The Scarlet Pimpernel

We have finished reading The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy, and we loved it! The students have really enjoyed identifying some of the earliest elements of the superhero archetype - we have had a lot of heated debate, but generally we think that the Scarlet Pimpernel is most similar to Batman. He is wealthy, hides his identity, fights for justice, and doesn't have any actual supernatural powers. A good case was made for Superman, though, since his mild-mannered alter-ego fools everyone, even his wife! It fooled a lot of the students for a while, too, but quite a few of them guessed correctly before the big reveal chapter. 

Hardly anyone guessed the second big plot twist of the book, though. I love reading a book that keeps everyone on their toes!

When we finished the book we celebrated with a French feast and movie morning for the entire upper school. We watched the 1982 version of The Scarlet Pimpernel and I prepared some French cuisine. This was a nice cap to the story, which is set in the French Revolution, as well as their history studies of the French Revolution. 

The students were almost all very brave about trying the new food. I served boef Bourguignonne (beef stew), cuisses a la Provencal (frog legs), escargots Bourguignonne (snails!), pommes Provencal (new potatoes), tarts and baked Brie. I was really grateful for all of our awesome parents who brought additional baguettes, cheeses, and crepes! This was a great experience for the students, many of whom had never tasted this type of food before. 

The Tempest

We have recently completed our study of Shakespeare's The Tempest, which the students read aloud in parts. Everyone was very engaged in these readings, and I loved the dramatic flair with which they all read their lines. Many students expressed some trepidation about reading Shakespeare aloud in class, but they soon overcame their uncertainty and had a wonderful time. I have been studying the book Norms and Nobility: a Treatise on Education by David Hicks, and I was strongly put in mind of our study of The Tempest when I came across this passage:

"But the knowledge-centered approach to education recalls to the sophisticated modern mind what the ancients understood as the virtues of adversity. What a child can do should not become the sole judge of what the student is asked to do. "A pupil from whom nothing is ever demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can," wrote John Stuart Mill (1944) The activity of learning takes place in a no-man's land between what the student can accomplish and what he may not be able to accomplish. This fact sets up a creative tension in education, to which both student and teacher must become accustomed and responsive. The teacher who refrains from assigning Silas Marner to his 12-year-old students because George Eliot's syntax is too complicated and her periodic sentences too long may be avoiding this creative tension. If so, he should not be a teacher. His students may never know the joy of reading George Eliot because he shirks a calling in which the daily work is accomplished through the virtues of adversity."

I have found this to be profoundly true! Here are video clips of Flint students reading aloud from Act 2 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 1 of The Tempest, crossing that no-man's land that Hicks refers to.

Fairy Tale Games

We have completed our study of original fairy tales in literature class, and it was a very enjoyable experience. Together we read The Little Mermaid and The Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, and Rumplestiltskin by the Grimms brothers, and Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, and Little Red Riding Hood from Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book.

The students completed weekly written and illustrated narrations of our reading, and to cap off the unit we played a fairy tale themed game of Who Am I?

I wrote the names of characters from the stories that we've read onto name tags, then stuck the name tags on the students' backs. They had to ask their classmates yes or no questions to find out what character they were, which ended up being a lot of fun. Not only did we enjoy the game, but it was an excellent test of everyone's understanding and knowledge of the stories!

Art Elective

For our Art elective this year we are studying the life and works of John James Audubon. We started out by reading The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies and discussed the value and lasting impact of Audubon's work. We have done picture studies of several Audubon prints, once studying a print and then turning it over and writing a detailed description of the print, and once studying a print and then sketching the print as accurately as possible from memory. We have also gone outside to look for birds in nature, and sketched a single feather in detail.

Currently we are studying and drawing a stuffed bluejay on loan from the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. This is very similar to the way that Audubon created his artwork, and we are gaining a new found appreciation for how detailed and perfectly executed his paintings are!

After we have completed these drawings, we plan to learn some basic watercolor techniques and then create replicas of different Audubon prints.

