Block One

Doreen Cronin grew up in Merrick, NY with both of her parents as well as her two

brothers and a sister. While Cronin was in first grade, her teacher, Mrs. Cooper told her one day

that she was a writer. That was a life changing moment for Cronin. Once she was told that, she

believed she would be one. Dreaming about being a police officer or an FBI agent when she

grew up, Doreen went on to graduate from Penn State and St. John’s University of Law to

become an attorney. During this time, she published her first book--Click Clack Moo: Cows that

Type. After she had published her book, she then left being an attorney and decided to continue

her path as a writer, just as her first grade teacher told her she was so long ago.

Now, Doreen has twenty-six published works and many more on the way. In February

2016 she plans to have her newest book, Bloom, released. Throughout her children’s books, she

bases a lot of the characters off of compilations of people that she knows such as Bob and

Farmer Brown. She also divulged that the beloved Duck character in some of her books is

essentially based off of herself and any other mischievous child that she has ever known. Cronin

has also based characteristics of the characters from her own animals in her life. She and her

husband own a Westie named Ruffie, who she claims “rules the house.” She also has two spiders

in her office that she cannot bring herself to kill. Out of all the books, Cronin also tells

interviewers that her favorite book is Harold and the Purple Crayon for its simplicity. She is the

perfect author to share and use for an author study unit with students.

Based on the information above that was gathered on the author, we picked her because

of the message her life shares and how her books produce memorable characters and storylines

for children of all ages to enjoy. For example the duck in Giggle Giggle Quack give us a

mischievous character that get into trouble that we can all relate to. Her life is interesting and
 Author Study 2

provides a learning opportunity because in the 2nd grade she was told that she was a writer and

she never stopped believing it. She went to college and became a lawyer but quit to follow her

dream and now she is a best-selling author. It is important to believe in your dreams and do what

you love. Her many books and series provide many stories for many ages and developmental

levels. They address different topics in a fun way, for example the Diary of a… series puts a fun

spin on the life of different bugs, teaching the reader about the qualities and lives of different

bugs in a fun way. It can also be seen that her books are different levels when compared to the

leveling article that we received in class. Her picture books are to be read out loud and the

detailed illustrations help the story understanding as well as help the story along.

When looking at curriculum standards for 2nd grade, the grade level we have chosen, we

believe that Doreen Cronin provides us with many opportunities to teach aspects of writing and

literature. Writing craft and aspects of writing as well as literacy strategy and literary devices can

be incorporated into the curriculum and help the students meet the core standards for their grade

level found at http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/2/. Topics such as literary devices

and repetition, point of view, letter formatting and more can be taught through the use of Doreen

Cronin’s stories. At different grade levels her stories can be used the tackle more complex topics

as well as provide enjoyment.

Looking at the writing standards first, our activities and lessons will be addressing the

following standards: CSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3, writing narratives that recount events,

remaining inclusive of character details; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2, creating informative

texts with the utilization of facts;

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5, work to strengthen writing through revision with the support of

teachers and peers. Additionally, activities will implement CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6,
utilizing digital means in order to create writing, while working with classmates (ELA, n.d.).
 Author Study 3

Through completing the activities and lessons in this author study project, the following
standards will be met: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1, answer questions in order to display a
sense of understanding; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3, reference character reactions to events
within stories; and, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6, showing an understanding in different
perspectives and voices of other characters within the story (ELA, n.d.).

In addition to meeting reading and writing standards, the following speaking and
listening standards are also addressed: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1, collaborate with peers
and adults in group discussions; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.3, ask questions in order to clarify
information; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.6, share details in order to clarify a point when
requested to do so (ELA, n.d.).

In planning how we are going to use these stories to teach mini-lessons on literary

strategy/concepts, literary devices and teaching writing, we decided on this author because her

books provided many opportunities for teaching such elements in the reading/writing classroom.

