Part Fifty-five--The Jane Austen/Charles Dickens Literary Society, part 4

PERSUASION

Major Literary Project

PERSUASION: 

Student project: The student creates a thematic curriculum component that can be based on a book or series, or creates a major project on a book or series. The student then presents it to the group. At the beginning of the year we explained this to the students so they could think and gather ideas. 

This project gave the students an opportunity to create their own EPIC adventure. This was the rhetoric portion of the year, and their job was to persuade others to want to participate in the EPIC adventure or read their project book.

Writing an EPIC adventure is a huge undertaking, and we thought this would be a great senior project for Autumn and Haley who were graduating.

BOOK BINDER/ENTREPRENEUR

The book binder, Charlene Matthews in Hollywood, gave us a tour of her bindery.

She shared her business and how she hand binds books.

She has bound a variety of books in all sizes. 

We spent two and a half hours learning from her.

I loved watching the girls' interest in her work.

Afterwards we went to the Hollywood walk of stars, which even turned out to be thematic in a way. We found David Copperfield's star--the magician, not the fictional Dickens character!

CLOSING DAY

RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

HUNTINGTON GARDENS

REDLANDS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

In preparation for closing day I made bookplates again for the girls. Instead of Jane Austen's profile, I used each girl's own profile, and instead of making silhouettes the Regency way, we did it the modern way:

I had so much fun making these!

We had the longest closing day ever, as we left our home at 8am and returned at 1am! Our events were held at three venues--Suzanne's, The Huntington, and the Redlands Bowl. 

First, each girl presented her Persuasion project.

AUTUMN'S RESEARCH PROJECT

Autumn was thematically dressed as she presented her EPIC Adventure curriculum project. With her theme music playing, she enthusiastically shared her passion and invited us to join her in her exploration school year. 

Autumn's Adventure into the Unknown EPIC adventure contained three components with three topics each, and fun kid-grabber names. 

Autumn created everything about the adventure except field trips, inquiries, (she wrote some key points and inquiries as required for a senior project), but I don't remember if she wrote all the words to her adventure's song. I do remember that she used the music from the TV series, John Adams, and it was powerful. 

Here Autumn is holding her whip from our Etiwanda Jones adventure Tijuana trip!

GISELLE'S RESEARCH PROJECT

Giselle was dressed as a princess as she shared her fairy tale EPIC Adventure for younger children. It was the perfect way to invite us to join her!

Her EPIC Adventure Into the Woods, contained five components and other parts of the curriculum. 

Here Giselle is showing her curriculum mind map and answering questions. It was fun to she her follow her passion in the theme she chose. She also had theme song music, but I don't remember about lyrics.

After all the students shared their projects, everyone got ready for our tea. Suzanne Polly catered and served our tea and it was amazing. I have been to several teas at restaurants, but hers was the best I have ever tasted, and had the most variety too. 

Tussie-mussie flowers from my garden hung on branches in the center of our table.

Everything was yummy!

Karen and Steve were there to enjoy and help document our day, and Karen loved everything of course!

Our last tea of the year was the best!!

After tea we continued with a closing day of school tradition--sharing a momento with each person or family. I suppose this is equivalent to signing a yearbook, but more fun!

The tussie-mussie roses were my closing day gift, along with a little guide to the language of flowers. Here's mine in my journal of discovery--on the left, and opened below. Also, my Mr. Pickwick place card for our tea. Everyone's place cards had their pen names. 

I displayed each student's silhouette, and each were given a packet of personalized bookplates.

The most important part of our closing day was over. On to the next!

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY AND GARDENS

Our adventure began and ended here. The girls wore their Regency dresses to end the year. We walked down the long gravel driveway to the mausoleum, which no longer exists as an entrance. I asked the girls to stop so I could take this amazing Austen-ish photo.

We came to the mausoleum because it's my favorite, and to do one last writing exercise together. We were silent as we each wrote things that we cherished from the year--learning, experiences, friendships, etc. 

Afterwards we went around the circle to allow everyone a chance to share something about the year. 

Then we took an abundance of photos as we walked the gardens one last time together. Here are just a very few--

The fountain!

The bench in the rose garden where the year began. From here we went to our next adventure!

REDLANDS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Our family planned to attend the festival anyway, so we invited our group to join us at one of our traditions since the Shakespeare school year. After changing, and going to Trader Jo's, we went to watch A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Redlands Bowl.

It was a glorious day!

REFLECTIONS OF THE YEAR

Here is some of what I wrote at the Huntington about what I loved this year:

• the intimate gatherings
• the relaxed pace
• the beauty and grace and sweetness of every gathering
• watching my daughters discover their opinions
• seeing them find their voices to express and persuade others
• watching my daughters write their own curriculum adventures
• seeing their appreciation for the work I do for them every year

This school year exceeded my expectations in every way. We all loved it!

Part Fifty-four--The Jane Austen/Charles Dickens Literary Society, part 3

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

2)  A TALE OF TWO CITIES: Dickens' London and My America  (Social problems, the human dilemma.)   Dickens' novels and other Victorian writers like the Brontës and Elizabeth Gaskell.

