October 19, 2006

The dog ate my literary response

I stumbled upon this website called 91 Ways to Respond to a Book--I can't tell you what I Googled to get there. Oh all right, it was "literary fortune cookie." I don't feel so bad revealing that to those who spend time trawling this site while at work. You people who surf during prime productivity hours, if you look up the word "blog," you get an illustration of a guy in a tie hunched over a desk and a clock on the wall that reads 2:15.

91 Ways is this curious pedagogical tool for secondary school teachers, designed to enliven the good old book report, and to disguise the fact that public school English text selections are porridgey and boring. Kids, don't let them fool you--there's plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll out there between the covers. Why else would adults read?

Check out these activities:
13.CONVERT A BOOK INTO A PUPPET SHOW. Make simple puppets (stick puppets, finger puppets, paper bag puppets, and so on) or complex puppets (marionettes) and present the story or an exciting scene from it.
Or my personal fave, voodoo dolls:
20.MAKE A SOAP OR PARAFFIN CARVING ABOUT AN EVENT OR PERSON IN A BOOK. These are inexpensive materials and soft enough so there is little danger from the tools used for carving.
For some reason I keep seeing the erection-prone Tyrone Slothrop done in a bar of Ivory.
87.BE A LITERARY AGENT. Pretend you are a literary agent representing the author of your book. Write to Harry Decision, editor of young adult fiction at Bantam Books, explaining why you feel he should publish your author's book.

37.PITCH A SALES TALK FOR A BOOK. Give everyone in the class tokens, play money, or straw votes. After the sales talk, take bids to get the most for the book.
These last two made my toes curl up in my slippers.

posted by Charlotte at 9:56 AM | permalink | email it |