I've been reading everyone's blogs and I have to say: You guys are GOOD! I've been keeping up on them, and they make me think. I read Mrs. S's blog yesterday and thought, "If I were teaching this class, what stories would I include?" No so far fetched an idea s that is my ultimate career goal. So I started net surfing to find lists of American Lit short stories. I found this great list:
http://www.classicshorts.com/bib.html
There were a few on there that I remember reading from high school but most were new to me. I have a whole list of great things to read this summer and it was only a google search away.
I'd read Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" in high school, we were going to do it as a play. I went back and re-read it yesterday and it's lost none of its punch. The ending still grabs me by the back of the neck and sends chills up and down my spine.
Today I think I'm in a Kipling kind of mood. There are 3 short stories of his on this site and I think I'll read them all. Should be fun, I haven't really read Kipling before, I've seen "The Jungle Book" of course which is based on some of his stories but I've never read them. It should be fun.
As this is the last week of class, I'll take a moment to wish you all a great summer. If you are graduating, CONGRATS!! If you are continuing on, FANTASTIC!! If you guys every want to chat, I think I'll still keep pronto, so just IM me. Mrs. S....thank you for a wonderful class that made me think and exposed me to some literature I might not have read before. This class has been....FUN!
Make the day yours, go out and learn something new. stealing a line I saw on twitter today: May the fourth be with you. (yeah i know bad pun...no cookie)
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I will have to check out that site when I finish grading everything. I am somewhat restricted in what I am teaching--using the Norton and all. But I am glad you shared the site with the rest of the class so everyone can pick and choose and continue to grow in their love of reading. I loved teaching "The Lottery." We would watch the movie instead of reading the story--sometimes we just needed a break in the constant reading so if a movie followed the actual story well, I would show it instead, still with discussion questions and activities following. My usual 'follow up' activity was our own lottery. I would have the students wad up the leftover sheets of paper that I had collected in my stack of 'ready for recycling.' The first person in each row was the head of the family. He/She would come to the front of the room and I would be the person with the box (hat) and they would draw the slip of paper. The one who drew the black dot was 'the family' who then had to draw next. Each member of the family (the students in the rest of the row) came forward and they each drew. Then they opened the slips, one at a time. The one drew the black dot was then pelted with the wadded up paper. I tried to make it seem very similar to the dialogue in the movie. "So it's Lori. Let's finish quickly now."
What was interesting was the discussion afterwards. How did the 'family' feel as its head was drawing for them? How did each person drawing feel in the second draw? How did the others think as they watched? What were the thoughts running through the mind of the lucky one who was pelted?
I remember--one student running out of the room, trying to escape. One student tried to hide behind my podium. One tried to hide behind ME! One stood there and just took it. Most shielded their faces and turned their backs.
One time a mother called in and complained that I had tortured my students unfairly...the principal checked with me, then said it was a good follow-up activity.
After the class discussion, I eased their pain a little---the 'family' all received 15 bonus points for the day. The 'victim' received 30 bonus points.
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