A Christmas Carol

Bleak House

A Tale of Two Cities

Silas Marner

North and South

I must tell you, Miss Manette, that when you met me, I wasn't on my way to church.

I know.

My usual Christmas Eve, going from tavern to tavern.

Well, I know, but... Well, we… We can't always be at our best.

Those are beautiful words. They’re from the movie adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities with Ronald Coleman.

OPENING DAY TALE OF TWO CITIES

A CHRISTMAS CAROL BOOK DISCUSSION

Our opening day of Dickens began at the movie theater to watch, A Christmas Carol.

The girls were glad to have new outfits for our new component!

We ate Toad in the Hole, roasted chestnuts, and other English Victorian fare.

Of course we did some academics, even though it all looks like play!

It was a fun, relaxed opening day!

J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM

We went to the Getty for more art exposure and time to write and draw. This isn't my favorite museum, but it's good for a change of pace.

Monet, of course!

Sketching

and more sketching

GROUP WRITERS WORKSHOP AND TEA

RIVERSIDE DICKENS FESTIVAL AND BALL

This festival does not disappoint! Every year the festival is based on one Dickens' book. This year was The Old Curiosity Shop. We spent the day and night soaking in the sites and sounds.

The girls dressed up after more of our party arrived. They're listening to Dickens characters at "Hyde Park Corner" speak their minds.

We heard Scrooge, Little Nell, and her grandfather.

The girls loved seeing all the Victorian items for sale.

We attended at lecture about The Old Curiosity Shop. Then we met Charles himself, (left), and Mister Pickwick!

Giselle found the perfect hat to match her outfit.

So did Autumn!

The festival closed at 5pm, and we all headed for Suzanne's home for dinner, and to get ready for the ball. Tammy and her her husband attended and danced at the ball too.

A few days previous, Giselle told me she didn't want to attend the Dickens ball. I told her she had to come because it was part of school. It's no surprise that she absolutely loved it and attended that Dickens Festival ball for several years in a row afterwards! 

The ball was held in the beautiful Riverside Municipal Auditorium 

The ball was on the ground floor of the auditorium, minus those portable chairs. Suzanne and I delightedly watched the dancing from this balcony.

We got photos like these

Fortunately Suzanne's nephew came and danced with the girls. You can see everyone looking at their dance cards which they wore around their wrists.

The ball was the highlight of a beautiful Dickens day!

BLEAK HOUSE BOOK DISCUSSION

Everyone agreed that Dickens should not have been paid by the word when he wrote Bleak House. But most of us still enjoyed it. I really liked the BBC mini series version as well.

The new fashion is fun!

ANOTHER BOOK DISCUSSION

There's not much to see!

GLENDALE FOREST LAWN CEMETERY

TALE OF TWO CITIES BOOK DISCUSSION

We have come here for many field trips, and it's my favorite! There are many themes in this cemetery, from the American Revolution to the Italian Renaissance, so we have come here for various field trips. This time we came to visit the replicas of old British churches, which are not extant today or have been remodeled. 

The Little Church of the Flowers is a replica of the Stokes Poge church in Buckinghamshire that inspired Thomas Gray's poem, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". This replica is patterned after the old version with this conical steeple. 

Wee Kirk o' the Heather is a faithful rendition of the village church at Glencairn, Scotland where Annie Laurie worshipped.

The beautiful stained glass windows tell Annie Laurie's story. Interestingly, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman were married here in 1940.  

Giselle and Katie sit in the special Wishing Chair for newly wedded couples and recite the words that will help guarantee their success in marriage. 

The Church of the Recessional is modeled after the church that Rudyard Kipling attended in Rottingdean, England. The church is named after one of Kipling's poem which is now in our hymnal. 

God of our fathers, known of old,
  Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
  Dominion over palm and pine —
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Since no one was inside, we decided to have our book discussion on The Tale of Two Cities. What an experience! If we were in an old church in England I doubt we could have done this.

We also did some writers workshop exercises.

What an amazing opportunity!

We visited many other Forest Lawn sites while we were there, including the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, the hall that houses Michelangelo's Pieta, and The Crucifixion, the world's largest religious painting.

Saying good-bye to Forest Lawn and the Great Mausoleum that was modeled after the Campo Santo in Genoa, Italy.

CLOSING DAY 

TALE OF TWO CITIES COMPONENT

HAL LECTURE, TEA, AND MAKING TUSSIE-MUSSIES 

Hal has led many lecture/discussions for our school. This was on the dispersion of Ten Tribes of Israel, and the evidences of some of them settling in the British Isles. That's thematic!

Closing day attire!

Are we having fun yet?

Through the year our teas became a little more elaborate.

After tea we all made tussie-mussie holders. These are the conical shaped holders of nosegays. I received a tussie-mussie from a friend years ago, and I always meant to make another one. I used these tussie-mussies to decorate at our closing day of school.  (See the tussie-mussies at the end of the post of our Literary Society Closing Day )

 

We made the flower holders from the papers of an old Waverly wallpaper sample book, which I had used for crafts for many years. 

This was another wonderful component, and we were all ready to move on to the last one.