Only Two Weeks Left to Submit Your Entries! First Annual Prestwick House Delaware Language Arts Student of the Year Award

Only two weeks remain to nominate an outstanding language arts student for the first annual Delaware Language Arts Student of the Year Award!

Along with a plaque commemorating the achievement, the winner of the Delaware Language Arts Student of the Year Award will receive a $500.00 scholarship for use during the 2010-2011 school year, along with recognition at the Delaware Shakespeare Festival this June.

“This contest is an excellent opportunity to recognize students in grades 9-12 who have demonstrated excellent academic achievement in the study of literature, writing, and English Language Arts,” says Prestwick House CEO, Jason Scott. “Working hard in school to get the most out of your education is a great achievement.”

English teachers within the state of Delaware are invited to nominate one student in grades 9-12 from their schools that they personally teach. Submissions will be accepted until June 10th, 2010 and can be emailed to keith@prestwickhouse.com. Entries must include a letter of recommendation that explains why the nominated individual is an outstanding student, a student writing sample, and contact information (including email addresses) for both teacher and nominee. Candidates should be individuals who have a passion for learning and demonstrate outstanding dedication to the field of language arts.

“We are looking for students who have positive attitudes and are genuinely interested in learning. Acting as a role model for peers both academically and socially in a school setting is an attribute that should be both recognized and rewarded,” says Prestwick House General Manager, Keith Bergstrom.

Finalists will be announced during the last week of June 2010, with the winner announced later in the summer at the Delaware Shakespeare Festival. All finalists will be featured on the Prestwick House website, blog, and in the Footnotes monthly email newsletter.

For more information on the Prestwick House Delaware Language Arts Student of the Year Award, please contact Keith Bergstrom by phone at (800)-932-4593 x130 or email keith@prestwickhouse.com.

Tuesday Trivia

1. Who is the woman in the photo on the cover of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter?
2. Who said "I do my best writing at night, jacked up on caffeine, utterly alone."?
3. What is Cormac McCarthy's real first name?
4. In which magazine was Chris Bohjalian, author of New York Times bestseller Skeletons at the Feast, first published?
5. The only life-sized stature of which beloved British author is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

Last Week's Answers

Which Victorian novelist’s mother, prompted by financial troubles, moved to Cincinnati and opened a store, then moved back to England and wrote an unfavorable account of Americans?

When her husband went bankrupt, Frances Trollope, mother of Anthony Trollope moved to America and opened her bazaar.



What is the shortest correspondence in history between a publisher and an author?

The record for the shortest correspondence goes to Victor Hugo and his publisher Hurst & Blackett in 1862. It is said Hugo was on vacation when Les Misérables (which is over 1200 pages) was published. He telegraphed the single-character message "?" to his publisher, who replied with a single "!".



To whom did Abraham Lincoln, upon first being introduced, allegedly exclaim, “So you're the little lady who started this great war!”

Harriet Beecher Stowe



What do Franklin W. Dixon, Laura Lee Hope, Victor Appleton, Carolyn Keene, and Arthur M. Winfield all have in common?

They are all noms de plume for Edward Stratemeyer, the man responsible for the Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and the Rover Boys series of young adult literature.



Which Connecticut gentleman was responsible for the creation of the modern spelling bee?

Noah Webster, creator of Webster’s Dictionary and Speller.

Goal-Setting with Wallwisher

Part of any curriculum should involve goal-setting. Students who attach learning to a purpose tend to become more intrinsically motivated to learn. Ideally goal-setting should occur at the beginning of the school term then be revisited at the end of the school term. For many of our students the school term is ending. Have we helped our students revisit their learning goals? Have our students set learning goals for the summer? After all, learning should be continuous.

Reflection

Before students begin goal-setting, they should reflect upon their reasons for learning. When students realize their purpose for learning they become intrinsically motivated to learn. They learn to reach a goal and not just to achieve a grade. Their purpose for learning should be tied to their real world experience. One way to do this is to help students reflect on what they hope to achieve by the end of their schooling. Do they hope to attend college? Do they hope to establish themselves in a career? Even students who have rarely showed any motivation for learning can be convinced to set a learning goal for themselves. No student would like to acquire a job that pays below minimum wage.

Reflection is key to establishing these goals. Students must reflect in order to set goals that will intrinsically motivate them to achieve. This is where Wallwisher helps. Wallwisher is a free and easy Web 2.0 tool that acts as an online bulletin board where students can place sticky notes by simply clicking on the board. The words they type can be followed by a link to a motivational quote, picture, song, podcast, or video. The educator can then embed this bulletin board on a wiki. Below is an example of the goal statements my English language learners made at the beginning of the semester. Visit my wiki to view the rest of the lesson.

