Still looking for that last-minute classroom activity to keep the class occupied before the Thanksgiving break? Mark Twain’s newly released autobiography includes a comment on the meaning of Thanksgiving that is bound to lead to a lively classroom discussion. Begin…
Category: American Lit
March of Time Newsreels in the Classroom
Back in the days before 24-hour news networks, people went to their local movie theaters to see what was going on in the world. The March of Time, perhaps the most well-known producer of these videos, distributed documentaries that covered…
My Literary Genes
I’ve written before about my literary claim to fame: I’m slightly related to Ralph Waldo Emerson, through my great-great-grandmother Anne Emerson. While I know that Anne was Ralph’s third cousin once removed, I’m not exactly sure what that makes me.…
Even More Literary Ten Bests
Can you name ten memorable vegetables from the literature you’ve read? How about ten pieces of literature that include a shipwreck or perhaps a volcano? You’ll find lists for these and much more below. When I went searching for the…
A Year-End Activity with Literary Lists of “Ten Best”
There’s not much time left in the school year, and you may find that students are uninterested in reviewing for final exams when they could be making plans for summer fun or a few days off between terms. You can…
Literary Lists of “Ten Best”
The UK newspaper The Guardian has an ongoing series that focuses on “The 10 Best of” a variety of topics. They’ve covered a range of interests, including fashion, movies, comedy, politics, and music. Fortunately for those of us who teach…
Video Interview of Author Tim O’Brien
If you’re teaching Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, be sure to take a look at Big Think’s video interview with the author. In addition to talking about his novel, O’Brien talks about the process of writing and the role…
Poem 14: “[Blank Verse]”
Somehow I never saw Ernest Hemingway’s "[Blank Verse]" until tonight. When I first saw it on someone else’s blog, I was certain it was a hoax, but I actually confirmed its authenticity. It’s right there on page 6 of Hemingway’s Complete Poems, written in…
Poem 10: “Theme for English B”
Langston Hughes’s "Theme for English B" isn’t my favorite Hughes’ works, but it so perfectly describes the student’s dilemma when writing for a teacher who will never understand him that I think every teacher, especially every writing teacher, should read this…
Poem 9: “Richard Cory”
I know. Another narrative. I think I liked Edwin Arlington Robinson’s "Richard Cory" first because it tricked me. I recall reading it in my sophomore American Lit survey class. I think it was the simplicity of the lines and their abab rhyme scheme.…