Literary devices such as repetition and onomatopoeia fill these books; simple literary and writing

devices for beginning writers. A mini lesson on persuasive writing is an option with Duck for

President as the students can do a writing prompt based on the book such as; Why should you be

president? or why should the Duck be president. (That second question provides opportunity to

talk about recalling detail and answering short answer questions with the format of assertion,

explanation and example.) Diary of a worm can help students work on sequencing skills or

writing skills on how to write a letter, as in proper formatting (i.e. Dear diary, date, From, name).

Being that there are multiple books in most of her series, her books can be used as a mentor text

and provide opportunity to look at character and storyline development, which are two important

literary skills.

After deciding on Doreen Cronin as our author and reviewing her many books along with

the book that we were going to use for the purpose of this author study, we decided that our
 Author Study 4

author study would be geared towards a second grade classroom. Using the core curriculum

standards from the website mentioned earlier we noticed that these books would work really well

with the different topics/concepts/skills that are to be met at this grade level. Topics such as

literary devices, writing craft, point of view and many other important skills can all be taught

through these books. The mini lessons that we have created work with different books to focus in

on and teach the different topics. Through these mini lessons we believe that 2nd standards will

be met and that selected a grade will work well with this author and her books. When looking at

leveling of the books we felt that the predictability, multiple sentences per page and word size

classified the Click Clack Moo and Giggle Giggle Quack at Level 4 of the leveling system from

Lori Jamison Rog and Wilfred Burton, Matching Texts and Readers: leveling Early Reading

Materials for Assessment and Instruction (Rog, L., 2002). Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider,

and Diary of a Fly would be classified as level 6 because of their chronological patterns, done

through the diary formatting, short choppy sentences and illustration that provides high support

with onomatopoeia and speech bubbles (Rog, L, 2002). According to the same leveling system

we feel that the other books Duck for President qualify as level 7 books. This qualification is

based off of the aspects of the book including, consistent sentence placement on pages, more

detailed sentences, rhythmic nature, and picture cues, such as in the notes and signs (Rog, L.,

2002).

Level 4 and 6 differ in language as level 6 books tend to include different story pattern

and smaller font. This also differs in the sense that level 6 books have more print on each page

than that of a level 4 (Rog, L, 2002). Level 6 and 7 differ in that level 7 has a story with more

detail and normally include several events in the story. Sentence patterns vary throughout book

more frequently in level 7 as well. We feel that these levels were good for the grade we picked
 Author Study 5

because reading aloud the students would most likely be able to follow along and maybe pick up

enough to read it themselves. Therefore, we feel that the author and grade level we picked help

the author study teach mini lesson in an effective way, helping to meet standards in curriculum

while providing some fun reading and activity work.

Classroom Activities:

Children will be introduced to author Doreen Cronin through her famous story, Click

Clack Moo. Students will talk about the story and learn some fun facts about Cronin through a

teacher-led discussion. During this time the teacher will prompt the conversation through

questions about the story based on the plot and the characters in the reading. The teacher will

also ask the children about the author by seeing if they can draw any relations to her. These

responses will be stemmed through questions such as who has been to New York, the state that

she lives in, and countless other connections. The teacher will also tell students about some fun

facts about Cronin before moving on.

Fostering independent and small group research and study habits, students will be allotted

a specific class time to work in groups and pull important facts and elements about Doreen

Cronin from information sheets provided by teachers. Students will select elements and form a

list, working as a group to select the top five most important facts. Each of the three groups will

work on a different topic; life, interests, and books written. Students will select a different fact

within their group and create their own page with text and illustrations in order to present the

information. Upon the completion of the fact pages, the teacher will bind the book, allowing

students to share with each other in the classroom library.

It is important for children to begin taking responsibility for their own learning and work

at a young age. By introducing this activity, children are given the opportunity to work alone, in
 Author Study 6

pairs, or in small groups in order to achieve a common goal. The lesson can be modified to give

individual groups more specific topics to research, thus promoting a jigsaw learning atmosphere.

Children will experience what it’s like to conduct research in a supportive setting of peers and

teachers. By creating a book to be shared, teachers can foster a greater sense of pride in the

student’s work, making them feel valued and accomplished. The work can then be displayed in

the classroom to share their personal takes on our author study project.

