DISCUSSION PROMPTS: LITSPIRATION, MR. MORRIS LESSMORE, DAY OF THE BUTTERFLY, CRACKER JACK, ALICE MUNRO, SHORT FICTION, SETTING
UP NEXT: Litspiration Challenge 1!
Literature appreciation is an essential component of the English Language Arts curriculum, and for many, life! The Program of Studies insists students explore and analyze a variety of texts, not just written pieces, so we began our LITSPIRATION inquiry this year with a short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. (This is also a picture book, but for once, the movie is better!) This short film is a beautiful examination into how the act of reading is not just important, but essential to a full life.
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| A wonderful scene from the short film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. |
Next we explored the short piece "Day of the Butterfly" by Alice Munro, a short story included in the Sightlines 8 textbook anthology. Many students knew who Munro is, and were aware of her being recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
After reading the short story students were asked to answer some comprehension questions to give me an understanding of where they are in their ability to analyze literature. Then, we used "Day of the Butterfly" as an exemplar to investigate the literary element "setting," reading closely to find evidence in the text about the "where, "when," and "what" of the story.
