Fantastical Literature!

Fantastical Literature: Includes folklore, fantasy, and science fiction derived from traditions, myths and legends to explain and explore mysteries of world. History: Fantastical novels started with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) & Through the Looking Glass (1871) by Charles Dodgson, while flourishing in 20th Century (while sub-genres grew in the 21st century) Types of Fantasy: High Fantasy Low Fantasy Hard Science Fiction Soft Fiction Fantasy novels, one of my favorite genres (why I chose it for my presentation), are great for students of all ages. I would use many fantastical genre books in my classroom such as: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass by Charles Dodgson, Nim's Island by Wendy Orr, The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford, and all Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Fantasy books often include magic, another world other than our own, universal themes, heroism, talking animals, fantastical characters (witches, fairies, etc.), and fantastic objects. All of these motifs make fantasy the distinctive genre that it is. To teach elements of fantasy, I would use a literature circle. I would put my class into small groups. Each group will be given a fantasy picture book such as: The Rainbow Fish, Jumanji, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Each group would read their picture book and look for the elements of fantasy we have just learned. I would have the student's pair up and talk about the following questions: "Why is this a fantasy story?", "Was magic involved? How?", "How did the plot make it a fantastical book?", "Was there another world other than our own? What was it like?"

The Art of Storytelling

Dr. Chuck Stead came to visit our class today, Tuesday, September 30th, 2014. He is an amazing story teller among other great qualities. He introduced us to his Ramapo background and amazing experiences through storytelling. He shared the importance of oral traditions of story telling and when (and when not) to tell specific tales of the indigenous people and animals. Through his storytelling, he incorporated his role in environmental sustainability and ecology, and how he helps stop industrial pollution. Chuck used symbols to tell his stories, where he branched off to more stories. My favorite story, or information that he shared was about Ford dumping chemicals (paint waste among other things) into the woods. This was interesting to me because he was able to expose Ford's wrong doing while improving the land with the work of his students, while building a new research cabin. I could use his storytelling techniques in the classroom because he modeled how to be an enthusiastic, creative storyteller. I could have my students write their own stories, have Chuck come in and share his amazing Ramapo stories while we cover an American Indian unit, or have them make their own symbols about the stories.