Latest Hunger Games News This Week

So...in case you've been living under a rock this week, I thought I'd let you know that the premiere for "The Hunger Games" movie will debut at midnight Thursday (or early Friday).

I can't possibly keep up with the fan sites with posting new articles and links, so I'm not even going to try! But I thought I would post some that you might be interested in or wanted to share with your students. These are just the links, but getting it directly from the source is always the best, right!?

Calendar of "The Hunger Games" star appearances and other noteworthy events from Hunger Games Down With the Capitol.

The Harry Potter Alliance's Imagine Better "Hunger is NOT a Game" New York Times piece!

Hunger Games Fans: Take a Tour of The Capitol from CeleBuzz.com

The Katniss Chronicles: The Final Episode "Aftermath" (Can't wait for them to make Catching Fire!)

How 'Hunger Games' star Elizabeth Banks brought Effie Trinket to life (Katharine Hepburn helped) - from Entertainment Weekly (EW.com)

Latest "Buzz" on Pop Sugar's The Hunger Games District Sugar

Novel Novice's Countdown to The Hunger Games

If you are going to the midnight premiere, take your camera & email your photos to Sara from The Hunger Games Examiner so she can share them: sarag.examiner@gmail.com

FOR TEACHERS
The Odds Ever in Your Favor: Ideas and Resources for Teaching The Hunger Games - from The New York Times The Learning Network (By KATHERINE SCHULTEN and LILY ALTAVENA)

The Top 7 Tips for Teaching The Hunger Games - from Novel Novice

Charity Kinneer writes about teaching The Hunger Games and how to introduce it to your students on "Passion for Learning" - GPB Blogs.

How far into the future is "The Hunger Games"? Use this as a writing prompt or debate in your classes.

Have You Visited Down With the Capitol This Week?

If you haven't checked out the Hunger Games Down With the Capitol website this week, you've been missing out on some fabulous prizes, such as "The Hunger Games" movie posters, mockingjay pins, jewelery, and more. They are celebrating 10,000 followers on Twitter (amazing!) and have had a great time giving away lots of swag this week. But the good news is, it's not too late for you to win some of it!

You can enter today's to win the prizes pictured above (I made the magnets & they are great for white boards...I use the stronger magnets to hold heavier paper like posters).

Enter today's contest here: {DAY 5} and stay tuned for more fantastic prizes this weekend!

Things That Make Me Go Hmmm...An Early Holiday Gift From Taylor Swift...

Taylor Swift released "Safe and Sound" last night, a single from "The Hunger Games" movie official soundtrack. For this week's "Things That Make Me Go Hmmm..." I'd like to ponder which scene the song may be paired with. (As always, there are spoilers for those who have not read the novel.)

Down With the Capitol posted the song and the lyrics and asked fans which part of the movie/novel they think it goes with. Fans seem to be torn between the "cave" scene where Katniss drugs Peeta before going to the feast and the scene from chapter 18 with Rue (or after...). At least one fan said it reminded them of Katniss saying goodbye to Prim.

I am partial to the scene with Rue because of the lullaby reference and the title itself. Rue asks Katniss to stay with her when she says "Don't go" on page 234 in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Then when Rue asks Katniss to sing, she thinks of the "mountain air" lullaby, or meadow song. "Safe and Sound" by Swift seems to mirror the lyrics in the meadow song, telling listeners that tomorrow will be a better day, tomorrow will bring hope and peace.
From the meadow song (or Rue's Lullaby):
"Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you." (p. 235)
and from Swift's song, via Theresa at Down With the Capitol:
"Just close your eyes
sun is going down
You’ll be all right
no one can hurt you now
Come morning light
you and I will be safe and sound."

On page 238 Katniss hears a young mockingjay sing Rue's four-note call, "The ones that mean she's safe."
"'Good and safe,' I say...'We don't have to worry about her now.' Good and safe." (p. 238)
I can see this song being played as Katniss walks away from Rue, thinking that now she will be "Good and safe."

Though, I can also see this applying to the cave scene from chapter 21, as well. These lyrics seem to apply to Peeta when he is dying in the cave and Katniss makes the decision to go to the feast to get the life-saving medicine for him:
"Don’t you dare look out your window
Darlin' everything’s on fire
the war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's gone
Gone
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You’ll be all right
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I’ll be safe and sound."

