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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Lesson Plans: Activities Related to Stage Musical & Film — Jerz’s Literacy Weblog

My talented wife wrote this lesson plan, in honor of our local performing arts school (Stage Right! Greensburg)’s production of Joseph this weekend.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, draws its story from the (Old Testament) book of Genesis: Jacob gives his favorite son, [...]

Culture | History | Media | PopCult | Religion

Dolores Hart, who kissed Elvis Presley, is now a nun in Oscar-nominated documentary

Dolores Hart kissed Elvis Presley in her first film, starred in nine more movies within six years, and then gave it all up to become a nun.

On Sunday, she returns to Hollywood to attend the Academy Awards, where a new film about her is up for best documentary short.

via Dolores Hart, who kissed [...]

Language | Personal | Religion

And With Your Spirit

My daughter was amused that, even with a cheat sheet in my hand, I automatically responded to “Peace be with you” with the traditional “And also with you,” every time this Sunday, instead of the new translation “And with your spirit.” Not once did I get it right.

Culture | Current_Events | Drama | Education | Humanities | PopCult | Religion

Lessons from “It’s a Wonderful Life”

My talented wife has written a set of lesson plans for It’s a Wonderful Life, the immediate occasion being our local professional theatre company’s production of the musical version. (See Stage Right Greensburg calendar.)

Based on Philip van Doren Stern’s story “The Greatest Gift” (1943), Frank Capra’s 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life celebrates [...]

Current_Events | Humanities | Language | Religion

My Local Paper’s Reaction to the Changes in the English Translation of the Mass

The local paper’s headline spins the news a bit more negatively than it probably deserves. I rather enjoy the opportunity to look at some familiar words in a fresh light. Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer:

(Current Text)

Priest: Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us.

(New text)

[...]

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Girls equal in British throne succession

While teaching Richard II in a Shakespeare class, I had to get up to speed on the rules and customs of succession, as Shakespeare knew them, so that my students and I could understand and explore the political issues that Elizabethan audiences would find in the play. News from England today bears word of some [...]

Culture | Drama | Education | History | Literature | Religion | Science | Sociology

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory / Willy Wonka Lesson Plans

Through our local theater school, our children have gained confidence, seen first-hand the value of hard work, mentored younger children, learned from gifted and generous teenaged role models, and had a lot of fun. Oh, and they’ve also done a lot of singing, dancing, and acting.

Thirteen-year-old Peter reads voraciously for pleasure, on topics [...]

Culture | Current_Events | Education | Religion

Students mark 9/11 anniversary

At Seton Hill University in Greensburg, about two dozen students, faculty members and staff gathered for a prayer and candle-lighting memorial that included Christian and Muslim prayers for peace.

Participants shared memories of that day, recalling the clear, sunny weather that contrasted so starkly with the day’s dark events, while others described the scene on [...]

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The Mechanic Muse — From Scroll to Screen – NYTimes.com

In his “Confessions,” which dates from the end of the fourth century, St. Augustine famously hears a voice telling him to “pick up and read.” He interprets this as a command from God to pick up the Bible, open it at random and read the first passage he sees. He does so, the scales fall [...]

Culture | Ethics | History | Humanities | Personal | Religion | Rhetoric

Pope’s Remarks Recall the Nazi War on Christ

An article that addresses some under-examined stereotypes (smears?), while also pointing out some thoughtful alternatives.

The Catholic Church, for example, has often been attacked as doing too little to help the Jews during the Holocaust. Yet on July 19, 1933, the Catholic periodical America published a strong article condemning Nazi persecution of the Jews. Dark [...]