The first winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France, in 1924. It began the process of popularizing winter sports for ordinary people; prior to then, only very rich people (or those who lived in the mountains) skied. Do you like or participate in a winter sport, or would you like to learn one? Which one? Why that one? (If you are not interested in winter sports, tell why you feel as you do.)
The novelist W. Somerset Maugham (pronounced MÆHM) was born in 1874. He once wrote: “It is bad enough to know the past; it would be intolerable to know the future.” What about the future would you not want to know? Why?
The first full moon of the year is called the Wolf Moon because in earlier times, wolves would become desperate for food during this time of year and attack cattle and other domestic animals. (Wolves almost never attack people; apparently we taste bad to them.) Modern people almost never see wolves, so Wolf Moon is not a very useful name for us. What name would you give for the full moon in January that might be meaningful to today’s people? Why that name?
gazette....See MoreWriting prompts also make great discussion prompts. For example, from the Jan. 5 collection of prompts:
In 1759, the French writer and critic Voltaire said, “Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.” What do you think he meant by that? Do you agree? [Click below for many more!]
Two of favorite prompts from the coming week's collection are:
Hector Hugh Munro, who wrote amusing stories under the pen name Saki and was born in 1870, once wrote, “In baiting a mousetrap with cheese, always leave room for the mouse.” What do you think he meant by that?
In 1941, jazz and blues singer Lena Horne released her first hit song, “Stormy Weather.” She had a long and very successful career, and worked hard to create new opportunities for black and women singers. Many of her songs were very sexy, but she once said, “I just sing those songs, I don’t live them.” What do you think she meant by that?
We've gathered an incredible assortment of Mandela-related resources to help you plan your instruction. The links to timelines, information about apartheid, Mandela's biography and influence, quotes, lessons, and much more will be a valuable resource to you and the colleagues with whom you share this email. Click below.
Here's just a sample of the writing prompts for the coming week.
December 1: In 1990, the two ends of a tunnel connecting Great Britain and France were connected. The diggers had started at each end and met in the middle, 132 feet below the bottom of the English Channel. It took a lot of careful planning to meet like that. Have you ever done something that needed a lot of planning? What did you plan? How well did your plans work out?
December 2: Def Leppard’s Rick Savage was born in 1960. Def Leppard’s name is very unusual and spelled in an unusual way, to arouse curiosity and interest among listeners. Suppose you wanted to start a music group. What name would you choose to attract people to listen to your music? Think of several, and try them out on your classmates.
December 4: Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and essayist, was born in 1795. He once wrote, “Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom.” What do you think he meant by this?