The projects below are a few samples from a course with Jenny Cutler. They are based on the hysterical comedic play Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, and used with permission.
Written Projects
A few students chose to write a journal with a minimum of six entries from the perspective of a character. Here are a few excerpts of journals.
Grace Miracle wrote from the perspective of Mortimer Brewster:
Kayla Francis wrote from the perspective one of the murderous old ladies, Abby Brewster. Here are two fun excerpts from her journal entries:
Jill McLendon decided to provide a journal with a backstory for one of the victims. Notice what a strong voice she gave this character in his journal!
Aly Taylor created a 16-image comic strip illustrating one of the scenes of the play. Here are a few of her images:
Jack decided to create a collage showing some of the themes in the play and an accompanying write-up explaining them.
Sidney also created a collage, but made hers into a poster with an explanation attached.
Jenny Cutler earned her B.A. in Education in 2005 and her Master’s in Multicultural Education in 2012, both from Eastern University. She has taught in both private and public school settings and later transitioned to full-time online teaching in 2014, finding it an ideal fit for both her students and her family. In addition to teaching, Jenny has experience running a tutoring business and continues to serve her local church in a variety of capacities. She is currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in English at Wichita State University.
Jenny is passionate about helping students develop a genuine love of literature. She believes that good books cultivate both critical thinking and compassion, and she especially enjoys guiding reluctant readers toward meaningful connections with texts they never expected to love.
Jenny lives in rural Michigan with her husband, four children, and a multitude of pets. When she’s not teaching she can usually be found experimenting with a new recipe, embroidering, swimming, or—most often—with her nose in a book.
