Over the holidays I've been reading quite a few new stories at night for my children. As I read books to them I frequently have ideas for how these books might be used in classrooms. Some of these ideas eventually are realized in workshops I lead for teachers, but many aren't. I thought why not share a few of these rough ideas here on this forum in case they might be of use. Over the next few days I'll write a series of short posts highlighting some of my favorite books I've read lately and offer some ideas for teaching them in classrooms.
My wife told asked me to order Instructions written by the prolific Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess.
Neil Gaiman takes us through a series of prompts for exploring an imaginary world. My favorite moment in the book is when the hero rides a series of animals:
Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall).
Ride the silver fish (you will not drown).
Ride the grey wolf (hold tightly to his fur).
This book works perfectly if you are teaching books related to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey or reading Percy Jackson or The Odyssey at the secondary level.
I would use this book especially in the elementary school classroom at the beginning of the year. We often, with our students, write our own classroom norms or rules for the year. When I see classroom rules on the wall, I often find them a bit mundane. I would combine Instructions with The Rules of Summer written by one of my favorite children's book authors, Shaun Tan.
At the beginning of the year work with the students to develop a set of rules or instructions for the year that are both realistic (nothing wrong with sharing our toys) and some that are more creative. Return to them throughout the year. Add to them. Revise them. Make them more wonderful. We need a bit more of riding eagles and wolves in our lives, don't we?