In what writer's work did author Cicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews find her famous pseudonym--Rebecca West?
What American writer, while a war correspondent, is credited with capturing a town single-handedly during the Spanish-American War?
How many Shakespearean plays include mention of America?
Which award-winning Jerzy Kosinski novel was repeatedly rejected by publishers when it was resubmitted under a different title 9 years after its original publication?
In the English language, what are the days of the week named after?
Last Week's Answers
What writer contemporary to T.S. Eliot nicknamed him "Old Possum"?
Ezra Pound, a poet, critic, and a major figure of the Modernist movement, famous for his work with major contemporaries such as Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Ernest Hemingway, and especially T. S. Eliot gave Eliot the nickname “Old Possum.” Eliot later used the nickname in his work Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
In later versions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the wicked Queen falls off a precipice and dies. How does she meet her end in the original Grimm brothers fairy tale?
She was condemned to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she died.
Where does the word abracadabra come from?
The word "abracadabra" originated in Roman times as part of a prayer to the god Abraxas.
What book was once banned by the Eldon, Missouri library because it contained 39 "objectionable" words?
The American Heritage Dictionary.
What cultural phenomena did psychiatrist Fredric Wertheim ink to juvenile delinquency in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent?
Comic books. His book led to Senate hearings and the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, which banned "all scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, and masochism."
I went to an all-boys academic high school in Philadelphia back in the middle of the last century. The teachers there placed more knowledge into my head than 95% of the professors I had in college. While the emphasis was on learning, appreciation, and discovery, it was always clear that wit went hand in hand with wisdom when it came to teaching. The popular classes, the ones students craved to be assigned to were those in which the teacher did more than simply lecture. He or she was born to the task of stimulating the brains of intellectually curious adolescents. That ability cannot be taught in education classes, in standard deviations, or in bell curves, all of which are useful, but unnecessary in the hands of a skilled educator and dreadfully dull in the hands of a teacher who never deviates from prepared notes.
One English teacher foisted upon his classes 10,000 word essays on arcane and difficult subjects, which he graded on an upwards curve, making sure that the best actually were head and shoulders above the rest. He was extraordinarily difficult, yet admired and respected for his knowledge and ability to teach. Once asked if he threw the essays down the stairs and graded them at random based on where they landed, Mr. R_____ responded dryly, “No, I throw them into the air, and those that don’t come down get A’s.” He was among the most beloved teachers we ever encountered. How many teachers actually deserve that adjective? Those who are born knowing how to reach young minds.
Mr. D____, a physics teacher, just out of college, spoke to us of the properties of simple machines [this is as boring as is possible to be boring to someone interested in poetry and language], but he once lectured while standing on his hands for at least ten minutes. I still remember: “Work equals force times distance.” We saw it in practice, as the physics was explained by a born teacher who knew how to inspire.
How was I going to grasp mole weights or memorize the periodic chart of the elements if I just didn’t care about the subject? My chemistry professor, Dr. B____, made his classes fascinating because each day he presented us with a riddle or told a long hilarious story that illustrated some principle of chemistry. Why was the night watchman’s gold watch discovered in the vat of hydrochloric acid, but not his bones? The answer is, not as one student responded, because “It took a licking and kept on ticking” but because “Noble metals are impervious to acids.” This man understood the power of a joke to make a point. He was born to teach.
The three anecdotes above are not meant to imply that students will not succeed through straight lecturing or memorization of facts; the stories are designed to illustrate my point that a bit of relaxation and a lessening of "teacher dispenses words of wisdom, and the students absorb them" will invariably help students grasp what the teacher needs to impart.
What writer contemporary to T.S. Eliot nicknamed him "Old Possum"?
In later versions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the evil Queen plummets to her death off of a precipice. How does she die in the original Brothers Grimm tale?
Where does the word abracadabra come from?
Which book was banned by a public library in Missouri because it contained 39 objectionable words?
What cultural phenomena did psychiatrist Fredric Wertheim link to juvenile delinquency in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent?
Where does the term “salary” come from?
Part of a Roman soldier's pay was called salarium argentium, "salt money", which was used to buy the then-precious commodity, and so pay today is called a "salary".
In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, Dr. Watson is said to have suffered a bullet wound during the war. Where was he shot?
Interestingly enough we are told inA Study in Scarlet that he has been shot in the shoulder, but according to The Sign of Four, he was shot in the in the leg.
What famous Russian novelist and short story writer had several butterflies named after him?
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, was also a distinguished etymologist. The genus Nabokovia was named after him in honor of this work, as were a number of butterfly and moth species including many of the genera Madeleinea and Pseudolucia.
What best-selling author opened the first Saab auto dealership in the United States?