At the end of the class term, my students reflected on these goals and we discussed what they had and had not achieved. For my students these goals were tied to personal reasons. We discussed why they wanted to learn English. For your students, they should reflect on why they want to learn your subject. If students struggle with this question, then ask them why it is important to learn the subject. Have the students provide real world examples when they have used the knowledge in their everyday lives. Making these connections helps students realize the importance of the learning.

Continuous Learning

Successful student goal-setting must translate into action. Students can create a Wallwisher in which they have to list interesting ways they can continue their learning during the summer. This learning can tie into their personal goals. For example, a math student can write on the Wallwisher the goal is to keep fit for the summer and to calculate the distance and calories burned. The same student can link to a website that helps them keep track of these measurements. An English student can write the same goal and choose to keep a daily journal of the running experience. Both are common personal goals students have during the summer. As an educator you have now helped your students think about ways your subject has tied into that personal goal. You have helped your students make real world connections to their learning.

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Shelly Sanchez Terrell is a freelance technology teacher trainer, the VP of Educator Outreach for Parentella.com, and an English language teacher based in Germany. Explore her Teacher Reboot Camp Blog for tips on professional development and integrating technology effectively into the classroom. She can be reached via Twitter, @shellterrell.

Tuesday Trivia

1. Which Victorian novelist’s mother, prompted by financial troubles, moved to Cincinnati and opened a store, then moved back to England and wrote an unfavorable account of Americans?
2. What is the shortest correspondence in history between a publisher and an author?
3. To whom did Abraham Lincoln, upon first being introduced, allegedly exclaim, “So you're the little lady who started this great war!”
4. What do Franklin W. Dixon, Laura Lee Hope, Victor Appleton, Carolyn Keene, and Arthur M. Winfield all have in common?
5. Which Connecticut gentleman was responsible for the creation of the modern spelling bee?

Which award-winning Canadian author collaborated with composers at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto on a piece of music for piano, bass, and string quartet titled “You Are Who You Are”?

Yann Martel


Which famous New England poet was actually born and raised in San Francisco?

Robert Frost


What famous satirist suffered from an ailment that also plagues current NBA free agent Steve Francis?

Jonathan Swift


Which young adult author ran away at the age of 14 to join a carnival?

Gary Paulsen


Which young adult author was born in Philadelphia, PA but relocated to Florida with her family at age 5 due to her chronic pneumonia?

Kate DiCamillo

Earning Character: Students as Successful Citizens

What are schools for? This is an important question. I argue that a school's main function is to prepare students to be productive and successful citizens and I would bet that there are very few opponents to this definition. The trouble begins when another question is asked: “How do schools prepare citizens?” This question has many answers which invokes philosophical and political debate and can even lead to arguments among educators. The truth is that there isn't a perfect answer to this question because life isn't a multiple choice quiz. It is open, creative, and evolving. In fact, I believe powerful educators promote the idea that there are many answers with the best solution ultimately being a colorful collection of many approaches rather than a simple statement.

One of these approaches is to teach students how to embrace the local community. In an era when global collaboration and video conferencing are becoming common classroom practices, we can easily overlook the fact that we can't get global unless we step outside the front door first. Schools are built to be community centers. They are concert halls and sports arenas. Yet we too often remain isolated in a classroom with few visitors and even fewer outreach options. I know this model does not help to create successful citizens. As international events and the shrinking of our world puts pressure on teachers to connect at this scale, we shouldn't overlook the value of connecting locally.

I promote this simple concept every day. While the title of the courses I teach are usually named Technology Seminar or Computer Science, it is commonplace to walk in to my computer lab and see a dozen high school students cutting signs for the Lion's Club, sketching logos for the local coffee house's website, or transcribing the bylaws for the local senior center – and they are smiling. Students chat with tech support online, go to the store for supplies, and make phone calls in search of the best prices for the organizations we help. They enjoy helping and they enjoy class. They are connected as community members and have ownership. When they get free coffee from Brig O'Doon for their work, of course they are happy!

It isn't always about the curriculum, the standards, the tests, or the grades. Remember, it is actually about preparing students to become successful citizens. Our charge is to teach the whole child all the time and a narrow vision of education will not due. Posting a website for a cancer survivor's benefit builds character, volunteering time at the elementary school instills a value for service, and struggling with a church's database of local war veterans teaches perseverance. These soft skills honed in community activities prepare students for the world after high school more than any curriculum and they can't be taught. Students must earn their character and that is the best lesson I know how to teach.

