Young Adult Author Research
Author Jerry Spinelli. <Online Image>Available http://www.tinanicholscouryblog.com/images/2008/02/22/jerry_spinelli_use.jpg, November 10, 2008.
Overview
In order to find adequate information for your young adult author powerpoint, you will need to select a relatively well-known author.
Once you have selected your author, you will need to use a minimum of four sources for the young adult author powerpoint: 1 or more print sources, 1 source from the Discus database, and Internet Resources.
Remember to fill out your citation handout every time you use information from a source in your powerpoint, including for any images you may use. You will need to document the sources on your final Works Cited slide.
Requirements
Slide 1: Author's Name, Your Name, Picture of Author or Book Cover of Author's Works
Slides 2-3: Background Information (Birth/Death Dates, Place of Birth, Childhood)
Slides 4-5: Memorable Events/Life-Changing Experience, Family Information
Slides 5-6: Writing experiences, writing style, genre of author's works
Slide 7: Brief description of at least one of author's works
Slide 8-9: Writer's Contributions (Impact on Young Adult Writer's Readers, Author's Contributions to genre, Awards, etc.
Slide 10: Your opinion of author and/or one of the author's novels
Final Slide: Works Cited typed and centered on slide (alphabetical list of sources using correct documentation format (do not consider articles, such as A, An, The - First line of source documentation is not indented - any line after first should be indented).
Selecting Your Topic
The following authors can be considered, along with the author's official website, or you may want to select an author on your own:
Favorite Authors
Additional Online Resources:
1. Kids Read
3. DISCUS – Options for research include the Biography Resource Center, Books and Authors, Book Review Index Online Plus, Kids Infobits (Literature), Literature Resources, as well as several online encyclopedias including the New Book of Knowledge, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Grolier Online Kids.
Books and Discus Requirement
One of your sources must be either DISCUS or a print source (book). You may be able to find information about the author on a book jacket or written in the inside cover of one of his/her books. Try typing their names in the media center catalog search box, and click author search. You might find a biography on the writer you have chosen. Other print sources may be located on the book cart: Biography Today 920 BIO, UXL Newsmakers 920 GAL, Writers for Young Adults 810 HIP, Literary Lifelines 809 BIO, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writers 809 MAC. Try this resource list for additional print materials located in the D.R. Hill Middle School Media Center - select Young Adult Authors icon.
Citation Reminders: Remember the first line of your citation will be flush to the left with every line thereafter indented.
Book
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Copyright Date.
Example
Bauer, Joan. Best Foot Forward. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005.
Reference Source - Print Encyclopedia
"Article Title." Encyclopedia. Volume #. City of publication: Publisher's name. Copyright
year, page
numbers.
Example:
"Carolina B. Cooney." Science
Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writers. Vol. 1. New York: UXL. 1995,
35..
Internet - Webpage
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of article or page." Date Published.
Sponsoring Organization. Date Read. URL.
Example:
"Author Profile: Stephenie Meyer." 2008. The Book Report Network. 10 Nov. 2008. http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-meyer-stephenie.asp.
Online Database:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Name of Source. Date Published. City of Publication: Publishing Company, Date Read, URL.
Example:
" Joan Lowery Nixon." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale. 2005. Books & Authors. Gale. 10 Nov 2008 <http://bna.galegroup.com/bna/start.do?p=BNA&u=gale>
Online Image Citation:
Description of image. [Online Image] Available URL, date of document or download.
Example:
Anthony Horowitz. [Online Image] Available http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/gallery/ November 10, 2008.
Work Cited Slide:
List of all the sources you used in your powerpoint.
Use correct documentation format.
Arrange citations in alphabetical order, do not use articles to alphabetize, such as A, An, The.
Title the slide Works Cited.
Sample Works Cited Slide:
