📖

Author's Craft: Kate DiCamillo's Writing Choices

Conclusion and Reflection

Day 28of 180
Week 6of 36
35Minutes
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Learning Objectives

1

Identify and analyze Kate DiCamillo's narrative techniques

2

Understand how writing choices impact storytelling

3

Recognize the power of descriptive language in literature

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24 (WEB)

Just as DiCamillo uses carefully chosen words to tell a story, wise words can bring healing and understanding

📦 Materials Needed

  • Because of Winn-Dixie novel
  • Colored pencils
  • Graphic organizer
  • Notebook

Lesson Plan

1Opening (5 min)

Gather students and review previous day's learning about Because of Winn-Dixie. Ask students to share what they remember about the story's narrative style.

💭 Review Question: How does Opal tell her own story in the book?
2Teaching (15 min)

Explore Kate DiCamillo's writing techniques, focusing on first-person narration, dialogue, and descriptive language

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • First-person narration allows us to see the story through Opal's eyes
  • Dialogue reveals character personalities and emotions
  • Descriptive language helps readers visualize the story
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • How does Opal's voice make the story feel personal?
  • What makes the conversations in the book feel real?
  • Can you find an example of a description that helps you picture the scene?
3Activity: Writer's Craft Exploration (10 min)
hands-on

Students create a graphic organizer showing different writing techniques used in the book

📝 Instructions:
  1. Divide paper into three sections: Narration, Dialogue, Descriptions
  2. Find and record specific examples from the book in each section
  3. Illustrate or color-code the different techniques
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Focus on finding just one example for each technique

Challenge: Analyze how these techniques contribute to the book's themes

4Closing (5 min)

Reflect on how an author's writing choices can make a story come alive

📝 Review Questions:
  • What did you learn about storytelling today?
  • How do words help us understand characters better?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the gift of storytelling and the ability to use words to share love and understanding.

Coming up: Tomorrow, we'll explore how this story connects to Biblical themes of community and forgiveness

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Word Honeycomb - Students create a honeycomb diagram with sweet words that describe characters or story elements

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

This lesson focuses on understanding how an author uses writing techniques to tell a story

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Encourage close reading and careful observation
  • Help child understand that writing is a craft that can be learned
  • Discuss how words can be powerful and meaningful
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might find it challenging to identify specific writing techniques

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Ability to point out specific examples of narration, dialogue, or description

Extension Activities

  • Write a short story using one of DiCamillo's techniques
  • Create a character description using vivid language
  • Compare writing styles of different children's authors

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 29Back to Literature