Author Study Eric Carle

Getting to know Eric Carle

Brittany Cherrington

LAE 4416, Children’s Literature

Florida Gulf Coast University

June 7^th, 2014

                                                      

Getting to know Eric Carle

            I chose Eric Carle for my author study because I personally love his work. Eric Carle has many different books and I like how they target all age groups. All which are great when helping students learn. For example for preschool a common book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. In elementary common books used are The Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouchy Ladybug. I have used a book of his to make a lesson before. Eric Carle targets, color, time and many other topics. All which can be easily turned into a lesson. I have chosen my audience and grade level to be second grade, and would have the unit of the author study be for a week and will do my best to incorporate a book into each subject.

About The Author:

            Eric Carle was born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. Eric moved to Germany when he was six to be with his family where he graduated from Akademie der bildenden Kunste. In 1952 Eric Carle moved back to America and got a job as a graphic designer and then later became the art director of an advertising agency in New York.  Eric Carle now has two grown children and he lives in the Florida Keys and in North Carolina (Carle, 2012). Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many of which are listed as best sellers and a lot that he wrote himself.

One of his common books is called The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This book has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 38 million copies alone. (Carle, 2012). Most of Eric Carle’s themes for his stories come from his knowledge and love of nature. (Scholastic, 2014). An interest that most children in the world fascinate on. Eric Carle has many ton of awards. Some which are from different countries that he won like the Selection Du Grand Prix Treize from France.

Eric Carle has received multiple awards from The Association of Booksellers for Children and The American Booksellers Association. (Carle, 2012). Listed on Eric Carle’s website he has over 20 awards. For this unit I will introduce the author by first connecting with the students to see what they have in common with Eric Carle or if they have heard of any of his books. Then I will use books such as The Grouchy Lady bug in a math lesson to help the students understand more about the author.

You can learn all about Eric Carle and his work at his website:

www.eric-carle.com

Guiding Questions:

1.    What skills can I teach children through this Author and his books?

2.    What lessons does the author use in his books?

3.    What lessons can I make out of the authors themes in the classroom that will be beneficial to the students?

Annotated Bibliography:

The Grouchy Ladybug

 I picked this book because it is great to use in a math lesson and even a science lesson. I feel this book is great for students because it teaches them about time. It has great illustration and the students will love the story. The Grouchy Ladybug is about a ladybug who is looking for a fight in anyone not worrying about shape or size. As the ladybug goes on adventure and runs into an elephant along the way which changes everything. Throughout the story the author incorporated time when they ladybug was traveling.

The Tiny Seed

In the book The Tiny Seed, children can learn how seeds travel, germinate and grow to produce new seeds. This story draws a question that will have them wondering, could a flower really grow that big? In autumn, a gust of strong wind carries a seed in the air across the land. Little by little each seed is lost, fallen into the ocean, eaten by a bird and even burned by the scorching sun. A few seeds survived the long winter and in spring the seeds grew into plants. The flowers start facing trouble, children squishing them when playing and some getting picked for a gift. One seed remains and grows into a giant flower and when autumn comes again the seed process starts all over.

Have You Seen My Cat?

A little boy’s cat goes missing which leads him on an adventure around the world to find him. As he goes on this quest he meets lots of different people and gets to see other gorgeous animals in the cat family. The boy meets lions, tigers and even panthers. Every time he finds a new cat he always has the same reaction, “this is not my cat’. The boy continue to search for his cat and when he does finally find him the cat has a reveals a great surprise for the boy.

Rooster’s Off to See the World

One morning Rooster sets off to see the world and some of his friends join him along the way. When night starts coming each animal returns back home one by one leaving Rooster alone on his adventure. All the other animals leave because Rooster did not think about food or shelter for him and his friends, Eventually the Rooster finds himself a little homesick and is ready to go home, he decides he has seen enough of the world for now.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?

In this book, the text is delivered in a poem sense. The book describes different animals and explores the colors. This book is great for a beginning reader as it teaches about colors and various animals. Starting with brown bear seeing a red bird looking at him. Next, it goes to the red bird he sees a yellow duck looking at him and so on. This story is great for the little ones. Every child will love it and will be repeating it with you.

