Vol. I, Is. 11: Washington Irving... and More!
Vol. I, Is. 11: Washington Irving... and More!
PLUS Pliny the Elder, Tchaikovsky, Tortoise and Hare, Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Notes:
Beginning with this issue, the "Birthdays" article has been removed (it's too large with TWO weeks' worth of Great Minds!) You can follow the links in the Table of Contents to find the current week's birthdays in the blog, or catch the daily versions on my Facebook page.
Also with this issue, I am discontinuing the "Tidbits" sections. Instead I'm adding some short poems that "everybody ought to know"!
Welcome to Volume I, Issue 11, of The Jim Bucket List, an encyclopedic look at the things that "everybody ought to know"!
Contents:
LITERATURE: Washington Irving, International Best-Seller
Poem: "There is no Frigate like a Book," by Emily Dickinson
SCIENCE: Pliny the Elder, an Early Scientist
Poem: "The Tyger," by William Blake
MUSIC: The Tragic Tchaikovsky
Poem: "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," by Walt Whitman
FOR YOUNG READERS: "The Tortoise and the Hare"
READ-ALOUD-RHYME: "Hickory, Dickory, Dock"
A WORD TO THE WISE: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
VOCABULARY BUILDER: formula
BIRTHDAYS: Jan. 17-23; Jan. 24-30
Let's go!
LITERATURE: Washington Irving, International Best-Seller
Listen to the audio of this article:
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (1783-1859) holds a unique place in American literature. He is considered to be the first American author to become a best-seller in Europe. Not only was his work well-known, but he inspired such 19th-century American greats as Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of The Scarlet Letter), Herman Melville (Moby Dick), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Song of Hiawatha), and Edgar Allan Poe (numerous poems and macabre tales).
Irving's best-known works are stories like "Rip Van Winkle" (1819; see below) about a man who fell asleep in the woods for over 20 years; and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), about a "Headless Horseman" playing a prank on poor schoolteacher Ichabod Crane.
Despite the lighthearted nature of these popular tales, Irving was quite a serious author. He drew on local history for these stories, and was in fact as much a historiographer and biographer as he was a storyteller. He wrote biographies of great men like George Washington (in five volumes!) and Muhammad, as well as histories of Spain (he was in fact U.S. ambassador to Spain between 1842 and 1846).
Irving was in the first generation of his family born in America--his parents having come from the British Isles--and the youngest of 11 children (only eight of whom survived to adulthood). He was born the week that his fellow-citizens learned the American colonists had defeated the British, so his mother named him after the great hero of that war, George Washington. Once he became president, Washington lived in New York--the nation's capital at the time--where the Irvings also lived, and young Washington Irving was able to meet his namesake at age six.
His writing career began with letters written under a pseudonym and sent to the local newspaper. His letters were good enough to catch the publisher's eye, and he was soon writing as a professional.
He lived a long and productive life, over 20 years of it in Europe, and at age 76 died of a heart attack at his home, named "Sunnyside," in New York State.
Rip Van Winkle
In Irving's short story, "Rip Van Winkle," the titular character lives in a small Dutch town along New York's Hudson River, near the Catskill Mountains, shortly before the time of the American Revolution. Everyone loves him--his neighbors, children, even animals--for, though he is lazy, he is a genial soul. He does odd jobs for his neighbors, though his own farm is in disrepair. Sadly, he is beset by a nagging wife.
To escape her shrewishness, he spends more time than he should at the local tavern, named for the English King George III, where he and his friends enjoy a quaff of ale. Whenever his wife catches him there, he and his dog, Wolf, head off to go squirrel hunting in the hills.
One autumn day up in the woods, Rip and Wolf sit down to rest a spell as the sun prepares to set. As they start for home, Rip hears someone calling his name, and sees a short little man in antiquated Dutch clothing calling for help in hauling a keg of liquor.
As they proceed up the mountain, Rip begins to hear noises like thunder. They reach a hollow, where Rip sees the source of the sounds: a group of men with grizzled beards and dressed much like the first one are playing nine-pins.
No one says a word to Rip, who is puzzled at how the first fellow knew his name. He drinks some of the liquor from their keg and soon falls asleep. When he wakes, he discovers the men are all gone. Wolf does not answer when he calls; his gun has rusted almost to nothing; and his beard now reaches past his chest!
