Student Projects and Fun

Play at Austin Peay Nov. 27th

APSU THEATER DEPT. TO HOST
PLAY INSPIRED BY JANE AUSTEN

For more information:
JESSICA BAIRD
(931) 221-6437
bairdj@apsu.edu

For immediate release:

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Austin Peay State University Department of Theater and Dance and the Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts will present “Cheer from Chawton: A Jane Austen Family Theatrical.”

Written and performed by New York actress Karen Eterovich, the play is based on the life of the legendary novelist Jane Austen and highlights her contribution to the world of literature, her relationship with her family and her adventures as a “flirtatious butterfly” in rural England.

The play will start at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 27 in the Trahern Theatre. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Trahern Theatre Box Office.

Eterovich just returned from Bath, England, where she performed “Cheer from Chawton” at The Mission Theatre for a week to glowing reviews. She also has performed the play at the renowned Players Club in New York City and at the Jane Austen Festival in England where Sue Hughes, editor of Regency World magazine, proclaimed it “the hit of the festival” on BBC Radio Scotland. In the November Issue of Jane Austen’s Regency World, Hughes said, “The play’s premise is an ingenious one. It was difficult to see when the applause was going to end.”

Due to the success of “Cheer from Chawton,” Eterovich has been in constant demand as both a lecturer and performer on the college circuit. Eterovich created the piece after performing in a play about Jane Austen and finding herself fascinated by the writer. Cynthia Kane, documentary producer and consultant at the Sundance Channel said, “Karen’s performance as Jane Austen was sublime! I went home and dug out my complete anthology of Jane Austen to reread after spending an evening in her lovely, witty company!”

For further information regarding ticket sales, contact the box office by telephone at (931) 221-7379. Tickets are available from 3-5 p.m., Nov. 20, 26 and 27, as well as one hour prior to the performance.

For more information about the performance, contact Marcus Hayes in the department of theater and dance by telephone at (931) 221-6371.

Huckleberry Finn

ENG III

Huckleberry Finn is a controversial novel- no doubt. We talked about the controversy and everyone seemed okay. This book is important and key in American literature but not worth offending any of my students. So we will tread lightly and work hard to create a supportive environment in which students can discuss prejudices without offending or insulting others. I've asked each student to speak with me if something upsets them either immediately or privately.

I think the overall themes and lessons learned in this novel by Huck Finn are well worth reading. If you want to know more I suggest clicking on the title of this entry which is a link. Wikipedia has a fairly decent summary of the book and does a good job discussing the themes. Look at the section titled 'conclusion' this will give you a good idea of why I am so excited to teach this book to my classes.

Please comment or ask questions. And feel free to read the novel with your student- it is an old story so is public domain and thus on the internet to read for free. I searched 'Huck Finn complete text' and found several sites with the story- below is one such site.

http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/54/99/frameset.html

Classnotesonline.com

I have found a website in which I can post all class work and class information. I will continue to update the blog, however, consider this website a first source. I will link both sites to each other so you can go back and forth. Remember the blog allows you to comment directly. Whenever a comment is left I receive an email automatically. Just click on the title of this entry and it will take you directly there.

Letters about Literature Contest

Letters About Literature 2008
Letters About Literature 2008 is a national reading and writing promotion program sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target and the affiliate state centers for the book. The contest is sponsored in Tennessee with support from Ingram, Frist Foundation, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Vanderbilt University, Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau and National Endowment for the Humanities.

LAL invites you to write a letter to an author explaining how his or her work affected you on a personal level. Perhaps a book helped you cope with a difficult situation or look at the world around you from a new perspective. Maybe a story angered you, and you feel compelled to share your feelings with the author. Whatever your reason for wanting to write to the author, put it into words and enter this year's contest.

Think of your letter as a way to show your understanding of the author's work, as well as an opportunity to share your personal reaction. Don't summarize the plot! The author wrote the book and already knows what happened. What the author doesn't know is how the book affected you. Go deeper with your interpretation and explain why the book was important to you that you chose to write to the author about it.

Don't write a letter that flatters the author. That's not what this contest is about. Remember, you're trying to showcase your talent for writing and your ability to organize your thoughts into a well-written and insightful letter. Start reading, then start thinking about your reaction.