The Honeybee and the Robber

As a little honeybee starts her busy day she sips nectar from flowers, avoids all the hungry birds and along the way she gets to have some fun and plays with butterflies. The little honeybee does encounter a problem when a robber bear is hungry and comes looking for all the honey. All the bees hurry and get ready to defend their home from the robber bear.

Today is Monday

This wonderful book is very colorful and delivers a fun song to help students learn the days of the week. Today is Monday, helps students recognize animals, favorite foods as well. Each day is a different animal enjoying a different meal and on Sunday’s a diverse group of children come together and eat all the foods mentioned in the story around a big table.

Draw Me A Star  

This book will allow all children to take a journey as an artist. In the story an artist is told to draw certain objects and the artist listens. Draw me a star, so the artist draws a star. Draw me a sun, says the star and the artist drew a sun. The artist continually keeps drawing bringing the world to life by beautiful pictures one after another. The artist draws and draws until he is moved by a star that shines on everything that he has drawn.

Animals, Animals

Throughout this book, there are many poems that describe animals, from pets, wild animals even made up animals. The poems are used from diverse sources like Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson and Jack Prelutsky.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This popular book written by Eric Carle has sold over 38 million copies. This story is one every child loves in and outside of a classroom. A caterpillar hatches from an egg and spends a week eating every food you could think of. Starting from strawberries, lollipops and pie. He is so hungry he eats holes through the book! At the end of the week the caterpillar is so full that he gets a bellyache and builds a cocoon. He sleeps for two weeks and when he wakes up he is a gorgeous butterfly.

Standards:

LAFS.2.RI.3.8

            Describe how an author uses reasons to support specific points in a text

MAFS.2.MD.3.7.

            Tell and write from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes

SC.2.E.6.3

            Classify soil types based on color, texture, the ability to retain water and the ability to support the growth of plants

SS.2.G.1.3

            Label on a map or globe the continents, oceans, equator and prime meridian

Objectives:

1.)  Students will be able to tell time to the nearest five minutes using digital and analog clocks with 80% accuracy.

2.)  Students will be able to identify soil types and track their ability to retain water based on planting and growing their own lima bean.

3.)  Students will be able to label the continents discussed in the book on a map with 85% accuracy. 

Introductory Lesson:

            When introducing this lesson the teacher will first introduce the author Eric Carle. Giving a few fun facts about him, he loves nature and chooses to write books illustrated with insects and animals and that Eric Carle has received over 20 awards. The students will be shown Eric Carle’s website that will give information about the author.

            Next the teacher will use the book The Hungry Caterpillar and do a picture walk with the students. Then will read the book aloud to the class. After reading the book aloud there will be a class discussion on the book.

            Before doing the activities, the teacher will check for prior knowledge. By doing this the teacher will do the read aloud and will give a demonstration of a mini lesson using the book The Hungry Caterpillar. The students will discuss what they can learn from the book. For example; how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

            Other activities the teacher will do will be to check prior knowledge before introducing each activity. First the teacher will have the class participate learning about time. This will allow the teacher to question the students what they know about time. Next the teacher will start looking for prior knowledge for another activity the class will do. The teacher will ask “does anyone have a garden at home?” “What type of plants can grow in a garden?”

            Finally, the teacher will give a demonstration about continents using a globe. Also by using web demonstrations that will activate any prior knowledge students have about geography. After the teacher has checked for prior knowledge they will start the first activity. This lesson is more of a thematic unit which will teach the same language arts standard but incorporate subject areas using a different book for each activity with a standard that goes with the overall theme of the book.

