Everything Below

Everything below this post... all the childish posts were for my English 360-571 from Spring 2008 at Texas A&M with Dr. Robinson. It was an awesome class. If you attend Texas A&M, I recommend it, but there is a bit of reading. I was a Freshman then, but now I'm a Junior. I am the Proudest Member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2011! A-A-A Whoop!!

The Lion King - - - -the movie

The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd film in the Disney animated feature canon and the highest grossing traditionally animated feature film in history. It is also now a Broadway Musical.

The story, influenced by the Shakespeare play Hamlet and Disney's 1942 classic Bambi, focuses on a young lion in Africa named Simba, who learns of his place in the great "circle of life" and overcomes many obstacles to claim his place as the rightful king.

A musical film, The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music. Songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with an original score by Hans Zimmer. Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride; and a part prequel/part midquel, The Lion King 1½.

The Lion King takes place in the fictional Pride Lands of Africa, where a lion rules over the other animals as king. At the beginning of the film, Rafiki, a wise old shaman, anoints Simba, the newborn cub of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, and presents him to a massive gathering of animals at Pride Rock. Meanwhile, Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, realizes that he is no longer the heir to the throne and plots to kill both Simba and his father in order to regain it.

When Simba has grown into a young cub, Mufasa brings him on a tour of the Pride Lands, teaching him about the “Circle of Life”, the delicate balance affecting all living things, which the king must maintain. The tour is cut short when Mufasa's adviser, the hornbill Zazu, alerts him of hyena sightings in the Pride Lands, and Mufasa sends a disappointed Simba home while he deals with the threat. Back at Pride Rock, Scar piques Simba's curiosity about the elephant graveyard, a place beyond the northern borders of the Pride Lands, where Mufasa has forbidden Simba to go. Simba, trying to prove his courage, takes his best friend Nala to the elephant graveyard, fooling Zazu along the way. At the graveyard, the cubs are greeted by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, Scar's hyena minions who attempt to kill the cubs. Fortunately, they are rescued by Mufasa at the nick of time.

Mufasa scolds Simba on the way home, and explains to Simba that being brave doesn't mean looking for trouble. When Simba asks if his father will always be with him, Mufasa tells his son that the great kings of the past watch from the stars, just as he will watch over Simba one day when the sun sets on his time. Meanwhile, Scar becomes furious, as he intended for the hyenas to kill the cubs. Plotting further, Scar gathers more hyenas and, in a scene resembling Nazi and Soviet military imagery, buys their loyalty by claiming that if he becomes king, they'll never go hungry again.

Some time later, Scar lures Simba into a gorge for a "surprise from his father," while the hyenas engineer a wildebeest stampede down into the gorge where Simba is. Alerted by an insincerely dramatic Scar, Mufasa races to rescue his son from the stampede. The lion king successfully saves his son, but struggles to bring himself to safety. As Mufasa helplessly clings on to a steep cliff, he asks Scar for help, but Scar flings his brother into the raging stampede below, after mocking him with the words "long live the king." Simba rushes down to his father's body, and tries to wake up the dead king to no avail. An approaching Scar convinces Simba that the young cub was responsible for his father's death, and recommends that he flee the Pride Lands, never to return. As Simba is running off, Scar sends his hyena henchmen to kill Simba again, but as Simba flees through a thornbush-covered embankment, the hyenas break off pursuit and let him escape. Hurling threats that he will be killed if ever seen again, the hyenas return to Scar and lie that they have murdered the cub. Informed that both Mufasa and Simba were killed, the pride regretfully allows Scar to assume the throne as the closest of kin. Still mourning, they are told the hyenas are now part of the pride.

Simba collapses in a distant desert, where he is found by Timon and Pumbaa, a comical meerkat-warthog duo who adopt and raise Simba under their carefree "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle. When Simba has grown into an adult, he is discovered by his childhood friend Nala, who relays that Scar's tyrannical reign has devastated the Pride Lands, turning it into a barren wasteland. She asks Simba to return and take his rightful place as king, but Simba refuses, still guilty about supposedly causing his father's death.

Simba then shows Nala around and they find themselves in love. But immediately afterwards, Nala tells Simba that she doesn't understand why he won't return to Pride Rock. The two become angry, confused, and end up in a quarrel. However, Rafiki shows up and indirectly persuades Simba to return home with a series of metaphors. Combined with an appearance of the ghost of Mufasa, Simba realizes his responsibility and heads back to Pride Rock, followed by Timon, Pumbaa and Nala.

Once back at Pride Rock, Simba confronts his uncle. Afraid of losing the throne, Scar announces to the pride that Simba was responsible for Mufasa's death. He then corners Simba at the edge of Pride Rock with his hyenas, resulting in a scene similar to Mufasa's death. At the same time, lightning strikes the dry brush, surrounding Pride Rock with flames. As Simba dangles over the edge of Pride Rock with flames below him, an over-confident Scar reveals the truth about Mufasa's death. Enraged, Simba leaps up and pins Scar to the ground, forcing him to admit his wrongdoings. A fierce battle between the lionesses and the hyenas ensues. Rafiki, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa join the fray as well.