What famous writer wished to ban Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn from American public libraries, stating it was inappropriate for "our pure-minded lads and lassies"?
In conjunction with the Business, Industry, and Education Alliance’s annual Teacher Externship Program, Prestwick House was thrilled to host two teacher externs from area schools. Delaware teachers June Craig and Michelle Peeling both spent three days speaking with various members of the Prestwick House staff, viewing products, asking questions, and getting a general idea of what a publishing company is all about.
The externship culminated in a round-table discussion during which the Prestwick House staff was able to ask questions about the changing school environment and how we might improve our products to help teachers in the field. The discussion was very informative and generated conversations on everything from the changing trends in education and the evolution of teaching techniques, to ways teachers use technology in the classroom.
“It was great to be able to share the world of publishing with teachers, but we really got a lot out of it, too,” says Prestwick House General Manager, Keith Bergstrom. “The chance to just sit and talk about how and why we do what we do was really valuable, and talking about the way that dedicated teachers (like Michelle and June) do things in their classrooms both validates what we’re doing and gives us some great ideas on how to improve our products.”
“One of the key themes of the round table discussion was the fact that educators are facing more difficulties today than they were ever before,” adds Prestwick House Staff Writer, Stephanie Polukis. “The most important members of our community, who are teaching, training, and preparing the future leaders of America, are finding it increasingly more difficult to do their jobs successfully. Since Prestwick House's mission is to lighten the burden on educators and make products that will help English teachers, it is absolutely necessary for our company stay up to date with current difficulties and trends in today’s schools.”
Prestwick House Brand Manager, Jerry Clark, agrees saying, “I found the experience very informative, especially in the area of how technology is being used in the classroom. A number of creative ideas came forth for new products that are sure to fulfill a need for teachers. We’re excited to get a few new prototypes under development in the coming months.”
Following the experience, all teacher externs attended a closing meeting. When BIEA evaluated the program’s success rate through questionnaires and discussion, responses from teacher externs were overwhelmingly positive.
“The Teacher Externship Program is an example of what business and education can accomplish through partnership,” writes Lori Aldrich, of the Delaware Business, Industry, Education Alliance. ‘Outstanding’ is the definitive word that was expressed by educators to describe […] the experience.”
“You, along with so many other Delaware mentors, impacted over 100 teachers state wide,” writes Michelle Peeling regarding her externship experience at Prestwick House. “Thanks for your continuing support and for being such a valuable resource for English/Language Arts teachers nationwide.”
Prestwick House staff was honored to have the opportunity to host teacher externs and hopes to continue this program in future years.
One book I read in my youth that I still recall struggling through is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens — who has written works I didn’t have to read, like Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield. Dickens was born in 1812 and focused most of his books on the social failures of his day. A Tale of Two Cities is somewhat unique in that it is set against the French Revolution, when France tried to abolish its monarchy and aristocracy and recognize the inalienable rights of all of its citizens. The central plot of the book involves the complex love triangle of Charles Darnay, Lucie Mannette, and Sydney Carton. In the end, of course, Carton sacrifices himself in order for Darnay to be with Lucie.
What I especially remember about this novel is the complexity of the plot and the character relationships and how everything comes together at the end. The book seemed confusing at the beginning—how were all the different characters and plotlines going to fit in together?—but Dickens managed to pull it all together and make it make sense at the end, especially once the action stopped switching from England to France to England to France…, and all the characters finally settled in France. All of the plotlines also finally began to merge as Charles Darnay was about to be executed, and Sydney Carton (who had promised Lucie that he would do anything to make her happy) sacrificed his life to save Darnay. Did this one selfless act redeem Darnay and give his life meaning? Maybe that’s what Dickens wanted us to think about after we were done reading the book.
This was, of course, the part of the book that I liked the most. After a confusing first half, when a dozen characters and unrelated plot lines are all introduced and set in motion, finally everything builds to a point and starts to make sense.
However, looking back to my youthful self, I remember that one big obstacle to really, really liking the novel was its language. Charles Dickens’s language is, of course, the formal and wordy English of 19th-century England. To a twenty-first-century teenager, this was just a little hard to understand. Still, I managed to get through it.
(Frankly, though, since we’re now looking at the book’s weaknesses, I thought the opening and some of the early scenes were boring, long, and drawn out. Certainly there’s mystery and suspense when Jarvis Lorry gets his message saying “Recalled to Life.” Sure, we wonder why Lucie is being taken to France and why her father—a shoemaker and a doctor—has been in prison for 18 years, but it did seem to take an awfully long time before things started to be explained).
All in all, despite the novel’s strong points, I thought it was a disappointment to read. (Don’t shoot me, I know I’m writing for an English Teachers’ blog, and I work for a publishing company, but I’m an Arts and Graphics person, not a connoisseur of Great Literature).My judgment is only because I had to struggle to keep up with the story, the characters, and the language. Granted, anyone who likes reading Dickens books would probably love this book because it’s…well…Dickens. As an English teacher, you probably understand the book better than I do.
