For the last month, we have been studying all about Chris van Allsburg. We learned some great information about him. Did you know that he didn’t even start getting into art until he decided he wanted to be an architect in high school? Another interesting fact is that his brother-in-law David had a bull terrier named Winston. Chris van Allsburg used that dog as a model for a dog named Fritz in his first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. After that, van Allsburg found a way to fit Fritz into every book he wrote! So anytime you look through a Chris van Allsburg book, search for Fritz!
As part of our author study, students had to choose a Chris van Allsburg story and create their own picture book. Each book had to include the plot, setting, characters, problem, solution, and an about the author section. Students also had to include pictures in the same style that Chris van Allsburg used in his book. They turned out amazing! Here are a few examples:
-
The Stranger - Retold by Rebecca A.
-
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi - Retold by Ariel D.
-
The Wreck of the Zephyr - Retold by Jenna K.
-
The Polar Express - Retold by Brendan W.
This week students have had an opportunity to share their story retellings in class. They’ve done a wonderful job of showing they understand the important story elements involved in each van Allsburg book. Enjoy a slideshow of the students sharing their stories. A special thanks to our digital chief this week, Ariel, for taking some wonderful pictures!
Great job everyone! I know Chris van Allsburg would be proud!
*What did you learn about Chris van Allsburg?*
*What Chris van Allsburg book had your favorite illustrations?*
*What was your favorite part in the book you chose?*
Dear Mr. Avery,
I enjoyed reading your post about Chris Van Allsburg. Your video has given me some ideas on what I could try with my library students!
My favorite Van Allsburg book is Polar Express because it came out when my daughter was young and I feel like I have a personal connection to the book. My daughter, who is now 22, still remembers reading the Polar Express and ringing the silver bell that Christmas.
I am going to add you to our Library Blogroll, if you don’t mind. Perhaps sometime, your students will have a chance to visit our blog as well. You can find us at http://bellbulldogreaders.edublogs.org/
Keep Reading!
Mrs. Hembree
Dear Mrs. Hembree,
Thank you for the complement. We worked very hard. My favorite book now is The Garden Of Abdul Gasazi. It was a really good book. I do like the Polar Express, the movie. The book is very short.
From,
♥ Ariel ♥
Dear Mr. Avery and class,
What a fantastic unit of exploration! Chris van Allsburg is one of my favorite author/illustrators. The illustrations you created would make Mr. van Allsburg proud!
I ♥ Fritz! Even though he is often naughty, there is something lovable about him!
Thanks for leaving a great comment on our Reading Round-Up blog! We love to meet new buckaroos out on the learnin’ trail!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
California
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
Thank you for your kind words. We all worked very hard on our book reports. We read almost all of the books that he has written. He’s an amazing author!
We searched through all of the books to find Fritz. Some books were tougher than others to find him in but we found him!
Have you read any other Chris van Allsburg books? What is your favorite?
Sincerely,
Mr. Avery’s Class
Dear Class,
I’m really glad that all of you enjoyed reading Chris van Allsburg books. He’s such a wonderful author. I always enjoy sharing his books with a new class. I hope you continue to read him!
Sincerely,
Mr. Avery
Dear Mr.Avery,
Chris van Allsburg is very interesting and good at writing books. My favorite was the Polar Express. I really liked the movie.
Sincerely,
Brendan
Dear Mr. Avery,
I learned A lot about Chris Van Allsburg. He is very interesting. Can you tell me sometime how many books he wrote?
Sincerely,
Colin
Dear Mr. Avery,
I think everyone did a great job. For some reason everyone thought I did a great job even though I thought I did a pretty good job but not great. I learned a lot about Chris Van Allsburg and all the books.
From,
Jenna
Dear Fellow Students,
All of the posts are so interesting! I love having somewhere I can go to and share my thoughts. Chris is my second favorite author. Now I have seen and heard new things like that he incorporates Fritz in all of his books!
From,
Amanda
Dear Mr. Avery ,
I learned that Fritz is in every Chris Van Allsburg book And that Fritz was not his dog . It belonged to his brother in law. His real name is Winston. That is what I learned about Chis Van Allsburg.
From ,
Ariel
Dear Mr. Avery,
I learned that Fritz is a real dog and his name is Winston. I also learned that Fritz is in every one of Chris van Allsburg’s books.
Sincerely,
Ben W.
Dear Mr. Avery,
I learned that Fritz is not Chis Van Allsburg’s dog. It is his sister’s. His name is really Winston.
Sincerely,
Natalie
Dear Mr. Avery,
I think that everyone did an amazing and they worked so hard. Keep up the good work.
From,
Ariel
Dear Mr. Avery,
I learned a lot about Chris Van Allsburg. I learned that he started illustrating in high school. I also learned he didn’t start thinking about writing stories until he was finished with college.
Sincerely,
Ben W.
Dear Mr. Avery,
My favorite part of the book I wrote was reading it to the class. I really enjoyed the story and getting to share it with everyone!
From,
Rebecca A.