Sunday, October 5, 2014

Tis the Season: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

"Ichabod pursued by the Headless Horseman,"
by F. O. C. Darley, 1849.

  Although I appreciate Johnny Depp and the Fox television show, 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' is a genuine comedy. Ichabod Crane is one of literature's great comedic characters, and Washington Irving deserves a lot of credit; this is still a very funny story even after almost 200 years.

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) by John Qui

Here's the background of the story:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow 

I have been delighted to use EdCon's 'Bringing the Classics To Life' (http://www.edconpublishing.com/) for several years with classes that were not reading at Grade 7 level; lots of RTI and Study Skills Classes have thoroughly enjoyed the simplified versions of great stories, including Washington Irving's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'  I'm extremely picky about my classic lit, but EdCon is absolutely superior in keeping the essence of the story for burgeoning readers. I've never had a class of kids who did not truly enjoy the stories presented in the 'Bringing the Classics to Life' format., and that's over about 15 years. The following cartoon version also brings lots of engagement, even at the high school level.

Just about all Americans are familiar with Disney's version of  'The Legend of Sleeping Hollow' (1949.) This is my personal favorite because it is narrated by Bing Crosby, with incidental music. Every year we younguns would watch it on Wonderful World of Disney, and be pretty scared.

Disney's Headless Horseman--a Hessian from the Revolutionary War

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow part 1 of 4  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a8il8kOMsg

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow part 2 of 4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSX_cjlbF4I&feature=relmfu 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow part 3 of 4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4dudHgGISE&feature=relmfu 

 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow part 4 of 4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SsCHYW_I3s&feature=relmfu 

This story serves as fun reading and viewing reward for kids from about Grade 5 upward.

 

 

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