Fever 1793
For 4th–8th Grade Teachers
With Suzanne Murphy
With Anderson’s sharply drawn novel about the 17th–century Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic, Suzanne Murphy demonstrates how to use historical novels to guide several types of student writing. Using this reading, her students practice writing summaries about research topics, produce a replica of historical news, and compose a poem generated from scenes in the novel.
Laura Brown Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
Our presenter’s first love for poetry is inspiring. I am a fifth grade teacher who quails at having elementary students write “poetry” in the first place. Writing good poetry is a feat, and the process by which a poem arrives on paper is one of the more mysterious (to me) aspects of writing process. Suzanne made one kind of poem very accessible. Not stopping at poetry, the workshop inspires me to a mini-unit on colonial America that will include many genres of writing by my students.
Tenly Connor Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
Really great ideas on teaching. I liked the use of Laurie Halse Anderson’s book as a vehicle for the workshop. Thank you!
Colleen St. Denis Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
I was truly moved and inspired by Laurie Halse Anderson’s presentation and appreciate the efforts to have her present at a truly “ Super Satuday!” Suzanne Murphy’s presentation was very applicable to my classroom as she provided 4 different ways to squeeze writing out of historical fiction. In addition to concrete poetry ideas I can use on Monday morning, I have method to implement historical document, summary and research writing. Thank you.
Marie Milner Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
Suzanne’s workshop is highly adaptable to the high school level kids I teach, especially because I teach so many EL students who love to read Young Adult Literature. The idea of using concrete details/lists from historical fiction, adding one’s own adjectives, metaphors, personification, etc., and then creating a unique poem, is something I can easily use with Beloved, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Crucible, etc. I will use the poem “The Fish,” which Suzanne uses as a model with her students, and I’ll look for other like poems to reinforce the idea of using concrete detail (especially visual) to create powerful images in both poetry and prose. Thanks, Suzanne
Gwindale Person Said,
May 13, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
I especially appreciate the use of poetry in the lesson planning for this historical novel. Also, the broad use of scaffolding to reach every learning style helps to assure that every student is engaged in the process. I could add these strategies to my love of project based learning in the fifth grade classroom. Many stories fit into the framework of this kind of planning and I expect that students will easily adapt to its usage. Thanks, Suzanne, for modeling good teaching practice.