Specific Teaching Points using the Picture Book, Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

1. Sentence comes from my read-aloud so students are familiar with the text
2. Sentence needs to contain a grammar feature we have just learned about
3. Sentence needs to contain new features that we haven’t yet studied to increase our knowledge base
and help us become more inquisitive about our observations and to help us look at author’s writing
craft.

Name the specific technique by naming exactly what works well in writing and why and how to replicate it in
your own writing.
Writing Examples from Picture Name the Craft: What is the author doing in this picture
Strategy Book Writing book? Why am I teaching this to this
student? How will it help my students
as writers?
Jeff Anderson Craft What’s working with the text?
Everyday What’s effective?
Editing, page Where’s the good writing? The craft? The
29 effect? What else? What else? What else?
What else? What else? What else? What
else?
Jeff Anderson Punctuation What’s the punctuation doing?
Everyday What effect does the punctuation have on my
Editing, page reading aloud? What changes if we remove it?
29 Use something else? What’s the writer
accomplishing with his or her choices? What
else? What else? What else? What else?
What else? What else?
Effective “In a warm and sultry I notice that Cannon is “….” is an effective lead for where, who
Leads forest far, far away, writing a lead that and what happened. When writers write
there once lived a includes the setting, they make sure to tell the names of the
mother fruit bat and her the characters, and characters doing something and put their
new baby. action. characters somewhere. Cannon
Oh, how Mother Bat introduced the Mother Bat and her
loved her soft tiny baby. Stellaluna searching for food in a warm
“I’ll name you and sultry forest. It was important to
Stellaluna,” she know that Stellaluna was a special bat
crooned. who lived in a forest. Cannon does help
Each night, Mother the reader know right away about her
Bat would carry characters and her central idea.
Stellaluna clutched to Remember that you want to include the
her breast as she flew details that will set your readers up for the
out to search for food.” big things that happen in your story. This
can help your readers understand how
important the characters are and where the
characters are.
Conventions: “She said I was Notice that the author Notice that the author uses an ellipsis to
Ellipses wrong…” uses an ellipsis. indicate that one character is interrupted
by another character when talking.

Debra Renner Smith http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com Page 1

Thoughtshots “I will fly all day, Think about what the When Cannon writes, “I will fly all day,
-Internal Stellaluna told herself. person actually Stellaluna told herself. Then no one will
monologues Then no one will see thought inside their see how clumsy I am.” this helps the
or dialogues, how clumsy I am.” head. Write about was reader understand what another person is
thoughts, going on inside feeling and thinking.
feelings Stellaluna’s mind. See
-Flashback if you can include at
-Flashforward least two sentences
that show what the
character was
thinking.

Transition -“Each night, Mother Something I notice Cannon uses transitions in a purposeful
Words Bat would carry that Cannon is using way. Transitions help to make sure that
Stellaluna clutched to transitions to move the your ideas stick together in coherent
her breast as she flew characters through the thought. Transitions are words that bridge
out to search for food.” story. the gap between ideas by helping to make
-“One night, as Mother reading smooth. Canon uses transition
Bat followed the heavy words like each night, one night, many
scent of ripe fruit, an times, finally, then, the next day, and
owl spied her: On silent when night came all are words that
wings the powerful bird smoothly bridge one sentence to the next
swooped down upon the for easy reading. When you write, you
bats. can smoothly bridge your sentences with
-“Many, many times transition words too.
that day Mama Bird
flew away, always
returning with food for
her babies.”
-“Finally, though, the
little bat could bear no
longer. She climbed
into the nest, closed her
eyes, and opened her
mouth.”
Strong Verbs opened wide, confused, Something I notice is Cannon uses strong verbs in a purposeful way
behaved, clambered, and that Cannon uses strong on this page. Words like opened wide,
promised verbs. Instead of simply confused, behaved, clambered, and promised
telling our writers to use are in the past tense and convey the strong
strong verbs in their actions that Stellaluna has as she explains her
writing, we want to feelings about behaving like a bird.
instruct our writers how Again, the author uses strong words, some in
and why to use these present and some in past tense, on this page.
verbs. Cannon paints a When authors use strong verbs it allows them
picture in the readers’ to eliminate the adjectives and adverbs in a
mind of how the bat and sentence, therefore making their writing
bird look with the verbs. stronger.

