I know I mostly mention them only in my complaints about grading their essays, but my sophomore honors English students have been getting pretty creative lately. We recently finished reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. You can read my review here. It is seriously one of the best books I have ever read, though I know my students are mostly too young to appreciate it yet.
But they sure can make some fun extension projects! I basically said, “Do you something you already like to do, but show me how you interpreted the story through your passion.”
Apparently, lots of kids like to make playlists of sad or revolutionary songs {hello, Bright Eyes and the Les Mis soundtrack!}, and lots of kids still like to build with legos.
And plenty of kids like to cater toward their audience {moi} and bake cakes.
The cask of wine spills open at the beginning of the novel, and little fruit leather people start to lap it up…hysterical!
The escape scene at the end.
The guillotine in action. Notice the little head in the tray…
Sour Patch Kids, meeting their deaths at the hands of the great candy guillotine!
Inside the DeFarge’s wine shop. Notice Madame DeFarge’s red rose in her hair. There must be a spy afoot!
We ate a ton of cake. Only one was from scratch, but I guess they’ve gotta start somewhere.
Did you have to read this book in high school? Loved it? Hated it?
What fun projects! It’s cool you give the students so much leeway to follow their passions. I haven’t read the book but perhaps I should now!
Thanks, Erin! You totally should! It’s has lots of good twists and turns because Dickens published it in sections in a magazine. People would wait on the docks in NYC for the next shipment to come in so they could see what happened to their fave characters — kind of like “Downton Abbey” now!
Never read this book but I just might need too! My sophomore english teacher was not quite as cool as you, she tortured us with Animal Farm! I still cannot appreciate that book today because we spent over half the year on it. Bleah!
That is a long time on a short book!! I am opting NOT to teach that one this year. You should totally read this one! I bet you would love it.
I ‘read’ the book by way of Cliff notes…so now that I know it’s one of your faves, I’m going to have to read! And, quite creative students you have. I miss being able to do fun projects for fabulous teachers such as yourself.
Go for it! Read it! Then let me know what you think. It’s kind of a long haul, but so worth it.
It’s going to be my first spring/summer read when I sit out on my porch with Ted and guzzle wine. Maybe I’ll even read it to him!
Do; it will help him get into college for cats.
HA! I’ll let you know how he likes the book.
What a cool teacher! Creativity in the classroom + food = Win!
Thanks!
During my junior year, we could either make a cake or a poster for a cell project in science class. We had close to 35 kids in the class and I was the only one that made a poster. I had cake in every flavor I thought there was and it was years and years before I would touch cake, regardless of the occasion. That was, of course, not what you asked, but I will add this book to my stack this Summer.
This made me laugh so hard, I had to read it to my husband. I loved that you actually ate all of that cake! What a project in itself!
I was insane by the end of week two, ten days of cake. I don’t know if I was overcome by sugar or what, but I got to go to the library one day to get away from the cake. By week three, I was near tears and I hated the lazy class who could barely write their names, but they sure took pride in their cake makings. By week four, I was mad, and for spite, I made a poster and made those hillbillies sit through my entire presentation and might I add, it was a killer poster, too. I was never as glad to be rid of a science class as I was that one. I hate science still and it was at least 5 years or more before I would eat cake of any kind.
This whole story just is unlike anything I’ve ever heard! I have to really beg my students to try baking. I love that you made the poster out of spite!