Guidelines
To read guidelines and register for this year's contest, download and print the registration form (PDF, 636kB; requires the free Adobe® Reader®). Follow the instructions to fill out the entry coupon and participate.

Contact
For more information contact Emily Masters at emily@humanitiestennessee.org or 615-770-0006, ext. 15.

HOW TO ENTER (MAKE SURE YOU PRINT OUT FORMS FROM INTERNET)

First, reflect and connect! Select a fiction or nonfiction book, a short story, poem, essay or speech (sorry, no song lyrics) you have read and about which you have strong feelings. Explore those feelings and why you reacted the way you did during or after reading the author’s work. Consider one or more of these questions when writing your letter: Did the characters, conflict or setting mirror your life in some way? What strengths or flaws do you share with a character or characters in the book? What did the book show you about your world that you never noticed before? What surprised you about yourself while you were reading this book? Why was this work meaningful to you?

Second, write a personal letter (not a fan letter or a book report!) Express yourself! A letter is less formal
than an essay or research paper. Write honestly and in your own voice, as if you were having a conversation with the author. Those are the best letters to read and the most fun to write! Keep in mind these two tips:
• Correspond, don’t compliment! Your entry should inform rather than flatter the author.
• Do not summarize the book’s plot! The author wrote the book and already knows what happened. What the
author doesn’t know is how the book affected you.

Third, prepare your letter for submission.
• Entries for Level 1 should be no less than 100 words and no more than 400 words.*
• Entries for Level 2 should be no less than 300 words and no more than 600 words.*
• Entries for Level 3 should be no less than 500 words and no more than 800 words.*
*Recommended lengths.

Please refer to the Contest Entry Guidelines in Rules #4 of the Official Rules found at www.loc.gov/lettersfor
complete information on how to prepare your letter.

STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS (continued)
All entries will be judged on the following criteria:
• Exposition (the writer’s use of language skills, organization and grammar).
• Content (the writer’s achievement in addressing the contest theme).
• Writer’s Voice (the writer’s style and originality of expression).
Each criteria will be scored on a scale of zero (0) to five (5), where five (5) is excellent and zero (0) is not fulfilling the judging criteria.

DEADLINE & CONTACT INFORMATION
Your letter must be postmarked by December 14, 2007, and mailed to:
Emily Masters
Humanities Tennessee, Tennessee Center for the Book
306 Gay Street, Suite 306
Nashville, TN 37201
Ph: (612) 770-0006 x15

STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS
Judges for each participating State Center for the Book will select the top letter in each Level of Competition (see State Level Judging in the Official Rules for more details). State Winners will receive a $50 Target GiftCard SM and will advance to the National Level Judging. Judges for The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select six (6) National Winners (2 per Level of Competition) and twelve (12) National Honorable Mention Winners (4 per Level of Competition). The National Winners will receive a $500 Target GiftCard, plus each will win a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for their community or school library so that others can experience personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell. Additionally, the National Honorable Mention Winners will each receive a $100 Target GiftCard and a $1,000 LAL
Reading Promotion Grantfor the community or school library of their choice. Community or school library selected for the National Winners and National Honorable Mention Winners is at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Refer to the National Level Judging in the Official Rules for more details.

How to Help with Writing

Writing Coaches' Tips for Parents: If your child has writer's block, these tips from writing coaches may help.

By Linda Strean, GreatSchools Managing Editor

Does your child struggle with writing assignments? You can help, and you don't have to be a great
writer yourself.

That's the lesson from a writing program based in Berkeley, California, that has been training community volunteers to work with middle and high schools students for the last seven years. The WriterCoach Connection puts lawyers, nurses, accountants, college students and retirees through six hours of training. Each coach then works in one-on-one sessions with a student on a piece of writing assigned by the classroom English teacher.

Volunteers are trained to coach writers, not correct their papers. They learn strategies to help students think through what they want to say, organize ideas and revise their writing. Lynn Mueller, the program's associate director and the mother of a recent high school graduate, likens a writing coach to a "patient, friendly listener."

I went through the training and worked as a coach for a year, and I found it a powerful way to help students at all levels discover they had something to say and figure out how to say it. I also used these strategies to help my own teenagers.