Calendar for Author Study Unit on Doreen Cronin

Author Study Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Week 1 Introduction Author Presentations

to author research of group
study unit. activity and projects to the
Introduction presentations class
activity of group
projects to the
class

Week 2 Read Diary of Mini Lesson: Read Diary of Mini Lesson:

a Worm Sequencing a Fly Onomatopoei
with a
Transition
Words

Week 3 Mini Lesson Read Giggle, Mini Lesson:

Speech Giggle, Dialogue
Bubbles Quack Tags

Week 4 Read Duck Mini Lesson:

for President Character
Development
 Author Study 7

Week 5 Read Diary of Mini Lesson: Read Click,

a Spider Point of View Clack. Moo

Week 6 Mini Lesson: Block 3: Begin

Letter Style Culminating
Formatting Statement Activity: Day
Activity 1

Week 7 Culminating Culminating

Activity: Day Activity: Day
2 3

Week 8 Culminating Culminating

Activity: Day Activity
4 Wrap Up:
Skype
Session with
Author
 Author Study 8

Block 2
Lesson One: Sequencing with Transition Words (Literary Device)

Book Summary: In Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, readers learn the story of Worm as he

goes about his daily life. He writes diary entries day by day involving his school life, his family,

and his friends, Spider and Fly. While writing his entries he learns that there are some good

things and even some bad things about being a worm.

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective by providing an abundance of sequencing

through the utilization of transitional phrases and words in a diary format. The book is written in

diary entries from the main character, Worm’s, perspective and uses words such as today, first,

then, and tomorrow. Through the reading, students have already been exposed to transition

words, and will learn how to apply them within their own writing

Objective: SWBAT utilize transition words in their own diary entries to extend the worm’s

story.

Procedure: Students will analyze the following sentences that will be written on the board: “I

tried to teach Spider how to dig. All of his legs got stuck. He swallowed a bunch of dirt. He’s

going to teach me how to walk upside down.” Teachers will ask “Is there anything wrong with

these sentences? How do you think we could make them flow better?” The teacher will introduce

the term transitional words, defining it as words that connect ideas or sentences, helping to create

a good flow. Students will review transitional words and phrases, referencing Cronin’s writing

in Diary of a Worm. Students will work in small groups in order to complete a word hunt, pulling

out transitional words that they find in Cronin’s stories and writing them on chart paper to be

shared with the whole class. Students will share words that they discovered, such as, tomorrow,
 Author Study 9

today, then, and after. In small groups, students will attempt to insert their discovered words into

the sentences on the board in order to make them flow better.

Application: Students’ new knowledge of sequencing through the use of transitional words will

be applied in their writing. Students will start their extension of the worm story by first dating the

entry. Students will create sentences, using their knowledge of Worm’s life to decide what might

happen next after the last entry in the book. Throughout their entry they must have four

sentences with at least three transition words. They must end their entry by listing either one

more thing that is good or bad about being a worm based on their continuation of the story.

Volunteers may share their entries with the class after everyone is finished.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If the students are able to extend off of Worm’s story through the

creation of sentences and utilization of at least three transition words, then the lesson was

effective.

Lesson Two: Onomatopoeia (Literary Device)

Book Summary: In Diary of a Fly, readers follow Fly on a day by day basis while she learns

about being a fly and shares her desire to be a superhero. Readers see her go through many

challenges in school, from studying first graders in the wild, to learning how to properly land in

soup. Fly also has 327 brothers and sisters that make it a little difficult for her to get her work

done. Fly learns many things about being a fly along with her two best friends, Worm and

Spider. By the end of the book Fly is able to compile a list of things that she learned that she is

good at.

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective by providing variations of onomatopoeia

throughout the reading, including “whoosh,” “thwap,” “zoom,” and “zip.”. The books show the

literary device being utilized in the text of the story as well as in the illustrations This shows

students that they can incorporate onomatopoeia in their writing as well as in their illustrations.
 Author Study 10

Objective: SWBAT create a comic strip of at least 4 boxes illustrating action, based on an event

from the story that incorporates onomatopoeia.