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Binoculars “The dark leafy tangle
-Zoom in of branches caught
-Describe Stellaluna as she fell.
visual details One twig was small
-Describe enough for Stellaluna’s
routines, tiny feet. Wrapping her
habits wings about her, she
clutched the thin branch,
trembling with cold and
fear.”
Add dialogue The birds clambered
to his/her back into the nest, but
story Mama Bird stopped
Stellaluna. “You are
teaching my children to
do bad things. I will not
let you back into this
nest unless you promise
to obey all the rules of
this house.”
Explode a “Many, many times
Moment that day Mama Bird
-Slow the flew away, always
pace returning with food for
-Create her babies.
suspense Stellaluna was
terribly hungry – but not
for the crawly things
Mama Bird brought.
Finally, though, the
little bat could bear it no
longer. She climbed
into the nest, closed her
eyes, and opened her
mouth.
Plop! In dropped a
big green grass hopper!”
Debra Renner Smith http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com
One of the strengths I Cannon is zeroing in on the description
notice in your writing that helps the reader know how little
is that you zoom in on Stellaluna’s feet really are. When a writer
the visual details. wants the reader to be able to picture
something, describing how it looks and
how the character feels helps the reader
visualize. I can see Stellaluna shivering. I
can picture a teeny, tiny practically
newborn bat because of the details that
Cannon included in her writing.
Think about what the Cannon thought about how to convey that
person actually said. Mama Bird was really angry with
See if you can put the Stellaluna. She did not have Mama Bird
quotation marks say, “I am mad!” Instead Canon writes:
around only what was The birds clambered back into the nest,
said. Quotation marks but Mama Bird stopped Stellaluna. “You
signal the exact words are teaching my children to do bad things.
a person has said. I will not let you back into this nest unless
They let the reader you promise to obey all the rules of this
know that someone is house.”
talking.
I notice the exact words that Mama Bird
says, “You are teaching my children to do
bad things. I will not let you back into this
next unless you promised to obey all the
rules of this house.”
I see the quotation marks are around the
words that Mama Bird actually says.
This quotation or dialogue builds an
emotional response by the reader by
building a visual image.
Something I notice is Cannon did not say, “Stellaluna ate a
that Cannon took one grasshopper.” Instead she wrote a lot of
tiny idea of eating a sentences to build suspense. By the time
grasshopper and slowed the grasshopper was plopped into
down the pace to create Stellaluna’s mouth, the reader was
suspense.
surprised.
Page 3
Shrink A “All the babies grew One of the strengths I When Cannon inserted these two
Century quickly. Soon the nest notice in your writing sentences between the concept of the baby
-Compress became crowded.” is that you effectively birds meeting Stellaluna and all the friends
Time to skip skip time. learning to fly, it allowed Cannon to skip
unimportant time. It allowed the reader to know that
information the birds had grown up without using
valuable story pages building this concept.
Specific Stellaluna, Mother Bat, Okay, let me show When Cannon named the characters in her
Names Pip, Flitter, Flap you something really book, it helped to build a picture in the
good you are doing as readers mind. The baby birds are named,
a writer. You are “Pip, Flitter, and Flap.” These names fit
telling the names of for birds. I can picture a bird making a
the characters short quick noise like pip. Birds also
(animals, people). move around so “Flitter and Flap” are
appropriate specific names too.
Effective “How can we be so Writers end their piece Cannon writes a lesson learned for a way
Conclusion different and feel so by summarizing the to end the writing. This shows how the
much alike?” mused lesson learned in the events have impacted Stellaluna and her
Flitter. book. friends, and thereby gets across the
“And how can we meaning of the story. When thinking
feel so different and be about the ending, we have to consider that
so much alike?” the characters respond to the central
wondered Pip. problem. Did the character communicate
“I think this is quite a the message? This is an effective
mystery,” Flap chirped. conclusion because Stellaluna and the
“I agree,” said baby birds clearly understand that their
Stellaluna. “But we’re friendship is built on an acceptance of
friends. And that’s a each other’s differences. Cannon’s
fact.” dialogue in the conclusion is specific
examples of their differences.
Tell a Feeling, “How embarrassing. Think about the Cannon shows that the bat is obeying the
then giving a She ate bugs without actions that the bird with these sentences:
reason making faces. She slept character did to show Cannon writes, “She ate bugs without
in the nest at night. And instead of tell. making faces. She slept in the nest at
she didn’t hang by her night. And she didn’t hang by her feet.
feet.” Stellaluna behaved as good bird should.
What do you want your reader to know or
feel? Instead of just saying, “how
embarrassing” try describing the actions
that the character did exactly? What the
Another text example: character is doing when he/she
“Stellaluna was afraid, experienced that emotion? What was the
but she let go of the tree dialogue the character said? What are the
and dropped into the exact words the character said?
deep blue sky.”

