There is much to say about Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, but today I will focus on one specific detail: assembling the troops. In her novel-writing manual, Brody breaks down the grand finale into five beats, or moments, so that writers have a checklist of sorts to follow. The first of these…
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Summer Reading: Charlotte’s Web by E.B.White
Whether your vacation includes swinging on a hammock or reclining under a beach umbrella, reading a classic novel is the perfect complement. Reading E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web is a vacation in itself from the troubles of the world today. Go back in time with Fern who saves Wilbur, the runt of the litter, from Papa’s…
A Classic to Consider: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
It’s the time of year for summer reading, and many schools will post lists of recommended books. I believe there is room on every reading lists for a few classics, and for middle school readers, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is an ideal option. The friendship between Rat and Mole, the adventures…
Short Story Spotlight: “The Leaf” by O. Henry
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in Short Story Spotlight, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
O. Henry is perhaps most famous for his short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” I would think that most of us who grew up in the States have read it either in middle or high school, and for good reason. O. Henry was a master of short stories, focusing on a simple problem or…
A Gem of a Poem: “Chairs in Snow” by E.B. White
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Teachers creating a mini-lesson on poetry, simile, or imagery can utilize E.B.White’s “Chairs in Snow.” While spring may be an easy choice for writing poetry about nature, using winter imagery may prove more challenging. Yet, White’s poem contains a simile that draws in winter, summer, and fall, and compares them to youth. How many 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…
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…
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…
Summer Reading: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
“The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.” This is the first sentence from Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (1975 by Macmillan). A classic novel that grapples with the blessing or…
Bookstores & More: The Bear and the Books
On a recent excursion to the quaint town of Hopewell, NJ, I found a children’s bookstore called The Bear and the Books. Their motto is “Books to grow up with” and I find that to be so true – that the books we read as children become part of our identity (I’m channeling Kathleen Kelly…