Procedure: Students will work in the classroom to assess several sounds that occur. Teachers

will guide children’s learning, starting with snapping a rubber band against the table. Students

will listen carefully to the sound that it makes, the teacher repeating the action as necessary. The

activity will continue with the smacking of a hand off a desk to see what noise it makes, or

thinking about the noise that one hears when a fly or bee flies past. Students will work to put a

word to these sounds, developing an understanding of onomatopoeias. Teachers will introduce

the term onomatopoeia with the definition of an onomatopoeia is a word that describes a sound

that you hear. Students will continue to make some noises in the classroom and try to name a

sound that they can associate with it.

Application: Students will apply their new knowledge of what an onomatopoeia is and how they

function within writing and illustration in order to create their own comic strips about Fly’s life.

Students will create their own story webs in order to plan out events that they want Fly to

experience prior to constructing their comic strips. They will work independently in order to

produce an illustrated four-block comic. After their illustrations are complete they will then work

to embed at least two onomatopoeias into the overall comic strip. These comics will be shared

with the class, and revisited during the next lesson.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If students are able to create a four-box comic strip that includes at

least two examples of onomatopoeia, then the lesson was effective.

Lesson Three: Speech Bubbles (Writing)

Book Summary: In Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, readers learn the story of Worm as he

goes about his daily life. He writes diary entries day by day involving his school life, his family,
 Author Study 11

and his friends, Spider and Fly. While writing his entries he learns that there are some good

things and even some bad things about being a worm.

Rationale: The book demonstrates the objective by providing many examples of speech and

thought bubbles throughout the text and illustrations. When looking through the book, examples

of the bubbles can be found on almost every page. This book in particular provides countless

examples of how speech bubbles can be utilized in order to depict a scene, narration, or even a

thought!

Objective: SWBAT incorporate speech and thought bubbles to enhance their previously made

comic strips.

Procedure: Students will assess the utilization of speech bubbles within Cronin’s books by

flipping through the story and finding an example. Teachers will guide the students’ learning by

asking questions such as: “Why are there speech bubbles? What do they do? Where can we use

speech bubbles?” Students will provide ideas regarding where they may utilize speech bubbles as

teachers pass out large pictures of Spider, Worm, and Fly, as well as some post it notes. Students

will be instructed to think about the character, and they may either illustrate what the character’s

thinking, or write down what the character’s saying on their Post-It notes. These notes will be

placed on the images in order to demonstrate how speech bubbles and thought bubbles (found in

supplemental packet page 4) can be utilized within the student’s work.

Application: Students will return to their comic strips that they previously created. Reflecting on

their drawings and use of onomatopoeias, students will have to decide where it would be

appropriate to create two speech or thought bubbles. They will individually read through their

comic to ensure that the placement and content of the speech bubbles is logical and appropriate

for their comics before sharing with a partner before adding them in. Students will then add in
 Author Study 12

their speech or thought bubbles in the comic frames. The finished comic strips will be displayed

in the classroom.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If the students are able to add speech and thought bubbles to their

comic strips, then the lesson was effective.

Lesson Four: Dialogue Tags (Writing)

Book Summary: In Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Doreen Cronin tells a story of when Farmer Brown

goes on vacation and has his brother, Bob, take care of the animals. Upon leaving, he instructs

Bob to watch out for Duck because he is trouble. Bob takes care of the animals while Farmer

Brown is gone according to the instructions that were left for him. He feeds the hens pizza with

anchovies, gives the pigs bubble baths and lets the cows choose a movie to watch. Later readers

find out that it was Duck changing all the notes that Farmer Brown left for Bob.

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective by providing multiple examples of the use of

dialogue tags throughout the reading. Dialogue is utilized with various forms of tags throughout

the story. They book uses different tags in different placements more often than any other book.

Objective: SWBAT design a scene that is a conversation between the duck and the farmer

incorporating dialogue with variation of the use of tags.

