17/02/2010

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MISCELLANEOUS POSTING

1. IN MY MAIL BOX


It just arrived today from California, USA! I won a copy of EMMA in a giveaway at ttp://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/ some time ago and HERE IT IS! Thanks a lot!

2. AWARDS

I've just received three awards and I'm terribly flattered since they came from three terrific bloggers!Meredith at Austenesque Reviews awarded me with the Oh La La Award for the first time and Jane GS at Reading, Writing, Working...Playing  + Christy at Readin' and Dreamin' with the  Happy 101 Award for the second and third time (WOW! )
Thank you very much indeed to you all ! I'm so happy !

As for the Happy 101 , I've already listed the things which make me happy some time ago and also already received and passed the award to seven other bloggers.
It is instead the first time I got The Oh La La Award so I have a task to fulfil: answering a few simple questions:

Where is your favorite place to read a book?
In bed in the winter, on my balcony full of flowers in the summer.

What are the best books you've read recently?
The Age of Innocence, Wives and Daughters, Cleopatra's Daughter. These are the ones I liked best, at least.

Do you snack while reading?
No, I don't. I usually sip a loooong coffee while reading.

Are you a book borrower or book collector?
Definitely collector and proud owner. Even jealous.

Here are some bloggers and blogs that I adore!

1. Daily Words and Acts

2. November's Autumn

3. The Squee


3. TEACHING VICTORIAN LITERATURE CAN BE A DELIGHT


I have to be more precise: teaching Elizabeth Gaskell's NORTH & SOUTH, what a success! After introducing the historical context, we started reading and discussing some pages from OLIVER TWIST by Dickens,   but I didn't notice the same ... excitement.




Then, I prepared a series of lessons on Gaskell and her wonderful novel using PPT slides, fragments from the BBC adaptation (2004), photocopies of chapter XXII, a worksheet with questions about the text and the TV version . We have just started but it has already been a success! This morning, for example, we compared the riot at Marlborough Mill in the text to the same scene in the TV series. My students (19 year old, mostly girls, only 3 boys) were so interested and enthusiastic in the end that... I have to thank Mrs Gaskell for this miracle but also BBC, Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe!

So many questions! And they didn't want to stop when the bell rang the end of my lesson...we are going on next Friday. They can't wait to listen to what Mr Thornton is going to tell Miss Hale to thank her, since she saved his life ... No spoiler, then!

MY LESSON ON LEARNONLINE

8 comments:

Christy B said...

Heh. I gave you that Happy 101 Award on my blog, too. :)

Meredith said...

How timely! I just watched the first half of N&S last night!!!! I cannot wait to watch the rest of it. I like it a lot so far. I had no idea what to expect since I never read the book. I'm so happy you get to teach something you love and that the students reactions were everything you'd hope for and more. How I wish I could be in your class!!!

Alexa Adams said...

I'm thrilled to learn that 19 year-olds can summon so much enthusiasm for Gaskell! I took a class on Eliot at that age and the vast majority of students seemed to consider her a form of torture. Dare I hope that the younger generation has an increased appreciation for Victorian literature, or do I thank your friend Mr. Armitage for being so engaging?

Luciana said...

Congratulations on your awards and on the book! I wish YOU were my English teacher! We generally only watch a couple of Friends episodes or some parts of chick flicks with Hugh Grant! So sad!

Maria Grazia said...

@Christy
Thank you so much! And congratulations on winning tha award to you!
@Meredith
I'm glad you are enjoying the DVD you won in the giveaway. The best part is yet to come, though!
@Alexa
My students study ancient Greek adn Latin literatures, Italian literatures and , of course, to them, English literature is the most ... amusing! Then I try to make my lessons as visual as I can and this help. It is not easy for them since English is a foreigna language but I try to use literature to teach them the language. Motivation is indispensable coping with young people. Mr Armitage? I don't know if they noticed his ... handsomness. It took myself some time ... his undertaker look doesn't help at the beginning. And they only watched the riot scene. We are going on tomorrow...let's see what happens.
@Luciana
I also use Hugh Grant in About a Boy or easier TV movies with my youngest students. But with my eldest ones, since they study 19th and 20th century literature... North and South is perfec to analyze the social context of the Victorian Age. But it can also become fun when you've got such a thrilling story, a lab, PPT slides, a DVD... And Mr Armitage's talent(s) of course!

BurtonReview said...

Fantastic that your students are excited =) A great feeling! I'd love to read your review on Emma, as I've yet to read it myself but thoroughly enjoyed the PBS series.

Maria Grazia said...

@Marie Burton
Well, I have already written several posts about Emma, the book and the several adaptations here on Fly High! so I don't think I'll post a review. I'll write about Emma, its characters, themes etc. in May, probably. We are going to read it in my JA Book Club. So I'll post about it on my other blog dedicated to this experience and to everything Austen.

vvb32 reads said...

glad to hear you got the book. and, reading on your balcony sounds absolutely lovely. omg, i just noticed mr darcy is on your follower list!