The memoirs of Homer Hickam were first told in his best-selling novel The Rocket Boys. The movie October Sky resulted, making Homer Hickam and his peers, his family, and the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia well known to many. The story is a beacon for education, illustrating the importance of learning and the impact of teachers on their students' lives. Both the movie and the book have quickly become a favorite of the education community, which has embraced Homer's story as their own. The Apple Learning Interchange attended October Sky Festival in Coalwood and would like to share with you the real people and places that have touched the lives of all who have participated in The Coalwood Way. ALI QuickTime TV for Learning is pleased to bring you video interviews with the Rocket Boys and many other community members made famous in Homer Hickam's books and the movie October Sky. The video is streaming from the Apple QuickTime TV network and is available for both modem and institutional Internet users. We will begin our interview sessions with Homer and the other Rocket Boys. We will be adding interviews with other community members soon. Homer Hickam, Jr. Rocket Boy Roy Lee Cooke Rocket Boy Billy Rose Rocket Boy O'dell Carroll Rocket Boy Quentin Wilson Rocket Boy Elsie Hickam Homer's Mom Iva Grey Dean Freida Riley's Sister Ginger Danzler Homer's Girlfriend Mrs. Danzler Homer's Piano Teacher Mr. Turner Principal of Big Creek Red Carroll O'dell's Father Bill Bolt Company Machinist Experience the October Sky Festival in images. See the real Rocket Boys and the places and people that shaped their future in our Coalwood Image Library. The images are presented as thumbnails. Click on any image that you would like to see full screen. The Parade & Festival The Rocket Boys Family & Friends of the Rocket Boys A Coalwood Tour Cape Coalwood Revisited Homer Hickam's two books; The Rocket Boys and the recently released The Coalwood Way have proved to be excellent context for learning in both literature and science classrooms. Many teachers have used the books in combination with the movie October Sky which can easily be rented at your local movie house. Very soon we will publish supporting Units of Practice, Interactive Lessons, and ideas for your classroom use. ALI web resource guides will be developed to extend the learning opportunity and complement the resources offered at Homer Hickam's home page. ALI will host discussion forums and announce chat opportunities for Rocket Boy enthusiasts world wide. Rocket Boys Forum & Chat Room Follow the link above to find the event forum and chat room. On your first visit, you will need to register for a user name and password. We suggest that you not wait until the 19th for this process. It is free and easy.

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Primary resources from htp://www.homerhickam.com