Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Martin Guerre essays

Martin Guerre essays During the period of the Renaissance in France in the sixteenth century, people had renewed interest in learning and values. Writers began rejecting accepted religious beliefs and focused more on human nature. This brought about a new way of life for people in France. In Natalie Zemon Davis The Return of Martin Guerre, an account of a man, Arnaud du Tilh, impersonating Martin Guerre shows us first hand the way of life during this time. An imposter, at this time, would be particularly frowned upon in society and would face rather harsh consequences. Davis proposes many possibilities regarding the story of Martin Guerre. Firstly, had the two men met? Davis proposes that Guerre and du Tilh had, indeed, met in their travels, whether it had been brief or extensive. Had they conspired? Perhaps Guerre trained du Tilh to be like himself. Yet, it seems to Davis, Guerre had never met du Tilh. As Davis says, a man du Tilh met who mistook him for Guerre sparked his eccentric idea to forge the identity of a somewhat well-off peasant with an estate left to him. Whatever the case may have been, du Tilh went along with this scheme. Regardless of the answers to the previous stated questions, people in the town took this imposter in as the real Martin. Perhaps this was because he told his accounts of the past so accurately, so precise, that no one could truly deny it was him. With that in mind, Davis also presents the perplexing question as to how his own wife didnt detect he was a phony. Another credible and realistic point is made by Davis. Most likely, Bertrande knew he was not her real husband, as Davis believes she is a somewhat intelligent woman, yet she did not care. For many years, there was a missing role in their family as a father, husband, brother, son, and nephew. Now that he returned this void is filled. Life is made easier on Bertrande, and the rest of the family as well. Davis th...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

How to Design a Pen Pal Program for Your Classroom

How to Design a Pen Pal Program for Your Classroom A pen pals program is one of the most fun ways to give your kids a real-life lesson in Social Studies, Language Arts, Geography, and more. Begin working on pen pals with your students as early in the school year as possible, so that you can maximize the number of letters that the participants can exchange. The Benefits of Pen Pals Pen pal relationships offer a number of significant inter-disciplinary benefits for your students, including: valuable practice at writing letters in the proper format (Language Arts standard)increased awareness of societies and cultures from around the world (can be tied into Social Studies, Geography, and more!)a chance to maintain ongoing communication with people who live far awayincreased odds that your students will continue to be letter writers for the rest of their lives Email or Snail Mail? As a teacher, you must decide if you want your students to gain practice at writing traditional letters or at composing emails. I prefer to use pencil-and-paper pen pals because I want to contribute to keeping the lost art of traditional letter writing alive. Youll want to consider: the grade level you are teachingthe availability of computers at your schoolthe level of computer literacy of your students Finding Pen Pals for Your Kids Using the Internet, its fairly simple to find enthusiastic counterparts from around the world who would like to partner up with your classroom. Post an announcement on an education-related Message Board. Simply put the word out about where you are, the grade level of your students, and what kind of pen pal relationship you seek. Every summer, our Message Board bustles with pen pal activity, so it should be fairly easy for you to partner up.Sign up with a Pen Pal matching service. For example,​ ​International Pen Friends shuns email pals in favor of keeping the art of traditional letter writing alive. Fill out their School Class Application Form and, for a fee, youll be matched up with other interested students from around the world. ePALS is one of the largest email pen pal sites, so its definitely worth a visit if you want to go the email route. Keep Pen Pals Safe and Secure In todays society, you need to take extra precautions in order to keep activities safe, especially where children are concerned. Read Internet Safety Tips for Kids in order to minimize the risks involved with pen pal communications. You should also read through the letters your students write to make sure they arent giving away any personal information, such as their home addresses, or family secrets. Its better to be safe than sorry. Get Connected and Get Started As your Pen Pal program continues, one of the keys to success is keeping in close contact with the teacher you are working with. Drop him or her a quick email to let them know when they can expect your letters to arrive. Determine ahead of time if you are going to send each letter individually or in one big batch. I would recommend sending them in one big batch just to keep it simpler for you. Explore the wide world of Pen Pal resources on the web and get ready for a school year full of new friends and fun filled letters. No matter how you choose to design your classrooms pen pal program, your students are sure to benefit from the interactions you facilitate.