Edible Mr. Darcy? Okay....

Though it has been a long while since I've posted an update about my English Lit. class, it hasn't been so long that you've forgotten about it. (I hope) For those of you who are new aboard ship, I teach an English Literature class for two of my younger sisters who are in the late middle school-early highschool age range. We've been going through Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but I admit to having grown lax in the last several months in my teaching. Yesterday, however, I sat down and planned out a couple of lessons.

I felt it was a befitting way to spend the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice! :) I have been wanting the girls to get through the book a bit quicker than we've done yet. We were reading aloud to each other two chapters each session, and managed a session or two a week. At any rate, we were only at Chapter 20 out of 40-some, so I needed us to pick up the pace. I will assign them 4 chapters a session to have read and take notes on in the off-days, and then we'll come together to do a couple activities, discuss key points, ideas, shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. 

But to ease the girls into this new regime and to celebrate the bicentennial of such a fabulous book, I decided we'd make Pride and Prejudice cookies...I looked on Pinterest in a lazy moment and saw all sorts of beautiful Jane Austen cookies, but none took my fancy. Okay. So I'd have to be creative on my own. Converting my mad hypothetical-cake-decorating skills (learned from watching too much Cake Boss) into cookie skills, I put together a plan...I made a batch of sugar cookies and cut some into squares, then made a furling banner type thingamabobber out of paper and cut around it with a knife. The cookies were baked, and when they were cool I made a Royal Icing paste. Literally nothing but powdered sugar, egg whites, and water. I iced them carefully and left the icing to harden overnight.

The bigger scheme? Paint favorite quotes from P&P onto the icing with concentrated food coloring. Would it work? I hoped so. 

The girls were monstrously curious over what on earth these rather drab-looking cookies were for. As you can see from my white-board lesson plan, the first activity was for the girls to choose a character from the book and write a congratulatory letter to Jane Austen in that character's "voice". While they did that, I tested my Theory of Decorating...

Nailed it.

I was so thrilled.

The girls were none the wiser yet, and worked away at their card-making:

They nailed it too. :)

Finally I got to show the girls what our next assignment was, and food-dye ink reigned for the next half-hour as we all bent over our cookies and used teeny paintbrushes to endow them with clever sentiments from the novel itself.

We took some license and included a movie quote or two...

I had so much fun making these, and realized that this technique is now for sure going into my Awesomeness Arsenal, to bring out on special occasions like weddings and graduations. Seriously, these would be adorable as wedding favors!

Mine above, Leah's below.

The picture is a little blurry, but it says, "I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in a pretty woman can bestow..." ;)

Aren't they just darling? First day back at class was a smash. :) Thank you, Jesus!

Hilarious Mail... :)

 

"It is my opinion that a person who can write a long letter with ease cannot write ill."

                -Jane Austen

My pupils may cause me great secret amusement with their definitions, spelling, and their answers to reading comprehension, but there's certainly nothing wrong with their imaginations! These letters came to me after I assigned Leah and Anna to write a charming letter from one character to another that had to be at least 2 pages long. I am  rather proud of them. Enjoy! :) (All spelling, grammar, and punctuation as the original)

Leah's Letter: Comprised of a plethora of commas, hyperboles, and a cold heart

Dearest Adelaide,
     How are you this glorious day? Has your cold bettered? As I write to you, I am siting in the Duke of Shamphires seat, and at his most equisite desk. The Duke's drawing room has just recently been decorated, and in the latest French style. Now, you may wonder, how on earth I came here, and I shall tell you.
I have recently made an aquaintence with his daughter. She is the sweetest creature I have ever beheld. She has a slight temper when she is riled. But beyond that there is no seeable fault with her. I am having a wonderful time in the country. We have attended 5 balls, 3 dances & 6 feasts in one week. Though I must admit, I was disappointed in their lack of propriety. What should I expect from country people?
But the Duke's "palace" brings a awed presence in that part of the Shampshire. When people enter the palace, of the most important people of the land, they seem to know they are in the presence of someone higher than they.
Anyway, dearest, you must tell me what have you been doing of late? I'm dying ot hear all the latest town gossip. Has Gertrude married that Italian yet? Has Jenny been to see you lately?
Oh! I wanted to tell you of this young man I met at the Himlet's ball. He was from France, doing a favor to his uncle. He had dark brown hair, with a head of curls, and 2 curls that must have escaped the comb that morning, and were standing impishly out of place. His manner was charming, but I could sense a sort of conceit about him. I must do him credit and mention that he was very gentlemanly and honored me by dancing with me twice. (Well, at least he thought he honored me,) but actually it was quite the opposite. I detested dancing with him, because I saw a man, who I liked much better, and he was moving toward me, and right then "he" had to ask me, and of course I couldn't turn him down.
How I long for you. I do wish you were here. Of course you caught cold right before the day we were going to go with Amelia's family. Well, at least I'm here to do the things here, so I can tell you on my return home.
Oh! Speaking of Amelia's family, they are staying here, at the Duke's house, as well. Amelia's been out almost every night we have been here, with a fellow by the name of William Ruxeby. I like him well enough, it is obvious she likes him too!
You should be proud of me, I have read a book of William Wordsworth's poems today. You are always wanting me to read more, so to oblige you, while you are ill, I did. And I have started one of Dicken's books as well, "Mansfield Park", I believe. Oh, Dear me! I mis-said the author's name. Jane Austen wrote, "Mansfield Park" Charles Dickens wrote a great many other grand books.
That's another things, the libraries here, are superb. There are 2 downstairs, and 2 above the stairs.
As I look about me, hanging on the walls, are portraits of 1 and twenty men and women. It is funny, because you can tell who had the cheery disposition, and who hadn't.
The ones in lighter colors were smiling, the ones in dark colors looked concerned.
Well dearest, the clock chimes 3:00.
               Yours Truly,
                          Mary Ann Willshod

