User:Tanyaeven/Author Tecoa T. Washington, B.Sc., M.A.

New Fiction Thriller Unearths Shakespearean Mystery

Author Tecoa T. Washington, B.Sc., M.A. is a ground breaker in trends of academic fantasy.

Medieval Bedazzle is no ordinary historical fiction novel. Tecoa took a preliminary step in helping teachers use a novel that promotes interdisciplinary teaching and learning across the curriculum. This novel utilizes Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy and all four dimensions of higher-order critical thinking from analysis to evaluation. Medieval Bedazzle is intended for students of grades eight through college level to read for pleasure while unconsciously apply higher-order thinking strategies which help them construct deeper meaning in their reading. Despite being a highly entertaining novel on many levels, in Medieval Bedazzle the reader will discover how the heroine of the novel utilizes K-W-L charts to organize her thinking. K-W-L is a strategy in which students manage their learning by mapping out what they Know, Want to know, and learned. Another graphic organizer the heroine uses is the Venn Diagram. The heroine categorizes the knowledge she has already gained to help her logically access a situation.

If you think this is only for the academic crowd, think again. Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, Washington ’s book tells the story of an attractive young physics teacher who, returning from a vacation in Britain, eavesdrops on a conversation between five ghastly individuals. As she hears these self-proclaimed ancient spooks discussing a remarkable Shakespearian cover-up, she is propelled into a world of furtive secrecy and immense terror as she struggles to uncover all that was once hidden and unlocks an intriguing medieval mystery. Convinced that the Bard has done King Richard III a disservice, she sets out to prove that the much-maligned ruler was not as evil as history remembers him.

The book is available at any bookstore nationwide or can be ordered through the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore, or by visiting barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com or target.com. An audio version of the book also is available from the publisher. Washington currently resides in Copiague, New York. She earned undergraduate and graduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and is a permanently certified teacher of physics, general science and English. She has been teaching for over a decade and received numerous awards for teaching as well as her poetry. If we want our students to engage in complex intellectual tasks to integrate the insights of different disciplines, then let’s join them in that task, modeling it and sharing the difficulties and the richness of its possibilities. This can be done by reading Medieval Bedazzle. History isn't always the whole truth and nothing but. "Medieval Bedazzle" is a novel about a historical cover up, concerning how the truth of history around Shakespeare's time is threatening to ruin the careers of some historians. An English King's true legacy is called into question; opposing Shakespeare all those years ago may have cast a nasty light on him that is undeserved. But the fallibility of one of history's most beloved writers makes the truth unappealing, and it's up to a single young physics teacher to call who is right--the bard or history. "Medieval Bedazzle" is an intriguing spin on the world of Shakespeare, highly recommended.

COPYRIGHT 2009 Midwest Book Review No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder. Copyright 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Medieval Bedazzle is a treasure and a masterpieceLink title

Review by Monte Marlowe "Medieval Bedazzle is a treasure and a masterpiece. With breathtakingly extensive original research, it is beautifully written, in a style both inviting and impressive. It is the fruit of an successful project that Washington undertook in an effort to reintroduce science history and literature to the canons of students in schools world wide."