Literally Blogging

This was such a lovely story, I just had to share it. When a high school literature teacher found the students bored with traditional projects, and saw a room full of abandoned sewing machines, what did she do? Put the two together to make literature quilts, of course!

Ninth-grade teacher Gwen Thibadeau’s English classes are creating quilts to represent the themes and traits of the novels they read this year. So far they’ve made quilts for Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, and two quilts depicting ‘heroic traits.’ Next up: Romeo and Juliet.

Just think about what this does: it makes students more involved in reading, it requires that they understand literature on a much deeper level than simply writing a research paper would, they learn to work together in teams, it builds creativity, and teaches the oft-forgotten skill of sewing. As if that weren’t enough, they even auction off the quilts for charities!

The project provides an innovative way for Thibadeau to teach students how to identify themes, character traits and symbols while taking writing across the curriculum by juxtaposing it with other subjects such as math, art and design.”The students have really taken to this project, they beg to do it. They love visually representing what they are reading,” says Thibadeau.Students say the experience has helped them better understand the books they are studying while at the same time teaching them life skills that they can use beyond high school.

You can read the entire sweet story here.

I reeeeeeally want one of those quilts.

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