Category Archives: Classical Literature

Bring Shakespeare to Old Time Radio–Common Core Standard 9

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Scott

Most students are probably not aware that copyright protection laws are relatively new, so they might be surprised to learn just how many famous authors like Shakespeare borrowed and adapted others’ ideas. They should already know (I hope) that Stephanie Meyer’s books aren’t entirely original vampire stories, but they probably don’t know how many earlier “versions” of Romeo and Juliet you can find. Common Core Standard 9.  Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). Although there are many authors who treat themes and topics from earlier works in their own, Shakespeare is one of the easiest to approach with students simply because one can find more information online about him than nearly any other author.  If you are lucky … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Classical Literature, Common Core Standards, Drama, Lesson Plans, Shakespeare, Technology Integration, World Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blending Art, Literature, and Problem Solving at the J. Paul Getty Museum

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Scott

Common Core Standard 7 for Reading presents teachers with many possibilities for mixing all kinds of art forms with literature.  Music, photography, painting, sculpture, and many other media are easily brought into the classroom today because of the internet…the important thing is to use these resources heuristically. 7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus). Teaching students to analyze subjects or scenes in comparative forms gives us an opportunity to explore with them the traditions of storytelling—the many and various ways stories can be told and have been told throughout history.  Poetry, short stories, plays, and even novels and epic tales have important connections to art and present new, thoughtful ways to analyze and evaluate themes. To start, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Literature, Common Core Standards, Lesson Plans, Reading, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Broaden Students’ Cultural Perspectives with Project Gutenberg

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Scott

Common Core Standard six of “Reading: Craft and Structure” provides an important opportunity to expose our students to different perspectives from cultures other than their own.  This standard also gives us a great reason to explore some of the thousands of free texts that Project Gutenberg has to offer including many collections of short stories which can be downloaded to just about any digital device from an e-reader, a pc or laptop to a smartphone or tablet. 6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. I found some excellent collections of short stories grouped by nationality and by topic.  You must scroll to the bottom of the short stories bookshelf page, to see “Other” collections grouped by themes.  With Halloween coming right up, I’m working on organizing a few … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Classical Literature, Common Core Standards, Lesson Plans, World Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Audio and Video Files of Famous Speeches at American Rhetoric.com

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Scott

With so much literature, grammar, writing, and vocabulary to cover in our curriculum these days, it’s easy to overlook the importance of oral language in our classrooms.  Consider also how reluctant many students already are about “getting up in front of the class,” and it’s easy to put off teaching about speeches and oral presentations.   But with evermore rapid advancements of technology and the internet, listening and speaking skills are becoming increasingly important.  The authors of the Common Core State Standards put it this way: “New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. The Internet has accelerated the speed at which connections between speaking, listening, reading, and writing can be made, requiring that students be ready to use these modalities nearly simultaneously.” Looking for tools useful in focusing on verbal … Continue reading →

Posted in American Literature, Audio, Classical Literature, Lesson Plans, Listening, Presenting, Speaking, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Big Myth: Engaging Study of Myths of the World

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Scott

When I look to integrate technology into the classroom, I try to find resources that go beyond simple input/output applications.  Too many “interactive” sites really just present basic information in a flashy way.  Then there are those gems that not only help teachers engage students, but also equip them with lessons that involve real problem solving and cooperative, student-centered learning.  The Big Myth is a great example of this kind of technology for the 21st century classroom. This award-winning site gets your attention quickly because the Flash animation and sound are interesting and the site is fun to navigate by clicking points on a global map to learn about various culture and creation myths of the world.  However, the real value of The Big Myth is in its teacher’s section which has very useful guides, lesson plans, and activities. These aren’t simply, fill-in-the-blank worksheets but meaningful lesson plan materials designed … Continue reading →

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New “Epic Comics” Lesson Explores Epic Simile with Comic Creator Technology

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Scott

Last week I wrote a post about using online comic creator applications to create comic strips based on scenes from Homer’s Odyssey.  Today I’ve published a lesson plan based on this idea.  This plan explores Epic / Homeric Similes, vivid word choices, and tone in the Odyssey based on Common Core Standards for Literature–Craft and Structure.  I tried to keep the lesson basic and easily adaptable, so there is plenty more you could do with these resources but this plan will get you started using online comic creator applications.  I hope you will explore the lesson and share your classroom experiences with the Interactive Language Arts community.  Check out the new “Epic Comics” lesson in the Lesson Plans section of this blog. Enjoy, –Scott

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Students can Illustrate Epic Similes with Comic Creators

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Scott

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Gearing up for my Odyssey unit, I’ve been searching the Internet for a creative way to engage my students using technology while tackling a challenging read. While looking, I stumbled across Spore Comic Creator, a free online application that you can use to bring Homer’s rich language alive by creating custom comic books. With this online application, students can go beyond visualizing the battles with giant cannibals, the treachery in the cave of a barbaric Cyclops, and the terror of the man-eating Scylla–they can turn the words to images and at the same time learn to recognize and understand the function of metaphors, similes, epic similes, and vivid sensory details in the text. You can also encourage your students to create entire new adventures for Odysseus. Spore Comic Creator gives students the tools to create entire universes complete with unique backgrounds, unusual … Continue reading →

Posted in Classical Literature, Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment