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FOR TEACHERS

& PARENTS

Dear Teachers and Parents:

 

As a former teacher and current (grand)parent myself, I love to help "make the past come to life" in classrooms and homes. This site is chock full of information and resources for you to use in your classrooms (or homes) to accomplish this, as well as to help students learn more about the writing process. 

 

Resources

 

There are pages within this website with resources relating to people, places, events, & things mentioned in my historical novels about the American Revolution, A Buss from Lafayette and The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, as well as my unique rhyming history, Liberty-Loving Lafayette. Links are posted under each book's title below.

 

Resources include:

 

1) Pictures and documents about people, places, and events in my historical fiction (and nonfiction).

 

2) Videos (readalouds, blogs, interviews, background information, classroom visit excerpts). 

 

3. Audios (speeches, music, podcasts)

 

 

Note: since there is no audiobook available for The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, I have recorded readaloud videos of the first eight chapters. (I will be doing more eventually.)

 

 

Virtual Visits to Your Classroom

 

If you have read any of my works with your class, I would be happy to "beam" into your classroom via Skype, FaceTime, or Google Hangouts (gratis) to answer questions students might have (schedule permitting). To set up a classroom e-visit, contact me at dorotheajensen@gmail.com.

 

Reader Spotlight

 

If any of your students create art, video, or other pieces about any of my books, please send them (or links to them) to me at jensendorothea@gmail.com and I will post them on the Reader Spotlight page.

 

Other Info

 

There is also much information available on my social media sites, especially:

 

Bublish: hundreds of explanations about where my ideas come from and my writing process. (It's had nearly 300,000 hits!)

 

Pinterest: additional pictures related to my books

 

Have fun helping your students visit the past!

 

 

Regards,

 

Dorothea

 

As we start gearing up for the BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION of Major General Lafayette's 1820s Farewell Tour of America, A Buss from Lafayette is currently the only historical novel set during his historic visit on the market for young adults and middle school readers  The story illuminates this Revolutionary War hero's crucial role and the importance of the French Alliance

 in our fight for independence.

 

Stayed tuned for developments!

LATEST NEWS!

Liberty-Loving Lafayette: How "America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman Helped Win Our Independence

 

A number of notable reviewers have recommended my unique short rhyming history's use in the classroom and other educational events.

 

They have also pointed out that this is an homage to Lin-Manuel Miranda's HAMILTON (an aspect that will certainly appeal to Hamilton fans among your students).

 

Find more reviews, honors, and buy links for this unique work here.

A Buss from Lafayette

 

This book has had many excellent reviews referring to its use in helping kids understand life as a teenager in early nineteenth century America, as well as to learn about Major General Lafayette's key role in the American Revolution. Below are a few of these.(For more reviews, and to learn about the honors this book has won, click here.)

So happy that Buss is on this list!

The Riddle of Penncroft Farm

 

Ever since it was first published in 1989, this book, an IRA (now ILA) Teachers' Choice selection, has been used in classrooms across the U.S. to enrich the study of the American Revolution. Many dedicated teachers have posted quizzes, lesson plans, unit plans, and reviews online. Below I have included some of these, as well as some teacher comments made directly to me. For more reviews, honors, and buy links, click here.

Below is a very short intro I made for The Riddle of Penncroft Farm.  If it does not display properly on this page, use the link it below to watch it directly on Vimeo!

Here's another fun site a teacher created for Riddle!

 

 

http://penncroftfarm.blogspot.com/

Riddle Resources Links: