Writing with Sharon Watson-Easy-to-use Homeschool Writing and Literature Curriculum

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Unlocking the Secrets of Writing and Literature

Practical, easy-to-use writing and literature courses for homeschools, Christian schools, and co-ops by Sharon Watson

The Story Behind Dr. Seuss and the Grinch

The Story Behind Dr. Seuss and the Grinch

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

You know about Dr. Seuss, and you know about the Grinch. But do you know the story behind the story?

When Ted (we know him as Dr. Seuss) was 53 years old, he was fed up with Christmas. He was tired of the noise, the constant activity, and the busy-ness, and he wished everyone would get along with each other.

His desire was that people would celebrate the joy and peacefulness of Christmas without all the hoopla detracting from it.

So what did he do? He wrote a story about it. He created a Scrooge-like creature who hates the noise and celebration of Christmas. Ted writes this in the story:

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Hobbit Day

Hobbit Day

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Happy Hobbit Day!

Did you know that September 22 is officially Hobbit Day and the beginning of Tolkien Week? You can read more about it here and here and here.

To celebrate, let’s explore the hero’s journey, an essential type of plot.

The call

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien is basically a hero’s journey plot. Is the lowly Bilbo a hero when we first meet him? Not really. But through testing and troubles, and by fights against giant spiders, a dragon, and miserable dwarves, he becomes a hero.

One important phase of the hero’s journey plot is

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What Failures Will You Turn into Successes This Year?

What Failures Will You Turn into Successes This Year?

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Welcome to a new year!

A new year is time for new plans, new goals, and new ideas.

It is also a time for second chances.

So, let’s talk about failures.

Failures?

Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph (forerunner of the record player), the light bulb, and the movie camera, was told in school that he was “too stupid to learn anything.”

Walt Disney, according to the newspaper editor who fired him,

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