The program isn't magic. It's not intended as a substitute for a strong writing program at your child's school. The best way to become a better writer is to keep writing, and if your student isn't writing every day in school, you should take your concerns to teachers and administrators.

How can you help if your child is stumped about how to even begin an assignment? Or "stuck" part way through? These tips, drawn from the experiences of the writing coaches, may help:

Clarify the assignment. Ask your child to explain the assignment to you. If he can't, ask him if he has a written assignment sheet from the teacher. If he doesn't, have him get the assignment from a friend.

Clarify the content. Some students struggle with the writing because they haven't done the thinking about what they want to say. Ask your child to tell you the main point she wants to make. If she can explain her ideas verbally first, the writing will be easier. Ask her to tell you examples or anecdotes that support that main point. That will help her think through how she'll support her main point, or thesis.

If your child is reacting negatively to an assignment, ask her to tell you why. If you help her think her ideas through, she may be able to write an effective paper based on her objections to the assignment.

Check the evidence. Do the examples or anecdotes support your child's main idea? Are they accurate? Are they lively? If your child is having trouble here, ask him to take a minute and tell you about the scene or event he's describing as if he were a reporter, using the 5 W's and H: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Check the organization. If it is an essay, see if the teacher has given specific instructions about the introduction, body paragraphs or conclusion. Go over the sequence of ideas in each paragraph your child has written. Can you follow the thinking or are there missing steps that you need to understand his logic? Are transitions needed to link the paragraphs together? Talk about paragraphs that work well, identifying why they are effective. Discuss how the introduction and conclusion relate to the topic. Does the writer draw in the reader with his introduction? Does the conclusion include his thesis and sum up his ideas?

The WriterCoach Connection coaches found these tips helpful in coaching once their kids had the beginnings of a piece of writing. You can read more on the WriterCoach Connection Web site.

Start by asking your child, "How can I help you?" As a coach, your role is to listen and help your child figure out what he is trying to say. "You're giving the child a sounding board to talk out his ideas," Mueller says. "You'll help him organize those ideas and support them with examples."

Listen to your child read the piece of writing aloud without interrupting. Writing is hard work that requires concentration. If you interrupt, you risk interfering in your child's thinking process.

Find three strengths in your child's writing and point them out. Always start with strengths. Look for concrete details, sentences that are clear, words that are vivid, and praise them when you find them. Point to the phrase, sentence or paragraph and read it aloud. Tell her why it's effective: "I really like the way you understand the main character of the book," or "I love the colorful details in that sentence." You'll be showing her that writing isn't a mystical process but one that requires skills that she can master.

If something is unclear ask for more information. Ask questions about what your child is trying to communicate. Tell him if there's something you'd like to know more about, an idea that's not fully expressed. Don't criticize or give the answer, but help him find his own answers. If you respond to his writing as a reader, you'll be showing him that writing is a way to communicate ideas to an audience. "Every writer has an audience," Mueller says. "Student writers may not realize this because they're writing an assignment for a teacher."

Don't correct grammar or mechanics on a rough draft. Your child may correct her own rough-draft errors as she revises her writing, particularly if you encourage her to read her work aloud — to you or to herself. But if your child makes a consistent mistake in mechanics at this stage, see if she knows how to correct it. If she doesn't, give her the correct form. On the final draft, encourage your child to edit her own work. Resist the temptation to make the paper "perfect" from your point of view.

Respect your child as a writer. What and how to revise is your child's choice, not yours. The "voice" he uses should be his, not yours. Offer a suggestion, and remember that your child must learn to do the thinking and writing.

AP Day Nov. 3

I'd advise all students to attend regardless if APSU is your school -at least you'd ahve an idea of what questions to ask and information you should know for your school of choice.

AP Day Nov. 3
You could look at our brochures, talk to our admissions counselors and browse our Web site. They’re all helpful and interesting. But the fact is, there’s no better way to get a feel for a university than by visiting campus.

AP Day is the prime time to visit our campus. During this day-long event, you’ll have the chance to experience life at APSU.

Talk with professors
Learn about financial aid, housing, admissions and student life
Tour the campus and residence halls
To reserve your spot, click on title of posting or call 800-844-APSU.

Lunch will be provided in APSU’s cafeteria.