Debra Renner Smith http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com Page 4

“Said” -“The sun is setting,” Notice when the Cannon uses different words for said so
substitutions warned Flitter. author uses a different the reader knows to adjust the tone when
(tag) -“All alone, Stellaluna word for said. reading.
flew and flew until her
wings ached and she
dropped into a tree. “I
promised not to hang by
my feet,” Stellaluna
sighed. So she hung by
her thumbs and soon fell
asleep.
-“You ate b-bugs?”
stuttered one.
-“You slept at night?”
gasped another.
-“How very strange,”
they all murmured.
Writing two “ She slept in the nest at Conjunctions link two Correction: “She slept in the nest at night,
sentences with night. And she didn’t sentences together and she didn’t hang by her feet.”
a conjunction hang by her feet.” instead of starting the
second sentence. Sentence, for sentence. (cause/effect)
and (alike)
nor (negative)
but (contrasting)
or (choice <> 2 )
yet (contrasting)
so (cause/effect)
This is Jeff Anderson’s idea (Fanboys)

2 word “Stellaluna promised.” Complete thought that Somebody did something. Who did
sentence tells who and what something? Stellaluna. What did
did you do. Stellaluna do? Stellaluna promised. Jeff
Anderson suggests teaching the concept of
sentence initially from the concept of 2
words first.
Fragment2 “How embarrassing!” A fragment is missing Nobody is in this sentence so it cannot be
words a subject and verb. a sentence, it is a fragment. Who or what
did something? What did they do?
Complete sentences always have both
parts.
Conventions: “I must tell Pip, Flitter, Use commas between Sente, n , c , and .
Commas and Flap!” items in a series. e
between items
This is Jeff Anderson’s graphic organizer.
in a series
It helps students to remember commas in a
series. Commas keep words from running
together. I put and before the last word in
my series. The commas help my reader
know to pause a little bit when reading my
list.
Debra Renner Smith http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com Page 5
Conventions: I’m not upside down, The author uses Today Cannon wrote you’re instead of
Apostrophes you are!” Stellaluna apostrophes and you are. The contraction shows the reader
said. supports the reader by that a letter was left out and two words
“Ah, but you’re a spelling the words in were put together. We use contractions all
bat. Bats hang by their the following the time when we speak. In this section of
feet. You are hanging sentences. writing, Cannon uses some contractions
by your thumbs, so that and writes the words. Look at I’m. Look
makes you upside at I am. I’m is the contraction for I am.
down!” the creature When Cannon writes I’m, she is including
side.“I’m a bat. I am the apostrophe and leaving out the letter a
hanging by my feet. so we know I’m is an apostrophe. As you
That makes me right read, notice when Cannon includes
side up!” contractions. It is important to put an
apostrophe in the place of the letters we
take out to build a contraction.
Homophones I’m not upside down, Notice that the author As writers we think about meaning of
you are!” Stellaluna uses homophones words. You’re means you are, but your
said. means ownership. Cannon writes
“Ah, but you’re a “…you’re a bat. I have to think about the
bat. Bats hang by their correct homophone. Does it mean the
feet. You are hanging contraction, you are, or is it the possessive
by your thumbs, so that pronoun, your. I know you’re is the
makes you upside contraction for you are.
down!” the creature
side.“I’m a bat. I am
hanging by my feet.
That makes me right
side up!”
Conventions: I’m not upside down, Notice that the author Cannon uses the italics font to show shock
Italics you are!” Stellaluna uses a special font for when writing these sentences. The reader
said. emphasis when realizes through the italics and the
“Ah, but you’re a writing. meaning in the sentences that special
bat. Bats hang by their emphasis on these words is needed.
feet. You are hanging
by your thumbs, so that
makes you upside
down!” the creature
side.“I’m a bat. I am
hanging by my feet.
That makes me right
side up!”

“You ate b-bugs?”

stuttered one.
“You slept at night?”
gasped another.
“An owl attacked you?”
“You are Stellaluna.”

Debra Renner Smith http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com Page 6