Seit 1996 ist der 27. Januar als Tag des Gedenkens an die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus in Deutschland ein gesetzlich verankerter Gedenktag. An diesem Tag wurde 1945 das KZ Auschwitz durch die Rote Armee befreit. Vielfältige Aktivitäten erinnern in diesem Jahr an die Opfer, unter anderem eine Gedenkstunde im Bundestag mit den Rednerinnen Charlotte Knobloch, Präsidentin der jüdischen Kultusgemeinde München und Oberbayern, und der Publizistin Marina Weisband, digitale Aktionen der Gedenkstätten sowie zahlreiche social-media-Posts unter den Hashtags #wirerinnern und #weremember.

Dennoch wissen Schülerinnen und Schüler oft wenig über die Shoa. Wie der Geschichtsdidaktiker Meik Zülsdorf-Kersting erläutert, ist historische Bildung zu selten an den Interessen der Schülerinnen und Schüler ausgerichtet. Historische Ereignisse werden als Faktenwissen und mit einer feststehenden Bewertung vermittelt, oft ohne direkten Bezug zu gegenwärtigen Phänomenen der Schuldabwehr, der Täter-Opfer-Umkehr, von Rassismus und Antisemitismus in weiten Teilen der Gesellschaft, aktuell etwa in Gestalt strukturell antisemitischer Verschwörungsmythen.

Die Lektüre von Shoa-Texten im Deutschunterricht kann in diesem Zusammenhang wichtige Impulse für die historische Bildung und das Reflexionsvermögen von Schülerinnen und Schülern geben, weil Literatur als Medium der Erinnerungsarbeit historisches Geschehen anschaulich und aus der Innenperspektive von Figuren nachvollziehbar macht. Literatur transportiert Werte und regt zu eigener Auseinandersetzung an; dabei spielt die Literaturvermittlung im Unterricht eine entscheidende Rolle.

Lit4School enthält eine Reihe von Literaturempfehlungen für die Auseinandersetzung mit der Shoa, auch schon in jüngeren Klassenstufen; weitere Beiträge sind in Arbeit. Besonders empfehlen wir folgende Bücher:

• Die Graphic Novel Peter in Gefahr erzählt eine wahre Geschichte über die Shoa in Ungarn. Das Buch stand 2020 auf der Empfehlungsliste für den Katholischen Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis und eignet sich gut für einen ersten Einstieg in das Thema in den Grundschulklassen 3 oder 4.
• Das Bilderbuch Erikas Geschichte erzählt von einem Kind, das aus dem Deportations-Zug geworfen wurde. Erika kennt weder ihr Geburtsdatum noch ihren wahren Namen. Detaillierte, großformatige Zeichnungen bebildern Erikas Gedanken und Erinnerungen: wer waren ihre Eltern? Die Kombination aus Illustrationen und reflektierendem Text sowie das aufwendig gestaltete Cover mit herausnehmbaren Pappstern bieten vielfältige Möglichkeiten, das Buch in den oberen Grundschulklassen zu behandeln.
• Sternkinder von Clara Asscher-Pinkhof ist ein sehr früher kinderliterarischer Shoa-Text und erschien im niederländischen Original erstmals 1946. Die Autorin, selbst Shoa-Überlebende, erzählt in Kurzgeschichten von Angst, Überleben und Tod der meist namenlosen Protagonisten. Besonders die Erzählungen aus dem ersten Teil des Buches eignen sich bereits für die Klassen 3 und 4; spätere Erzählungen eher für die Sekundarstufe 1.
• Die Adaption des berühmten Tagebuch der Anne Frank als Graphic Diary kombiniert den Originaltext mit fiktiven Dialogen und lebendigen Illustrationen; sie eignet sich für die Klassenstufen 7 und 8. 
• Auch der Roman Und im Fenster der Himmel von Johanna Reiss ist autobiografisch. Erzählt wird vom Überleben im Versteck; dabei führt die Ich-Erzählerin Lesende durch das Geschehen, schafft Authentizität und bietet Orientierung für den Wissens- und Erfahrungshorizont kindlicher Lesender. Ein zweiter Fokus des Romans liegt auf Widerstand und Hilfe für Jüdinnen und Juden durch nicht-jüdische Mitbürger*innen. Der Roman eignet sich für die Sekundarstufe 1, dabei sollte im Unterricht deutlich gemacht werden, dass Hilfe für Jüdinnen und Juden eine Ausnahme war – im Deutschen Reich gab es nur insgesamt 10.000 Helfer, das sind 0,16% der Bevölkerung.

