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November 2009 |
| 1 | SundayCelebrate National Family Literacy Day! National Family Literacy Day, celebrated across the U.S., focuses on special activities and events that showcase the importance of family literacy programs. First held in 1994, the annual event is officially celebrated on November 1st, but many events are held throughout the month of November. Schools, libraries, and other literacy organizations participate through read-a-thons, celebrity appearances, book drives, and more. Classroom Activity Kick off National Family Literacy Day by inviting parents, grandparents, and other family members to your classroom for a family–school reading day.
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| 2 | MondayNovember is National American Indian Heritage Month. After nearly a century of advocacy, National American Indian Heritage Month was first recognized through joint resolution by Congress in 1990. Now recognized annually, November is a time to learn more about the history and heritage of Native American peoples. Classroom Activity Engage your students in an exploration of Native American heritage through a study of Native American pourquoi tales. Pourquoi tales explain why something or someone, usually in nature, is the way it is. Have your students read a variety of Native American pourquoi tales, explore the cultural origins and signficance of these stories, and share similar stories from their own cultures. This First People website includes a selection of tales, including many pourquoi tales. After reading these tales and identifying pourquoi story elements, brainstorm with the class a list of animals with distinctive features or a list of natural events such as lightning, rain, or snow, and then have students write original pourquoi tales for how they came to be. When students finish, they can publish their tales using the ReadWriteThink Printing Press. The “booklet” option allows students to add additional pages to accommodate longer stories. After printing the finished product, students can add illustrations to their stories. |
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| 3 | TuesdayStellaluna author Janell Cannon was born in 1957. Stellaluna, the story of a baby bat that learns to live with birds, is a must-read on any booklist when students begin a study of bats. It also makes for a great read-aloud in celebration of Janell Cannon’s birthday. Classroom Activity After reading Stellaluna, lead a discussion with your students about the themes in the story. Ask them to talk about the differences between Stellaluna and the birds, and how those differences influenced the way the animals interacted with each other. Use the story as an introduction to a unit on bats or as a lead-in to a creative writing activity. A nice follow-up to a read-aloud, for example, would be to have students write their own sequels to Stellaluna. This can be done using the Stapleless Book, either independently or with a partner. Watch this video on how to fold a Stapleless Book. Teachers with very young children may choose to do this as a Shared Writing Activity. |
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| 4 | Wednesday |
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| 5 | ThursdaySusan B. Anthony voted on this date in 1872, leading to her arrest. On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony cast a ballot in the presidential election, though women at the time were prohibited from doing so. Two weeks later, she was arrested, and the following year, she was found guilty of illegal voting. It would take another 50 years until the Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, would grant women nationwide the right to vote. Classroom Activity Two of the most important lessons that we can draw from Susan B. Anthony’s experiences are to understand the effects of prejudice and to appreciate the courage of acting on one’s convictions. So, on this day, grant special privileges to an arbitrarily designated group in your classroom: people wearing, say, the color red, or blondes, or people whose names start with S. These privileges could include a treat, a special hall pass, etc. You should not let anyone in on why you have singled this group out. Let the privileges—and the complaining about them—continue for a while. Then, ask students to write about how they felt during the simulation. Ask them to focus on the fairness of your actions in singling out this group for special treatment. The next step is to ask students to consider exactly what they might be willing to do to change an unjust law. Remind them that Anthony and other women’s rights activists went to jail to protest an injustice. Have students write about what they might feel strongly enough about to protest and what actions are justified in order to change that injustice. |
