Warmest Wishes for the Holiday Season

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Open Courses

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to attend Yale University?  Your wish is granted -- explore the class selection at Open Yale Courses.  My current favorite is "The American Novel Since 1945".

Or, perhaps MIT is your dream school.  Check out the Literature page and choose from tons of free class resources.

Stay inspired!

     

John Steinbeck's King Arthur

You have probably read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  It was a required novel at my high school and I will never forget the passionate classroom discussions we had in English class.  In fact, I think The Grapes of Wrath is still a must-read, especially in light of the economic struggles so many families find themselves facing today.

But, have you ever read Steinbeck's The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights?  Bascially, Steinbeck updated Malory's Le Morte D’Arthur and brought the adventures of Camelot to a 20th century audience.

I have always been fascinated by the Arthurian Legend and I read (and watch) anything I can find related to these timeless stories.  Therefore, I was excited to discover a great lesson plan that includes The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.  The title is "King Arthur and the Heroic Pattern".

Check it out!

Remembering Why It Matters

I discovered this video while I was doing research on Literacy Leadership Teams and I had to share.  Enjoy and remember that one teacher can indeed make a difference!

"How Learning to Read Changes Lives"

An Unlikely Place to Read the Classics?

Sites like Classic Reader, http://www.classicreader.com/, offer free online copies of legendary books.

However, I've found another (perhaps unlikely) site, SparkNotes, which offers dozens of classics in a very user-friendly format, http://pd.sparknotes.com/lit/.

I've actually been rereading Kate Chopin's The Awakening, a favorite from my Women in Lit class many years ago.  In fact, you can read A Room With a View, Wuthering Heights, or Sense and Sensibility (among many others) in their entirety with a minimum of ads and excellent navigation at SparkNotes.

Try out either of these sites and enjoy these brilliant works all over again!

Folger Shakespeare Library

Share the timeless works of "the Bard" with your students courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library, http://www.folger.edu/index_sa.cfm?specaudid=2.  FSL offers a terrific assortment of resources for K-12 teachers. 

And, be sure to check out their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/FolgerLibrary.  My favorite clip is "Remixing Shakespeare" where students perform and record scences from Macbeth complete with sound effects and unique interpretations.  

YALSA Teens' Top Ten

Are you interested in the books teens love?  You should be!

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm
From YALSA, the 2010 Teens' Top Ten is:

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Check out the link above for more information about TTT and for lists of previous years' winners.

Author Blogs

For an amazing list of author blogs, check out goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/author_blogs/

The site features direct access to blogs from popular authors such as Neil Gaiman, Stephenie Meyer, Jodi Picoult, and Lois Lowry.

Integrating a Blog Into a Thematic Unit

I would use the the book Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World by Ken Beller and Heather Chase for a thematic social studies unit.  In terms of NCSS Thematic Strands, Great Peacemakers relates to II. Time, Continuity, and Change, VI. Power, Authority, and Governance, IX. Global Connections, and X. Civic Ideals and Practices (http://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/images/notable2009.pdf ). 

In Great Peacemakers, students can choose to read about and study any one of twenty amazing individuals.  I would ask students to blog about the peacemaker who most inspires them and then locate and share additional resources (both traditional and multimedia) with the class.  Ultimately, the blog becomes an online class portfolio and a great source of information for future reference.
     

Blogging in the Classroom

Can we make literacy instruction more rigorous and relevant by incorporating blogs into our curriculum?  I believe the answer is yes and Denise Johnson's article, "Teaching With Authors' Blogs: Connections, Collaboration, Creativity", provides excellent evidence of the educational power of blogs.  As the title suggests, Johnson details the significant benefits gained by including authors' blogs in our literacy instruction.  Students have the opportunity to connect more deeply with literature when we introduce them to an author (their personality, experiences, and perspectives) via blog.  Students have the opportunity to collaborate directly with authors as well as a large global audience through live blogging events.  Students have the opportunity to be creative using authors' blogs as inspiration for their own writing and multimedia ideas. "Blogs promote critical and analytical thinking and allow students to create content in ways not possible in traditional paper-and-pencil environments" (Johnson, 2010, p. 172).  Finally, Johnson reminds educators that, in addition to sharing authors' blogs with students, they must also actively model responsible use of these online resources. 


Johnson, D. (2010). "Teaching with authors' blogs: Connections, collaboration, creativity". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(3), p. 172-180.

http://www.reading.org/Publish.aspx?page=/publications/journals/jaal/v54/i3/abstracts/jaal-54-3-johnson.html&mode=redirect

Introduction

Welcome everyone.

This blog is dedicated to writing about beloved books and authors.  I am hoping to include some amazing guest bloggers in this celebration of great reads as well as lots of ideas and suggestions from my own library.

Enjoy and please take the time to share all of your favorite titles and authors with us, as well.