Silke Horstkotte

The 27th of January marks the date of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops in 1945. The International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the genocide that resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews, two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population.

Here are some examples of literature to help approach this difficult and important chapter in history in the classroom.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne explores loss, nationalism, anti-Semitism and the power of friendship across borders and fences. The readers follow nine-year-old Bruno, who lives with his parents and sister Gretel in Berlin in 1943. As Bruno’s father, who works as a commanding officer, gets promoted, his family moves to a new house in the middle of nowhere. His parents forbid Bruno to explore the nearby forest, but he does and discovers a fence he walks along. On the other side, he spots people in striped pyjamas and finally meets a boy, called Shmuel. Bruno struggles to understand what life is like on the other side, but the two become friends. One day, Bruno dresses up in striped pyjamas to explore Shmuel’s side of the fence and to help him search for his father, whom Shmuel has not seen for several days…

The novel The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen features a young girl who feels disconnected from her culture and family. She’s bored and frustrated by her relatives’ constant storytelling regarding the Holocaust. But when she gets transported back into the year 1942 to Poland, she realizes the horrors that are ahead.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak navigates themes such as mortality, love and the importance of language in a coming of age story. Set in Germany during World War II, this historical novel follows a young girl by the name of Liesel Meminger. Her foster parents take in a Jewish man, Hans, hiding him from the authorities. Hans teaches Liesel to read, and she goes on to not only save books from being destroyed by the Nazi Party but also writing herself. There is also a 2013 film adaptation of this award-winning novel.

If you’re looking for additional media forms to approach this subject, consider the following videos. This interview features a Holocaust survivor talking to kids and teens about his experiences and memories. For a more in-depth video on a survivor’s perspective, this interview tells Lydia’s story, who was held captive in various concentration camps for nearly three years. While the first is a good introduction to the subject for younger viewers, the second is best suited for older students.

Stay kind and safe in this time of uncertainty,

Sarah

On January 20, 2021, the world tuned in to watch US-President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony but viewers around the globe were also rewarded with a brilliant display of the power of words: 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in US history, recited her poem The Hill We Climb to a stunned audience everywhere. Both painfully honest and reassuringly optimistic, this 5-minute delivery of her poem sends chills down your spine because it bravely addresses the challenges of our times head-on. It will be hard making a stronger claim this year that poetry is powerful and that bright young people should change the shape of our world – a message your students will need to hear!

NB: While the transcript of the poem is linked to our entry for The Hill We Climb, a print version is scheduled for spring this year.

Keep reading, and keep rocking.

Rico

“You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it’s no longer democracy, is it? It’s something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism.” – Sam Shepard in The Village Voice, November 17, 2004

Donald Trump has officially left the White House, and President-elect Joseph Robinette Biden and the first female, first African-American, and first Asian-American, vice President-elect Kamala Harris are about to be inaugurated. Breaking tradition, former president and first lady Melania will not be attending the ceremony at the US Capitol, refusing to welcome the 46th president of the United States and his incoming first lady, Jill Biden. To minimize the spread of the coronavirus, hundreds of thousands of American flags, representing the people of America, were placed on the National Mall. Security Measures are high: approximately 25,000 troops of the National Guard, police officers and Feebs firmly confront terrorist threats of the last few days.

