Artifact # 11
Author Study was used to raise awareness of children’s literature and gain in-depth information on chosen authors, through research and presentations.
Context
I chose to research Roald Dahl. I created a handout about his
life and accomplishments, using Microsoft Word, for my Language Arts Methods
course at Appalachian State University. The author study presentation
involved oral readings, video clips, activities, and interactive discussions.
Impact
The author study presentation was a meaningful research activity.
I learned so much about Roald Dahl and all the authors that my classmates
researched, including Eric Carl, C. S. Lewis, and Patricia Pollaco to name
a few. These presentations gave me some insight into a variety of
children’s literature. I also collected several activity ideas that
can by used in the classroom, to compliment the books written by the authors
who were studied. This fascinating information has encouraged me
to read and I hope it will serve as a motivator to get my students interested
in reading.
Alignment
My author study included a variety of mediums. I used materials
that would appeal to everyone in the audience. I used videos as a
medium to support the technology aspect of the Language Arts curriculum
and to provide an additional source of information for my author study
presentation. I showed video clips from Matilda and Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang, and had some fun activities to accompany them (Tech.
Competency 10.2). I communicated other information relevant to
my author to my class in the form of a word processing document.
I used the computer technology that is readily available today to present
this additional information. I, thus, provided my class with a tangible
product that they can refer to for future use (Tech.
Competency 11.1).