AP English: Writing Your Own Children's Book

Part 1 of my favorite 2012 interview with Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are) with Stephen Colbert.

My lovely AP students, I was so moved yesterday when we went down to the library, pulled out some children's book and began to read. It felt like that day in elementary school and when your teacher says, "We're going to the library!" and every kid jumps up from their desk and says, "Yay!" As I looked around the library yesterday, you were all laughing and excited about the stories you were reading, and something suddenly became clear: some of our favorite books are not long, three-volume Victorian novels, but those written for children.

Today, we will be finishing step two of our Children's Book Project (assignment sheet here), making an outline of the story. I encourage you all to also finish step three, characters, so you are ready to jump into the rough draft tomorrow.

For today, we will warm-up by watching this 7-minute interview (Part 1) of Stephen Colbert's interview with children's book author Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, which was first published in 1963, and very much like Lewis Carroll's Alice stories, still resonates with us today.

When we are done, get with your partner and complete step 2 (and 3 if you can) from your assignment sheet. Post your answers in the comments section below to turn in your assignment.


Standard/Rubric for this Assignment (here)
W3, "I can write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences."

A Very "Unbirthday Party": Appropriations of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Last week, we looked at a number of adaptations of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (here).  Iconic scenes like the journey through the rabbit hole and the caterpillar's inquisitive remarks, "Who are you," tell us a lot about the world Alice envisions whether she is underground or above it.

For today, we will look at one of the most famous: the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Please watch the following clips and answer the discussions questions in the comments section below. You may wish to reference your notes from last week on child logic, nonsense, and storytelling.

1951 Disney adaptation, Alice in Wonderland.

2010 Tim Burton adaptation, Alice in Wonderland

A lesser-known made-for-TV movie adaptation from 1999, Alice in Wonderland featuring Tina Majorino, Whoopi Goldberg, and Martin Short as the Mad Hatter.

1) Pick an illustration from our Norton Editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. What visual similarities do you see between the John Tenniel's illustrations and one of the adaptations from above? (e.g., Disney's 1951, Tim Burton's 2010, or 1999 TV movie)

2) In your opinion, which adaptation follows the storyline the closest? What is kept the same, and therefore, stays true to the story? Why would the creators keep this part of the story?

3) Vice versa, in your opinion, which adaptation is the farthest from the original storyline? What is made to be different, and therefore, changes the story? Why would the creators have changed this part of the original story? What might be their aim?

4) Lastly, why a tea party?

11/12 English: Reflecting on Reading Logs

Writing Warmup:
Dr. B was really impressed with the reading logs she received in class yesterday.  You were able to capture important details in a very short amount of time, showing me, your teacher, that you have excellent comprehension of the key plot points in Alan Moore's Watchmen.

For today, we will do a mini reading log exercise and reflect on our experiences on the blog.  Here are your instructions:

1) On a clean sheet of paper, set up a log like the one yesterday:

• Date:
• Time Started:
• Time Ended (+ # of pages):

• Response:To the best of your ability, summarize the plot on the pages you were able to get through.  Make sure to cite page numbers at key points so you can reference them in the future and during discussion.

2) When you have finished, describe your experience in the comments section below.  Answer these questions:

• Do you feel like you understand the plot of Watchmen better when you have written it down immediately afterwards?
• Looking at your time and page numbers, do you consider yourself a fast reader?
• Lastly, what is one thing you want to know more about in the pages you read today?

AP English: Think - Puzzle - Know—Writing about Poetry

I chose this picture for today because it reminded me of our discussion about Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric."

For today, I wanted to finish our discussion on Writing about Poetry from Tuesday's class.  Before we do, please answer the questions below.

1) What do you think you know about writing about poetry?

2) What puzzles (confuses) you about writing about poetry?

3) What do you want to know more about writing about poetry?