Atop Pride Rock's peak, Simba finally corners Scar. Scar tries to surreptitiously blame everything on the hyenas, but Shenzi, Banzai and Ed overhear this betrayal. Simba demands that Scar “leave the Pride Lands and never return”, like Scar told Simba to do years earlier. Scar pretends to leave, but promptly attacks Simba, resulting in a violent final duel. Simba eventually triumphs over his uncle by kicking him over a low cliff. Scar manages to survive and staggers to his paws, but finds himself surrounded by the now resentful hyenas. The hyenas approach their fallen leader and devour him alive, just as everything is seemingly enveloped by the fire.

A downpour extinguishes the brushfire, however, and Simba subsequently reconciles with his family. Rafiki then directs Simba to Pride Rock's overlook with the words "it is time". As Simba reaches the top of the overlook, he see the stars shining down on him and hears the voice of his father booming, "Remember..." Emboldened, Simba roars to signify that he is now king of the Pride Lands. With Simba and Nala as the new king and queen, the Pride Lands become green with life again. The movie concludes with Rafiki lifting Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air for all the animals to see, thus continuing the circle of life.
Characters:

Simba, voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub and Matthew Broderick as an adult, is the protagonist of the movie and the prince of the Pride Lands. His singing voice is provided by Jason Weaver as a cub and Joseph Williams as an adult.

Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons, is the film's antagonist and King Mufasa's scheming brother, who desires the throne.

Mufasa, voiced by James Earl Jones, is the King of the Pride Lands and Simba's father.

Timon and Pumba, voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, are the comical meerkat and warthog duo who live under the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" (no worries). They become Simba's provisional guardians during his exile.

Nala, voiced by Niketa Calame as a cub and Moira Kelly as an adult, is the childhood friend and intended mate of Simba.

Rafiki, voiced by Robert Guillaume, is a wise mandrill who presents the newborn prince of the lions.

Zazu, voiced by Rowan Atkinson, is a loyal hornbill who serves as Mufasa's majordomo.

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings, are a trio of hyenas who assist Scar as his "second-in-commands".

Sarabi, voiced by Madge Sinclair, is Simba's mother, the Queen of King Mufasa and the leader of the lionesses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Bernard Sendak was born June 10, 1928. Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. An elementary school in North Hollywood, California is named in his honor.
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Walt Disney's film Fantasia at the age of twelve. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled Atomics for the Millions. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories.
Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are, though the book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned parents when it was first released, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance. Sendak's seeming attraction to the forbidden or nightmarish aspects of children's fantasy have made him a subject of controversy.

Sendak’s book In the Night Kitchen, first published in 1970, has often been subjected to censorship for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. The book has been challenged, and in some instances banned, in several American states including Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas.

In the Night Kitchen regularly appears on the American Library Association's list of "frequently challenged and banned books." It was listed number 25 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000."
Sendak was an early member of the National Board of Advisors for the Children's Television Workshop during the development stages of the television series Sesame Street. He also wrote and designed an animated sequence for the series, Bumble Ardy, based on his own book, and with Jim Henson as the voice of Bumble Ardy.

Sendak produced an animated television production based on his work entitled Really Rosie, featuring Carole King, which was broadcast in 1975 and is available on video (usually as part of video compilations of his work). An LP and later a CD of the songs were also produced. He contributed the opening segment to Simple Gifts, a Christmas collection of six animated shorts shown on PBS TV in 1977 and later issued on VHS in 1993. He adapted his book Where the Wild Things Are for the stage in 1979. Additionally, he has designed sets for many operas and ballets, including the award-winning, 1983, Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, Houston Grand Opera's productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute in 1981 and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel in 1997, Los Angeles County Music Center's 1990 production of Mozart's Idomeneo, and New York City Opera's 1981 production of The Cunning Little Vixen.

In the 1990s, Sendak approached playwright Tony Kushner to write a new English version of the Czech composer Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibar. Kushner wrote the text for Sendak's illustrated book of the same name, published in 2003. The book was named one of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Illustrated Books of that year.

In 2003, Chicago Opera Theatre produced Sendak and Kushner's adaptation of Brundibar. In 2005 Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theater and Broadway's New Victory Theater, produced a substantially reworked version of the Sendak-Kushner adaptation.

He illustrated Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear series of books, which were also made into a successful television series.

He created the children's television program Seven Little Monsters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a children's picture book originally published by Harper & Row. Although just ten sentences long, the book is generally regarded as a classic of American illustrated children's literature. Written in 1963, it was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964. It also won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and was an ALA Notable Book.


The book tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home, "making mischief" in a wolf costume (chasing the dog with a fork, etc.). As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest grows out of his imagination and Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things. They are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max conquers them with a scary look and he is made the King of all Wild Things. However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick, and he returns home to his bedroom. He finds his supper waiting for him ... "And it was still hot."
The original concept for the book featured horses instead of monsters. Sendak said he switched when he discovered that he could not draw horses.
The Wild Things (except "Goat Boy", of course) were named after (and are presumably caricatures of) Maurice's aunts and uncles:
Aaron, Bernard, Emil, Moishe and Tzippy.


