I have a long friendship with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." I first met her in elementary school during my Fairy Tale Phase. During this time, my Air Force fighter pilot Daddy was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England. While we were living there, I had the opportunity to join a British school cruise … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: “The Little Mermaid”
This Is Your Brain on Fiction
I just ran across a link to a 2012 article, "Your Brain on Fiction," by Annie Murphy Paul about the importance of reading literature. Did you know that reading descriptive writing not only stimulates the language-processing area of the brain, but also the related sensory regions? Furthermore, reading well-written fiction also improves the reader's social-emotional … Continue reading This Is Your Brain on Fiction
Featured Story Chart: “Christmas Day in the Morning” with Complete Text
In 1985 as I was reading the December “Reader’s Digest,” I came across Pearl S. Buck’s lovely story, “Christmas Day in the Morning.” I read it and cried. It perfectly expressed the love my own father has for me, and it was a masterful illustration of 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: “Christmas Day in the Morning” with Complete Text
PREP-1 Is Off to a Great Start!
I'm really enjoying the PREP-1 class! The purpose of PREP-1 is to build the foundation of language in preparation for future writing. I am passionate about the value of language, and the most enjoyable way to access high quality language is through great literature and poetry. I think this will prove to be one of … Continue reading PREP-1 Is Off to a Great Start!
Featured Story Chart: WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS
Well, I finally read it. All my life I have avoided Where the Red Fern Grows because I knew it was a sad dog story. But one of my students wanted to write about it, and I needed to make a story chart, so I finally read it. Not only is it a beautiful story … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS
C.S. Lewis on Why Literature Matters
Those of us who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realise the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors.
Planning summer reading? Check out my Story Charts!
If you are new to my website, Writing to Learn, you may not know that I have a page devoted to story charts for literary analysis! These are free to download and I am constantly adding new ones. I use the Center for Lit method of literary analysis in my writing classes, and I started making the story … Continue reading Planning summer reading? Check out my Story Charts!
Featured Story Chart: “The Story of Joseph” with Complete Text
The story of Joseph can be found in the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, chapters 37 through 50. It is interrupted briefly in chapter 38, but resumes in chapter 39. Readers of early heroic literature, such as the Iliad, Beowulf, or the early King Arthur versions, will notice that "Joseph" is different. Although it … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: “The Story of Joseph” with Complete Text
Featured Story Chart: The Railway Children
Last summer I read The Railway Children, by Edith Nesbit. I am astonished that I had never before read it. Spending 4th through 6th grade in England, I was exposed to many such books and I devoured as many as I could get my hands on. The Railway Children is exactly the sort of book … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: The Railway Children
Featured Story Chart: Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland is the second most frequently downloaded of my story charts! This testifies to the book's enduring popularity. Lewis Carroll was the pen name of British author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Fortunately, he had practiced writing stories and poems all his life. Alice sprang from his prepared imagination, but curiously, she possessed a life … Continue reading Featured Story Chart: Alice in Wonderland