Use Ringgold's books as a springboard for a discussion of race, gender, and civil rights-both current and historical. Then invite your students to write and illustrate original picture books based on these issues.

• First, have students brainstorm, select, and research a specific event or topic, such as Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic speech or the Underground Railroad.
  
  
• Then have students plan and write an illustrated story using the interactive Flip Book. The Flip Book allows students to create up to 10 pages and provides text, drawing, and background editing tools. See the Flip Book page for more information about this tool.

When their books are complete, students can be invited to take turns reading them to the class.

DiCamillo often writes about animals, such as the title characters in Mercy Watson to the Rescue, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, and The Tiger Rising. Have your students examine the characters in these stories, looking for character traits, examples of personification, and similarities and differences. Then challenge students to write original short stories featuring animals as central characters.

• Have students visit the interactive Plot Diagram to plan their stories.
  
• Then have students visit the interactive Story Mapping tool and select the character map option to develop their stories' central characters.
  
• Ask students to print out their plot diagrams and character maps and use them to write their stories. When students have finished writing, have them share their work by reading their stories aloud or posting them in the classroom.

Create a classroom literary award modeled after the Caldecott Medal. Begin by having your students explore the history of the Caldecott and review the criteria used for selection of Caldecott winners and honor books. Then have students work in small groups or as a whole group to create a class award:

• Select a name for the award. This may be based on the school name or mascot, or students may want to honor a student, staff member, or even their favorite author/illustrator.
• Decide on selection criteria and create a written document.
• Design the award, in the form of a ribbon, medal, or certificate.
• Select a book from those read during the school year or a previous year. Have students nominate their favorites, and then write essays justifying their selections. After essays have been read aloud, have the class vote on their choice.

Share your selection with your school with a display outside your classroom or in the school library. You may wish to have students "present" the award by locating author websites to contact the authors of the selected books.

Have your students explore Walker's use of dialect in The Color Purple and then extend their understanding through experimentation in their own writing. First, have your students read the novel. To start the discussion on dialect, select a passage from the novel and rewrite it using standard or formal English. Share your revision with students and have them compare it with the original. Have students find and discuss additional examples of African American dialect in the novel, and then explore the following questions:

• How does Walker's use of dialect affect the story?
  
  
• Would the story have the same impact if passages were rewritten in formal English? How would the impact be different?
  
  
• Does the use of dialect challenge the reader? Why or why not?

Invite students to write a short piece of fiction or poetry using the dialect of their peer group. Have them rewrite the piece in formal English, and then ask them to compare the two and select their favorite.

Invite your students to "step into the shoes" of their favorite author or illustrator. Have students first read several of the author's books and then conduct research on his or her background and career. Next, have students become their favorite authors and prepare presentations for the class. Presentations can include displays representing the authors' work, question and answer sessions, interviews, press releases on the authors' latest books, and so on. Students' presentations can also include creative costumes or props representing their authors' and illustrators' backgrounds and works (e.g., a Winn-Dixie shopping bag for Kate DiCamillo, or a teddy bear for Don Freeman).

Hold an "Authors Open House" and invite other classes in to meet the authors!

The first weeks of school can set the tone for the rest of the year, so community-building is a priority. Ask students to share details about their lives with one another using the interactive Graphic Map.

• Ask students to identify key moments in their lives. Younger students can brainstorm a list of events from the summer, while older students might focus more specifically on significant events from previous years at school.
   
• Have students assign a positive or negative value to each event based on their feelings about it. Happy events like "meeting a new friend" would have a high number, and sad events like "having to leave a sibling at home" would have a lower number.
   
• Once students have gathered their ideas, ask them to publish the entries using the interactive Graphic Map. Have students record a brief description and include an image for each memory. If computers are not available, have students draw graphics and add captions for their memories on construction paper.
   
• When everyone has completed their graphic maps, invite students to share their memories in small groups or with the whole class. Encourage students to look for feelings that they have all experienced and to identify details that they want to know more about.

See the Graphic Map page for more information and activities for this interactive tool.

Have your students write original short works of historical fiction in verse format, modeling the style Hesse used to write Out of the Dust. Have students read the book and discuss the ways that Hesse incorporates historical detail into her work. Then brainstorm some of the historical topics they have studied in class during the school year. Tell students they will be writing original works using the history they have studied. Have pairs of students do the following:

• Select a history topic from the brainstorm list for their story.
  
  
• Research the topic, looking for factual details to include in their stories (names, places, and events).
  
  
• Create a Story Map to develop the details of their story.
  
  
• Work as a team to write the story in verse.

When all pairs have finished their stories, display them in your classroom by having students place them in order along an historical timeline.

Discuss with your students some of the ways in which illustrations can enhance a story. Begin by reading just the text of a picture book. Then share the actual book, pointing out the illustrations. Ask students how the pictures help them understand the story better. Then, have your students become illustrators, using a variety of media. Offer choices including paint, pencil or colored pencil, pen and ink, felt-tipped markers, or collage. Offer students a variety of choices such as:

• Illustrate a favorite story they have written.
  
  
• Collaborate with a partner and become an author—illustrator team. Alternatively, each student writes a story and then illustrates each other's works.
  
  
• Select a favorite children's book and mimic the illustrator's style, or create illustrations for the story in their own style.

When students have completed their illustrations and stories, be sure to display them in the classroom or school library!

Have your students do a Bradbury author study, and then create flyers to advertise their favorite story. First, have students read several titles from Bradbury's extensive body of work. Provide a classroom library or a booklist from which students can select titles. After students have read a sample of Bradbury's stories, ask them to select their favorite.

• Have students use the ReadWriteThink Literary Elements Mapping tool to record the story's characters, setting, conflict, and resolution. They should also write a brief synopsis of the plot.
  
• Next, have them use this information to create a flyer advertising their favorite Bradbury story. Direct students to the ReadWriteThink Printing Press tool.
  
• Finally, have students share their recommendations as a group.

Monster is presented in the form of a film script, written by the main character. Discuss how this format affects the story and why the author may have selected this writing style. Have students write a story using a similar format. Some options include:

• Have students rewrite a story as a screenplay from a character's point of view. Younger students could select a favorite children's story or picture book for this activity, while older students may choose their favorite novel.
  
  
• Ask students to write an autobiographical story. Have students first list interesting events from their lives, and then write a true or fictional account based on the facts.

Have students share their stories by creating a class book or reading them aloud.