Blue Balliett
Lesson plans for Chasing Vermeer and other books
|Biography and Background|
|The Calder Game|
|Chasing Vermeer|
|The Wright 3|
Blue Balliett
Author site, including author information, book information and excerpts, and games related to the books.
Interview with Blue Balliett
A series of 14 video clips dated May 2008.
Introducing the Novels of Blue Balliett
Prereading, discussion questions, and postreading project ideas for Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game.
The Calder Game
Follow links to a discussion guide, a booktalk, cross-curricular extension activities, and a video clip of Balliet reading an excerpt.
Break the Pentomino Code!
A list of possible postreading activities and a printable handout related to reading and writing code.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
This unit plan includes 3 lessons, graphic organizers, discussion questions, and vocabulary.
Chasing Vermeer
A dozen technology-integrated postreading activities.
Chasing Vermeer
This 8-page document includes activities and discussion questions, vocabulary words, and a book talk.
Chasing Vermeer
Students work with geometric shapes and pentominos. Adobe Reader required for access.
Chasing Vermeer Discussion Questions
A set of 11 discussion questions.
Vocabulary from Chasing Vermeer
An alphabetical list of 54 words drawn from the novel. Click on the word for a definition and synonyms.
Writing Like an Artist Paints
The writer will compose a descriptive paragraph that focuses on some object moving quickly past a character who is standing still. Like Balliett does in Chasing Vermeer, the writer will use a healthy (but controlled) dose of artistic words, so the written scene comes across as painting-like. The goal is to make writers more aware of the power of using words creatively in writing.
The Wright 3
Summary; follow links to booktalk, discussion guide, and cross-curricular extension activities.
The Wright 3
Summary and background information (and cool trivia).
The Wright 3 Book Club Website
Activities at this site include language arts, social studies/science, and math. It is rich with resources.
