-
How I Interviewed Myself
Today we are interviewing Kay Castaneda, author of EMMIE OF INDIANAPOLIS. Thank you for being here today. When did you start writing and how did that come about? I started writing in high school when my one of my assignments was to write a short story. I wrote about toy soldiers coming to life. I think I had them talking to each other although I don’t remember any of the dialogue. My English teacher made some comments on the paper about the premise of my story, that it was unbelievable. Toys would never come to life! I wonder what she thought of the movie Toy Story? I always…
-
Literature Circles: A Different Way of Teaching Reading for Children and Adults
Literature Circles “Reading brings us unknown friends” – Honoré de Balzac The traditional model of the teacher standing in front of the class leading a discussion about a work of literature has been a valid method for literary analysis in the primary grades through high school. This teacher-centered approach has in the past worked for students that already know how to read well and who thrive in such learning environments. For the student that lacks good reading ability and who is bored or antagonistic toward books, the teacher-directed style has not always been ideal to teach critical reading skills and literary comprehension. With the inclusion of special-needs students in the…