Procedure: Students will open up a picture book of their choice, searching for a page that

incorporates dialogue. Teachers will ask students to provide some examples of dialogue, having

them read from their individual books while the teacher writes on the board. Students will be

able to look at the punctuation, seeing what follows the dialogue. Teachers will ask students

“does anyone know what this piece of the dialogue is called?” indicating Students will work with

a partner in order to go through Cronin’s story, Giggle, Giggle, Quack and pull out different

dialogue tags, compiling a list in their notebooks. Students will work independently in order to
 Author Study 13

complete a dialogue worksheet in which they simply add a variety of dialogue tags. (supplement

packet worksheet page 5)

Application: Students will work independently to create a conversation between Farmer Brown

and Duck through the use of dialogue. Students will be required to write a minimum of two

dialogue lines per character, using at least three different tags. They may reference the books for

ideas, as well as for format and punctuation of their sentences.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If the students are able to use different forms of tags in dialogue

writing, then the lesson was effective.

Lesson Five: Character Development (Literary Concept)

Book Summary: In Duck for President, Duck gets frustrated over the many chores that he has to

do on the farm and Farmer Brown’s control over the farm. He then holds an election to take over

the farm. Once he wins the election, he decides that it is too much work and runs for the mayor’s

office instead. After winning the election, he decides that this job is too much work too. The

same process repeats as Duck then runs for the governor’s office and then President. He then

decides in the end to return to the farm.

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective more than others written by Doreen Cronin by

providing multiple instances of repetition throughout the reading. During the story, Duck is

constantly getting covered with stuff repeatedly during all of his different jobs. The procedures

in which Duck goes about being elected for each position repeat as well. These examples of

repetition are not found in any other books.

Objective: SWBAT identify how Duck develops in Duck for President through the use of the

STEAL method.
 Author Study 14

Procedure: Teachers will begin class with discussing how people and animals change over time.

(Are you the exact same as you were in September? How have you changed? How have you

changed since you were a baby? As we grow, we become smarter, and we change! Do characters

in our books change? How did Duck change in Duck for President?) Students will be able to

work with a small group to further discuss these questions before sharing out with the class.

Teachers will discuss how a character’s speech, thoughts, what effects or changes the character,

actions, and looks, all contribute to how a character develops and changes through the course of

a book, preparing them to apply their knowledge. Teacher will model the use of the STEAL

method on the board with the use of chart paper, pulling information from Duck for President.

Application: Students will work together in small groups to pull apart the character, Duck, in

Duck for President. They will complete the STEAL worksheet (found supplemental packet page

6 and 7), providing examples to support their claims, as well as information about the character,

requesting and receiving help as necessary. Upon completion, the class will share their ideas in

order to draw a conclusion regarding how the character changed over the course of the reading.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If students are able to complete the STEAL worksheet and analyze

how the character has changed, then the lesson will be effective.

Lesson Six: Point of View (Literary Concept)

Book Summary: In Diary of a Spider, readers follow Spider as he attends school and his home

life. He goes to gym class and attends Grandparents’ Day and hangs out with his best friend, Fly.

Readers are taken through Spider’s life through day by day diary entries. He is able to learn

many things along his journey and figure out things that he’s scared of as well as things that he

scares. Spider wraps up his journey with one last entry stating how he wished that people would

take their time and not judge spiders so that they could all be friends, just like him and Fly.
 Author Study 15

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective of the lesson by providing great examples of

point of view. The entire book is told in first person point of view all by Spider’s viewpoint.

Objective: SWBAT change the perspective of the book by rewriting a passage from a different

character’s perspective other than the spider.

Procedure: Teachers will discuss the topic of narration, sharing how stories can be told by

characters or the author. (“When you read, who tells the story? Is it a character? Is it someone

that’s watching the story unfold? The person telling the story is called a narrator. Who is the

narrator in Diary of a Spider?) Students will work with a partner and select a picture book of

their choice. Students will be given five minutes to read part of their story. Through their

reading, they will decide who is narrating the story and whose perspective it’s in. Students will

discuss with the entire class who they believe the story is written in the perspective of, providing

evidence to defend their point.

