Greetings, Teachers. Welcome to The Young Authors.
Here's a page just for you to help you quickly find and identify information you might be looking for. This is a big website with a world of information and fun, so we'll use this page as our contol center. Below you will find:
*Standards summaries for each book series along with printable PDF's of the Writing Exercises designed for each book.
*Links to the Movie Theaters, the Music Videos, Author Visit Info, Fundraiser Info.
*Quick explanation of the Grades 3-6 activities along with helpful PDF's.
We hope you and your students enjoy the journey (c:
Standards and Writing Exercises
Craft & Structure, Poetry,
Social and Emotional Dev,
Author's Purpose, Problems, Solutions, Cooperation, Imagination, Onomatopoeia, Compare & Contrast,
Character Development,
Punctuation, Plot Twist
Setting, Culture, Figurative Language, Integration, Use of Artwork to tell the Story, Social and Emotional Development, Author's Purpose,
Craft & Structure
Inferences
Conventions of Writing, Poetry, Poetic License, Author's Purpose, Voice, Conflict, Resolution, Character Development, Proofreading, Editing, Craft and Structure, Emotion, Impact of Multi-Media, Shared Experience, Connection, Foreshadowing, Perspective, Allusion, Appropriateness, Asimile, Imagination, Genre, Collaboration, Uses words or phrases for effect
Here's a shortcut to the Writing Exercises for each book along with a summary of some of the standards hit by each series.
A more complete list of Standards and References for the exercises can be found in the Writing Instruction PDF's.
Writing Olympics!
Just about the most awesome thing you can do in school! Stories and illustrations created by classroom teams from around the country compete with one another. Your class is the judge!
Kid's Judging
Form (Rubric)
The Legend of Sir Quillilot
A three-part literary journey featuring Peppy the Pig (he's famous!) - an Escape Room - tremendous acting and music. Lots of music! Shakespear would be so proud! It is designed to be administered three consecutive days, one hour per day. Tremendous way for students (and the teacher) to laugh and solve literacy questions together. Crazy fun!
Story Writing
Form / Instructions
Alan St. Jean reads the first book in his award-winning Aidan of Oren trilogy. An entertaining and educational way to read the book and meet the author. 15 sessions, each about 20 minutes in length.
Author Video Podcasts!
Complete Study Units for each of the three books in the Aidan of Oren trilogy, which are recommended for students in 4th - 6th Grades. A great time saver for teachers!
Novel Study Units!
Each Study Unit
is attached to
its corresponding
novel.
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Key Ideas and Details
RL.4.1 / RL.5.1 / RL.6.1 – Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
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Application: Students can cite evidence from the story to support inferences about Aidan’s character, especially his compassion or choices in difficult situations.
RL.4.2 / RL.5.2 / RL.6.2 – Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
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Application: Identify and analyze major themes such as loyalty, friendship, courage, and compassion. Students can track how these themes are developed and how Aidan's actions reflect them.
RL.4.3 / RL.5.3 / RL.6.3 – Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story, drawing on specific details in the text.
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Application: Analyze Aidan’s development, motivations, and conflicts with both friends and enemies.
Craft and Structure
RL.4.4 / RL.5.4 / RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language.
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Application: Examine fantasy vocabulary and any figurative language used in the novel to convey mood or character traits.
RL.4.5 / RL.5.5 / RL.6.5 – Explain how chapters, scenes, or stanzas fit together to provide the overall structure of a story.
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Application: Analyze how the plot develops across chapters, especially pivotal moments where Aidan faces moral choices.
RL.4.6 / RL.5.6 / RL.6.6 – Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including how that point of view affects the story.
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Application: Discuss how the narrative point of view influences our understanding of Aidan and his moral decisions.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.4.7 / RL.5.7 / RL.6.7 – Make connections between the text of a story and visual or oral presentations of the text.
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Application: If available, compare the novel to any illustrations, dramatizations, or read-alouds that might highlight character relationships or themes.
RL.4.9 / RL.5.9 / RL.6.9 – Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., fantasy) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
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Application: Compare Aidan of Oren to other fantasy novels with themes of loyalty, such as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or The Hobbit.
Writing & Speaking/Listening Extensions
Even though these aren’t reading standards, many teachers tie in:
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W.4-6.1 & W.4-6.3 – Opinion and narrative writing, where students can write essays about Aidan’s character or retell scenes from another point of view.
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SL.4-6.1 – Collaborative discussions, ideal for literature circles or Socratic seminars on the book's moral dilemmas.