Anna's Letter: Characterized in chief by quick, slashing handwriting, abundantly missplaced commas, and creative spellings. :)

Dearest Jane,
       It was good to receive a letter from you! I can only hope your visit in London has been as you had anticipated. I do wonder though, if you have yet visited Miss Bingley? She and Mr. Bingley have been in London for several weeks now I believe. My stay at Aunt and Uncle's home has been....quite pleasant, although at times I feel lonly and ready to return to Longbourn. I think Father misses me, but who can blame him wholly, for staying with Mamma and Mary and Kitty, I'm sure can get on one's nerves. Have you heard from Charlotte recently? I am going to come and see, her, when I get a chance. I do hope she is doing well. It worries me when dear friends don't write or come to call after they marry and settle. Maybe she is busy with visits to Lady Cathrine Debourg! Oh Dear Jane, almost everyday I think of Lydia, and Mr. Wickom. Poor Lydia, how could she expose herself, and her family, to such gossip and run away with Mr. Wickom. But it is not so unexspected from Lydia.
Jane, I think we both should try our best to comfort Mamma, and try to cheer up Father, because Lydia really didn't think about Father, or Mamma when she ran away. Please write as soon as you, can, althouhg I"m sure London keeps you constantly on your toes! Oh! and if you hear from Charlotte, please write to me and tell me. But I would hope she would write to me, before she would you, seeing as we are good friends!
                  Love,
                    Lizzie

The Netherfield Walk!

 Today my pupils and I took our 3-mile "Netherfield Walk." It was a gorgeous day [not at all like January ought to be ;)] and we set out in high spirits. The rules were as follows:

• You must walk at a brisk pace, so as to get the "brilliancy" in your complexion that Lizzy Bennet acquired from her walk.
• You must speak anything you had to say in a British accent. No if, ands, or buts about it.

 

This is us in our "unbrilliant" state of countenance. :)

The Mad-Cap English Teacher....

The Cross School-Marm....does anyone else think my finger looks really long and scary? :P

I couldn't resist a picture of the bluer than blue lake. :)

At the end of the road (1 1/2 miles) we stopped to do a short photo-shoot....

....A stranger we picked up as a tag-along. ;)

 My students and I....notice the heightened color of our faces? Ah yes. Jane Austen's recipe seems to be working.... ;)

"Her hair, Louisa! She really looked almost wild!!!" :D 

What a horrid picture! I will continue to blame it on the half-wet, half-dry state of my newly-washed hair, and the wind. 

"There's a piece of blue sky--let us catch it!"

...And then we headed home, all downhill. [Well, nearly.] It was a very good walk.

Ah yes. If I weren't in the shadows there'd be quite a bit of pink in that face.

More pink. I approve Jane Austen's remedy for a pale face. How about you? :)

...The Various Reactions to Having Walked Three Miles At Once...

 Leah's main complaint was from her waist-down. 

Apparently her legs are not accustomed to much walking. ;)

 I had to drag this one home after she kept wanting to stop for a rest.

"Maybe someone will come out and offer us something!" she and Leah said at each house we passed, as if we'd been tramping through the Sahara Desert, rather than for a long country walk.

 Sarah complained of blisters, but beyond that she was top-notch. I've been training her.

Me?......

 "You must allow her to be an excellent walker." ;)

Walking is my forte. I love it. There is nothing quite like a ramble through the countryside, especially with sisters. :) I think the girls all enjoyed this experiment, and we heartily applaud Lizzy Bennet for having done it alone, in the mud, cross-country, just to visit a sister with a cold. :)

(All pictures courtesy of Sarah, except for the ones of herself. :)

"I am Well-pleased!"