Subject:	Math
Grade Level:	Second
Title of Lesson:	The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
	Day 2
Standards:	·         LAFS.2.RI.3.8           Describe how an author uses reasons to support specific                  points in a text ·         MAFS.2.MD.3.7.            Tell and write from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes
Objectives:	1.)  Students will be able to tell time to the nearest five minutes using digital and analog clocks with 80% accuracy. 2.)  Students will be able to write a paragraph how the author uses the information in the book to teach the concept and will be graded on a 1,2,3 grading scale.
Materials :	·         The Book: The Grouchy Ladybug ·         2 paper plates per student ·         1 pair of scissors per student ·         1 glue stick per student ·         1 red and 1 black crayon ·         1 ladybug clock cut out per student ·         1 brass clip per student
Before Reading:	I will first show the book to the students using a picture walk and have the students guess what they think the book is about. Their response will most likely be that a ladybug is traveling and meets animals along the way. After the students share their ideas. I will ask the students if they have ever traveled. Then I will start asking about time. “How many of you look at the clock to see what time it is when you are traveling or when you have to be somewhere at a certain time?”  I will then explain to the students that we are going to read the book and we will get to learn how the ladybug travels and how it uses time throughout the travel.
During Reading:	During reading the students will listen to the different times stated throughout the book during the ladybug’s travel. I will stop periodically to ask questions about the time and ask questions like; what do you usually do around this time?”
After Reading:	After reading each student will begin to make their own ladybug clock. After following the directions and their clock is made. The students will play a game as a whole using the SmartBoard that will have them practicing telling time on a digital clock. After the students will play a game of showdown using their ladybug clocks displaying the time that the teacher says.
Adaptions: (ELL)	·         Students will be grouped with a classmate or with an assistant teacher if no one is available. ·         If the activity is too hard the students will get a worksheet in their home language that will have them match the time to the correct clock.
Adaptions: (ESE)	·         Students will be paired with an individual that they will work well with and a student that will help keep the student on task. ·         If the task is too hard, the students will be allowed to work on another activity to give them a break and so they do not become frustrated.
Assessment:	Students will be given a standard test. This test will be worth 100 points. If the student gets 8 out of 10 answers correct then that student will receive an 80%. Students will also give a summary about the author and how the author used the information in the book to teach the concept time. This will be graded on a 1,2,3 grading scale.

Grade Level:	Second
Title of Lesson:	The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Day:	Day 1 and 3 will be more days due to plant growing
Standards:	LAFS.2.RI.3.8             Describe how an author uses reasons to support specific points in a text SC.2.E.6.3             Classify soil types based on color, texture, the ability to retain water and the ability to support the growth of plants
Objectives:	1.)  Students will be able to write a paragraph how the author uses the information in the book to teach the concept about seeds on a grading scale. 2.)  Students will be able to identify soil types and track their ability to retain water based on planting and growing their own lima bean. The students will keep a journal that will track the growth for a grade.
Materials:	·         The book: The Tiny Seed ·         Plastic cup for each student ·         Soil for each student ·         1 lima bean for each student ·         Water available for every student to access
Before Reading:	Before reading I will show the students the book and ask them what they think it is about. The students will most likely say they think the book is about a flower.
During Reading:	Students will listen to the story and I will ask questions throughout the story to see if the students are following along. I will also ask questions like; “what do you think is going to happen to the seed?” “What do you think help made the seed grow into a flower?”
After Reading:	After reading the students will have a discussion about the book. Students will discuss the process the seed went through in the book. They will then discuss what it takes for a plant to grow. The students will do research on what it takes to make a seed grow.
Adaptions: (ELL)	·         Students will be able to work with a partner ·         If any directions are unclear then the students will be able to research the information in their own home language.
Adaptions: (ESE)	·         Any students with a learning disability will be able to use other resources ·         The students can also take their time and if they need to leave because they can’t sit there that long they will be allowed to leave or move onto another activity and finish later.
Assessment:	Informal: I will assess the students by their research in what it takes to plant a seed and make one grow. Formal: Student Journals Students will keep a log in their journal to track the growth of their plant. The journal will also include how much water and when they water their seed. This will be grade out of 100 using a rubric. Students will also write a brief summary about the material the author used to teach the concept of seeds, this will be graded on a 1,2,3 scale.

