Reading Activities compiled by Julia Carlson |During Reading | After Reading | Pre-Reading Strategies 1: Information on the made-for-television movie. IMdb. “A Wrinkle in Time.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290382/.> This is a fairly comprehensive website about the made-for-television “A Wrinkle in Time.” This website will help teachers locate the film as well as decide whether or not it will be a useful tool in their classroom. Apparently the film follows the storyline rather closely. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290382/. 2: Who likes this book? Tesseract: The “A Wrinkle in Time” Fanlisting. 20 Sept. 2005 <http://fan.mysticalmagick.com/tesseract/index.php?about>. This website is created and maintained by a group of fans who love “A Wrinkle in Time.” I selected this particular page of the site simply because a teacher can find any of the former or current covers for the book on this page. This is helpful information when seeking visual augmentation of some kind for a lesson, handout, etc. http://fan.mysticalmagick.com/tesseract/index.php?about 3: Collection of Learning Activities Teachers At Random: A Wrinkle in Time. 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440998051&view=tg> This website lists several excellent learning activities that could be used throughout the unit. Just reading through these ideas sparked some of my own for teaching this novel. This is a great website for unit planning. 3: Why Does Einstein Believe in Time Travel? Nova Online. “Time Travel.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/time/think.html>. This website would make a great computer lab activity. There is an interactive demonstration on how Einstein came to believe that time travel is possible. The demonstration requires a limited understanding of math and physics, but students can just guess, click through the prompts, and see the animations if they don’t understand and the information is well-presented. There is also information on what other scientists have thought about time travel. If the website seems too intensive, teachers may want to access the original NOVA program that is the companion of the website. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/time/think.html 4: How Does Time Travel Work? How Stuff Works. “How Time Travel Will Work.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/time-travel.htm>. This site is another simple explanation on how time travel is theoretically possible. This website is very user-friendly and will get students thinking about the plausibility of the novel’s plot. It also provides a break from usual classroom activities. http://science.howstuffworks.com/time-travel.htm 5: What is the author like? Madeline L’Engle Home Page. 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.madeleinelengle.com/multi/photos.htm>. This website lists basic information about Madeline L’Engle and her works, including several photos, publication dates, etc. This site provides access to other websites as well. Having students fill out a worksheet about the author would give them a reason to peruse this site at their own speed. http://www.madeleinelengle.com/multi/photos.htm 6: What are the author’s opinions? Geocities. “Madeline L’Engle Quote Repository.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8838/lquote.html>. This website indexes quotes from the author by subject. This seemed to be a great resource to better understanding the author’s opinions and philosophies on a variety of topics. I pictured these quotes being used to spark class discussions or as learning log response prompts. 7: Internet School Library Internet School Library Media Center. “Madeline L’Engle Teacher Resource File.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lengle.htm>. This is a fairly extensive list of lesson plans and materials related to Madeline L’Engle and her books. This site will be especially helpful to teachers as they design their units in class. Teachers can also get information about L’Engle’s other books here. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lengle.htm 8: Personal interview with Madeline L’Engle Horowitz, Shel. Frugal Fun. “Madeline L’Engle: Faith During Adversity.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lengle.htm>. This is a great article/interview with the author. She details her struggle to publish the novel. I really enjoyed reading about the publishers who eventually couldn’t believe they turned the book down for publication. This could open a very interesting discussion on perseverance and the parallels between Meg and Madeline L’Engle herself. This is also one of the better biographical pieces I found. 9:What was L’Engle reading when she wrote this book? Albert Einstein: Image and Impacts. 20 Sept. 2005 <http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/>. I included this website with comprehensive information about Einstein because L’Engle was reading Einstein’s works when she was writing the book. Students could benefit from a small taste of the same. 10: What about conformity? Changing minds.org. “The Need for Conformity.” 