Application: Students will select a passage from Diary of a Spider and determine who is the

narrator/whose perspective it is in. They will then select a different character (Fly or Worm) or

choose to write as an outside source to change the perspective of the story. Students will rewrite

the passage in their notebooks and may share their alternations if they wish.

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If the students are able to write from the perspective of another

character or another source when rewriting her passages, then the lesson was effective.

Lesson Seven: Letter Formatting (Writing)

Book Summary: In Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Farmer Brown starts getting demands

from the cows in the barn that have just gotten a typewriter and decided to go on strike for better

working conditions. They start demanding things like electric blankets to make their working

conditions better and help them keep warm at night. Other animals in the barn, like the chickens,

start to join in on the strike as well. Farmer Brown, starting to get annoyed with the constant
 Author Study 16

notes, demands the typewriter. The cows and the chickens tell the farmer in a note that they will

exchange the typewriter for electric blankets. They get their electric blankets, but when Farmer

Brown comes for the typewriter it was already taken by the ducks who now are demanding a

diving board for their pond.

Rationale: This book demonstrates the objective by providing readers with many examples of

letters throughout the reading, as opposed to other books previously written by the author. The

book focuses on letter writing and a letter can be found on almost every other page. The letters

are also a main focus in the story, stressing their importance and proper formatting.

Objective: SWBAT apply correct letter formatting to their own letter by writing a request letter

to Farmer Brown as an animal from the farm.

Procedure: Students will gather at the carpet to read a class letter from Farmer Brown that’s

addressed to the animals, with proper format including the date, the group that the letter is

addressed to, indentation, a variety of sentences, and a signature. Students will read the letter as a

class and discuss components involved in the making of a letter. Teachers will guide the

discussion, asking questions such as, “What’s one of the first things we see in this letter? What

are some important things to do when we write letters? Is there anything special about the

punctuation here? How do we end our letters?” Students will work to point out important

features within letter writing and will prepare to apply their knowledge to our next activity.

Application: Students will write their own responses to Farmer Brown. They will include a date,

the person being addressed, proper punctuation, and a signature. Students must write a minimum

of four sentences as their response. Responses will be posted around the classroom along with

Farmer Brown’s initial letter.

 Author Study 17

Effectiveness of the Lesson: If students are able to correctly format a letter to Farmer Brown as

an animal from the farm, then the lesson was effective.

 Author Study 18

Block 3
When conducting an author study, it is not only extremely important that students

understand what they are reading, but also how the author writes. Each author has a particular

style that they tend to utilize throughout multiple pieces of writing, and Doreen Cronin is no

exception. Doreen’s writing emphasizes repetition, as seen in Duck for President. Additionally,

sequencing can be found in books such as Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, Diary of a Fly. In

Cronin’s writing, there is also a tremendous amount of character development that unfolds

throughout the stories, whether it be the emergence of a leader (Duck for President), or finding a

voice (Click Clack Moo). Sequencing is prevalent throughout the stories, as diaries follow a daily

progression, and a routine is set in many tales from the farm. Students will pick up on these

components through continued exposure to Cronin’s work, as well as scaffolding from the

teacher. Upon the completion of classroom readings and activities, students will be able to

collectively write a style statement, similar to the one below:

Teacher Version: Doreen Cronin emphasizes routine and fosters a sense of self-

discovery through sequencing, character development, and a humorous tone.

Second grade version: Doreen Cronin writes about routine and finding who you are

through sequencing and the use of funny characters.

Activity:

The activity we decided to do to help students arrive at the author's style statement is

called Book Detectives. Students will be split into four groups, each group utilizing one of the

four Cronin’s stories that will be given randomly by the teacher. They will work to complete the

worksheet. (found in supplement packet page 2) Within the worksheet they will be answering

questions about common themes and feelings in her work. Children will read their story aloud to
 Author Study 19

one another, taking note of things that they recognize in their story. Students will organize their

thoughts on large pieces of chart paper, drawing conclusions about common features in all of the

stories using what they filled in on the worksheet. Students will be further guided through this

process by pairing up with another group and creating a Venn Diagram (found in supplemental

packet page 3) that compares the two stories. This will promote a deeper understanding of the

author’s style. The teacher will provide support to each group to help guide them along the

correct track. After comparing and contrasting Cronin’s stories, and creating a visual aid with the

help of a Venn diagram, students will be asked to compose one or two sentences as a class,

describing Cronin’s writing style, shedding light on the common features found through their

completion of this activity.