So, here's what I think. I think they'll play some of the song (at least the beginning) after Rue's death. Then I think they'll start the second half of the song just as Katniss is giving Peeta the sleep syrup and continue it through the night as she gets ready for (and is on her way to) the feast. Those alone moments will need music playing in the background and this song seems to fit both scenes. I can see how it applies to Prim, as well. For that matter, it could also play during the re-cap of the Games and the train ride home. Perhaps the song will carry out in several scenes. I think it's a testament to the powerful writing of Suzanne Collins, showing how the theme of hope carries through the entire book. Katniss may seem to lose hope many times, but it's always there: sacrificing herself to give Prim hope for a better life; sharing herself with Rue and giving Rue hope with the lullaby; risking her life to save Peeta, giving him hope. Her intent may not have always seemed sacrificial, but her actions spoke loudly. I love the fact that the songwriters picked up on this theme, even though the song is seemingly so sad (and I know I will cry no matter which part of the movie it is played).

I found the emotion very raw and gripping in the song. I'm not a country music fan, never heard of The Civil Wars, and didn't care all that much for Swift's past music. But I do think this is a fitting piece and it seems to go with the rustic district feel that is portrayed in the trailer. Listening to this, hearing Swift's voice...yes, I just may have to check out what else she has (and even The Civil Wars has) to offer.


What do you think? Which part does it seem to fit the best for you? Share in the comments below!
Listen here: Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound"

CLASSROOM CONNECTION:
Teachers - have your students analyze the lyrics to the song and decide which part (or parts) of the novel would be most fitting. Then have a classroom debate. Students could work in groups or alone. Allow them to listen to the song, as well. The music itself sets the tone for the lyrics and helps students with analysis.

Hunger Games Full-Length Trailer to Debut on Good Morning America Monday

So I really won't need to buy tickets to Breaking Dawn now. Good Morning America (GMA) will be debuting the full-length trailer Monday (Nov. 14) morning. To find out more about the trailer and other great Hunger Games news, check in with the ever-awesome fansite The Hunger Games Down With the Capitol to stay in-the-know!

Hunger Games Halloween Costumes

The folks at The Hob have put together an excellent feature on Hunger Games-inspired Halloween costumes! So far, they have featured Katniss, President Snow, and Effie Trinket. I am sure the others will be featured soon. They even let you know where you can purchase items needed for the costumes.

Don't have long hair? Get the Katniss wig!

And speaking of great fan-sites, Down With the Capitol has an entire section of pumpkin carving templates you can use to make your very own Hunger Games jack-o-lantern.

So to get in on the Halloween spirit, I have a wicked word find, created just for you by President Snow. But I did include the answer key in case you are really stumped on some of these words. So may the odds be ever in your favor! And Happy Halloween! :)

You can always find loads of Hunger Games activities in my teacher store. 
NOTE: If you download or view the word find full-screen, the graphics will line up correctly. They are a little scrunched up in my blog column, but they do print correctly once downloaded.
Hunger Games Halloween Word Find

Panem October, Hunger Games Fireside Chat, and Other Sites Satisfy Fans' Hunger For More

Wonder where Buttercup will carry his ID?

It wasn't that long ago that fans of The Hunger Games could log on daily and find out new and exciting things happening in the fandom world. There always seemed to be some new movie news, new books being published, pictures of the actors being released, and The Potter Games, of course. But lately it's been a little slow.

Enter Panem October. The site, which was at the center of a controversy with Lionsgate last spring, is now back online and making its own news. Described as "a fan-made ARG for the Hunger Games," Panem October's official launch of its interactive features will happen October 1st. In the meantime, they have been releasing character IDs (like Buttercup's, released today) to scan and "friend" each day. And tonight (10p.m.EST/9p.m.CST) on The Hunger Games Fireside Chat, Rowan the Gamemaker will appear and break his silence about Panem October.

It does give fans something to be excited about, since movie and other Hunger Games-related news has been slow. But Panem October and the weekly Fireside Chat aren't the only things going on in the fan world. Down With the Capitol always has interesting things going on, such as their "Question of the Week" and Read-Alongs for all three books. They also have a spot carved out on their site for crafts and accept fan pictures.

I posted about TheCapitol.pn earlier, but that site seems to be unchanging as of right now. Will is stay this way until the opening of the movie? Or will it offer an interactive feature like Panem October? Time will only tell. At least, for now, we only have to wait four days to experience Panem October.

By the way, I'm in district 5 on Panem October and District 7 on TheCapitol.pn. How about you? Which district are you in?