20 Sept. 2005 <http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/conformity.htm>. This website might be used for a pre-reading activity addressing the problems associated with conformity; one of the major themes in Madeline L’Engle’s work is good vs. evil, and evil = mass conformity. This is a timely issue for adolescents because they seem to be at a very individualistic stage in their lives but also have a reputation for conformity in some respects. http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/conformity.htm During Reading Strategies 1: What About Bullies? www.bullying.org. “Get the Facts.” 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.bullying.org/public/frameset.cfm>. This website is an excellent resource for young people in regards to bullying and could be used to augment class discussion towards the beginning of the unit. Meg’s brother is singled out because of his gifted intellectual capacity and the family endures a fair amount of harassment at the beginning of the novel, so discussing the results of that harassment could help in examining the later actions of the characters. The website answers frequently asked questions about bullying and addresses appropriate ways to respond to such situations. 2: Where does intelligence come from? “Nature V. Nurture in Intelligence.” 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.wilderdom.com/personality/L4-1IntelligenceNatureVsNurture.html>. Another issue worth exploring in the novel is the source and development of mental capacity. This website might make a good computer lab activity if coupled with a worksheet of some kind. The novel deals a great deal with intelligence, as Meg’s parents are both very brilliant and her brother seems to have inherited their brains. 3: Study Questions and Vocabulary A Wrinkle in Time. 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~proj1615/wrinkle.pdf>. This is a set of study questions to help students focus their reading. They could be assigned to fill out while reading or used as quizzes. The questions are pretty reasonable and the worksheets even include vocabulary. 4: Who Wants to Be a Wrinkle in Time Millionaire? Gould, Julia, and Olivia Collier. “A Wrinkle in Time Quiz.” 27 Sept 2005 < http://www.triv.net/html/Quiz2/quiz3363.shtml>. This is a quiz that could be used to check reading comprehension and completion. I liked it because it was online and fashioned after “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Two teachers developed it and posted it for public use. 5: Class Website Development Burnett, Jera. “A Wrinkle in Time Website.” 27 Sept 2005 < http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kburnett/jerawrin/wrinkle.html>. This seems to be a website developed by a class. I included it because I liked the idea of developing one as a class; this could easily be reproduced and improved on. I think their idea of using a character chart really helps students classify the information they are reading. 6: Create Your Own Fansite Rottentomatoes.com. “A Wrinkle in Time.” 27 Sept 2005 < http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wrinkle_in_time/>. This is another site about the movie but I included it because it allows users the option to create a fansite of their own. If the class likes the book, a similar idea might work with an internet-savvy group. Students could choose to create one for their class. 7: My Hero My Hero Website. 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.myhero.com/myhero/>. This website allows students to choose a hero and create a web page about it. This seems like a great opportunity to talk about characters and their strengths. Students could choose which character they find most heroic or compare one of their heroes to the heroes in the novel. 8: What are People Doing With A Wrinkle in Time? “Wrinkle Two: A Global Moment in History.” 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.hotspotshawaii.com/wrinkleintime/wrinkle2/wrinkle/begin.html>. I found this site interesting because professional photographers have coordinated their efforts to take photographs at different parts of the world instantaneously. They choose events such as an eclipse or solstice and call them “wrinkles” in time. The group was actually inspired by the novel. During Strategy #9: What Time is it? Standard Time Zone Chart of the World. 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.worldtimezone.com/>. This website shows time zones all over the world. This puts a little perspective on time and how traveling around the world in an airplane can be considered its own form of time travel. Perhaps students would enjoy comparing what time it is in different parts of the world with their own class time. 10: How Does Science Fiction Relate to Me? Franco, Anthony F. Yale Newhaven Teachers Institute. “Search for Tomorrow: Science Fiction Literature and Today’s Student.” 27 Sept 2005 <http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/1/79.01.05.x.html>. This is a whole unit on science fiction designed for 7-12th grades. I included it because it talks about how science fiction relates to the life of young adults. This makes some excellent suggestions for text to self interpretations. After Reading Strategies 1: What are Physicists and Astronomers Like? U.S. Department of Labor “Physicists and Astronomers.” 