So many of us, I am sure, have “Goodnight Moon” on our bookshelves. When they were little, my children would select three books each night, and “Goodnight Moon” was a popular choice. Amy Gary’s biography of Margaret Wise Brown illuminates the life of the beloved children’s author, whom I used to picture her as a…
Teacher Resource: “The Santa Ana” by Joan Didion
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Teacher Resources, Teacher Tuesday, Writing Inspiration, Writing ResourceLeave a Reply
Joan Didion is an American writer of novels, essays, short stories, and screenplays. In the College Writing class I teach, I include Didion’s essay, “The Santa Ana,” on my syllabus as an example of a descriptive writing. Recent events in California, particularly the fires in Los Angeles, remind me of Didion’s work because of the…
A Classic to Consider: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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If you are looking for a classic work of literature to cozy up next to the fireplace with a glass of wine or mug of tea, I recommend One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Set in the fictional village of Macondo, Colombia, the story reveals the joys, sorrows, struggles, and suffering of…
Art in the Classroom: Ansel Adams
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Art in the English Classroom, Teacher Resources, Teacher Tuesday, Writing InspirationLeave a Reply
One aspect of natural disasters, such as the current fires burning across Los Angeles, is the need for images of what was there before. Taking photographs has never been easier than it is today. No film, no waiting to get the pictures back. And yet how many of our pictures are meaningful? A potential research…
What I’m Reading: Cher The Memoir, Part One
You don’t have to be a fan of Cher, as I happen to be, to enjoy her memoir: Cher The Memoir, Part One. At 400+ pages, it is a lot of Cher in one place, but anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, music, old Hollywood glamour, or even a fan of the American dream,…
A Gem of a Poem: “Snow Dust” by Robert Frost
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“Snow Dust” by Robert Frost is a the perfect poem to energize kids who are sluggish after break. It is short enough to pair with one or two other poems, but also complex enough to stand on its own. Students can grasp the meaning of the poem and list imagery words. Then they can think…
On My Bookshelf: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing
While sorting through my bookcase of children’s books, I came across this gem that I used to read with my children. Every year we looked forward to certain holiday books, and this was one of them. The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing has a humorous charm to which parents and children…
On My Bookshelf: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth has, admittedly, sat on my bookshelf for several years, and only recently have I been able to read it. It may be several more years before I fully grasp his meaning. If you keep a journal, as I do, you may discover that Tolle offers several points to consider in…
What I’m Reading: The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel is a welcome change from other novels I’ve been reading. It is narrative non-fiction – a true story written like a novel. I consider it a cross between The Thomas Crown Affair, and Catch Me If You Can. The hard part is deciding if Pierce Brosnan or Leo DiCaprio…
Teacher Tuesday: Tuck Everlasting
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Classic to Consider, A Classic to Consider, Summer Reading, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
I couldn’t resist creating another post about the children’s classic novel, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Writing about it last week reminded me of fun moments in my classroom when my sixth graders and I analyzed the novel. We drew a Ferris wheel on the chalkboard (yes, I’m that old) and placed the characters from…