My Panem October Home screen (as of Sept. 26th). I've added Haymitch, Effie, President Snow, Foxface, and Buttercup as friends, as well.

What's Your District?

From www.TheCapitol.pn - Each District and its Industry

Observant fans of The Hunger Games noticed a strange hashtag on the Lionsgate® credits page after the teaser for "The Hunger Games" movie was aired. It said #whatsmydistrict. After further examination, they realized it was connected to the new website TheCapitol.pn.

When I checked out the site, I got a strange message to identify myself. It connected to my Twitter account and tweeted the message: “The Capitol knows who I am. Identify yourself immediately: http://thecapitol.pn #whatsmydistrict”. The background image, which was garbled and pixelated, moved, as though it was trying to come into focus. As it moved, the sound coming from my computer was a succession of short eerie screeches.

Each day the site has become more clear, now showing off the Capitol seal, and today it went completely live. I registered and was placed in District 7. I am waiting to claim my District 7 Citizen Identification Card (the process can be expedited by connecting with your Twitter and Facebook accounts).

What I am MOST excited about is the new information the site reveals. It shows each of the districts' industries (finally! See picture, above) and how much tesserae is claimed by each district (below). District 12 has the most, and since we know it is also the smallest, it confirms that it is the poorest district, as well.

I can't wait to look at my map of Panem and update it with the new information. (If only it was still summer and there was more time in the day to dig deeper this website and their Twitter and Facebook accounts!) There's also a scrolling message board that announces the weather as chilly (wear a coat), condolences to District 12 families for mine explosion (and urging citizens to donate to the cause) and a teaser about Caesar Flickerman's hair color.

I'm excited they are giving the fans something to not only discuss, but occupy our time as we eagerly await the movie premiere! Will you have your students register? I will have mine (it seems you still can register even if you do not have  Facebook or Twitter).

So what district have YOU been placed in? Comment below after you are "identified."  http://thecapitol.pn

The amount of tesserae claimed by each District. Since District 12 is the smallest in population (about 8,000 people) it obviously has the most citizens living in poverty. What else do you think these numbers reveal? Theories?

The images are screenshots from TheCapitol.pn and as stated on their site: "Pursuant to Panem Law, Materials Appearing on This Site Are Government Owned and Protected." 

It's a Literacy Revolution & You're Needed!

Join the Literacy Revolution

Katniss fueled the spark that began the revolution in The Hunger Games trilogy. Whether she meant to or not, wanted to or not, she became the symbol of the rebellion; she became the mockingjay.

While Katniss's revolution is fictional, there's a real one going on right now. It's a literacy revolution. Shylah is the author and creator of the blog A Tribute to Tributes. She spear-headed the literacy revolution after reading the series and feeling as though the trilogy needed to end in a happier or more hopeful way. A way in which good trumps evil.  And she also knew that one of the best ways to build a strong nation and end poverty and oppression is through education. "Education powers revolutions." (I'm With the Mockingjay)

That led her to the DonorsChoose.org website, where she found a teacher who only needed $100 to fund her project of 35 copies of The Hunger Games for her high-poverty, under-funded school. The teacher knew that her students would be able to relate to the themes of injustice and oppression. With Shylah's help, the project was funded & the students got their books.

But she hasn't stopped there; she is continually seeking out teachers who need their projects funded. Ones that will share the love for The Hunger Games with hundreds, probably thousands, of children. It is a revolution that is seeking your involvement, your generosity.

She explains on her blog the purpose of the project:
"Our goal is simple. As Hunger Games fans who believe in equity and empowerment, we will work to fund as many as possible of the requests for Hunger Games books posted on donorschoose.org. We’ll take it one class at a time—just as Katniss and the Rebels worked District by District to overthrow the Capitol."

Imagine how many students will begin to love to read again after reading The Hunger Games in school.  Imagine what just one person's generosity can do for all these children. And, in turn, what it could do for generations of children. When you give to a project, you are not only helping that classroom of children, you are helping the future. Those children will remember your generosity and pass it on to their children. And a new cycle will form. One that spreads literacy and a love for reading. One that could mean a way out of poverty for many children. Because without reading skills, we all know how limited our choices, our world, becomes.

Visit the Literacy Revolution site; Shylah has links to classroom projects that need your funding. And when you donate, don't forget to add the following to your personal message:

“I gave to this project because I'm with the Mockingjay, and support a literacy revolution in American classrooms.”

(Source: Literacy Revolution)