Bewildered, he heads back down the mountain, but when he reaches his village, he doesn't recognize a soul. The town itself looks different, and people are asking him how he has cast his ballot. Confused, he tells them he is a loyal subject of King George III, not realizing that the American Revolution has been fought and the country has become independent from England while he was asleep!
With difficulty, he finds his house and discovers it has fallen into ruins. His favorite inn, the King George III, has a new sign: it is now named for George Washington. He asks a group of men there about his old friends, and learns they are all dead--many of them died in the Revolution--or have moved away.
An old woman comments that he looks a lot like Rip Van Winkle, but everyone knows that Rip is a much younger man. It turns out this "younger man" is his son. Then a young woman appears and says she is old Rip's daughter (and young Rip's sister), Judith. After she tells the old man that her mother died of a fit of temper many years ago, Rip at last tells her who he is.
A historian confirms Rip's story about how he had wandered away, and explains that the men Rip saw were the ghosts of the crew of Henry Hudson, an early explorer for whom the Hudson River is named. They appear every 20 years to drink and play nine-pins.
Rip moves in with his daughter and continues his indolent ways, hanging out at the re-named inn and telling his story to anyone who will listen.
And to this day, when thunder rolls, the children of the area say Hudson's men are rolling the ball again.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Irving's other famous story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," is set in roughly the same time and place as "Rip," the era when Dutch and English people were living side-by-side in New York State.
And, like that story, it features another hapless fellow, one Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster who has moved to the Sleepy Hollow area from Connecticut. He is tall and lanky, and more than just a bit of a scaredy-cat. This is not good, as Sleepy Hollow is well-known for its ghosts! The most famous of these is "The Headless Horseman," said to have been a soldier whose head was shot off by a cannonball in "some nameless battle" of the American Revolution. He often rides out at night, looking for his head. Or so they say.
In a typical arrangement for the time, the schoolmaster stays with different families in rotation. Crane helps out around the house or farm of whomever he's staying with. He also helps out with the children, which endears him to the town's women. It seems he's also a bit of a gossip--another thing the ladies love about him! He especially loves to hear stories from the older women, and of course these include stories of ghosts and the Horseman.
Ichabod is enamored of an 18-year-old girl named Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of a wealthy farmer. He hopes that by marrying Katrina he can better his station in life, and even become wealthy. But his rival is the town bully, Abraham Van Brunt, known as "Brom Bones." Brom tries to goad Ichabod into fighting, man to man, but the teacher is too clever to fall for that. So instead, Brom always plays pranks on Crane, to make him look foolish and perhaps to provoke him into a fight.
One autumn night, Crane attends a harvest party at the Van Tassels' farm, after which he proposes to Katrina. She turns him down, and--"heavy-hearted and crestfallen"--he heads toward his lodging on his old horse, "Gunpowder." Each time he passes the sites of the supposed hauntings he has been told about, he gets more and more fearful, until at last he meets a cloaked rider--whose head is not on his shoulders, but sitting on his saddle!
In a well-known feature of the Horseman's legend, he cannot cross the water in the stream that runs next to the Old Dutch Burying Ground. Every time he tries, he vanishes as soon as he reaches the bridge. Naturally, Ichabod turns his horse that way immediately and races against the specter, hoping to lose him at the bridge.
He makes it! But after crossing the bridge, he turns back, only to see the specter hurl its head directly at him! It strikes his own head, and he falls senseless in the dust.
The next morning, poor Ichabod is nowhere to be found. But near the bridge they find his hat, his horse's saddle, and the remains of a shattered pumpkin. The old women say he was taken by the Headless Horseman, and that his spirit is sometimes still seen in the area.
Later, Brom Bones marries Katrina.
--------
PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Correct answers are below.
1. antiquated
2. biographer
3. genial
4. grizzled
5. historiographer
6. hurl
7. indolent
8. macabre
9. namesake
10. prank
11. provoke
12. pseudonym
13. senseless
14. shrewishness
15. specter
A. someone who writes people's life stories
B. person whose profession is writing history
C. with a dark, frightening tone or atmosphere
D. two people (or things) that share the same name, especially when one is named after the other
E. a trick; a practical joke
F. a false or "pen" name, as when Samuel Clemens called himself "Mark Twain"
G. throw with great force
H. push someone into action
I. unconscious
J. ghost
K. old-fashioned; outdated
L. friendly; agreeable
M. gray
N. lazy
O. bad temper; nagging
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers are below.