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| 6 | FridayJames Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, was born in 1861. Dr. James Naismith, athletic director of the YMCA in Springfield, MA, had a problem— the cold winters kept everyone indoors. So in 1891, he invented the game of basketball. Players had to throw a soccer ball into a peach basket resting on top of a ten-foot pole. The sport quickly grew in popularity, though amazingly, it took more than ten years for someone to come up with the brilliant idea of cutting a hole in the bottom of the peach baskets! Classroom Activity Looking at the rules of a game allows for a perfect opportunity for students to practice their expository reading and writing skills. Print out copies of Naismith’s original 13 rules for basketball. Put students into groups (since some students know a lot about basketball and some very little) and ask them to read the original rules and to identify—with different colored highlighters—the rules that are still in effect today and the rules that have been changed or eliminated. Then, ask students to write one rule that has been added to the original list and another rule that has been changed dramatically from the original source. Have students present these new and modified rules to the class. Working individually, students should brainstorm a list of sports and games that they know well. Have students select one from their list and write ten rules for playing that sport or game. Remind students that their audience is people who have never played or heard of that sport or game before. In addition to the ten rules, students should also identify the equipment and time needed to play. Afterward, students should read each other’s lists to be sure that all necessary rules are included. |
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| 7 | Saturday |
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| 8 | SundayBram Stoker, the author of Dracula, was born in 1847. Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, was born on this date in 1847. Dracula, originally published in 1897, has become the basis for many films, TV shows, and other novels over the more than 100 years since its publication. Classroom Activity In this novel, Bram Stoker depicted many of the superstitions about vampires that were prevalent in his era. Today, we have superstitions about many things besides vampires. Brainstorm with students the superstitions they know. Begin by offering some that will be familiar to many students, such as bad luck symbols (e.g., black cats, breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder) or good luck symbols (e.g., finding a penny, four-leaf clovers) and ask students to discuss how these superstitions might have had a basis in reality (for instance, it is good sense NOT to walk under a ladder, for safety’s sake). Break students up into small groups and have them research one of the superstitions to determine its country of origin and its original meaning or purpose. Then, students can use the interactive Mystery Cube to write a mystery story featuring their superstition. A Tool Tip Sheet offers instructions on how to use the Mystery Cube. |
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| 9 | MondayKristallnacht occurred in 1938. In 1938, as Hitler began to dominate the lives of the Jewish population of Germany, Nazi soldiers were ordered to destroy Jewish stores and homes on what became known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. Classroom Activity Many of the lessons associated with a study of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust focus on the incredibly vicious treatment of the Jews at the hands of Hitler and the Nazis. It is difficult to get students to understand how it was possible for the leaders of Germany at the time to wreak havoc on a segment of the German citizenry without others coming to their aid or rescue. To facilitate students’ understanding, a journal prompt asking them to recall a time when they failed to come to the assistance of someone who needed help could be used at the beginning of the class period. An alternative would be to read “The Good Samaritan” from Rene Saldana’s story collection Finding Our Way, in which a young man wrestles with just this situation. |
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| 10 | Tuesday |
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| 11 | WednesdayVeterans Day is celebrated in the United States today. Today, the United States honors those soldiers who have fought for their country in military service. Across America, ceremonies are held to commemorate the efforts of our armed forces past and present, and to remind us of both the strength and the compassion of our country. Classroom Activity Have students write biographical poems about a soldier by completing each of the following lines of the poem. This classroom activity is adapted from a lesson plan by Nancy Haugen of Arizona.
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| 12 | Thursday |
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| 13 | Friday |
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| 14 | SaturdayGet Ready for Bullying Awareness Week! Bullying Awareness Week was started in 2003 to raise awareness of the prevalence of bullying and to encourage grassroots actions to prevent it. Efforts are focused on encouraging both personal and community responsibility to prevent bullying. During this week, communities are urged to address the problem of bullying through media campaigns, classroom activities, workshops, and other special events. The theme for the 2009 campaign is Stand Up! (to bullying), running from November 15–21. Classroom Activity Promote school-wide awareness of bullying issues by sponsoring a poster contest. First, complete one of the lessons below and review information learned about bullying and the roles of bystanders and victims. Divide the class into three groups, and have each group create a poster representing the role of the bully, the victim, or bystanders to educate other classes about bullying issues. Then, advertise a poster-making contest to other classes, asking students to create posters that illustrate ways each student in the school can help stop bullying and make the school environment safer.
