Awesome Author
Kevin Henkes

Students have read Julius, the Baby of the World; Sheila Rae, the Brave; Chrysanthemeum; Owen; Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse; Chester's Way; and a Weekend With Wendell.  The students have been studying the elements of a story - character, setting, plot (beginning - middle- end). They have been learning to summarize the main idea and to sequence events in a story.

Students are using Kidspiration software to compare and contrast the problems in the Henkes' books and to map story ideas for their own original stories using the characters of Kevin Henkes.

Students are writing stories in Student Writing Center featuring mouse characters with many of the same problems elementary students face today at home and at school.

They will illustrate these stories with the paint program in SWC and will publish the finished products on this web page. Students are also writing friendly letters to the author, Kevin Henkes,  and will send him an email with some of their stories as attachments. Read some of our letters to Kevin Henkes here.

Students have used Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse to inspire their journal writing using ideas from this site http://www.nancypolette.com/LitGuidesText/LillysPurplePlasticPurse.htm

The class had great fun extending the story Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse through dramatization. Click here to enjoy their presentation. (You will need to use Internet Explorer to view this presentation.)

Teachers and parents may find many activities to inspire their children on the Internet School Library Media Center Page http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/henkes.htm