 Author Study 20

Block Four
Culminating Activity: Diary entries (minimum of 2)

For this author study our culminating activity will consist of the students writing a

minimum of two diary entries (a page and a half each) These entries will demonstrate what they

have learned throughout our author study. Having learned about various elements in Doreen

Cronin’s work, such as repetition, sequencing, dialogue, and humor, students will try to utilize

her writing style, such as the formatting of the page and the incorporating information into their

picture, in their entries. The journal entries will revolve around the topic of the “Diary of a

Human,” sharing a common theme with Cronin’s Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary

of a Fly stories. Students will record events that occur in their daily lives, including family,

friends, responsibilities, and hobbies. Students will finish their journal entries and may even

illustrate them within a four-day period. Upon completion, the journal entries will be collected,

reproduced, and bound in order to share out with others in the classroom. This will reinforce the

theme of dealing with published works, and the process behind creating a story. This will be a

fun way to work with these different elements they learned in the mini lessons as well as become

published authors.

The culminating activity will take place over a five-day period to allow for completion

and incorporation of all the elements taught over the author study unit. On day one the students

will start with brainstorming the events for their diary entry. They will be given two concept

maps, one for each journal entry, and fill in the corresponding information (Mind Map

Worksheet can be found in supplement packet, page 8). On day two the students will be working

on drafting their two entries, using character development and humor throughout their entries.

Day three will consist on revising, during which the students will go back over their work and
 Author Study 21

add in dialogue and transition words, more of what they learned. Their homework this day will

be creating illustrations to go with their journal entries. Day four, students will edit using teacher

made rubric (supplement packet page 9) and partner workshopping and hand it in. On the fifth

day the students will receive their work back and teacher will take students to the computer lab

to type up their final draft which will be handed in when completed. This will complete the

culminating activity.

Culminating Activity: Unit Wrap Up

Students are typically very eager to learn and are sometimes even excited to do so! As a

way to completely wrap up our study on Doreen Cronin, a Skype session will be set up with the

author. In the session, it is ideal that the author read one of her stories aloud to the class,

fostering a greater sense of excitement when it comes to reading. Following the reading, students

will be permitted to ask the author questions about her life and/or her writing. This is a great way

to bring their research to life, expressing just how much they have learned as a result of the

study. Additionally, students will be granted the opportunity to share their personal work with

the author, displaying their entries from “Diary of a Human.” The intention is that they will feel

more confident in their writing and feel further encouraged to write by Doreen Cronin herself!

Children would be excited to speak to the author, and this activity would show the importance of

researching and writing, wrapping up our unit.

 Author Study 22

Works Cited

Cronin, D. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for

Young Readers.

Cronin, D., & Bliss, H. (2003). Diary of a worm. New York: Joanna Cotler Books.

Cronin, D., & Bliss, H. (2005). Diary of a spider. New York: Joanna Cotler Books.

Cronin, D., & Bliss, H. (2007). Diary of a fly. New York, NY: Joanna Cotler Books.

Cronin, D., Lewin, B., & Potash, D. (2004). Duck for President. New York: Simon & Schuster

Books for Young Readers.

Cronin, D., & Lewin, B. (2002). Giggle, giggle, quack. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for

Young Readers.

English Language Arts Standards » Reading: Literature » Grade 2. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2016,

from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/2/

Leftwich, S (n.d.). How does the character develop?

Rog, L. J., & Burton, W. (2002). Matching Texts and Readers: Leveling Early Reading Materials

for Assessment and Instruction. The Reading Teacher, 55(4), 89-95.