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Rich Kiker is the Media Technology Chair and Technology Coach at Palisades School District in Bucks County, PA as well as an adjunct professor of Instructional Technology at Kutztown University. He is also am an educational technology consultant leading professional development for organizations and IUs around PA. You can also find him on twitter - @rkiker.

Tuesday Trivia

1. Which award-winning Canadian author collaborated with composers at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto on a piece of music for piano, bass, and string quartet titled “You Are Who You Are”?
2. Which famous New England poet was actually born and raised in San Francisco?
3. What famous satirist suffered from an ailment that also plagues current NBA free agent Steve Francis?
4. Which young adult author ran away from his family at the age of 14 to join a carnival?
5. Which young adult author was born in Philadelphia, PA but relocated to Florida with her family at age 5 due to her chronic pneumonia?

What does the name Mark Twain mean?
Twelve feet, in other words, the water was deep enough to allow safe passage for a steamship.

What “spokesman for a generation” has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature at least three times?
Bob Dylan

During cremation, which author’s heart simply would not burn and as a result became a keepsake for his wife?
Percy Bysshe Shelly died in a freak boat accident and was cremated shortly after. When his heart refused to burn during his cremation (possibly due to calcification), the heart was given to Mary Shelley who kept the heart in her desk.

Which poet was returned to his city of birth upon his death to be buried but was hidden in a wall to prevent anyone from stealing the corpse — a hiding place was forgotten until 1865, when a construction worker unearthed it during church renovations?
Dante died of Malaria in 1321 and was returned to his native Florence. A construction worker found the corpse during construction in 1865, and in the time it took to rebury him, several pieces of Dante’s body mysteriously went missing, taken as trinkets.
Which novelist, who published anonymously, was unintentionally insulted by her young niece when the girl threw down a copy of her aunt’s novel and exclaimed, “Oh that must be rubbish, I am sure from the title.”
Jane Austen

Yann Martel ♥ Prestwick House

Okay, so maybe we don't have a personal relationship with the author of Life of Pi, but our Literary Touchstone Classic edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is mentioned in a recent "The Week" article detailing Mr. Martel's top 6 favorite books of all time. Although listed in the article at $4 per copy, this title sells for $1.99 with our educator's discount.

Read the full article here or check out excerpts below!

Martel's latest book, Beatrice and Virgil, his third novel, was published last month by Spiegel & Grau. Here, Martel's personal book recommendations:

[...]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Prestwick House, $4). Forget what you think you know about the story. It starts as a fairly conventional gothic horror story—until you get to the last chapter. There, you find one of the greatest descriptions in literature of the battle between good and evil in the human heart. We are all good Dr. Jekylls, and the moral question put to each of us by the novel is the same: What will you do with the evil Mr. Hyde lurking in you?

The Action Figures I Wish I Had As a Child...

Tuesday Trivia

1. What does the Samuel Clemens's pseudonym "Mark Twain" mean?
2. What “spokesman for a generation” has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature at least three times?
3. During cremation, which author’s heart simply would not burn and as a result became a keepsake for his wife?
4. Which poet was returned to his city of birth upon his death to be buried, and was hidden in a wall to prevent anyone from stealing the corpse — a hiding place was forgotten until 1865?
5. Which novelist, who published anonymously, was unintentionally insulted by her young niece when the girl threw down a copy of her aunt’s novel and exclaimed, “Oh that must be rubbish, I am sure from the title.”

Which author’s wife died as a result of her dress catching on fire as she sealed their child’s hair in a scrapbook with hot wax?


As Longfellow’s wife was adding a lock of their infant daughter’s hair to her scrap book using wax, drops of the hot wax fell onto her lap, and her dress went instantly up in flames. Although Longfellow tried to save her and was severely burned himself in the process, she suffered a few days and then died of her injuries.



Which author commissioned a portrait of himself as he expected to appear when he rose from the grave at the Apocalypse?


A few months before his death, Donne commissioned this gruesome portrait and hung it on his wall as a reminder of the transience of life. (See image above).



Which female author was also considered the world’s first computer programmer?



Augusta Ada King, a writer and the illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron, was known for her work on Babbage's analytical engine. Her copious notes on this machine that would become the precursor to the modern computer include the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine — making her the world’s first computer programmer.



Believed to be an alcoholic and opium addict, which poet and author most likely died (prematurely) of a brain tumor?


Edgar Allan Poe