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| 15 | SundayThe Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805. In 1804, at the request of Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from St. Louis with their 33-member team to explore the American West. By mid-November of 1805, guided and aided much of the way by a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea, they arrived at the Pacific Ocean. Their accounts, describing the American Indians they met, the wildlife they saw, and the physical environment they withstood, paved the way for the great western expansion. Classroom Activity Think for a moment about how descriptive Lewis and Clark needed to be in their writings for an audience back East who had never seen, or imagined, what they were seeing. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice descriptive writing with your students. Depending upon your school’s technology, you can have students look at Kenneth Holder’s paintings of various scenes from the Lewis and Clark trail, available at The Sierra Club site. If this is not possible, print out landscape scenes—or slides from your own vacation—that are vivid in their details. Then, ask students to write words and phrases that describe what they see, what they imagine they might hear, etc. Remind them that they are writing for an audience that has never seen these pictures before. Ask students to transform their notes into a descriptive paragraph as if they were a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Last, ask students to return to a piece that they have already written this year and revise it by adding more sensory words and phrases. |
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| 16 | Monday |
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| 17 | Tuesday |
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| 18 | WednesdayMickey Mouse appears in his first animated feature. On November 18, 1928, Mickey Mouse made his movie debut in Steamboat Willie, one of the earliest animated cartoons. This seven-minute film, directed by Walt Disney, was the first to combine animation technology with synchronized sound. From this short film, based on a cartoon drawing, Disney created one of the largest media empires in the world. Classroom Activity Steamboat Willie was one of the earliest animated cartoons, a medium that grew from comic strips and Sunday funnies into a multimillion-dollar business. Invite your students to experiment with cartoon and comic strip drawings by collaborating to create a short, humorous story, with at least one main character that performs an action. When students have completed the short sequence, have them use the Comic Creator to make a flipbook. Students choose one background and repeat it multiple times as they draw their characters’ actions from one frame to the next. When they’ve completed each sequence of drawings, they print out the pages, cut the frames, and staple them together to create a flipbook. By stapling all the pages together in one corner or along one side, students are able to flip the pages of the book quickly, simulating animation. Allow students to share their flipbooks with their classmates. Teams can also experiment with adding vocals in the background to synchronize with the images. |
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| 19 | ThursdayAbraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863. Invited to speak at the consecration of a memorial honoring the dead at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most well-known speeches in American history. While the speech is extremely short—just 267 words—Lincoln used the opportunity both to honor the sacrifice of the soldiers and to remind American citizens of the necessity of continuing to fight the Civil War. The Gettysburg Address stands as a masterpiece of persuasive rhetoric. Classroom Activity Middle and high school students should be able to do a close reading of the Gettysburg Address by using the Pre-AP strategy called SOAPSTone. Print a copy of the Address. Then, ask students to identify and discuss the following:
While younger students may find the text of this speech too advanced, they can certainly begin the process of identifying the purpose, structure, and means of persuasive speech and writing. |
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| 20 | FridayWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was published in 1974. Children’s favorite Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was published on this day in 1974. While Silverstein’s rhymes may have been simple and catchy, his complex and thoughtful themes stick with his readers long after childhood. Silverstein was also a songwriter of such hits as “A Boy Named Sue” and “The Cover of The Rolling Stone.” Classroom Activity Everyone remembers Shel Silverstein. Ask seniors in high school who their favorite poet is and half will give his name. This activity can begin for middle and high school students by asking them what they remember about Silverstein. For lower grade levels, introduce them to a short verse of his poetry like the one below, and ask them for their general impressions: If you had a giraffe . . . and he stretched another half . . . you would have a giraffe and a half . . .One quality of Silverstein’s work is that even though it is often fantastical, it tends to be quite visual. Ask students to draw what they imagine when they read such lines as “If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire” or “Some whatifs crawled inside my ear.” After students have presented their drawings, ask them to write a line or two of their own that continues the passage and matches the flow and style of Silverstein’s work. Then have students paraphrase the author’s purpose in writing the poem. This is where they will find that though the words of a Silverstein poem are easy enough, the ideas are often difficult to communicate. |