The change of government hopefully marks a paradigm shift in US politics: Lies and hateful messages have been spread by the 45th president. America faces challenges from coronavirus to racial inequalities, unemployment, environmental pollution and climate change, healthcare and educational issues, tensions in the transatlantic relations and international alliances that Harrison and Biden need to tackle and aim to overcome. US democracy has been challenged as well and must be restored, renovated and rebuilt by the new administration. What do your pupils think about the current situation in the US? This powerful poetry slam by Prince Ea might fuel your classroom discussion on key issues and future perspectives of the US presidency and politics.

Kind regards and stay safe,

Simon

“One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.” – George Orwell, 1984

On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, a crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to overturn his defeat in the presidential election by violently occupying a joint session of Congress, which was about to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. While the rioters violently gained access to the building just after 2:00 pm, the senators and representatives were evacuated. It was about 5:40 pm when the police declared that the Capitol was safe again. In the meantime, the mob had entered the Senate chamber, vandalised and damaged offices, looted belongings of the senators and fought security officers. Shots were fired inside the Capitol, dozens were injured, five people died, including an officer of the Capitol Police. During his speech at the ‘Save America’ rally, which took place beforehand, Trump once again declared that he had won the election and demanded the protesters “[…] to take back our country […]” and to “[…] fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Before breaking into the Capitol, Trump-supporters marched through the streets chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence’ and ‘Fight For Trump’. In response to the riots and Trump’s rather inglorious role in inciting the masses, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump a second time. To prevent Trump from causing further damage, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and other social media platforms permanently suspended his accounts – but a community of alternative social networks already exists. However, June 6th, 2021 marks an assault on US American democracy, an act of domestic terrorism and manipulation, which foregrounds a rather dystopian future: the remaining danger of Trumpist ideology even after the presidency of the man who fostered far-right-wing authoritarian populism and divided the US even more. Two weeks later, the Capitol is getting ready for the Inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, January 20th. Security measures are high: non-scalable fences have been set around the Capitol, security checkpoints and different safety areas installed. FBI, Secret Service, National Guard and Homeland Security are working hand in hand – but they fear an insider threat…

If you are looking for literature and media that cover power abuse, manipulation and ideology, the following works will be useful:

• T.C. Boyle’s novel The Harder They Come (2015) explores paranoia, ideological obsession and the Sovereign citizen movement – a militant group of people who regard US laws and law enforcement as illegitimate.
• His novel The Tortilla Curtain (1995) foregrounds the social split in US American society, offering the perspective of Mexican immigrants and the fear, hate and racism against them. 
• Noughts and Crosses (2001) by Malorie Blackman is a dystopian series of five novels that were adapted into a TV series, which offers perspectives on racism, oppression and the abuse of power.
• Dave Egger’s The Circle (2013) is a dystopian novel that was adapted into a movie. It explores the danger of a social media company: manipulation, surveillance, data privacy, totalitarianism and indoctrination. 
• The Wave (1981) by Morton Rhue and Todd Strasser explores the corruption of power, violence and a social experiment that gets out of control.
• William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954) follows a group of teenage boys who, after a plane crash, establish a government on a remote island, which results in a civil war.
• The film The Hunger Games (2012) by Gary Ross and the novel (2008) of the same name by Suzanne Collins, show the danger and manipulative tendencies of autocratic governments.

Even though we are in distance learning at the moment, I do hope that you find reasons and time to talk with your pupils about these current affairs. Let’s hope for a safe and secure Inauguration Day.

