Reading & Research: All About Tomie dePaola!

Read below to find out how we made these posters!

In second grade we explore the differences between fiction and informational texts.  We began the year by enjoying some of Tomie dePaola's wonderful story books and practiced providing evidence for why we thought these books were fiction.  (Class favorites included Strega Nona, Bill and Pete, and Pancakes for Breakfast.)  Before transitioning to informational texts, I asked all the students to write one fact they had learned about Tomie during this unit so far, plus one thing they would like to learn about him.  That was the beginning of our research project!

The first nonfiction book we read was a biography written by Eric Braun.  As I read the book aloud to the class, the students identified pages that contained "treasure", or answers to our questions.  I recorded these notes onto a large chart.  We used a different color for each source so we could keep track of where our information came from!

We had lots of biographies to choose from!

 
After reading a second, longer biography, the students watched A Visit With Tomie dePaola.  This is a charming video that features Tomie himself giving a tour of his home and studio. 

Finally, the students worked in pairs investigating www.Tomie.com.  They were excited when I told them they could write down any interesting facts they found in addition to any answers to their questions.  Some of the students completely filled up their pages, front and back!

"Hey! We have that book!"

When we were done with note taking, each student typed one or more facts using Microsoft Word.  I printed these out in addition to a title and bibliography.  (Always identify your sources, right kids?)  The students took turns gluing the strips onto a class poster along with hearts they created to fill in the empty spaces.  Why hearts?  Tomie explains on his website: The heart has become a sort of symbol for me. I also use it as shorthand or an abbreviation for "love."  The students saw that he often includes a heart somewhere on the cover of a book he's illustrated.  He always draws one in the loop of the capital "T" when signing his name, too!

The students really enjoyed the special project, and I loved that we were able to go through all the steps of the research process together!