What Is ASK?
 

The ASK program (Authors Specialist and Knowledge) occurs each semester as part of an undergraduate Literature for Children and Youth class. The participants include university students, as well as later elementary through high school students depending on the selected literature work. The purpose of the program is to take readers beyond the confines of a novel, relating the information from their reading in a personal way to their own immediate situation. As part of the process, readers draw on their own writers' voice, as they journal through their reading.

Interviews are conducted with authors of children's books and with "specialists" whose occupations, interest and experiences bring credibility or a better understanding to a particular literature selection. The interview focus from these books has been on such social issues as ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, homelessness in America, the Vietnam War, media responsibility, racial prejudice and animal rights. In addition to these social issues, through interviewing authors, readers are able to explore such evaluative literary aspects as the development of character, plot, setting, theme and writing style. The following children's books have been selected in past interviews: The Devil's Arithmetic, Charlie Pippin, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, Monkey Island, Nothing but the Truth, Maniac Magee, Wringer, Circle of Gold, Adem's Cross, and Julie of the Wolves. Through the interviewing steps of the ASK program, students develop questions to be asked of either the selected author or specialist. The interviews are held on the university campus or one of the metropolitan area schools or county teacher centers referred to as Intermediate School Districts (ISDs). Two ASK programs with Newbery authors will be featured at the Michigan Reading Association in March, 2000.

Recently, most of the interviews have been conducted using distance learning technology, connecting authors and specialists brought to campus with sites in the metropolitan area. The ASK process is learned through in-service workshops presented at the school site, county ISD's, at conferences or on the university campus. In some instances, university students who have been trained in the program, visit selected schools and work with teachers and their students preparing them for planned interviews.

Please Note:
The Author, Specialist, and Knowledge program allows students to interview the author of a book or an area specialist(s) in the subject of the book. You should follow the ASK program steps in which you can review the steps or watch the ASK video provided in your kit. Classes that follow this process do a better job with the interview then students who just read the book and make up questions.

Who Will the Students Interview?
You may not be interviewing the author of the book. (See the “Information about the Specialist” or “Information about the Author” tab in the teacher resource notebook/packet you receive with the books) It will contain information about the author or specialist the students will be interviewing. It also contains background information about the organization that the specialist is representing.

Additional Resources
The notebook has supplemental lesson plans, activities, web and video resources, background information on the subject of the book along with newspaper clippings or other items of interest. A video or poster may also accompany the books. These supplemental materials are only supplemental. It is up to you whether or not these items are appropriate for your students and curricular goals.