Simon

“Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.” – Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey (1847)

Anne Brontë was born as the youngest of six children. Her health was fragile, so she was mostly schooled at home. Her siblings and she started writing at a young age inventing the fantasy worlds of Gondal and Angria – the former being the creation of Emily and Anne. No prose has survived about Gondal, but 23 of Anne’s poems are set there and a few diary entries as well. Anne published a collection of poems with her two sisters and also wrote two novels: Agnes Grey (1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), that sold quite well, however not as well as her sisters’ novels Jane Eyre (1847) and Wuthering Heights (1847. Anne worked as a governess for two families and had issues with controlling the children at her first employment, which she processed in Agnes Grey where the governess life is described very detailedly. Anne Brontë’s second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall can be seen as one of the first feministic writings to be published. Her protagonist is a woman who leaves her abusive man and goes into hiding with her son making her living. Since women didn’t have the right to leave their husbands and taking their children with them was considered kidnapping, the book was heavily criticised but remains an Ode to freedom and women rights. Although Anne is probably the least well-known writer of the three sisters, her books and poems are beautifully written and it’s worth taking a look.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNE!

Saran-Sophia

2021 is a special year in many senses, at least one of which concerns literature: Some great literary works enter the so-called public domain in the USA, among them F. Scott Fitzgerald’s widely popular work The Great Gatsby from 1925. A vivid display of the Golden Twenties in New York City, this story still is short enough to consider it for the TEFL classroom with intermediate students. Its timeless themes of love, devotion and creating a life for oneself may just be the right thing to inspire Gatsby’s boundless optimism in your students, too.

Being in the public domain means that now everybody is legally allowed to re-publish and/or adapt these works previously protected by copyright. So while we still highly recommend enjoying Jay Gatsby’s illustrious life and times in the original version – who knows what future creators will entertain us with by building upon the original’s legacy? For now, though don that dress and grab that drink because no one knows where the next (literary) party might lead you.

Rico

American writer Jerome David Salinger’s 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye was a great success and certainly his best-known work that also made him so famous. Probably a result of the book being immediately so intensely controversial as it talks about casual sex and prostitution and includes a debatable high amount of coarse language (for instance, you may count the expression “goddam” 237 times). But the novel was so popular that a “Catcher Cult” developed around it, celebrated by the many adolescent readers who could sympathise with protagonist Holden Caulfield. So it was banned in some countries and American schools even leading to several teachers discussing The Catcher in the Rye being fired. However, it still remained one of the most taught books in high schools despite being so frequently censored. And it still is very widely read all over the world with more than 10 million books have sold worldwide. Salinger wrote all his life and published several collections of short stories and novellas like Nine Stories including A Perfect Day for Bananafish and Teddy, and Franny and Zooey, two stories about two sisters and the perception of society.

Today, Salinger would be 122 years old and we celebrate this most celebrated author’s birthday – and wish you all a Happy New Year!

CHEERS!

Sarah-Sophia

Migration is an ongoing process around the world, constantly changing and being influenced by different factors. Whether it be due to persecution or climate change, people are forced to flee their homes every day in hopes of a better life. International Migrants Day aims to show the importance of building a world of peace and opportunity for all by allowing for safe migration everywhere.

If you’re interested in the numbers surrounding migration, take a look at the migration data portal! Today is also the last day you can watch documentaries telling the stories of migrants around the world on the IOM website free of charge!

For visual representation of the topic of migration, the graphic novel The Arrival tells the story of a man in search of a home for his family. This book doesn’t need words to convey the emotions that accompany this complex topic. The Paper Menagerie offers an in-depth view of a character’s inner tug-of-war between her ‘old’ and new identity surrounding her migrant background. The fantasy short story explores how struggling with intercultural identities can make you distance yourself from those closest to you.