Nevertheless, I did make my way through the book, and I do remember it pretty vividly, so maybe my English teacher really did accomplish was she set out to do when she made me read it.
In recent months, I have spent quite some time sifting through the blogs of some of my fellow Tweeters and members of the English Companion Ning. In looking for great content to share with teachers, I have found a few indispensible, go-to sources for great information.
These bloggers are teachers, administrators, or just plain old advocates for education who are interested in starting discussions on how to improve things in the educational realm. They are constantly piquing my interest and have given me many resources to pass on.
If you don’t see your favorite edu blogger, please feel free to suggest your favorites in the comments section, and I’ll be happy to add them!
And while you’re getting your feet wet with the EC Ning, you should check out EC Ning creator Jim Burke’s English Companion Blogfor even more useful information.
Concentrating in websites that will help you teach ELL, ESL and EFL, Larry Ferlazzo’s website is a great resource for all sorts of information on education. Specializing in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced English Language Learners (as well as native English speakers) at LutherBurbankHigh School in Sacramento, California Larry Ferlazzo has been a high school teacher for five years after spending nineteen years working as a community organizer.
In addition to writing this blog and maintaining his website, Larry writes regularly for In Practice, a blog created by Alice Mercer in 2007 and written by a group of teachers from around the world who teach in low-income communities.
This site, sort of a news feed for what’s going on in education, derives its name from edu(cation) and (lit)erati. 'Edurati' is used to refer to a “new wave of educators, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and activists driving catalytic innovation in public education.” My fellow tweeters, Chad Ratliff, Jason Flom, andKevin D. Washburn are all contributors to this blog, and give a unique insight on various issues in education. This is one of the websites I check daily, and I am genuinely excited when there’s a new post to read!
Speaking of Kevin D. Washburn, his blog is not only well-written and interesting but his focus on the quality of instruction is similar to Prestwick House’s (which makes it extremely fun for me to read). His “experience as a teacher in elementary through college level classrooms and positions in curriculum and instruction combine with his penchant for reading and research in both educational and scientific areas to uncover important implications for learning.”
This blog was created by Dorit Sasson, freelance writer and ESL teacher, and is dedicated to supporting new teachers. There are constantly new posts and links on developing strategies for succeeding in the classroom including tips on lesson planning, classroom management, and discovering different learning styles and teaching methods.
This blog written by Kelly Hinesis witty, fun, and covers a number of interesting education topics. As stated in the title, this 4th grade teacher is adamant about kids and education and her blog is definitely a must-read.
Magedah Shabo, editor of this compact, 232-page anthology has agreed to speak about her experiences compiling some of the works of great African American authors, how this project has influenced her personally, and how this anthology will improve literature classes.
This anthology is very concise but contains a great variety of writers. How did you choose the authors and selections for this anthology? What books most influenced your choices?
I designed this book with the goal of covering a wide variety of genres, time periods, and viewpoints, all within the small space of about two-hundred pages. I had noticed that, while there are some excellent African American lit anthologies available, none are concise enough or inexpensive enough to be useful in high school classrooms.
In developing a high school-friendly anthology, I naturally wanted to include some of the canon essentials, like Langston Hughes’s poetry and excerpts from famous works by W.E.B. DuBois and Frederick Douglass. At the same time, I also wanted to make this a truly valuable and unique resource by including some pieces that are less accessible to most high school classrooms—works by lesser-known writers like Lucy Terry and Jessie Redmon Fauset, a rarely-published short story by Toni Morrison, and so on.
The short story “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison is a great example of modern African American literature that is not included in many other anthologies. How did you end up including this story in the collection?
“Recitatif” is a brilliant story, and I’m glad it will be making its way into high schools through this anthology. It was almost impossible to teach this text before we published our collection; in fact, I don’t believe it’s even in print anywhere else at present.
This is a story about two women, one black and one white, whose lives intersect at several points over the course of about three decades. One of the remarkable things about this piece is that you never find out which woman is black and which is white. The characters interact over random fragments of history—the death of Jimi Hendrix, the rise of IBM, desegregation busing—and although the narrative explores racial tensions, it never allows the reader to comfortably consign either woman to a racial category.
The selections in the anthology are arranged in chronological order, and this is the last piece in the book. We begin with Colonial-era poetry written by slaves, and we conclude with this story from the 1980s that seems to question the meaning and legitimacy of race altogether. I thought that was a great way to end the anthology.
What is the general message that ties together the selections in this anthology? What would you like your readers to grasp after reading it?
