Henry David Thoreau’s time spent at Walden Pond was not a fluke; it was a carefully planned and executed choice to live deliberately according to Thoreau’s transcendental beliefs. I would use a study of Walden to connect to the Lao …
In “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, I could teach the theme of perspective by examining the message the speaker gives her son– to never give up when times are hard. Before reading the poem, I could use the Theodore …
Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” is a modern tale seen in classrooms more and more often. This epic story contains a major theme of forgiveness. When teaching this story, I would connect it to the conversation with Mahatma Gandhi on …
The little known Civil War set story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, pairs perfectly with the conversation on Sacrifice with Mahatma Gandhi. After reading this short story, and discussion the surprise ending, I would lead students in a discussion …
In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, various family members compete for the fulfillment of their dreams. But for each, there is the vision, and then there are the uncertain “facts.” The Einstein conversation allows students to consider whether …
Washington Irving’s short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” is a classic American twist on the age-old theme of selling your soul to the devil. The conversation with Dr. Seuss about Ambition connects perfectly to a pre-reading class discussion of …
Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven” sets a grieving lover against the silhouette of an aloof raven whose only answer to his increasingly despairing questions is, “Nevermore.” The Theodore Roethke conversation on perspective will allow students to consider whether darkness …
In The House on Mango Street, Esperanza says, “I knew then I had to have a house…One I could point to. But this isn’t it…For the time being, Mama says…But I know how these things go” (Cisneros 5). Esperanza (“Hope”) …
When teaching the novel Into the Wild by John Krakauer, I can focus on the theme of the pursuit of happiness and introduce the Susan B. Anthony conversation and the concept of Freedom at the beginning of the novel. At …
Arthur Miller’s historical drama The Crucible features multiple examples of conflict. I would pair this play (based on real events) with the conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on conflict at multiple places in the play as different conflicts …
Freedom means different things to different people, and some throughout history have had to struggle more to get it than others. After reading Kate Chopin’s classic “The Story of an Hour”, students can use the conversation with Susan B. Anthony …
I’m teaching characterization in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. I will focus on the theme of respect by looking at the book’s protagonist, Hester Prynne, and tracking her journey from scorned societal outcast to respected contributor within her community. …
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