1. IT'S THE SAME OLD STORY Finding Commonalities Between Classic Literature and Popular Stories

2. Possible Stories Element 1: "Wuthering Heights"; "Othello"; "Romeo and Juliet" ("Dawson's Creek"; "Grease"; "Titanic"; "The Notebook") Element 2: "Jane Eyre"; "The Great Gatsby"; "Pygmalion" ("Sixteen Candles"; Never Been Kissed"; “Pretty in Pink"; "She's All That") Element 3: "Frankenstein" ("Harry Potter"; "Superman"; "Smallville"; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") Element 4: "Emma"; “The Scarlet Letter” ("Clueless"; "Cheers") Element 5: "To Kill a Mockingbird"; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "The Crucible" ("The Lord of the Rings"; "Star Wars") Element 6: "The Catcher in the Rye"; "Hamlet" ("The Breakfast Club"; "My So-Called Life") Element 7 "The Scarlet Letter"; "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" ("Gossip Girl") Element 8: "Beloved" ("Harry Potter"; "Star Wars") Element 9: “Invisible Man”; “David Copperfield” (“Harry Potter”; “Secret Life of Bees”)

3. How do effective writers inform, explain and report information? LEQ: What kind of information should I share with an audience to clarify, illustrate, or expand my thoughts? Why do writers include statistics, facts, and anecdotes, etc. while writing expository pieces? How do transitions make my writing more effective? Expository Writing: Compare/Contrast EQ:

4. What did you think? What story elements from the activity we just did also apply to "Twilight"? If you haven't read it, why not? Why do you think this book series is so popular? Has anyone here read "Twilight"?

5. Love and Pain and the Teenage Vampire Thing As a class, read and discuss the article "Love and Pain and the Teenage Vampire Thing” then focus on the following questions: 1.Do you agree or disagree with the article author that teenagers often feel like situations are "life and death"? Why? 2.Should film adaptations of books be faithful to their source material, or should the screenwriter and director take liberties to make changes? Why? 3.What do you think the author means when he says that the main male character has "unteenage-boy-like sexual restraint"? 4.Do you agree or disagree with the article's suggestion that sex is frightening to many teenagers? 5.The article refers to the relative lack of modern technology in the book. Do you think that it's necessary for contemporary fictional stories to incorporate how most people use technology? Why or why not?

6. How might teenagers be encouraged to see that the books they are assigned to read for school, and classic literature in general, have a lot in common with popular shows, movies and books? And how might that, in turn, encourage students to embrace classic literature more readily and enthusiastically? First Read it. Then See it.

7. Design a Campaign for a Classic "There’s all this stuff online. People were making casting suggestions, and now they’re doing their own trailers and posters. It’s stimulating, in a way." Catherine Hardwicke, director of the film adaptation of "Twilight": Marketing Campaign In groups of three, create a marketing campaign for a classic novel or play, along the lines of what has been created to promote "Twilight." Titles might include those from the warm-up and/or those they have already read in school this year or in previous years. Start by brainstorming about the book, considering the plot, setting, main characters, and core themes and conflicts. Then, decide on the key "selling point(s)" of the book—what about it would appeal most to teenagers? Next, they should develop one of the following, designed to "promote" the book: -A Web site (either the "official" site or a "fan site") -A poster (like movie posters) -A video clip (like a movie trailer or YouTube video) -A podcast

8. How does something like the "Twilight" series (or "Harry Potter") become so huge? How vulnerable do students think they are to marketing campaigns? What's the effect of seeing references to a book, television show, movie, game, etc. "everywhere"? What imagery is used? Is it more ethical to promote a book than a show, movie, album or video game? Why or why not? Vulnerable to a Marketing Plan?