Grade:	Second
Title of Lesson:	Have You Seen My Cat?
Day:	Day 4 and 5
Standards:	SS.2.G.1.3             Label on a map or globe the continents, oceans, equator and prime meridian
Objectives:	Students will be able to label the continents discussed in the book on a map with 85% accuracy.
Materials:	·         Book Have You Seen My Cat? ·         Markers ·         Paper ·         Glue ·         Scissors
Before Reading:	During this time I would show the students the book and ask them what they think the story is about. I will ask questions like,” have you ever traveled?” “Have you ever been to a different country?”
During Reading:	Students will listen to the story, after each place the boy goes in the story we will talk about. Students will take notes on the story.
After Reading:	After the story we will have a class discussion. As a class we will make a list of all the places in the story the boy went to look for his cat. Once we have the list completed students will pick one country and do research on it, including 3 fun facts and pictures.
Adaptations: (ELL)	·         I will bring cut out of the continents for them to be ready. I will also include a list of facts about each continent and the students will be able to pick and choose which ones they want to use in their home language.   ·         Students will have access to all resources and if needed provided with an assistant or partner.
Adaptations: (ESE)	·         I will bring cut out of the continents for them to be ready. I will also include a list of facts about each continent and the students will be able to pick and choose which ones they want to use.  ·         If any students do not finish they may do it for homework
Assessment:	Informal: I will check the students work on their countries they picked and the facts they found. Formal: The students will get a map and label all the correct places the boy traveled to in the book. The students will color and decorate. The original country they chose to pick and the information they found they may cut it out and added it to the map. This will be graded out of 100. Mainly for completion.

Culminating Activity:

·         Students will complete a writing activity. For this activity the students will write author Eric Carle a letter. In this letter they will write about the books they read, what it taught them and then the activity they did. They will also be able to write any questions they want to ask the author.

·         The students will come together as a class and help the teacher make a poster of the books and why they recommend them. For each book they will make a poster and will hang them in the hallways or library for display.

·         Finally the students will write their opinions, what they learned and what they liked. The students can write or draw and at the end we will put the pages together and have a book about our unit that we did on Eric Carle.

References:

Eric Carle. (2012). Eric Carle Website. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from Eric Carle.:

http://www.eric-carle.com/about.html

Scholastic. (2014). Eric Carle’s Biography. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from Scholastic:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/eric-carle

Reflection:

            I chose Eric Carle in the beginning because I have read many of his books and loved his work. Little did I know half of his books could be used in a lesson for elementary students. I ended up super happy that I picked him as my author. He was very interesting and all his books were unique. His illustrations are great as well as the way he delivers the text. I learned that it is simple to incorporate a book into a lesson you just have to research. I also found that there are so many different activities you can do and the students will really enjoy them and learn a lot.

            My unit was more of a thematic unit because Eric Carle did not really have many books with the same idea. This challenged me a little because I had to do more research and figure out what books I could use to teach a lesson. It was easy to figure out most of them only because the lesson was about the author so I was able to use any books. I just decided to choose books that I would be able to activities for the areas students are not so fond of.

            I allowed various opportunities for critical thinking, throughout every lesson and activity. The students have to do a lot of research and are able to come up with their own ideas using their prior knowledge and what they added to their prior knowledge. I also designed the activities for the students to achieve mastery. The assignments were not too hard for the students but were also not too easy. The students were given plenty of directions, time and resources.

            For every lesson I used appropriate state standards. The unit was aligned with standards and the activities were built around them. The assessments for each activity were appropriate for monitoring learning. For the formal assessments and informal assessments I was able to check to make sure the students were on track. Most assessments also targeted the students’ prior knowledge.

            For every lesson I did my best to organize and manage the resource of time, space and attention. I tried not to pick activities that would take too long and thee students’ would lose interest. For each activity I also adapted the learning environment to accommodate the different needs and diversity of students. I allowed more time and extra resources if needed.

            I really enjoyed this author study and learned a lot from it. I will be using Eric Carle’s books in my future classroom. I will also incorporate books into any lesson I can. I also feel an author study week for your class would be fun to do because the students not only get to learn about a new author but they get to have fun and do activities from what they learned from  the authors books.