I wouldn’t say there is any particular message that unifies these selections. I think that our writers’ shared legacies of African American history and culture are reason enough for anthologizing these works together—such a collection gives us personal, artistic accounts of events we usually read about as cold, dead history, and it allows us to compare different points of view on these issues and experiences. But imposing any sort of thematic or ideological unity on such a collection would have required heavy editorializing, if not censorship.
For example, I would never have been able to pair Booker T. Washington with his legendary detractor, W.E.B. DuBois, if we were aiming to present a cohesive message; that would have meant losing one side of a fascinating conversation, and it would have been a misrepresentation of black literature and history.
In short, no, we didn’t attempt to moralize through this book. However, there is a quote on the back cover that I believe will provoke thought and discussion among readers. The quote reads, “Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as a serious, rigorous art form.” I believe the indictment is, in other words, that the study of black literature is too often performed condescendingly—it’s treated as an act of magnanimity, rather than simply as literary analysis. I think this quote will engage readers with the question of how black literature is and ought to be and studied.
Which selection in the anthology is your favorite and why?
As much as I admire many of the other pieces in the collection, Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girlstands out to me as a favorite. It’s a nonfiction work, so you can read it for its historical value alone. But on top of that, you get the pleasure of reading a story that has all the suspense and poetry of a romance. There’s even a philosophical side to this piece.
You’ll see the depths of human depravity in some of Jacobs’s accounts, but in the same text you’ll also see glimpses of a sublime grace and mercy shining through some of the characters. It’s quite a rewarding study. We’ve excerpted the book in the anthology, but I would encourage anyone who hasn’t read the entire narrative to pick up a copy. Prestwick House provides the full version of this text in our Literary Touchstone Classic line.
If you could meet one of the authors included in the anthology (living or dead), which would it be and why?
Each one of these authors has lived a remarkable life, but if I could interview only one, I would probably choose Phillis Wheatley. I say that because there seems to be something about literacy that makes living in slavery a particularly maddening experience—Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass both indicate as much in their narratives—and I would love to hear Wheatley’s full, uncensored story, as one who was all at once a scholar, a renowned prodigy, and a piece of property. I imagine she would have had an incredible tale to tell. Unfortunately, unlikeJacobs and Douglass, Wheatley died at a young age and never recorded her full story, so we can only imagine.
How do you think this anthology will improve literature classes? In what ways do you think this anthology will affect modern high school students?
I hope that having access to this anthology will inspire more teachers to tackle some of the great works we’ve included here, including some of those that are perhaps controversial or simply obscure. There’s a wealth of history, creativity, eloquence, and skill on display in this book, and I’m certain it will enrich the educational experiences of teachers and students alike.
What new projects are around the corner for Prestwick House?
I’m currently working on a book about reasoning and argumentation. The ability to think clearly and to recognize and interpret different kinds of persuasive techniques is essential to good writing and analysis, and this next book will be focused on sharpening these skill sets. It should be particularly useful for AP Language and Composition classes.
In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, Dr. Watson is said to have suffered a bullet wound during the war. Where was he shot?
What famous Russian novelist and short story writer had several butterflies named after him?
What best-selling author opened the first Saab auto dealership in the United States?
What famous writer wished to ban Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn from American public libraries, stating it was inappropriate for "our pure-minded lads and lassies"?
Last Week's Answers
What is the most expensive book or manuscript ever sold at an auction?
The most expensive book or manuscript ever sold at an auction was The Codex Hammer, a notebook belonging to Leonardo da Vinci. It sold for $30.8 million.
When was the first novel written?
The first novel ever written contains 54 chapters and is titled The Tale of Genji. It was written in the beginning of the 11th century by Murasaki Shibuku, a Japanese noblewoman.
How old are the oldest words in the English language?
The oldest words in the English language date from approximately 14,000 years ago and originate from a pre-Indo-European language called Nostratic by linguists. Words from Nostratic that survive today include apple gold (gol), (apal), tin (tin), and bad (bad).
In old English, the word “with” originally meant what?
In Old English, the word with meant "against". This meaning is still preserved in phrases such as "to fight with"
A group of geese is called a gaggle when they are on the ground. What are they called when they are in flight?
A group of magpies is called a tiding, one of ravens an unkindness, one of turtledoves a pitying, one of starlings a murmuration, one of swans a lamentation, one of ponies a string, one of rattlesnakes a rhumba, one of crows a murder, one of cobras a quiver, one of foxes a skulk, one of emus a mob, one of elks a gang, one of cats a clowder, one of flamingoes a pat, and one of bears a sleuth. Groups of geese are named in a peculiar manner; when they are on the ground they are called a "gaggle", but in the air they are called a "skein."
In what writer's work did author Cicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews find her famous pseudonym--Rebecca West?