Sarah

Jane Austen is certainly one of the best known and most popular female writers of all time. Her works have always been in print even when not as celebrated as they are today. Her realistic narrations didn’t go along with the ideas of Romanticism and Victorianism so well but, her satirical critique of the popular sensational novels of the Romantic period are beloved again and often adapted especially by movies. It is, however, not only the social criticism in Austen’s novels (especially regarding women); but also, and maybe even more so, the beautiful love stories which make her narrations, up and foremost Pride and Prejudice of course, so exceptionally popular. Surely, Lovers of Romance all over the world root for enchanting Miss Elizabeth Bennet and aloof Mr Darcy. Not surprising, I must admit, declarations of love like “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” have great power and I imagine many readers (or other audiences) melt away with sighs of longing. Apart from stirring up feelings, Austen’s works are also quite useful in an educational context for exploring the historical background of the times, especially regarding the social status of women who were depending on their husbands and therefore, of course, on marrying first. Thus, she criticises opportunistic relationships and also the prejudices accompanying class relations and social backgrounds.

So now here we are, happily celebrating her 245th birthday – Cheers!

Sarah-Sophia

Every year, the staff of the Department of British Studies at the University of Leipzig arranges a Christmas Reading. This year we will read Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost” (1887) – a tale of terror and delight. You are welcome to join our digital Christmas Read on Wednesday, 16 December 2020 from 6–8 pm via Zoom (Zoom: 825 2832 7080 Passcode: 882307).

Happy Christmas and stay safe everybody,

The editors

Hans und Chris sind zwei angehende Lehrer aus Leipzig, die auf ihrem YouTube Kanal E-Learning by Doing verschiedene E-Learning Tools für die Schule vorstellen, ihre Funktionsweise in Tutorials erklären und in Livestreams über ihre Erfahrungswerte reflektieren. Die interessantesten, nützlichsten und spannendsten Angebote für Lehrer:innen tragen sie in ihrer Reihe 3 Tools für Lehrkräfte in 3 Minuten zusammen. Im Dezember 2020 wurde Lit4School neben zwei anderen Tools von Chris un Hans vorgestellt – das Video finden Sie unter folgendem Link: Medien für den Unterricht finden mit Lit4School. Wenn Sie Themen wie E-Learning, EdTech und Tools für das Lehren und Lernen begeistern, dann schauen Sie doch mal bei Hans und Chris vorbei und folgen Sie den beiden auf Twitter.

Wir bedanken uns für die positive Resonanz und wünschen eine besinnliche Vorweihnachtszeit.

Ihr Lit4School Team

In 1895, Alfred Nobel stated in his will that those will be awarded “who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind“. However, the famous and most prestigious Nobel Prize is not a single award but consists of five separate prizes in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Peace, and also Literature which is, of course, very important in the context of Lit4School. Since 1901, it is given to the laureates annually on this very day and is usually part of a big ceremony and banquet. The laureates receive a golden medal, a diploma from the King of Sweden and a certain amount of money.

It is safe to say that the Nobel Prize in Literature is a highly controversial award. All of us probably remember being dependent on the mercy, mood and opinion of the English or German teacher for good grades. Of course, the field of writing is very subjective and the Nobel committee in Sweden doesn’t represent the whole world so that many choices were cause for huge discussions about the writer’s nationalities and therefore languages (can translations be judged the same way as the original) and about the issue, if the writer really deserved the award. Also, the prize was given to 117 individuals and it’s striking that only 16 of them were women, half of them laureates since 1991. The increasing number of female writers being awarded the Nobel Prize, however, can be seen as a positive development as they gain more and more recognition. Here are some laureates of the Nobel Prize in Literature on Lit4School English:

• T.S. Eliot (“The Waste Land“)
• Ernest Hemingway (Cat in the Rain, Hills Like White Elephants)
• John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
• William Golding (Lord of the Flies)
• Doris Lessing (The Fifth Child)
• Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go)
• Toni Morrison (Sweetness)

While it is the most renowned award in literature, we all know that one doesn’t need an award to have an impact on the world.

Kind regards and stay safe everyone,

Sarah-Sophia

“He was conscious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares, long, long, forgotten.” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

When the dark is lit with fairy lights and candles, the air filled with smells one more tempting than another, when warm colours and sparkling decorations make homes and houses cosier, Christmas time has come. And what could be a better way to relish the joys and thoughts and hopes than diving into a jolly good Christmas read. Here are some of our Yule favourites:

• Sarah-Sophia’s picks:

A favourite and lovely Christmas read of mine
is a heart-warming story written in rhyme.
Who doesn’t know the creature in green
who hated the cheering, the hustle, the presents,
and everything else in between?!