What "first" was Washington Irving famous for?
What other writers were influenced by Washington Irving?
How do we know Washington Irving was a serious author?
What is "Rip Van Winkle" about?
What is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" about?
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Why do you think Irving was so successful in Europe?
George Washington was Irving's namesake, and he met him at age six. How do you think this might have affected his later success?
How much do you think the serious nature of Irving's scholarship contributed to his success as a popular writer?
Poem: "There is no Frigate like a Book," by Emily Dickinson
This is one of my all-time favorite poems, in which American poet Emily Dickinson plumbs the depths of the importance of reading.
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul –
--------
Some Words:
bears: carries
coursers: horses
frigate: a ship
frugal: thrifty; cautious with money
oppress of toll: the burden of paying for a ticket
traverse: journey; crossing
SCIENCE: Pliny the Elder, an Early Scientist
Listen to the audio of this article:
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79 CE), is usually called Pliny the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew (and adopted son), the lawyer and author Pliny the Younger (61-113).
The elder author was a naturalist and military commander, and a personal friend of the Roman emperor. His work is distinguished by his willingness to go out in the field and "get his hands dirty," making direct observations rather than just speculating on the nature of things, like many natural philosophers of his day.
Pliny was a single man, without children. At times he lived with his sister, mother of his nephew Pliny the Younger, whom he is said to have adopted. Certainly the younger man was familiar with his uncle's daily routine, describing his eating and working habits in letters to his contemporaries.
His greatest work is called the Natural History, similar to an encyclopedia that contained much of the current knowledge of his day. Its 37 books were completed within a few years of his death, and contain new materials as well as summaries of his earlier works and the works of others. It covers biology (both botany and zoology) as well as astronomy and geology. It is also a major source for understanding the art and artists of his time.
Pliny died as a result of one of the best-known events of classical times. As a naval commander, he was stationed at Misenum, across the Bay of Naples from Mount Vesuvius, which erupted spectacularly in the year 79. This was one of the volcano's many eruptions, and the one which buried the town of Pompeii.
Pliny was preparing to visit the shores near the blast to observe the phenomenon more closely when word came that some of his friends needed to be rescued. He sailed across the bay in a fast boat. Unable to leave again because the wind was against him, he dined with his friends, and was unable to stand up to leave. (One story says he was sitting in a bath, perhaps because he had asthma and he was trying to clear his lungs.) His friends left him behind, where he died, most probably from inhaling the bad air.
From The Natural History
As we mentioned, Pliny's Natural History covered essentially all of the knowledge of his day, but it also contained philosophical observations. Here's some of what he said about humankind's most fascinating subject--humankind--in Book VII, Chapter 1: "Man."
Humans are the only animals, Pliny says, that have to get their covering (i.e. clothes) by stealing it from other creatures; nature has given "shells, crusts, spines, hides, furs, bristles, hair, down, feathers, scales, and fleeces" to other forms of life, and even the trunks of trees are protected by bark. Humans alone, he says, "at the very moment of their birth" are "cast naked upon the naked earth" and "abandon[ed] to cries, to lamentations, and--a thing that is the case with no other animal whatever--to tears: this, too, from the very moment that he enters upon existence." And again, "The animal which is destined to command all the others, lies--bound tightly hand and foot [in swaddling bands], and weeping aloud! This is the penalty he has to pay on beginning life, for the sole fault of having been born."
He reflects further:
"How soon do humans gain the power of walking? How soon do they gain the faculty of speech? How soon are their mouths fitted for chewing?... While other animals have an instinctive knowledge of their natural powers--some, of their swiftness of pace, some of their rapidity of flight, and some again of their power of swimming--humans are the only ones that know nothing, that can learn nothing without being taught; they can neither speak, nor walk, nor eat*, and, in short, they can do nothing, at the prompting of nature only, but weep. For this reason, many have been of the opinion that it would be better not to be born, or if born, to be annihilated at the earliest possible moment." [Pliny is alluding to a common saying: "Those whom the gods love, die young."]
[*A footnote points out that Pliny has forgotten that infants do not need to be taught how to suck.]
--------
PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Correct answers are below.
1. annihilated
2. asthma
3. botany
4. encyclopedia
5. faculty
6. geology
7. i.e.