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| 21 | SaturdayToday is World Hello Day! World Hello Day began in 1973 to promote peace between Egypt and Israel. There are now 180 countries involved in the attempt to foster peace throughout the world, and letters supporting the effort have been written by people such as John Glenn, Colin Powell, Kofi Annan, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Classroom Activity Throughout history, important leaders and institutions have used letters to make their beliefs known and to convince others of the importance of peace and unity. Invite your students to study one of the letters below for its message promoting peace in some way:
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| 22 | Sunday |
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| 23 | Monday |
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| 24 | Tuesday |
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| 25 | Wednesday |
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| 26 | ThursdayAmerica celebrates Thanksgiving Day. Although the holiday has been celebrated for over 200 years, the fourth Thursday of November didn’t become the official Thanksgiving Day until 1941, when Franklin Roosevelt signed the holiday into Federal law for the first time. Up until that time, the date had been in flux. Classroom Activity Share the book Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, which offers a glimpse of Sarah Hale’s spirit and drives home the message that a letter writing campaign can make a difference. Hale wrote persistently to officials in many levels of government promoting the observance of Thanksgiving as a unified national holiday. Not a woman to take “No” for an answer, Sarah Hale continued writing for four decades and five Presidencies. In October, 1863, President Lincoln, perhaps in response to an editorial Hale had published in the magazine she edited, addressed a Thanksgiving proclamation to “fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” As a class, read the letter Hale sent to Lincoln. Use Sarah’s story as inspiration for students to think about things they can urge others to do to make a difference in their communities. With students, brainstorm a list of ways that you can make the community better. Using the Letter Generator and its Tool Tip Sheet, have students write letters urging action, just as Sarah Hale did 140 years ago. |
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| 27 | Friday |
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| 28 | SaturdayPoet William Blake was born in 1757. William Blake was born on November 28, 1757, in London, England. While best known for his poetry, including The Songs of Innocence and The Songs of Experience, Blake was also an accomplished artist and engraver who illustrated many of his own poetic works. As a believer in the power of human imagination, Blake influenced those poets and writers who would later be called the Romantics. He died on August 12, 1827, with no money and little recognition. Classroom Activity In his artwork, Blake invented names, faces, and actions that personified abstract concepts. His character, Urizen, for example, represented law and order, and Blake often drew him as a bearded old man. As a class, brainstorm a list of grade-appropriate abstract concepts, such as “freedom,” “anger,” “peer pressure,” “frustration,” etc. Then, have students choose one and write down all the words that they associate with that concept. Finally, students should personify that concept either through a drawing or through a story told about the character who personifies that concept. See “Poetstanding” the Poem for examples of Blake’s personification. Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience also work well to develop students’ skills at comparing and contrasting. Have students read and complete a Venn diagram for The Tyger and The Lamb. Elementary students can identify words and phrases that are similar and different in the poems, while older students should be able to identify differences in tone and theme. |
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| 29 | SundayLouisa May Alcott was born in 1832. Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and other novels, was born on this date in 1832. Alcott wrote several novels under her real name and also penned works under a pseudonym. Her very first novel, The Inheritance—written when she was 17—wasn’t published until 150 years after she wrote it, when two researchers discovered it in a library in 1997. Classroom Activity Little Women is partly autobiographical. Alcott used many of the events of her own life as fodder for her writing of this and her other novels. In fact, most scholars believe that the character of Jo March closely resembles Louisa May Alcott. It is not unusual for authors to take incidents from their own lives and use them in their fiction. Ask students to brainstorm and write in their journals important events and names of people from their lives that might serve as the beginning point for an interesting story, poem, or longer work. Students can then use the interactive Bio-Cube to plan their story. Visit the tool tip sheet to learn more about the Bio-Cube. An alternative might be to ask students to write about a memorable person in a nonfiction essay format. (This could be submitted to Readers' Digest, which has a feature of this type in each issue). Another alternative would be to have students research the life of Alcott and then read some of her novels to develop a list of those people and incidents from her own life that appear in her fiction. |
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| 30 | MondayJonathan Swift was born on this day in 1667. Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667. Swift is famous for works including Gulliver’s Travels, A Modest Proposal, and A Tale of a Tub. Known for his satirical writings, as well as his poetry and essays, Swift also wrote under several pseudonyms, including the name Isaac Bickerstaff. Classroom Activity A Modest Proposal is considered to be one of the best examples of satire ever written. Have students explore the elements of satire and parody using the lessons below. Then, have them extend that exploration by surveying instances of satire and parody in television and film, advertising, and journalism. Begin by dividing students into three groups and assigning each to either television and film, journalism, or advertising.
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