This month’s inspiration is the upcoming Doctor Who party…
Time Machine
Warmup
Listing
Read the Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien; we read only the second paragraph
In the same fashion, pick a place and time. This could be a classroom, field, hospital, store, airport, subway station, etc. Then list as many items as you can. Stretch your imagination to include things you think could be there. Do different people of rank carry different things? What do these items say about the people?
Discuss
Historical Fiction
Does anyone like reading this?
Favorite time period?
What about historical incorporation in novels?
What about historical poems?
Research
Read excerpts — included were several historical poems and novel excerpts
For historical novels, check out our Teen booklists. Scroll to the bottom for books about Time Travel.
For history poems, check out: http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poems/history OR http://books4dreams.com/bblog/poetry-for-children-inspiring-poems-on-american-history/
If the selected place is in the past, gather books about fashion or buildings of that time.
Write
Close your eyes. Step into the time machine and listen to the machine’s whirring hum as you are transported through space and time…
Whom and what do you see?
What do you hear?
What are people doing?
What confuses you about your new surroundings?
What is your conflict?
Continue
For inspiration, look up images of magical imagined places or of history
Old photographs
Art books
Fashion books from the decades
Books about furniture or buildings
Slang dictionary
Medieval: http://thescriptorium.co.uk/glossary.php
http://nineteen40s.tumblr.com/slang