So Christmas he stole, or at least so he thought,
but it was the real spirit of Christmas that he instead brought.
Little Cindy-Lou Who climbed his home high above,
and although he wanted to fight it,
she showed him the great power of love.

In the end all were cheerful and the mischievous deed with no doubt,
made everyone see what Christmas is really about.
Dr Seuss created the creature and so ever since
no Christmas goes by without a thought of the Grinch!

To keep this consistent, I’m continuing on,
‘cause with a few rhymes before Christmas
surely can’t be anything wrong.
My next Christmas pick, lovely as well, I am sure,
is a beauteous little poem by Clement Clarke Moore.

It’s about the excitement when on Christmas eve
St. Nick comes to visit with presents to leave.
He’s as always imagined: round belly, white beard and happy and kind,
A man who can secretly visit and no one will mind.

When reading the poem one can gleefully feel all the joy and great bliss
of the wondrous and magical things in Moore’s “Night Before Christmas.”

• Sarah’s picks:

The hustle and bustle of Christmas season is at it once again. When everyone is scrambling to find that ever-elusive perfect present for every relative, friend or acquaintance, who doesn’t need some holiday serenity? My favourite way to get in the holiday spirit: listening to Christmas sing-alongs while eating half the batch of Christmas cookies I just made. And though baking reindeer-shaped cookies in the classroom isn’t really an option, who’s to say some Jingle Bells can’t bring Joy to the World in this otherwise Silent Night? The Real Mother Goose Book of Christmas Carols offers a wide range of tunes accompanied by festive illustrations. Haven’t you always wanted the perfect selection of songs that are well-known but still earn a chuckle when everyone stumbles over that 4th verse no one knew existed?

If you’re sick of sappy Christmas songs and want an amusing spin on an old tale, take a look at The Twelve Days of Christmas. I promise it’s not the jingle that gets put on repeat at the grocery store. This collection of letters tells the story of the twelve days of Christmas but from the perspective of the receiving end of those elaborate gifts. I’m sure no one would mind 5 gold rings, but what about 10 strange men dancing in your yard? The hilarious illustrations are the cherry on top of this story laced with satire.

• Simon’s picks:

The sweet and spicy smells of gingerbread, speculoos, roasted almonds, mulled wine and eggnog herald the time before Christmas. And since we haven’t had a white Christmas for years our children and pupils long for the first snowflakes to catch, the first Snowman to build and the first sledge run to slide. Snow where art thou? As younger learners do enjoy picture books a snowy Christmas story from the perspective of a Stick Man might catch their attention. For intermediate and advanced students and teachers A New Christmas Story by Jeanette Winterson, the poem “Amazing Peace” by Maya Angelou or the movie adaptation (2005 with Johnny Depp) of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offer an entrence in peaceful and wonderous winter worlds…

In these often stressful and unpredictable days of the pandemic, we want to bring some rest and bliss in your classrooms and offices: So, lean back in your favourite armchair, take a glass of tea or a strong sip of the Scotch next to you and enjoy your Christmas read.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day, have a wonderful pre-Christmas time and stay safe everybody,

The editors

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) aims to spread awareness of the millions of people navigating daily life with disabilities. This year’s theme “Not All Disabilities Are Visible” refers to the many disabilities that aren’t immediately apparent, such as neurological disorders or chronic pain and fatigue.

Representation in literature and media can help shine a light on issues such as the simplification and stereotyping of disabilities. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is told through the eyes of a teenager on the autism spectrum, who embarks on an investigation after finding a dead dog. The novel Things Not Seen features a young girl with a sight impairment that befriends the protagonist and offers insight on her daily life and experiences.

