respond with ideas such as, fireworks, American flag, red, white, and blue, country, Star Spangled Banner) Great Ideas! Now we
can use some of these ideas to make our class poem.
Here is an example of what our class came up with:
“Now that we have practiced writing a poem as a class, now it is your turn. These are your directions: You may choose your
favorite holiday as the theme for your poem. You will also use the A B A B rhyme scheme for your poem. You will write four
lines and to show me that you understand rhyming I want you to circle the rhyming words with two colored pencils, remember
from the example we did on the smart board at the beginning of the lesson. If you are having trouble you may look back up to
the smart board and look at the example we made earlier. I will be walking around, if you have any questions please raise your
hand. This is individual assignment. Does anyone have any question before we start? Ok you may start.” (Allow 20 minutes for
this project, after project allow some students the time to share their poem with the class)
8. Differentiated Instruction
Throughout our lesson, we differentiated instruction through the use of the website for visual and auditory learners, the smart
board for kinesthetic learners, the direct instruction for the whole class, and the individual work for those students who work
better on their own. It is important to use these different techniques in a lesson because we want every student to feel invited
to learn in a way that attends to their personal needs. We have provided many different types of activities to motivate students
to get involved in the lesson.
9. Follow-up Reflection (completed after the lesson has been taught)
This is where we will take the time to note what was successful about our poetry lesson. It is important to pay close attention to
how our students responded to the different activities and if they were able to understand the concept of writing a poem.
a. Content: What should I teach
next or reteach?
Checklist:
 Students understand the concept of
rhyme scheme.
 Students are able to identify rhyming
words.
 Students are able to construct a poem
using background knowledge and
applied knowledge.
 Students are able to identify the rhyme
scheme when looking at a poem.
b. Students: Who still needs support with this content?
This will be determined after the lesson.
Activities
 1. Inspiration Activity: This activity will encourage the students to explore what inspires Yolen’s writing. At the same time,
the students will discover what inspires them. The students will research what inspires Jane Yolen through books and
websites provided by the teacher. Then the students will write a paragraph about whom or what inspires them. Through this
activity our students will be able to identify Yolen’s inspiration for her writing.
 2. Found Poem Activity: This activity will help our students determine the purpose in Yolen’s writing and relate what she is
writing about to their own lives. This activity starts by having the students form groups of 4. Once they are in their groups
they will choose one of Jane Yolen’s poetry books. After they have decided on their book, each member will select their
favorite quote or line from that particular book. Next each student will write their chosen line on a piece of colored
construction paper, and then discuss as a group how the lines of poetry should be arranged in order to convey meaning.
Once the lines have been arranged, the students will tape their four lines together creating a found poem. Each group of
students will display their poem on a wall in the classroom and present their found poem to the class. This means that each
student will read the line they chose. This activity supports active learning, cooperative learning, and collaboration with
classmates. It also will encourage the students to connect to Yolen’s writing in meaningful ways.
Culminating Activity:
 At the end of this unit the students will have the opportunity to reflect on the author’s writing style by creating their own
poem using Yolen’s rhyme techniques. Individually each student will construct their own two stanza poem based on the
following rhyme scheme: A B C B D E C D. Provide an example on the rhyme scheme from Animal Fare book.
 In addition, each student will illustrate their poem with a picture that corresponds with their text. After students have edited
their first drafts, with teacher guidance, they will complete a final draft to be graded. The teacher will combine all the final
poems and publish a class collection of poems.
 Formal Assessment: the teacher will assess the poem by the following criteria:
1. The student must circle the rhyming words in the same color.
2. Must have their name, date, and grade written in the top right-hand corner of their paper.
3. Must have a picture that represents what the poem is about.
4. Must have eight lines in their poem.
5. The final draft must be neatly written and contain proper spelling.
 Below is an example of a poem we created:
Technology:
1. For one technology component of our unit, we introduced the Web quest activity where the students took a
journey, on the computer, and discovered interesting facts about our author Jane Yolen. We provided a list of
websites that contained information about Yolen and the directions for this assignment under the introduction
activities section.
2. For another technology component in our unit, we are going to have the students create a Technology
Summary. This activity is geared to towards vocabulary, comprehension, and reading. For this activity, the
teacher will read a book by Jane Yolen, for instance the book Welcome to the Sea of Sand, and the will listen
carefully and pick a vocabulary word or animal that they would like to learn more about. After the read-aloud,
the students will go online and research their chosen word or animal. The purpose of this activity is to
familiarize students with using the internet as a resource and to focus on learning new vocabulary terms.
3. Another technology component in our author study would be to make a class website. The students can
contribute their knowledge of the author and put it all into a website we will make as a class. This website can
be accessed by any computer and can be used to show the parents what we have been working on
throughout the poetry unit. The teacher will give the directions for making a website and each student will
have a specific section they will focus on, rhyme, vocabulary, rhyme scheme, details, etc. After the student
has their information, we will add it to our classroom webpage.
