What's Old Is New Again
Welcome back to school! And welcome to our NEW Teaching Center! Here you'll find all the information you need for the current (August) issue of READ magazine.
Click on the tabs above to access a look inside (the issue), reproducible skillsmasters, links to our Facebook and Twitter pages, and more!
A button at the right links to our Digital Edition,* which makes it easy to use the magazine on computers, interactive whiteboards, and projectors. What’s old is new again in READ!
In the past, we have dedicated full issues to the literary giants of old. If you are familiar with READ, you will recall past issues dedicated to the likes of William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mark Twain. But we have never gathered a group of those heavyweights into one issue … until now.
Our theme is based on the idea that great writing never gets old—there will always be readers experiencing it for the first time, and even those who are very familiar with it often find it has something new to offer on each reading. In addition to the writers named above, your students will also be introduced to Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes as they (literally) take center stage. In our readers’ theater play, we offer students a chance to vote for their favorite author at www.weeklyreader.com/idol.
While you're online, be sure to check out our literary Web sites dedicated to Greek Mythology, Poe, Shakespeare, Twain, The Canterbury Tales, Monsters, Poetry, and Student Writing Workshops. Teachers who have used those sites tell us their students love them. To access the Web sites, go to www.weeklyreader.com/login. You will need your account number—just once—to set up your online access. (You can find it on the address card that comes in your bundle.) After that, getting in will be a breeze.
Welcome to Lit Scene Investigation
If you are new to READ, be sure to take your students on an exploration of the must-know literary elements and devices. Our exclusive interactive Lit Scene Investigation (LSI) examines what makes good writing. Patterned on the CSI television series, our READ feature takes students to scenes of literary greatness and asks not whodunit, but how they did it. Students search for clues to how authors use literary devices to produce great writing. In each issue, we introduce one important literary element and invite students to search for it in a particular selection. Then, you can project the digital version of those pages in class. Interactive commentary helps students discover the secrets to great writing. The LSI can be found by clicking the Digital Edition link in the right hand column and signing in.
August Printable Activities (PDF)
This Is Literary Idol!
(page 4)
In this lighthearted parody of American Idol, some of history’s greatest writers face off to determine which of them is the readers’ favorite.
Teaching Tip: To prepare your class for this read-aloud play, we suggest you review it ahead of time. Select students to read the parts of Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and William Shakespeare, and give them their parts in advance. Ask them to learn their performance lines and to practice reading them aloud. Some students might need help understanding some of the selections, particularly the Shakespeare pieces. If the literary “contestants” can perform their parts with verve and confidence, the entire class will benefit and the play will be more fun for everyone.
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How to Tell a Life Story / Lit Scene Investigation: Voice
(page 14)
Mark Twain grappled with writing his autobiography, but he sure knew how to sell it! You have to admit, mandating that it not be published until 100 years after his death was a pretty cool marketing ploy. No one expects your students to dive into this 760-page tome. Rather, we bring it to your attention to demonstrate that old really can be new. And to share some delightful writing by one of our nation’s greatest authors.
Prereading: Ask students: Can a fascinating life be boring to read about? (Yes, if the story is poorly written. A work that is just encyclopedic facts, with no sense of life and no fun anecdotes or secret revelations that make it come alive, is very dull.) Can an ordinary life make for fascinating reading? (Yes, if the story is beautifully written. Every life has its joy and pain, its humor and misery.) How would you go about writing the story of a life, and how would you do it in a way that makes for great reading? What kind of information belongs? What sort of structure is best?
Lit Scene Investigation: Voice
Discuss the idea of voice, and ask students to identify passages throughout the excerpt from Twain’s memoir that reflect his literary voice. Then go to your digital edition of READ* to see our interactive comments. This works great on a whiteboard.
*Editor's note: Your digital edition of READ, complete with the LSI's interactive features mentioned above is linked from the rigt hand column of the main page.
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‘A Heavenly Place for a Boy’
(page 16)
This excerpt from Twain’s autobiography focuses on his boyhood in rural Missouri. Twain’s memory is of an idyllic place as seen through the eyes of an innocent child. The selection is notable for its attention to detail, from the bounty of food on the dining table to the lay of the land. Most intriguing, however, is Twain’s discussion of the slaves who lived on that farm and his dawning realization that slavery was a cruelty, no matter how good a master his uncle was. The “heavenly place” was not heaven for all.
Bonus Links!
Mark Twain In His Times is a quaint, hidden gem that showcases a few of the author's lesser known works. Students will surely enjoy The Story of the Good Little Boy and The Story of the Bad Little Boy.
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Virginia’s Final Journey
(page 20)
You’d think all there was to say about Edgar Allan Poe had been said a long time ago. After all, the man died in 1849. But Poe’s life and writings continue to enchant, and it seems that new books about him come out every year. The mystery of his death, in particular, often sparks new theories. In The Raven’s Bride, the tormented author’s story is told from the point of view of his young wife. In this excerpt, we like the atmospheric language and the hints and eventual revelation that Virginia is a ghost.
Writing Activity: Have each student write a short story in which someone who once lived comes back to the present day as a spirit. The deceased person could be someone famous or someone from the student’s own life, but he or she should be a real person, not a fictional one. The story should be told through the point of view of the dead person. (Note: Make it clear that the assignment does not reflect a belief in spirits. The lesson is an exercise in imagination and should not offend anyone’s sensibilities or beliefs.)
Bonus Links!
The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore has a ton of great external Poe links!
After reading our fiction story, "Virginia's Final Journey," your students might find this page on that site, "Church Hospital (Site of Poe's Death)" especially interesting.
The READ magazine Poetry Contest is open to all students 18 years of age and younger.
Please download and print this entry form, attach it to your poem, and mail it to:
READ Magazine Poetry Contest
Weekly Reader
44 South Broadway, 18th Fl.
White Plains, NY 10601
Poems should be no longer than 500 words.
Deadline is December 31, 2011.
The winning six poems will be published in READ magazine in an issue this spring.