8. inhaling
9. instinctive
10. naturalist
11. phenomenon
12. speculating
13. swaddling bands
14. volcano
15. zoology
A. guessing; imagining
B. natural; innate; not learned
C. the study of the earth
D. the study of animals
E. an ability; a capacity for something
F. wiped out; destroyed
G. a mountain that can explode and send out materials
H. a disease of the lungs which makes breathing difficult
I. an event; something that happens
J. the study of plants
K. that is; in other words
L. an early kind of scientist
M. a set of books that discusses every subject known to a culture
N. long, narrow pieces of cloth wrapped around a baby to keep it from moving
O. breathing in
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers are below.
Who was Pliny the Younger?
What was Pliny the Elder's occupation, aside from being a naturalist?
What was did Pliny's write about in his *Natural History?
How and when did Pliny die?
How does Pliny seem to feel about human beings?
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Could one person write a work covering all of the knowledge available to us today? Why do you think that was possible for Pliny?
Why do you think other naturalists in Pliny's day were unwilling to "get their hands dirty"?
Do you agree with Pliny's opinion of humankind? Why or why not?
Poem: "The Tyger," by William Blake
In his book Songs of Innocence and of Experience, English poet William Blake wrote a poem about the innocence of "the lamb," with "clothing of delight" and "such a tender voice," and asks sweetly, "Little Lamb who made thee"? His answer is that the lamb was made by Jesus: "He is meek & he is mild..."
That, of course, was a "song of innocence." In the "songs of experience" we find this.
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
--------
Some Words:
aspire: hope; aim for something higher
anvil, hammer, furnace: tools used by a blacksmith (someone who makes things out of metal)
immortal: godlike; living forever
sinews: similar to muscles; strength or power
symmetry: elegant design; balance
thee; thine, thy: you; your(s)
MUSIC: The Tragic Tchaikovsky
Listen to the audio of this article:
Tchaikovsky
What would Christmas be without The Nutcracker? Many people know "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" without knowing the name of the work--or its composer.
Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky lived from 1840 to 1893. The booming cannons and ringing church bells of his 1812 Overture are part of the pops repertoire all over the world, and you don't have to be familiar with ballet to recognize music from Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, or the aforementioned Nutcracker. He also wrote symphonies, operas, and numerous other works.
Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer to become internationally famous. He toured Europe and the United States as a guest conductor, and led the first concert at New York's famous Carnegie Hall in 1891.
Tchaikovsky had four brothers, and two sisters (one by his father's previous marriage). His father was an engineer, and both father and mother (who was half French) were well-trained in the arts, including music. Peter started playing the piano at age five, but his parents did not encourage him to pursue a musical career as a boy. At that time in Russia, the only job for people with musical training was teaching, considered to be a lowly position. Only later did his father change his mind.
Tchaikovsky studied in St. Petersburg. At first, he trained as a civil servant, but later entered a music school, graduating in 1865. There he learned a more European style, which he combined with native Russian music to create a unique sound.
Although he was a success professionally, he suffered many personal tragedies. While he was at school, his mother died. He never got over it, and called it "the crucial event" that shaped his life. His closest friend, Nikolai Rubinstein, died young; he himself had a failed marriage; and his patron of 13 years suffered financial losses and could no longer support him. Tchaikovsky died suddenly at age 53, supposedly from cholera, but some scholars think he may have committed suicide.
Background to Some Popular Works of Tchaikovsky
Let's take a closer look at the background to some of the works mentioned above.
---
The 1812 Overture (1880): In June of 1812, Napoleon's Grande Armée launched the "Russian Campaign." Though they outnumbered the Russians by more than two-to-one, it was no picnic for the French. When at last they occupied Moscow in September, they found the city abandoned--and soon, on fire. While waiting for negotiations that never happened, the French army ran low on supplies, and were ill-equipped for the bitter cold.
Napoleon left in early December, and the shattered remnants of the no-longer-Grande Armée within a few weeks. Many horses had died, and others had been eaten, so the cavalry ceased to exist--the remaining horsemen shuffled out on foot--and cannons and wagons were abandoned.
Nearly seven decades later, Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a work that commemorated this victory, and The Year 1812 Solemn Overture, with its booming cannons, ringing bells, and--these days--fireworks displays, was debuted in August of 1872. It remains Tchaikovsky's most popular work.
