Wonderscape
Allusion in Literature: Conveying Meaning with Brevity
This video explores allusion, a literary technique that briefly mentions well-known references to convey deeper meanings. It emphasizes the importance of audience knowledge for effective allusions, using examples from Charles Dickens,...
Wonderscape
Crafting Atmosphere: Setting the Scene in Literature
This video explores how writers use the literary element of atmosphere to create specific feelings about a place or setting within a story. It distinguishes atmosphere from mood and uses examples from Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and...
Curated Video
Logic and Wonder: The Dual Worlds of Lewis Carroll
This video introduces us to Charles Dodgson, better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll. We learn about Dodgson's personal history, including his physical ailments and his career as a professor of mathematics. The video underscores how...
Curated Video
The Innovative Style of Emily Dickinson's Poetry
Emily Dickinson describes the transformative power of poetry as something that can evoke profound physical sensations. She developed a distinctive style characterized by unique punctuation, particularly the use of dashes, and near...
Curated Video
The Fascinating History of the Orient Express
The Orient Express, a legendary train that inspired Agatha Christie's famous novel "Murder on the Orient Express," has a rich history of luxury travel and mystery. Originally running from Paris to Romania, the train has evolved into a...
Curated Video
Sources: Primary and Secondary
Sources: Primary and Secondary explains the differences between primary and secondary sources, citing at least examples of each type of source.
Curated Video
Identifying Conclusions 1
"Identifying Conclusions" demonstrates how to examine concluding statements by reading passages and identifying the conclusions.
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Descriptive Writing
Descriptive Writing explains the purpose of descriptive writing and lists examples of focused, specific topics for descriptive writing.
Curated Video
Sandra Cisneros
A trailblazer in more ways than one, Sandra Cisneros was the first Mexican-American woman to be published by a mainstream publisher. Her work brought Hispanic culture to a wider audience of readers.
Curated Video
Lorraine Hansberry
The first African-American woman to have a play staged on Broadway, Lorraine Hansberry was a writer who broke down racial and gender barriers.
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Lois Lowry
Being a teenager isn’t always easy – but sometimes, books can provide the comfort and guidance we need. Few authors capture the adolescent experience better than young adult author Lois Lowry.
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Gwendolyn Brooks
The first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the hardship and struggles of ordinary people.
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Colson Whitehead
The first author to win the Pulitzer Prize for two consecutive novels, Colson Whitehead is one of the United States’ most versatile writers.
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Amanda Gorman
The youngest inaugural poet in history, Amanda Gorman introduced a new generation to the lyrical power of poetry and became a modern-day icon in the process.
Curated Video
Ray Bradbury
Awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, recognizing a lifetime of influential literary works, Ray Bradbury wrote from a desire to “live forever”. Through sci fi, fantasy, horror and mystery to themes of death, loneliness and the dark...
Curated Video
Shirley Jackson
A master of the macabre, Shirley Jackson explores the creepy underbelly of domestic life, with a sharp focus on the challenges that women face.
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Richard Wright
At a time when Jim Crow laws made racial segregation legal across much of the United States, author Richard Wright gave voice to a struggle – as the first African American author to achieve widespread critical and commercial success.
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Octavia Butler
First popularized as a genre of literature in the 1920s, for decades science fiction was dominated by white male authors. That is until Octavia Butler, an African American woman, rewrote the script.
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Ernestine Rose
A pioneering suffragette and free thinker, Ernestine Rose was way ahead of her time. Described as the “first Jewish feminist”, she used her voice to campaign for women’s rights and improve the lives of millions.
Curated Video
Alice Walker
As the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Alice Walker helped to bring the Black experience to readers across the globe. A true trailblazer, her work continues to entertain and enlighten.
Curated Video
Who's the Author?
Miss Palomine explains what an author is. She shows your student where he can find the name of the author on a book. Miss Palomine then makes up her own story and encourages your student to become an author by telling a story to you, his...
Curated Video
Persuasive Ads
Miss Palomine explains to the student that aside from writing for entertainment and writing to provide information, there is a kind of writing called “persuasive writing.” She introduces persuasive writing by reading examples from three...
Curated Video
A Quick Question about Q
Miss Palomine plays the Quincy Quail music video. She talks about the /kw/ sound and the shape of the uppercase -Q. She and the student then identify uppercase -Q words.
Curated Video
Leo Lionni
Miss Palomine tells the student about the biography of Leo Lionni and gives examples of some of his best-loved storybooks.