Teaching Author's CraftExplicitly teaching students how to understand, analyse and articulate what and how (intended or unintended) the impact that the author’s craft has on them as readers is a central tenent of developing critical literacy when decoding and comprehending texts (Story & Sneddon, 2008, p.40).
The selection of quality literature is imperative to ensure students are exposed to quality and diverse models of effective author’s craft, style and intent through modelled, guided and independent learning activities around this process of analysis and interpretation (see questioning guide mapped to Bloom's taxonomy on right). With this mind, students are able to develop the reading processes which make insights 'into the world of the writer; to peer through the window of the author’s mind and to try to understand the workings and intentions that make words much more than ink marks on paper.' (Story & Sneddon, 2008, p.40). Furthermore, there is an undisputable link between understanding author's craft as readers and the sophistication of skills and knowledge manifested in student's writing through understanding how and why authors' achieve their purpose through the multitude of structural and language features required to construct a text. An incredible resource to bridge this connection is that of Libby Gleeson's text 'Writing Like a Writer' (PETA, 2007), where an author guides both teachers and their students through the processes inherent in narrative when teaching about and developing these skills: Engaging in an Author StudyAs mentioned above, explicit and rich teaching around author's craft is integral to the development of students as effective critical readers. Applying these teaching and learning strategies within the context of a sustained 'Author Study' is an interesting and engaging way to develop, make connections and deepen students awareness of consistencies and differences relating to purpose when interacting and analysing texts.
Author study can include multiple texts by one author or a few titles by a collection of authors through which to explore and examine the way different author's achieve their purpose. Some suggestions for Author Studies in the primary years: Anthony Browne Oliver Jeffers Tim Winton Armin Greder Jeannie Baker Alison Lester Gary Crew John Burningham Libby Gleeson Allan Baillie |
Teach Them How: Analysing Author’s Craft in Middle Years Literacy Classrooms - Kate Story & Marg Sneddon
http://www.alea.edu.au/documents/item/101
accessed 22nd August, 2011 More digital resources:http://udleditions.cast.org/craft_intro.html accessed 12th September, 2011
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Laetitia Cross(K-6 Deputy Principal) and Sue Morton (primary teacher/librarian)