Creative English Teacher — British Literature

Mad Tea Party: An Absolutely Mad Spin on a Classic Game

October 21, 2024 • British Literature • Children's Literature • Gamification • World Literature

Mad Tea Party remixes the concept of multiplayer Guess Who? with the characters of Alice in Wonderland. In this game, you take on the secret identity of one of 20 characters from the classic novel–including fan favorites like the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee, and Tweedledum, but also deep cuts like Humpty Dumpty, the Walrus, and the Mock Turtle. Your task? To keep your identity a secret while discovering the identity of your fellow players. You do this by asking “yes” or “no” questions related to a set list of characteristics: Are you an animal? A human? Are you wearing a hat? Are you drinking tea? etc. If a player’s identity is discovered, the discovering player receives a point and play continues. You draw a new identity card and continue playing.

Five Reasons to Teach Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

September 03, 2024 • British Literature • Five Reasons To Teach Series • Heroes and Monsters

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plumbs the depths of human nature to offer up a compelling argument about the nature of good and evil. A classic of British Literature and an early example of science fiction, the novel serves as a warning of the darkness lurking inside each and every one of us should we choose to let it loose. So here are five reasons to teach Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Five Reasons to Teach King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

May 13, 2024 • British Literature • Five Reasons To Teach Series • Mythology • World Literature

“Herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, humanity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the good and leave the evil.” ~ Sir Thomas Malory, “Preface to Le Morte D’Arthur” ~ Some stories just resonate with students, and the saga of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a student favorite time and again. Maybe it’s that the story cycle is so long, spanning fourteen script-stories, with a sprawling cast of memorable characters. Or maybe it’s just the medieval setting full of knights and damsels, wizards and enchantresses, chivalry and jousting. No...

Five Reasons to Read Bram Stoker's Dracula

May 06, 2024 • British Literature • Five Reasons To Teach Series

Why should high school teachers teach Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula? Here are five different reasons, along with some creative teaching ideas and links to some free materials! In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the forces of good face off against an ancient evil—Count Dracula, the lord of the undead, as he travels from his crumbling castle in Transylvania to the teeming city of London in search of fresh blood.

Five Reasons to Teach Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

March 20, 2024 • British Literature • Five Reasons To Teach Series • Teaching Ideas

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is a classic of British Literature, and in spite of its many sub-par adaptations (I’m looking at you, Jack Black), it remains a timeless tale full of lessons for modern readers. So here are five reasons to teach Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Satire is a tricky art form, and its undisputed master is Jonathan Swift. I mean, he even has an adjective named for him: “swiftian” meaning "darkly humorous." Gulliver’s Travels, written in 1726, lampoons everything from religious infighting to political parties to the monarchy itself. Swift was an ordained Irish priest who did not...