No more Monday blues/Thoughts of teaching fill my brain/Release by haiku

Monday mornin'... Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I am thankful that we as a nation have set aside a day for such a progressive, courageous man. Just think--perhaps we have the next MLK in our classrooms right now.

I have two things to share today. First, I had avacado on toast, coffee, and orange juice this morning. This is a luxury since I didn't need to be rushing out the door at 6:30.

Well, that wasn't my first thing I wanted to share. (and now for something completely different) First, something I created last semester for grad school which I want to use in my next rotation. A few months ago, I read Alan Sitomer's Teaching Teens and Reaping Results. Fabulous book from the teacher of the year in California. He's best known, I believe, for using hiphop as a tributary to understanding themes in more comlex texts. An idea he had for a long-term project over novels, plays, or other long pieces of literature is to create a menu using either themes, characters, or other aspects of the text; the menu-format is to get to the essence of the thing being studied. I created a model one for Hamlet.
Luckily, I am going to be able to actually execute this project, because during my next rotation, I will be teaching Hamlet, 1984, Macbeth.



I understand it is hard to read, so to keep you from squinting and getting a headache, here are my Hamlet items available for your pleasure:

Hamlet chops: Cooked in a variety of spices and in a tangy glaze, you never know if your next bite is spicy or sweet.

Sweet Ophelia Salad: Made with the freshest greens and tossed in our famous River dressing.

Claws of Claudius: 1/2 pound of crab steamed in the vapors of justice... makes you feel like a king, for awhile. --Recommended drink: Long Island Laertes.

Long Island Laertes: This drink has a stab of flavor to get your night going--don't ask us what's in it.

Gertrude's Sweet Potato Fries: A classy and charming favorite. Recommended with the Hamlet Chops or the Claws of Claudius.

Horatio's Prime Rib: Best of the best, its flavor stays true to the end.

Ghost Toast: Frightfully delicious and guaranteed to quickly disappear from your plate.

Polonius's Poultry: Chicken breast served beneath a curtain of fancy cheeses.


I'll get around to that second thing later today. :-) Have a splendid Monday, and don't forget the differences between their, they're, and there!