Creative English Teacher — World Literature

The Enchanting History of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice": Teaching the Various Adaptations of This Famous Folktale by Integrating Poetry, Music, and Art

January 07, 2025 • British Literature • Heroes and Monsters • Mythology • Readers Theater Script-Stories • The Hero's Journey • World Literature

While many folktales have been adapted over the centuries, none has a richer (and varied) list of adaptations than "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." This post explores the classic folktale "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," its many adaptations (including a Reader's Theater script-story version), Paul Dukas's classical masterpiece based upon it, and Walt Disney's innovative masterpiece Fantasia (1940)—along with strategies for teaching these various adaptations in a classroom setting. You will see that "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is perfect for a lesson integrating literature, folklore, poetry, music, and art.

Five Reasons to Teach The Prince of Egypt (1998)

November 04, 2024 • Five Reasons To Teach Series • The Hero's Journey • World Literature

DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt (1998) is an animated classic, and its powerful retelling of the story of Moses is the perfect way for students to experience this world-famous epic.

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 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...

World Myth Speed Dating: Exploring 32 Myths from Around the World in a Single Class Period

February 25, 2024 • Mythology • Teaching Ideas • World Literature

What can a myth tell you about a culture? Maybe a better question would be, what can't it tell you? Social customs, traditions, beliefs, and values–they're all embedded there within the story. Myths are windows into cultures, but with such a wide variety of cultures in the world, how, within the time constraints of a high-school course, do you achieve a panoramic look at myths from all corners of the globe? That question led me to the idea of World Myth Speed Dating. Based on information I've gleaned from sitcoms, Speed Dating is a social gathering where singles pair up time...