CCBC-Net Archives
[CCBC-Net] Alice in the Classroom? in the Library?
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 12:48:21 +0100
ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu writes:
My curriculum is actually at The Many Faces of Alice website
(www.dalton.org/alice) for anyone who wants to read about it in detail. Basically, I have accumulated a large collection of illustrated editions of Alice's Adventures. Every day each child selects one and follows along while I read a chapter aloud from the annotated edition. I refer to background information as I feel is appropriate to the particular group. At the end of the session each child selects one illustration from the chapter to show class. (Sometimes we do show more than one depending on the chapter.)
I have a weekly period when the children write letters to me in a journal and during the Alice unit I asked them to respond to different questions such as "Who is your favorite illustrator and why?" "Who is your favorite character and why?" At some point we chart the similarities and differences between the illustrators. Last year I showed them and read to them some of Carroll's letters to children. (There are some great ones reproduced in Christina Bjork's book on Alice Liddell, The Other Alice.) The children then wrote letters to either Carroll or Alice. They turned out great!
Once we have finished the book I always do an Alice project. For two years we did a complete illustrated Alice on the web. Other years the children just decide what they want to do. I tried to convince last year's group to do toy theaters, but they had other ideas (one team made a very clever Alice in Baseball Land story) and rejected me. I have a great toy theater model and found a bunch of web sites, so maybe I can talk this year's class into it!
I show Dennis Potter's Dreamchild which is about the relationship between Carroll and Alice Liddell. At first I made it optional, but the kids all were really interested in it and so I now show it to all of them after providing lots of context about both people.
We end with an Alice in Wonderland tea party. While the class is in gym I transform the classroom (with the help of some parents.) I move all the desks into a long table and cover it with a table cloth. I put up lanterns and decorate the whole room. One year a parent gave me crystal bunny candle holders so we use those too. The kids contribute the treats: scones, tea sandwiches, biscuits, bread and butter, tarts (of course!), and more. I provide hot water and basic tea and chocolate (for those who don't like tea.) When they come back and after they've settle down they share their illustrations. Then we watch the Disney film. It is fascinating to see after all we've done and they've lots to say about it.
So that is about it! It is great fun and I highly recommend it!
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Tue 24 Oct 2000 06:48:21 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 12:48:21 +0100
ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu writes:
My curriculum is actually at The Many Faces of Alice website
(www.dalton.org/alice) for anyone who wants to read about it in detail. Basically, I have accumulated a large collection of illustrated editions of Alice's Adventures. Every day each child selects one and follows along while I read a chapter aloud from the annotated edition. I refer to background information as I feel is appropriate to the particular group. At the end of the session each child selects one illustration from the chapter to show class. (Sometimes we do show more than one depending on the chapter.)
I have a weekly period when the children write letters to me in a journal and during the Alice unit I asked them to respond to different questions such as "Who is your favorite illustrator and why?" "Who is your favorite character and why?" At some point we chart the similarities and differences between the illustrators. Last year I showed them and read to them some of Carroll's letters to children. (There are some great ones reproduced in Christina Bjork's book on Alice Liddell, The Other Alice.) The children then wrote letters to either Carroll or Alice. They turned out great!
Once we have finished the book I always do an Alice project. For two years we did a complete illustrated Alice on the web. Other years the children just decide what they want to do. I tried to convince last year's group to do toy theaters, but they had other ideas (one team made a very clever Alice in Baseball Land story) and rejected me. I have a great toy theater model and found a bunch of web sites, so maybe I can talk this year's class into it!
I show Dennis Potter's Dreamchild which is about the relationship between Carroll and Alice Liddell. At first I made it optional, but the kids all were really interested in it and so I now show it to all of them after providing lots of context about both people.
We end with an Alice in Wonderland tea party. While the class is in gym I transform the classroom (with the help of some parents.) I move all the desks into a long table and cover it with a table cloth. I put up lanterns and decorate the whole room. One year a parent gave me crystal bunny candle holders so we use those too. The kids contribute the treats: scones, tea sandwiches, biscuits, bread and butter, tarts (of course!), and more. I provide hot water and basic tea and chocolate (for those who don't like tea.) When they come back and after they've settle down they share their illustrations. Then we watch the Disney film. It is fascinating to see after all we've done and they've lots to say about it.
So that is about it! It is great fun and I highly recommend it!
Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org monicaedinger at yahoo.com
Received on Tue 24 Oct 2000 06:48:21 AM CDT