---
Swan Lake (1875-76): The first of Tchaikovsky's three ballets is based on Russian and German folk tales. There are several versions of the story, but in one of them, a princess named Odette has been turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. She and her flock become human again each night, and in that form she meets Prince Siegfried, whose mother has ordered him to marry. Siegfried swears to love Odette forever.
But the sorcerer Rothbart, who had cast the spell on the swan-maidens, tricks Siegfried into agreeing to marry his daughter Odile by making her look like Odette. Realizing his betrayal too late, Siegfried rushes to the lake, where he and Odette drown themselves in order to be together forever. In the end, they are seen ascending into the Heavens together, united forever in their love.
---
The Sleeping Beauty (1889): This one is based directly on the "original" fairy tale by French writer Charles Perrault--essentially the version we all know about Princess Aurora being cursed by an evil fairy to die on her sixteenth birthday, until another fairy converts the curse to falling asleep for 100 years, when she will be awakened by a handsome prince (here named "Prince Désiré"). The song used in the Disney version, "Once Upon a Dream" ("I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream...") was borrowed from Tchaikovsky's ballet, as was most of the other music in the film.
---
The Nutcracker (1892): The story is adapted from one by E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." There are several versions, but mainly the ballet goes like this: A talented toymaker joins the family of Clara and her brother Fritz for a party on Christmas Eve, bringing with him among other gifts a nutcracker carved to look like a man. Later, Clara sneaks down to see it as the clock strikes midnight and the room fills with mice. The nutcracker grows to man-size, and the mice battle an army of gingerbread soldiers. The nutcracker and his troops join the gingerbread soldiers, and with Clara's help he defeats the Mouse King.
The nutcracker becomes a handsome Prince and leads Clara to a pine forest filled with dancing snowflakes. They travel to the Land of Sweets, where personified treats from around the world--one of them the "Sugar Plum Fairy"--dance for Clara before sending her back home in a reindeer-drawn sleigh.
--------
PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Correct answers are below.
1. abandoned
2. ballet
3. cholera
4. commemorated
5. composer
6. lowly
7. no picnic
8. overture
9. patron
10. personified
11. pops
12. remnants
13. repertoire
14. suicide
15. supposedly
A. a difficult situation
B. empty; OR left behind
C. all of the pieces that an orchestra can perform, taken as a group
D. a person who writes music
E. a classical form of dance
F. served as a memorial for; honored
G. believed by many, but possibly not true
H. classical music that is known and enjoyed by many people
I. an often-fatal disease, usually spread by dirty water
J. made like a human
K. the act of killing oneself
L. not respected
M. the parts that are left
N. a person who supports an artist
O. a piece of music often (but not always) used as an introduction to a larger work, and usually made up of several distinct themes
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers are below.
What are some of the "personal tragedies" in the life of Tchaikovsky?
What event did the 1812 Overture commemorate?
What is Swan Lake about?
What famous film studio used Tchaikovsky's music in their version of The Sleeping Beauty?
What sorts of creatures dance to please Clara in The Nutcracker?
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Is it possible that "suffering"--as with Tchaikovsky's tragedies--helps contribute to the creation of great art?
Which of the three ballets' stories do you like best? And least?
Do you think being a music teacher is a "lowly position"? Why or why not?
Poem: "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer," by Walt Whitman
In this poem the American poet Walt Whitman beautifully contrasts "book learning" with the type of knowing that comes from direct experience.
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
--------
Some Words:
astronomer: person who studies the stars and planets, etc.
gliding: moving smoothly and without sound
learn'd (learned): well-educated
moist: damp; a little wet
mystical: mysteriously spiritual
unaccountable (=unaccountably): in a way not able to be explained
wander'd (wandered): moved around without purpose
FOR YOUNG READERS: “The Tortoise and the Hare” from Aesop's Fables
Listen to the audio of this article:
The Tortoise and the Hare
This article is designed for younger readers, with activities more suitable for children.
One day, a Hare made fun of the short legs and slow speed of the Tortoise. But the Tortoise just laughed and said: "You are as fast as the wind, but I will beat you in a race anyway."
The Hare thought this was impossible, so he agreed to the race. They decided that their friend the Fox should choose the course and set the finish line.
On the day of the race the two lined up. When the Fox said "GO!" the two started together. The Tortoise never stopped, even for a moment. She went on with slow but steady steps straight to the finish line.
