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There is much more to explore in our calendar. Find other important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, each with related lessons and resources.
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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
June 06
Celebrate Cynthia Rylant's birthday!
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| Grades | K – 8 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Author & Text |
Cynthia Rylant has authored dozens of books for children of all ages. Writing in multiple genres, she has earned the Newbery Medal for her book Missing May, the Newbery Honor award for A Fine White Dust, and Caldecott Honors for The Relatives Came and When I Was Young in the Mountains.
Explore the element of plot using the work of Cynthia Rylant. First, select a title appropriate to the grade level of your class. Ask your school librarian for a list of Rylant's titles from which you or your students may choose.
Have students work as a class on one book, or in small groups or individually on selected titles. Students can then use the ReadWriteThink Plot Diagram to map the plot of the selected story. Finally, invite students to create original literary works using the plot diagrams.
- Younger students can adapt the story into a picture book by creating illustrations depicting the elements of plot.
- Older students can rewrite the story by changing a plot element, such as the climax or resolution.
- Cynthia Rylant
This biography of Cynthia Rylant includes quotes from her about her writing and her childhood.
- Literature Guide: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
This page offers a summary and classroom activities for teaching Missing May, Rylant's 1993 Newbery Medal winner.
- Meet the Author: Cynthia Rylant
This article, found on Houghton-Mifflin's Education Place website, introduces author Rylant and lists selected books she has written.
- Cynthia Rylant
West Virginia Wesleyan College offers this page on Rylant, which includes brief biographical information, critical responses to Rylant's literature, a works published list, and a selected bibliography of articles about Rylant.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Unit
When I Was Young In...A Literature to Language Experience
Past meets present in this lesson in which students practice verb tense when they write personal short stories that they then publish in a flip book.
Grades K – 2 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Completing the Circle: The Craft of Circular Plot Structure
Students identify, explore and apply the elements of circle plot structures to their own stories by using graphic organizers, reading and writing stories, and using checklists to assess their work.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Peace Poems and Picasso Doves: Literature, Art, Technology, and Poetry
Students apply think-aloud strategies to reading and to composition of artwork and poetry. They research symbols of peace as they prewrite, compose, and publish their poetry.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Character and Author Business Cards
Students respond to a book they have read by thinking symbolically to create a business card for one of the characters.
Grades 1 – 3 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Guided Reading Strategies with Henry and Mudge
In this lesson, students read Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night as a whole group as the teacher models a questioning strategy. In subsequent sessions, students practice the questioning strategy and reread for fluency.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Thoughtshots Can Bring Your Characters to Life!
Students will walk a mile in the shoes of Solomon Singer as they learn how to use flashbacks, flash-aheads, and internal dialogue to develop realistic characters.
Grades K – 3 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Word Study with Henry and Mudge
Henry and Mudge is used in this lesson to build students' word recognition through rereading, high-frequency word banks, word studies, and writing.
Grades 6 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot!
In this alternative to the traditional book report, students report on their novel choices by rewinding the plot.
