My class is wrapping up their author study about Kevin Henkes. We really enjoyed reading his books and comparing them. We read Lily’s Big Day; Shiela Rae, the Brave; Wemberly Worried; Kitten’s First Full Moon; and Chrysanthemum. After we read each book, we discussed the characters, setting, problem, solution, and lesson of the story. It was awesome to see the students get better and better at this with each story we read. Figuring out the lesson of the story was the trickiest, but the students proved up to the challenge and could find multiple lessons in each.
After reading all of the books, we compared them by sticking up note cards with the information about each book and had a discussion. The students were able to make text-to-text connections between the books. I also got to hear some interesting text-to-self connections, such as one student who is going to be a flower girl next month like the character Lily, and different student’s moment of being brave like Sheila or worried like Wemberly. The students also made text-to-world connections when they related the character Chysanthemum’s long name to a syllables study we did in poetry. One student also connected a video they had watched about a younger sibling helping their older brother who was scared with Shelia Rae, the Brave.
We are ending the study with writing book reviews. Each student chose a book and will write about their favorite part, who they think the book is best suited for, and their own recommendation (which includes a very exciting star rating). We have had fun doing this author study, and Kevin Henkes now has several more fans!
Meghan Brtnik
is a classroom teacher on the K-2 team. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Meghan was a substitute teacher at an international baccalaureate school in Toronto and at the Latin School of Chicago. She graduated from York University, Toronto, with a M.Ed. at the primary/junior level and completed an additional qualification course in special education. Meghan earned a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in honors psychology, focusing on the psychological and social foundations in human behavior. In addition, Meghan has worked in a Montessori school, tutored students individually, and lived and worked at an all-girls boarding school.
For fun, Meghan loves traveling, trying out new restaurants, exploring new neighborhoods, swimming, reading, and walking.