3 Oct 2005. <http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm>. This information could be used to better understand the lifestyle of people like Meg’s parents. Students may not understand much about what physicists do and information like this could be used in better understanding the characters and setting of the story. This could also be helpful information for students considering science as a profession. 2: What’s So Funny About Physics? Shay, David. Profession Jokes—Physicists. 4 Oct 2005 < http://www.workjoke.com/projoke25.htm>. Nothing can lighten up a class discussion more than a few jokes. I previewed these and found some that would work really well as a class opener. The website also lists jokes for other professions that could be related to the book. 3: What Was Going On when A Wrinkle in Time was Written? Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. “1962.” 3 Oct 2005 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962>. This page contains links to many events and people that were current in 1962, when A Wrinkle in Time was published. This site can help teachers and students place the publication of the book in a historical context. Since the book was wildly received, it may help students to understand what kind of people were buying and reading it. 4: What about Gifted Kids? Tolan, Stephanie S. “Helping Your Highly Gifted Child.” 3 Oct 2005 <http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/help.gift.html>. This website is geared toward parents but has a great deal of information about gifted children, their needs, and their social behavior. A Wrinkle in Time addresses the difficulties of being gifted through the character Charles and his experiences. Madeline L’Engle was the child of gifted parents and probably identifies personally with Meg. A good learning log assignment or class discussion could come from talking about the issues that Charles faced. 5: What else does Madeline L’Engle Write? A Sampling of Madeline L’Engle’s Poetry. 3 Oct 2005 <http://www.technomom.com/reading/lengle.shtml>. This website contains several poems written by Madeline L’Engle. Some of them are not appropriate for young adults but some of the shorter ones could be used for a comparison of different types of writing by the same author. Reading a person’s poetry is an infinite view into how they think and feel. I felt much more familiar with the author after reading these poems. 6: How Can We Use Art to Teach this Book? Madeline L’Engle Teaching Unit. A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door. 3 Oct 2005. <http://csmstu01.csm.edu/st03/dwagner/madeline_l'engle_teaching_unit.htm>. This teaching unit has a comprehensive collection of before, during, and after strategies for teachers using this book in their classrooms. I really liked the way the vocabulary idea was presented and also the option for students to use art to depict IT and other characters or events in the novel. This website contains several great activities and may spur many other ideas as well. 7: What does Madeline L’Engle Believe About God? Webb, Heather. A Conversation with Madeline L’Engle. 3 Oct 2005. <http://www.leaderu.com/marshill/mhr04/lengle1.html>. This is a longer interview with the author. She addresses the conflict between her religious background, her adjusted Christian beliefs, and writing for a Christian and non-Christian audience. This interview gives great insight into the discussion of how religion has affected her writing and how morals or beliefs play into her work. Perhaps students could use this interview to consider the theological implications of the book in a class discussion or an essay-type assignment. 8: Commencement Speech by Madeline L’Engle Wellesley College Commencement. Madeline L’Engle Commencement Speech 1991. 3 Oct 2005. <http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/1991/lengle.html>. This is a great resource for understanding the author’s educational and personal philosophies on dreaming, creativity, etc. I felt as though I better understood her characters after reading this commencement speech she delivered. She even addresses her own education and what some of her teachers did to help her. Older students will enjoy this window into her ways of thinking and could select the parts they agreed or disagreed with and explain why to the class. 9: What Would I Say to Madeline L’Engle? The Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature at Rhode Island College. Madeline L’Engle. 3 Oct 2005 <http://www.ric.edu/astal/authors/madelinel'engle.html>. This website has several good ideas for teachers and also advertised that students could email Madeline L’Engle themselves. This would be a great after reading activity for students to analyze what they liked/didn’t like about the book, give reasons for their opinions, and then actually email them to the author. The site also includes biographical information and information on her other works. 10: Movie about Madeline L’Engle Ishtar Films Presents Distinguished Films about Women. Madeline L’Engle: Star Gazer. 3 Oct 2005. <http://www.ishtarfilms.com/page2.htm>. This website collects films about women and women’s history. Scroll down to find a special documentary film on Madeline L’Engle narrated by Julie Harris. This film would provide a great break from book vocabulary or study guide worksheets.