Well, my first day as an English Lit. teacher went rather well, on a whole. The girls were enthralled with the idea, though I fancy it will be hard for them to accustom themselves to having to view me as an Instructress rather than a giggle-factory. ;) We had lessons in how to read aloud well, how this whole course was going to go, and then we read the chapters, went through the Reading Comprehension questions, and then I sent them packing to define their vocabulary list. :)
A fun challenge I am assigning them is to choose one word out of that list and use it in at least one conversation between now and next session. :) My vision for this class if for it to be amazingly fun. Thus, we'll be living vicariously through the book, doing what they do. When Lizzy walks 3 miles to Netherfield you may bet upon it, we'll be taking a 3 miles trek. When there is a dance, we may learn some English Country dances.
Kids thrive on hands-on learning, and young adults even more-so, sometimes. This is going to be a blast! Leah and Anna loved their first lesson, and with plenty of cups of British Tea, our English Lit. class is going to go down in history as the most fun any homeschooler has ever had! ;) Sing Ho for new studies! I am liking this position as teacher very well. :)

P.S. I have also forbidden the watching of Pride and Prejudice until this study is over--then we'll have a marathon, watch the whole thing over tea and cookies, and love it even more than ever! :D (It'll be their carrot-before-the-nose to improve motivation! ;)

In Which I Become a Teacher :)

For some time I have been thinking about starting some classes...as in teaching some classes for my younger siblings. Something I love that they aren't already doing right now. A fabulous idea was percolating for some time in the back of my mind and at last I asked Mama and secured her permission. In addition to my Butcher, Baker and Candlestick maker duties, I am taking on the position of an English Literature teacher. I am so excited about this and have grand plans! I'll be teaching two of my younger sisters, Leah and Anna. (Grades 9 and 6, respectively)
In my last two years of high-school, Sarah and I went through a literature-based unit study called Where the Brook and River Meet. We loved it. The author of this guide went through a very thorough study of the Victorian Era based off of Anne of Green Gables. Rabbit-trails were followed and explored, I gained a love for the amazingly beautiful poetry of that era, I learned about customs, fashion, culture, history, and more. I am seeking to do rather this style of teaching for my English Lit. class.
I decided to start with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. My younger sisters already love this movie and I figured that reading the book would be perfect because it would retain their attention while at the same time accustoming their ears to the voice of finer literature. After we go through P&P, we'll continue onto something a bit more challenging, then even more challenging, and so on. I can't wait to begin classes, for English literature is so dear to my own heart, I can't wait to help my sisters love it too!

Here is a sample lesson-plan. (I intend for our lessons to be amusing and entertaining. :)

Pride and Prejudice

(Chapters 1 & 2)

Reading Comprehension:

Chapter One:

1. How much money per year is Mr.Bingley entitled to? (4 or 5,000 pounds)
2. When did Mr. Bennet say he would visit the young men of the neighborhood? (When there were twenty of them.)
3. What was the business of Mrs. Bennet's life? (To get her daughters married)
4. What was the solace of her life? (Visiting, and news.)

Chapter Two: 

1. What do we know of Lydia Bennet, thus far? (She is "good-humored", "The youngest," and "the tallest" of the girls.)
2. Who was the woman Mrs. Bennet despaired of being generous enough to introduce the Bennet Family to Mr. Bingley? (Mrs. Long)
3. How many nieces had Mrs. Long? (two)
4. What was Mrs. Bennet's excuse for vowing to "dislike" the making of new acquaintances every day? (She and her husband were advancing in age)

 

Vocabulary:

Define these words in the Webster's 1828 dictionary*:

chaise

design (in its more abstract sense. i.e. "He had a design to visit them.")

scrupulous

solace

circumspection

deign

conjecture

*I am choosing this dictionary because the definitions will be closest to those during Jane Austen's time of life.

Culture:

In Chapter Two it is mentioned that Elizabeth Bennet was trimming a hat. Research the kinds of hats popular during the 1790's. (Jane Austen began writing Pride and Prejudice in 1796) What sort of materials might Lizzy have been using to trim her hat? Which of the styles would look best on you? :)

In Chapter Two Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet have a discussion over the importance of being introduced to a stranger by someone who was already acquainted with the person. Why could they not introduce themselves as we do today? Read about introductions on page 55 of What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew.

That will be their first lesson, and I hope to include more and more activities to do...too bad we haven't any Regency-Era estates in our corner of VA... ;) There are so many possibilities with this sort of study...we could expand into music, art, history, sewing, fashion, grammar, etc. It's quite astonishing what one can pull out of a period-novel. :) I will also be letting the girls read the chapter aloud and instructing them on how to read aloud properly. (Some people bull through, oblivious to all punctuation. It results in mayhem. Believe me. :)

How does this new plan sound? I'll keep you updated on how they're liking me as a teacher, and the lessons as a whole. :D