| Each year the people of Hannibal, Missouri, celebrate their most famous citizen with "Mark Twain Days." Here we have the winners of some participants in this year's "Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher Look-A-Like Contest." Other contests include a fence whitewashing contest and the popular frog jumping contest. Twain began the transition from beat reporter to a world traveling roving reporter in 1865 with a mining camp story that told of a bet between the owners of two jumping frogs. One of the frogs, however, could not jump very far as it had been loaded down with lead shot. Twain's humorous recanting of this friendly wager, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," was reprinted in newspapers around the world. The popularity of Twain's story has kept the popularity of jumping frog contest in existence today. |
For more information on Mark Twain, check out:
The Mark Twain Birthplace
Mark Twain House
The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies
The Mark Twain Papers & Project
Elmira College Center
Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies is a residence for Mark Twain scholars. The center offers several programs, conferences, seminars and public lectures series.
http://lemur.cit.cornell.edu/~jules/Mark_Twain.html/
State Historical Site
Route 1, Box 54
Stoutsville, MO 65283
573-565-3449
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
860-247-0998
Elmira College
Elmira, NY 14901
607-735-1941
University of California at Berkeley
480 Doe Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
510-642-6480
Dear Educator,
Mark Twain's America is a 40-minute journey through the 19th century as seen through the eyes and words of one of this country's most beloved authors and humorists. SPC, Large Format has created a Teachers Resource Guide to aid educators in taking full advantage of the film as an educational tool. A remarkable combination of historical photographs and modern-day action, Mark Twain's America enables students who view the film to actually experience the extraordinary story of Mark Twain and his era.
Students will explore the themes of love, laughter, ambition, family, war and technology as they travel through time. They will delve into history and look at the social issues of that earlier era. And in the end, they will see how the world they live in today is tied to the past.
Our Teacher's Resource Guide, which was prepared with the help of professional educators like yourself and made possible by the generous support of the A.T. Cross Company, will help your students understand how the events of the past affect their lives today, and how what they accomplish today will affect the lives of those who come after them. The material also works to expand students' knowledge of science, technology, social studies and language arts. It is designed for use with upper elementary and middle school students.
We hope you and your students enjoy viewing Mark Twain's America as much as we and our colleagues at Ogden Entertainment and the A.T. Cross Company enjoy bringing it to you. If you're interested in receiving a Teacher's Resource Guide, please contact the large format theatre nearest you that is playing the film, or call us at 212-833-8392.
Sincerely,
Sony Pictures Classics, Large Format
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Teacher's Resource Guide for MARK TWAIN'S AMERICA was created by Youth Media International, Ltd., Easton, CT Roberta Nusim, Publisher Writer: Carol Bruce Editor: Jane E. Fieberts Art Director: Kathleen Giarrano
Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics and Ogden Entertainment wish to thank the A.T. Cross Company for their generous support of both the film and this Teacher's Resource Guide.
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