Frankenstein is the story of a man, Victor Frankenstein, and a monster, who is never given a name. It was written by Mary Shelley, who began creating the tale when she was just 19. Read it online at Literature.org. Having read and enjoyed the book, choose from the cross-curriculum connections… Continue reading
The Sea King’s Daughter is a lesser-known fairy tale from a Russian ballad. In the story, a young musician descends to the home of the Sea King and plays for a wild party — which, he learns, sets the seas raging and endangers the ships above. He marries the… Continue reading
Josepha reads from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Continue reading
We’re amazed by some of the books for kids and young adults which have been often banned and challenged. S-Collection has another list of challenged and banned kids’ books. A definitive list isn’t possible, simply because there isn’t a central banning and challenging agency or process. Some books may… Continue reading
Sandwiches are awesome enough to deserve their own day, and November 3 is that day, the birthday of the Earl of Sandwich. According to the story, said Earl didn’t like to leave the card table to get a meal, so he devised the sandwich as a quick pick me up… Continue reading
Weather mythology is a rich literary genre, with connections to science, critical thinking, and social studies. Here are some of our favorite lesson plans: Compare Thor and Zeus Thor is the Thunder God in Norse mythology. He has a magic hammer, a magic belt, and a cart pulled by a… Continue reading
Sure, there were bucking broncos and bulls to ride, but our favorite things at the Rodeo of the Ozarks were the sheep and the goats. Muttonbusting is an event in which little buckaroos attempt to ride sheep. It was a muddy evening when we went, so the kids were attempting… Continue reading
I’ve just read The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game by Lee Sheldon. Sheldon, who teaches video game design, set up his whole classroom as a multiplayer game in which students went on quests and leveled to the next highest grade. He has written a book about it… Continue reading
Field trips used to be a major part of school excitement, and they can be wonderful learning opportunities. At many schools, though, the cost of fuel and NCLB have made field trips a rarity, and they have to be defended with strong, clear ties to standards and benchmarks. One… Continue reading
Here’s a PowerPoint I wrote for Happiness.org — and also for my writing class. It takes students through the basic writing process, from prewriting through editing. You are welcome to use it in your classes, or just for inspiration. Happiness : a Writing Experience Here are some more approaches I… Continue reading
