Unit Plan 35 (Grade K ELA): Author Study – Voices & Point of View

Focus: Who is telling the story; compare author choices

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Literature • Speaking/Listening)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Young readers explore who is telling a story and how authors and illustrators help us understand that voice. Through paired read-alouds by the same author (or two familiar authors), children notice words vs. pictures, find speaker/narrator clues (“I,” “said,” speech bubbles), and compare stories to see how authors shape characters’ adventures. They practice speaking in complete sentences to share their ideas.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Name the author and illustrator of a story and tell how each helps tell the story; with prompting, identify who is talking on a page (RL.K.6).
2. Compare two familiar stories (by the same author or on a similar theme) by telling what is the same/different about characters’ adventures or experiences (RL.K.9).
3. Speak in complete sentences when sharing who tells the story and when comparing stories (SL.K.6).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Kindergarten

• RL.K.6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
• RL.K.9 With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
• SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly in complete sentences.

Success Criteria — student language

• I can say, “The author writes the words. The illustrator makes the pictures.”
• I can point and say who is talking on this page.
• I can tell one same and one different thing about two stories.
• I can share my idea in one complete sentence.