Fairy Tales

Our reading list for the coming school year includes the following books: The Tempest by William Shakespeare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. But before we read any of these wonderful books, the students in the Upper School will spend the month of September reading fairy tales. 

Many high school students are unfamiliar with traditional fairy tales, which is unfortunate. Fairy tales connect us to our common culture, inspire the imagination, and explore important and sometimes frightening topics in a comforting manner.While fairy tales are generally associated with early childhood, older students are able to delve into the deeper meaning of these stories and get quite a lot out of them.

I can't wait to see the responses our students have as we rediscover these stories. As we read and discuss, we will be looking not only for the differences between the original story and its more widely known versions, but also for deeper meaning and timeless truths that are contained within the pages of these stories.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

As we complete our study of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, the students are writing essays comparing how the main character Hank Morgan fared in the 6th century with how they think they themselves would fare. I was very pleased with the hard work that Ron Ryason put into his essay, especially since he is becoming so much more comfortable with the writing process than he was when he first came to Flint! Here is Ron's essay for your enjoyment!

Connecticut Yankee Essay

                 Toba Beta once said, “Time travel will never be impossible forever” My paper I’m writing is about a man from the 1800’s who went back to the 6^th century A.D. This is how he went back to the middle ages. He was bashed on the head with a hammer, by a man named Hercules. When the man woke up he saw he was in the Middle Ages.

                Hank brought many things back in time, because he was an inventor. He brought stuff back like guns, gun powder, knights on bicycles and lightning explosives. The reason why he brought all that stuff to the 6^th century is because he wanted to help the people.

                I know one of the characteristics about Hank. He was being bossy by telling people what to do. For example he was bossing the king, his knights, and the people.

                Hank believes that things should be decided based on what is right, not who just has power. He believes everyone should have enough money, not just the king and his nobles. I believe Hank says there should not be a lot of war. Hank wanted the people to decide things, not just the king.

                I would bring stuff back to the 6^th century, like reading and writing, because they didn't know how to do it back then. I would bring Jesus and life everlasting, because when people were talking about Jesus, they spoke Latin and people didn't understand that language. I’d bring back democracy so I could let people vote and share power. I would also bring God and the Ten Commandments to teach them about God’s law.

                I am a faithful person. I have faith because I believe in God and Jesus. Another reason I have faith is because I give offerings to help care for the poor. I ‘m very kind to other people. For example I volunteer to help people when needed. I also say kind things to help people feel good. I also have a good scene of humor. For example I make people laugh. When people tell jokes I laugh at them.

                I believe people should get along well. All people should have a good share of wealth. I believe I should tell people about Jesus. I would abolish slavery, because it is wrong.

                I would be better off in the 6^th century than Hank. One reason why I would be better in the 6^th century is because I have a lot of faith. Because of my faith God will protect and help me no matter what happens. Being helpful is another reason why I would be better in the 6^th century. The Yankee was helpful with his inventions for war, but I would be helpful for faith and kindness.

                In conclusion this essay was about time travel, if it is possible, what Hank did and what I would do. In my research I learned that time travel will never be possible with the technology that we have today. Hank brought some inventions like gunpowder, bicycles and explosives to help the king win wars. He wanted society to be different, for example he wanted people to be safe, he wanted people to be free and live a better life. What I would do in the 6^th century is teach people about Jesus. I would also teach them about democracy. I would also give people help when needed. I liked the book a lot because it was funny, exciting and interesting. 

October 8th

The first book we are studying in Literature this year is King Arthur and his Knights by Sir James Knowles. This is a 1920's adaptation of Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory in the 1400's, and is much more accessible while still using wonderful old-fashioned language. The students are having a great time getting into the spirit of the book, which is filled with action and adventures.

We've finished reading about the adventures of Sir Lancelot and the adventures of Sir Gareth, and this week we'll begin the story of Tristan and Isolde. These stories are all great examples of the chivalry and knighthood that we are learning about this year in our study of the Middle Ages.

We're very fortunate in the set of books that we get to use in class - they are gorgeous, illustrated, hard-cover editions and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. They really capture the imagination!