Please click here to an example curriculum for Thurber in

Thurber in the Schools James Thurber’s career led him around the world. Now you can bring him to your school. What better way to encourage creativity and develop writing skills than with the help of one of Columbus’s best known writers, and one of the most celebrated humorists of his time. Thurber in the Schools is a four-­‐session workshop that encourages students to write on topic, develop narratives from the beginning to the end, and write with sensory detail and dialogue, all in keeping with the Common Core Standards. Not to mention, it brings to life Thurber’s work for those who love to look for the funny side of life. We realize that budgets are tight and we talk with each school individually to find a cost and schedule that works. If you are interested, please contact Meg Brown at 6140-­‐464-­‐1032 ext. 16 or [email protected]. SESSION ONE: Students will be immersed in young James Thurber’s life through a multi media presentation that opens doors to the places, people, and events that influenced him. Then students will write about their own favorite places and people and focus on descriptive details. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
SESSION TWO: The lesson will feature a sharing of a Thurber short story classic, “The Night the Bed Fell” or “The Night the Ghost Got In.” We’ll use it to launch a discussion of story beginnings, middles and endings. Building on the first session’s writing, students will write stories about their own homes. Ghosts and collapsing furniture are not required, but always welcome. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to
develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3c Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
SESSION THREE: We’ll celebrate the cartoonist in all of us. Students will get to write their own captions for some of Thurber’s illustrations, as well as create their own. Because Thurber also recognized that word play was a lively way to keep his writing sharp, we’ll also spend some time engaging in some word games of our own. The word play portion of this lesson is designed to encourage comfort with words, and that writing is fun! • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to
develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
SESSION FOUR: Overcoming adversity is the focus of the final session. Because of a childhood eye injury, Thurber couldn’t participate in sports. Possibly as a consequence, he developed an incredible imagination. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is just such a fantasy-­‐based story, which we will explore. Students will pen stories about things they wish they could do, rich with detail and dialogue. This lesson is similar to the second, with a different prompt meant to reinforce what was covered in the second lesson. • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to
develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3c Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
Thurber in the Schools material ©Thurber House