Book Detail

Georgia's Bones

Publication Information
Author:  Bryant, Jen Illustrator:  Anderson, Bethanne
Title:  Georgia's Bones Date:  2005
Publisher:  Eerdmans City:  Grand Rapids, MI
ISBN, paperback:  0-8028-5217-3 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:  
Picture:   Yes

General Information:
Book Type(s):    biography and autobiography

HSE Descriptor(s):    language arts - reading

Summary:
A biography of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe's early years "celebrates her fascination with natural shapes and 'common objects'" with rich text and color-saturated illustrations. The text explores themes including creativity, diversity (in ways of being in and seeing the world), and daring to be "different."

Teaching Ideas:
The text lends itself to language study since the rich prose contains wonderfully strong verbs and colorful figurative language with just one or two paragraphs on most double pages. O'Keeffe's interest in observing objects might encourage students to choose an object they use or encounter every day and write a description of it from the perspective of someone who has never seen it before and has no idea of its utility. Jeanette Winter's easy reading book Georgia makes a good companion book. An Internet search will provide more biographical information on her later life and an opportunity to view some of her paintings: www.okeeffemuseum.org/indexflash.php; www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/datbase/okeeffe_g.html. Teacher might ask students to practice O'Keeffe's "way of seeing" by looking around the classroom or home to find and sketch or describe as many shapes as possible. This would also be an interesting strategy to do with children at home.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet Book Conversations
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/book_conversations.pdf
bullet Sketch to Stretch
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/sketch_stretch.pdf
bullet Think-Pair-Share
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/think_pair_share.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Art and Photography > art > painting
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > imagination
bullet Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Southwestern United States
bullet History > time period > 20th Century
bullet Literature and Language > figurative language
bullet Art and Photography > art > artists
bullet Science > nature
bullet Math > shapes
bullet Art and Photography > art > artists > O'Keefe, Georgia


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