Some YouTubers that create content about stereotypes surrounding disabilities that I’ve enjoyed watching include: Tommy Edison, Molly Burke, Jessica Kellgren-Fozgard.

Sarah

Weniger literarisch als mathematisch: In der 10. Episode des Podcasts Mathe für Alle: “Mit Fingern rechnen” nähern sich unsere Kolleginnen Denise Heyder und Franziska Wehlmann dem Thema Rechenstrategien und Kompetenzen im Mathematikunterricht der Grundschule. Weisen Sie Ihre Kolleg:innen des Fachs Mathematik also gerne auf dieses Angebot des ZLS hin.

Die neue Weihnachtsfolge des mathematikdidaktischen Podcasts ist bereits in Arbeit und soll das Thema Diversität aufgreifen.

Bleiben Sie weiterhin gesund!

Ihr Lit4School Team

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, seemed to have found his purpose of birth in writing some of the most famous works of all time. In one way or the other, everyone probably heard of Tom Sawyer’s and Huckleberry Finn‘s (ad)ventures at and on Mississippi River. The crude language was subject of endless discussions back then and still is, it even led to the stories being banned in the US at first. Being the son of slave owners, Twain’s storytelling might often come across as racist, his anti-slavery views, however, are very obvious as well. His accounts on Jim and Huck demand for friendships across artificial boundaries, racist stereotypes and segregation. Twain was influenced by the dreadful realities of the time. As a boy, he spent several weeks each summer at his uncle’s farm where an elderly slave told him stories. Ron Powers, a biographer of Twain wrote: “race was always a factor in his consciousness partly because black people and black voices were the norm for him before he understood there were differences. They were the first voices of his youth and the most powerful, the most metaphorical, the most vivid storytelling voices of his childhood.”

Twain also engaged in critical writings on patriotism, religion and motivations for war: The War Prayer is a controversial poem emphasising that wishing for the victory of the own troops always goes hand in hand with wishing for the suffering of the enemies. Twain commented on the question if he would publish the poem anyway: “No, I have told the whole truth in that, and only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after I am dead.”

Having talked about those serious topics, I certainly don’t want to withhold a more amusing work of Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court tells the story of Yankee engineer from Connecticut who is hit on the head several times and finds himself at King Arthur’s court when he finally regains consciousness. With his superior knowledge of the future, he claims to be a magician, calls himself Sir Boss and turns the Middle Ages upside down. All in all, his narrations provide historical access and a unique contemporary view on slavery, religion and society in 19th Century America that is worth reading.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mark Twain!

Sarah-Sophia

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. – Fight Club

Every year, Black Friday shows us an almost caricature-like image of consumerism. Sale signs floating around everywhere, ranging from ‘buy 1 get 1 free!’ to ‘40% off (almost) everything!’ (the almost part being the crucial detail). People flocking to clothing stores, eager to find the best deal. Naturally, it’s amazing to get something you already wanted at a discount. But if you’re trying to find something you want to buy on sale, are you still saving money? Furthermore, what does the fact that these retailers can sell products at a steep discount while still making a profit tell us? Is the deal just that good, or is the original retail price just ridiculous? What is the true cost of these ultra-affordable items?

The documentary The True Cost explores the world of fast fashion, consumerism and the many questions it raises. How much do clothing pieces actually cost to make and what is behind that number? What is the psychology behind overconsumption along with the ethical and environmental implications that follow?

The Buy Nothing Day strategically placed the day of (in the US) or after (in Europe) Black Friday, aims to draw attention to the evergrowing problem of overconsumption. Whether it be a day-long hike or walking around a mall pretending to be zombies, there are various types of activities and protests taking place on Buy Nothing Day.

And while you don’t need to be running around a mall cutting up credit cards in protest, we could all use a day off of shopping to remember that we don’t need to buy everything!

Stay happy and healthy!

Sarah