But the Hare lay down by the side of the road and fell asleep! When he woke up, he ran as fast as he could. But he saw that the Tortoise had already run the race. She was taking a nap because she was tired from walking so far.
Moral: Slow but steady wins the race.
Some words to talk about:
finish line: the place that marks the end of a race
hare: an animal like a rabbit
moral: the lesson we can learn from a story
nap: a short sleep
steady: without stopping
tortoise: an animal like a turtle
--------
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Choose the best answer. Correct answers are below.
What did the Hare say about the Tortoise in the beginning?
A. The Hare said the Tortoise had long legs.
B. The Hare said the Tortoise moved too slowly.
C. The Hare said the Tortoise should take a nap.What did the Tortoise say to that?
A. The Tortoise said the Hare should take a nap.
B. The Tortoise laughed and said she could beat the Hare in a race.
C. The Tortoise said the Hare should be friends with the Fox.Why did the Hare agree to the race?
A. The Hare agreed because he thought it was impossible for the Tortoise to win.
B. The Hare agreed because the Tortoise laughed at him.
C. The Hare agreed because he thought he was the best at everything.How did the Hare lose the race?
A. The Hare lost because he laughed at the Tortoise.
B. The Hare lost because he thought the Tortoise had short legs.
C. The Hare lost because he lay down to sleep.How did the Tortoise win the race?
A. The Tortoise won because she was faster than the Hare.
B. The Tortoise won because she took a nap.
C. The Tortoise won because she didn't stop.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Why did the Tortoise and Hare decide that "their friend the Fox should choose the course and set the finish line"?
Why do you think the Hare lay down to sleep?
How do you think the Hare felt at the end of the story? How did the Tortoise feel?
The lesson (the "moral") of this story is, "Slow but steady wins the race." Do you agree? Is it always true?
READ-ALOUD-RHYMES: “Hickory, Dickory, Dock”
Listen to the audio of this article:
Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Parents and teachers can read these rhymes aloud, and encourage little ones to repeat and even memorize them (I did when I was a kid!) You can say or sing this one. (Hear the sung version on the audio version linked above.)
Hickory, dickory, dock!
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock!
You can add three (or more) verses, changing the number of "strikes" each time:
...The clock struck two...
...The clock struck three...
...The clock struck four...
and so on.
--------
Some words to talk about:
Hickory, dickory, dock: This is "nonsense"--that is, it has no meaning.
struck: made the sound of a bell. Some old clocks "strike" a bell at each hour: one at one o'clock, two at two o'clock, and so on.
ACTIVITIES:
Here's some pretending! Before you start, ask your kid how he or she would "pretend" each of the lines. Then you can suggest doing the following things as you say the poem:
Hickory, dickory, dock!
[tilt your head from side to side in time to the music]The mouse ran up the clock.
[hands at your sides, slowly raise them forward with your arms straight, until your hands are above your head]The clock struck one,
[clap your hands once above your head]The mouse ran down,
[lower your arms slowly, the same way you raised them]Hickory, dickory, dock!
[again, tilt your head from side to side in time to the music]
Of course, if you do "two," "three," "four," and so on, clap your hands the correct number of times.
Discussion: Can you think of other rhymes with "nonsense words"? Have you ever seen a mouse? Do you think one can get inside a clock? (Look at the clock in the picture!) What do you think a clock sounds like when it "strikes" each hour?
Words to the Wise: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
Proverb: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
This is a picturesque way to talk about people criticizing others for a weakness they themselves share.
Meaning: Don't criticize others for doing something that you also do.
For example, someone who drives badly shouldn't call another person a "bad driver" when he can be criticized for the same thing. He would be "throwing stones" at that person, even though, if someone "threw stones" at him in return, his fragile house--made of glass--would also be damaged.
Mini-Dialogue: A boy named Todd is sitting alone in the cafeteria. His friend Roland asks what's wrong.
Roland: Hey, Todd, what's up? Why are you all alone?
Todd: Oh, my friend Albert is a real jerk, so I quit hanging out with him.
Roland: What did he do?
Todd: Oh, he's always making fun of my clothes, and my hairstyle, and just my overall look.
Roland: Wow. He's not such a great dresser himself.
Todd: Exactly! My dad always says, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
Roland: That's right!
QUESTION:
In which situation would you use the proverb, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"? The correct answer is in the first comment below.