**A live-action movie version is currently in post-production, with Spike Jonze directing, due in 2009. Featuring Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker and Australian actor Angus Sampson. Adapted by Dave Eggers and Jonze.

Teach Non-Fiction Writing...

contunuation from Teaching Non-Fiction Reading...
Non-Fiction Writing
After a good deal of experience with a topic your students will be ready to write about what they learned. You can provide some shared writing lessons (See How to Use Shared Writing to Teach Writing Skills) based on the shared reading and KWL chart you generated. It would be a good time to model how to write an "All About…." or a "Question and Answer" book.



In your shared writing lessons you want to demonstrate:

>how you decide what is important;
>how you organize your information;
>that you address one topic at a time;
>that you include illustrations, models, graphs, and charts to explain ideas;
>how you stretch out words or copy them accurately from the text or vocabulary charts on display;
>how you decide upon a format and maintain the format throughout the text.




Developing a rubric with your students will help them synthesize their learning about non-fiction. It will serve as both a guide to writing non-fiction and an assessment tool for the students and yourself.



+Help them to decide what's very important, somewhat important, and not so important to include in their book.

+Have them evaluate the use of illustrations: do they help the reader understand the information or topic?

+Have them choose information that may not be so important to include, but that they think is interesting or fun for the reader and themselves.

+Evaluate the organization of information.

+Evaluate the presentation of information.

+Evaluate their work: does it meet writing standards for mechanics and spelling.



As a culminating activity, you might want to have the children share their work with their parents or peers at an author's party. Such hard work deserves a celebration!

the character of Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit is the main character in a series of children's books by Beatrix Potter. He first appeared in The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. Although he and the other rabbits are drawn from life, they wear human clothes; Peter wears a bright blue coat and clogs. The Peter Rabbit series has sold more than 151 million copies in 35 languages. The rights to the characters are owned by Frederick Warne & Co.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit
One day, Mrs. Rabbit goes to the bakery, leaving Peter and his sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail to play in the forest. Disobeying his mother's orders, Peter sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden and eats as many vegetables as he can before Mr. McGregor spots him and chases him around. Eventually, Peter manages to escape, but not before losing his jacket and his shoes, which Mr. McGregor uses for his new scarecrow.

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
His cousin Benjamin finds out that Mr. and Mrs. McGregor have left their home unattended, and drags Peter to the garden to feed him some great carrots, where Peter's clothes still are (and as a result of rain the previous night, have shrunk). After getting Peter's clothes back, Peter and Benjamin steal some onions to give to Peter's mother, but are then captured by Mr. McGregor's cat. Fortunately, Benjamin's father, Mr. Benjamin Bunny (later renamed Mr. Bouncer), having noticed their disappearance, shows up and rescues them, but later reprimands Peter and Benjamin for going into Mr. McGregor's garden by whipping them with a switch that he was carrying with him. Mr. Benjamin Bunny then took both of them home.

The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
Peter, along with Benjamin, makes a cameo in this story where Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle mends, among other clothing articles, Peter's jacket.

The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
In this story of the titular swindlers, Peter and his family, along with characters from several of Potter's other previous stories, make cameo appearances in the artwork.

The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
In this story, Peter, is now an adult and married. He helps his cousin Benjamin and his sister, Flopsy, rescue their children from a Badger called Tommy Brock, who was going to have the baby rabbits for supper.

The Tale of Mr. Tod
Benjamin and Flopsy's children are kidnapped by notorious badger Tommy Brock. While Flopsy takes out her anger on Mr. Bouncer for letting Brock in, Benjamin and Peter chase after Brock, who hides out in the house of Mr. Tod (a fox modeled after a similar-looking character from The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck). When Mr. Tod finds Brock sleeping in his bed, he sets a trap so that a bucket of water will fall on Brock. But Brock wakes up before Mr. Tod springs his trap, and the two get into a big scuffle, during which Peter and Benjamin (who have been watching these events) rescue the children.

Else Holmelund Minarik.

Else Holmelund Minarik, who was born September 13, 1920, is the author of the Little Bear series of children's books, which were successful as books, and were also made into a successful children's TV series which ran from 1995-2000. The Little Bear books sold more than six million copies worldwide. It was also created as a box office hit children's movie in 2001 called The Little Bear Movie. It was about Little Bear and Father Bear's camping trip, with the voices of Kristin Fairlie as Little Bear and Dan Hennessey as Father Bear.
Else Minarik was also the author of another well-known book, No Fighting, No Biting! And my outside reading book, Father Bear Comes Home.
She was born in Denmark, and with her family immigrated to the United States at the age of four. After she graduated from Queens College, City University of New York she became a journalist for the Rome Daily Centennial newspaper and taught first-graders during WWII. Minarik lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire.