Learning Network: Making Text to Text Connections

Plus: Halloween resources and more View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, October 19, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Learning »]( Dear Readers, We’re proud to feature a new edition in our long-running [Text to Text series]( which matches often-taught works of literature or history with current Times articles that echo, extend or challenge their themes. Over the years we’ve featured everything from the [Gettysburg Address]( to “[The Fault in Our Stars]( and “[Huckleberry Finn]( and our [new entry]( matches Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” with a piece about social isolation. But, as we point out, there are many, many other matches we could have made, and we hope you’ll have suggestions for what those might be — or for new pairings we could try. In fact, we’d love to have your students help too. Last year the Text to Text series inspired a [contest]( that we’ll run again this December in which teenagers are challenged to make connections. If you’d like to be inspired, read [the work of the winners]( including a few from [Concord-Carlisle High School]( in Massachusetts, where a teacher, David Nurenberg, tells us he assigned the challenge as 50 percent of the final exam grade for his junior honors literature class. As he explained, “I loved the chance to do this, because I now had a genuine exam — not just ‘Can you repeat information you learned?’ but ‘Can you do something with it, can you use it to support an argument about the contemporary world for a contemporary, real audience?’” We invite you to steal the idea, and we’d be honored to act as that “real audience.” Katherine Schulten, Editor Resources for Teachers [Text to Text | ‘The Metamorphosis’ and ‘How Social Isolation Is Killing Us’]( We pair Kafka’s timeless novella with a piece from The Upshot to explore the extent to which our relationships make us human. What’s Going On in This Graph? [Oct. 24, 2018]( We’re previewing the graph we’ll be discussing next Wednesday so teachers can plan ahead. This one is about why, if history is any indicator, only around 40 percent of eligible voters will vote in the midterm elections. Bring your class to join the live-moderated conversation! [Haunting Ideas: Halloween-Themed Teaching and Learning With The New York Times]( Ideas and resources for celebrating the holiday across the curriculum. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT Resources for Students Current Events Conversation [What Students Are Saying About: College Tuition, Homework Help and Loneliness]( The best teenage comments from the last week’s writing prompts, and an invitation to join the conversation yourself. Film Club [‘The Night Witch’]( An animated film that profiles, Nadezhda Popova, known as Nadia, who became a World War II hero as part of one of the world’s first all-female bombing regiments. Weekly News Quiz for Students [Nobel Prizes, Climate Change Report, Jamal Khashoggi]( How well did you follow the news these past two weeks? How many of these 10 questions can you get right? Country of the Week [How Much Do You Know About Luxembourg?]( Can you find Luxembourg on a map? What else do you know about this small country in Western Europe with 600,000 people. What’s Going On in This Picture? [Oct. 15, 2018]( Look closely at this image, stripped of its caption, and join the moderated conversation about what you and other students see. Student Opinion [How Often Do You Start Conversations about Faith or Spirituality?]( And with whom do you have such conversations, if you have them at all? Student Opinion [Do Parents Ever Cross a Line by Helping Too Much With Schoolwork?]( How much help is too much help? Student Opinion [Are You Worried About the Rising Cost of Attending College?]( Has the cost of college gotten out of hand? Or, is a college education one of those life experiences that is always worth the cost, no matter the financial burden? Student Opinion [Should Marijuana Be Legal?]( Canada just legalized marijuana. Should the United States follow suit? Or do you think Canada is making a mistake? Student Opinion [How Much Scare Can You Handle in Your Halloween Entertainment?]( Would you be willing to participate in an “extreme haunt” experience? Article of the Day [Learning With: ‘#ThisIs18’]( Do you think the piece captures and communicates “girlhood” in an interesting and informative way? What is your reaction to the interactive? Article of the Day [Learning With: ‘Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves “Sesame Street” After Nearly 50 Years’]( How did Spinney come to be on the show? How did he help shape the characters he played and the organization? Article of the Day [Learning With: ‘Jamal Khashoggi’s Disappearance: What We Know and Don’t Know’]( If you were an adviser to President Trump, would you advise him to prioritize U.S. business and military interests or human rights concerns with regard to Saudi Arabia? Article of the Day [Learning With: ‘Homelessness in New York Public Schools Is at a Record High: 114,659 Students’]( What are some factors that might affect homeless students’ ability to do well in school? Picture Prompts [Haunted House?]( What story could this picture tell? Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this photo. Picture Prompts [Nutrition]( How much attention do you pay to your diet? Do you read nutrition labels? Do you eat at chain restaurants? Picture Prompts [Saying Thank You]( To whom do you owe a heartfelt “thank you”? Why? What would you say if you were to write that person an honest note? [Words of the Week]( choleric; immure; contiguous; ossify; levity ADVERTISEMENT Elsewhere in The Times [‘You Are Still Black’: Charlottesville’s Racial Divide Hinders Students]( By ERICA L. GREEN AND ANNIE WALDMAN The New York Times and ProPublica examined the Charlottesville, Va., school system, which has one of the biggest racial gaps in the country. Reading Room [12 Authors Write About the Libraries They Love]( The message here: A library is much more than its books. [What’s at Stake in the Harvard Lawsuit? Decades of Debate Over Race in Admissions]( By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS The case, which begins Monday, is widely seen as a referendum on affirmative action. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [LNfeedback@nytimes.com](mailto:lnfeedback@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). FOLLOW THE LEARNING NETWORK [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@NYTimesLearning]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's The Learning Network newsletter. 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