A. Your friend's room is always clean, but she tells her brother that his is a mess.
B. Your friend tells you not to talk so much, but he virtually never shuts up.
C. Your friend quits his job, but only after he has found another one.
Vocabulary Builder: formula
formula (noun)
Meaning: The essential meaning is a repeated and proven way of doing something. There are several variations on this:
a standard way of saying something: Many churches use the formula "The Lord be with you" and the answer "And also with you" before a prayer.
a fixed way of doing or making something, such as a recipe: the formula for making Coca Cola
a somewhat boring way of creating something: The popular author wrote his books following a formula.
a statement of a principle in science or mathematics, like Einstein's E=mc2
Plural: formulas (or formulae in formal writing)
Verb Forms:
formulate, formulates, formulated, formulating (express as a formula)
reformulate, reformulates, reformulated, reformulating (formulate again)
Other Noun Forms:
formulary (plural formularies): books, collections, or systems of formulas
formulation (plural formulations): act(s) of making a formula or some other specific plan
reformulation (plural: reformulations): act(s) of making a formula again
Adjective Form:
formulaic: made according to a formula (often used negatively)
Adverb Form:
formulaically: in a formulaic way
--------
PRACTICE:
Place the correct form of "formula" in each sentence. Correct answers are in the first comment below.
1. formula
2. formulas or formulae
3. formulaic
4. formulaically
5. formulate
6. formulates
7. formulation
8. reformulated
9. reformulating
10. reformulation
A. How many ________ are contained in your formulary?
B. When their first effort failed, the food scientists spent weeks ________ their recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
C. The chef ________ new concoctions faster than her assistants can write them down.
D. We have formulated and ________ this plan 15 times and we're still no closer than when we started.
E. Sculpting ________ is seldom a path to success.
F. Sadly, his novels seemed a bit ________ .
G. What is the best ________ for making a cup of tea?
H. We need to ________ a new recipe for chai tea.
I. The ________ of the chemical that we made once before is nearly completed.
J. The ________ of a new business plan can take months.
Audio from this issue:
ANSWERS
Washington Irving, International Best-Seller
Vocabulary: 1. K; 2. A; 3. L; 4. M; 5. B; 6. G; 7. N; 8. C; 9. D; 10. E; 11. H; 12. F; 13. I; 14. O; 15. J
Questions to Answer (suggested answers; yours may be written slightly differently)
Washington Irving is considered to be the first American author to become a best-seller in Europe.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe were all influenced by Irving.
Irving was a historiographer and biographer as well as a storyteller.
"Rip Van Winkle" was about a man who fell asleep in the woods for over 20 years.
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was about a prank played on a poor schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane.
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
--------
Pliny the Elder, an Early Scientist
Vocabulary: 1. F; 2. H; 3. J; 4. M; 5. E; 6. C; 7. K; 8. O; 9. B; 10. L; 11. I; 12. A; 13. N; 14. G; 15. D
Questions to Answer (suggested answers; yours may be written slightly differently)
Pliny the Younger, a lawyer and author, was Pliny the Elder's nephew and adopted son.
Pliny the Elder was a Roman military commander.
Pliny wrote about biology, astronomy, geology, art, and basically all the topics studied in his day.
Pliny died after the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 CE.
Pliny is pretty negative and pessimistic when he writes about human beings.
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
--------
The Tragic Tchaikovsky
Vocabulary: 1. B; 2. E; 3. I; 4. F; 5. D; 6. L; 7. A; 8. O; 9. N; 10. J; 11. H; 12. M; 13. C; 14. K; 15. G
Questions to Answer (suggested answers; yours may be written slightly differently)
Tchaikovsky's mother died while he was at school; his closest friend died young; his marriage failed; and he lost his patron. He also died fairly young, perhaps by suicide.
The 1812 Overture commemorated the failure of the French invasion of Russia in 1812.
Swan Lake is about a girl turned into a swan, who is betrayed by the man she loves.
The Disney Studios used Tchaikovsky's music in their version of The Sleeping Beauty.
Treats from around the world that have become "human" dance for Clara in The Nutcracker.
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
--------
The Tortoise and the Hare
Questions to Answer: 1. B; 2. B; 3. A; 4. C; 5. C
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
--------
"People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"
Question: 1. B
--------
Vocabulary Builder: formula
Practice: 1. G; 2. A; 3. F; 4. E; 5. H; 6. C; 7. J; 8. D; 9. B; 10. I