Works Cited:
Damp Rabbit Video. (n.d.). YouTube - Nursery rhyme - I'm A Little Teapot poem . YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved June 23, 2011, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-74fiayhI&feature=relmfu
Gale Corporation. (n.d.). Jane Yolen Biography | BookRags.com. BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and more.
Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jane-yolen-aya/
Jeffery, S. (n.d.). Internet Book List: Author Information: Jane Yolen. Internet Book List Home. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://www.iblist.com/author1201.htm
Kennedy, E. (n.d.). An Interview With Jane Yolen Author of 250 plus Children’s Books- Jane Yolen on Her Children's Books and Her Writing Life.
Children's Books - Reviews Articles Lists of Best Children's Books. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/authorsillustrato/a/janeyolen.htm
Kreugre, W. (n.d.). Jane (Hyatt) Yolen Biography | BookRags.com. BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and more.
Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jane-hyatt-yolen-dlb/
Partnership. (n.d.). Jane Yolen — Works » Blog Archive » Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters. Jane Yolen — Author of children’s books, fantasy,
and science fiction, including Owl Moon, The Devil’s Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? .Retrieved May 25, 2011, from
http://janeyolen.com/works/creepy-monsters-sleepy-monsters/
Washington, D.C... (n.d.). Reading Rockets: A video interview with Jane Yolen. Reading Rockets: Reading Comprehension & Language Arts
Teaching Strategies for Kids. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/yolen
Yolen, J. (1994). Animal Fare . US: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P.
Yolen, J., & Dyer, J. (1994). Three Bears holiday book . San Diego: Harcourt Brace.
Yolen, J., & Lewin, T. (1996). Sea watch: a book of poetry. New York: Philomel Books.
Yolen, J., & Regan, L. (1996). Welcome to the sea of sand . New York: Putnam's Sons.
Yolen, J., Stemple, H. E., & Williams, S. (2011). Pretty Princess Pig . New York: Little Simon.
Yolen, J., & Teague, M. (2004). How do dinosaurs clean their rooms? . New York: Blue Sky Press.
Yolen, J., & Teague, M. (2006). How do dinosaurs play with their friends? . New York: Blue Sky Press.
Feap Reflection:
As we reflect on this assignment, we have learned valuable practices that we can use in our future classroom as
professionals. After completing this assignment, we have chosen two Florida Educator Accomplished Practices that
correlate with this critical task. This author study has enabled us to create many diverse components to the unit and,
therefore, has broadened our knowledge as future educators. The FEAPS that we feel best applied in this assignment are
Planning and Communication.
The first FEAP is PLANNING. The first indicator 10.3- plans activities to promote high standards for students
through a climate which enhances and expects continuous improvement. This indicator is shown throughout our unit. As
we constructed the lesson plan and correlating activities for this author study, we created projects that would enhance our
student’s learning, understanding, and comprehension. An example for this indicator is the found poem activity, where
students use high-order thinking to create a poem from their reading. The students are continuously improving because
they are learning how to assess their knowledge by making meaning, relating Yolen’s stories to their lives, and
discovering what inspires them. The next indicator is 10.13- helps students develop concepts through a variety of
methods. It is important to provide multiple activities for students to grow and learn. We have activities which allow
students to work in groups and work individually. In addition, we integrated technology in the unit to provide students with
differentiated instruction by using websites, web quests, internet, videos, and the smart board. It is important for students
to have diverse types of activities that support individual student growth. When providing multiple types of activities,
visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, it is allowing students to work in their own comfortable learning styles and giving them an
opportunity to engage in active learning.
The second FEAP is COMMUNICATION. The first indicator is when the teacher 2.7- provides opportunities for
students to learn from each other. This is shown through the use of group work in the unit plan. We encourage students to
work together to view different perspectives and creates class unity. For us, communication is an essential part of
completing this assignment. We have learned that it is important to have open communication between partners because
we each have our own thoughts and opinions related to teaching. We needed to determine what ways worked best for us
and combine our ideas into one. As pre-professionals, it is important to establish a warm and welcoming environment
where our students will feel open to asking questions and communicating with us and classmates. Without communication
in a classroom, students will be lost and they will not have a valuable learning experience. The second indicator 2.8practices strategies that support individual and group inquiry. This is shown throughout our author study when students
are working to complete assignments. We allow the students to investigate their own ideas, give their input, and discover
their own style of learning, through different activities. Providing a variety of activities allows students to work with one
another and individually to construct meaning and purpose. Inquiry is an important aspect of learning and when we give
students the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their ideas, they are learning how to analyze and build upon their
prior knowledge.
This author study has been a wonderful learning experience for both of us. We have expanded our knowledge on
the importance of communication and planning in a lesson. This project also gave us the chance to learn about a
wonderful new children’s author— Jane Yolen. It is amazing to learn about a new author because we both never done an
in-depth study on one author before and now we are able to incorporate literacy in our unit. This assignment has opened
our eyes to the vast majority of literature available for teachers and we will always be able to reflect and look back at our
very first author study.