Final thoughts.

This class helped me realize that I do not have to only stress classic novels within the schools, but that it is beneficial to use contemporary adolescent literature as well. A strategy that stuck out from this semester is the wait time after asking a question. The group teach showed me how awkward the silence can be while standing in front of the room, waiting for the students to figure out the answer. I also liked doing thinking activities in the beginning of class because it helped get your mind started and I feel as if I will incorporate this into my future teaching skills. The books that I think helped the most in this class were The Book Thief, Persepolis, and The Chocolate War. These novels can be tied into many other ones and have a lot to teach about. The books that I found were least effective were: Forever, and American Born Chinese. I think that Blume’s novel should be read outside of the class or as a silent reading. For American Born Chinese, well I just was not a fan of this graphic novel. I think all the sections should be kept within the class, however, I think that there are some novels that are a better fit for the subject. I think it would have been very helpful to read traditional texts alongside adolescent ones. If we were required to do so then we could have done projects where we create a lesson plan or a fun activity so we can have practice doing so.
A weakness that I still have to work on is how I state my questions. I still have the fear of standing in front of the room and not having anything to say (kinda like the reoccurring missing clothes dream…) I want to be able to excite my students but I really worry that I won’t be able to. I really don’t know how this class could have helped my concerns because I think it is something that I am just going to have to suck up. The group-teach was a good experience. Having to come up with activities and teach them to an actual tentative group was scary but exhilarating at the same time. However, I think it is hard to teach with a group of four people and would have enjoyed just working with one other person. I learned that I should speak up when I have to say something and to share my thoughts. I think this experience should be continued throughout future classes.

To me, the blogs were so-so. I would have rather of had a prompt or questions to answer within the blog instead of just discussing how we felt. However, writing about how we would incorporate the novel within our classrooms was valuable to me. I do not think I will make my students write a blog, but I will probably do journal enteries.

I wish more classical and traditional texts were used. Maybe a class that gave us pointers on how to teach Shakespeare, because lets’ face it, that’s scary. The different activities that we did and were pointed out to us was extremely helpful and probably one of the best features on this class.

Twilight

So I am not going to lie, I have read Twilight a few times before this class. Although it is a cheesy storyline and the writing is very simple, its still a nice book to read before falling asleep at night (not because its boring but because of how easing of the mind it is). I am not going to lie though, I like Harry Potter soooo much better.



Thought this picture was funny though. The same author also did this one:


Fanfiction is great because it opens up your eyes more. I never thought to compare the two girls but, for those who read Harry Potter, Hermione is truly a better role model for girls.
I also think fanfiction is a good creative writing strategy or a way to get kids to write more. It not only shows they read the story, but also lets them put their own take on it, which will connect them more to the novel. It can also make a classic more modern.

The article on censorship surprised me. Saying that "To Kill a Mockingbird," is bad because the word RAPE is used several times? Seriously people. I read that book in ninth grade and I still love it. Though this one is my favorite: "National Geographic: "Nudity and sensationalism, especially in stories on barbaric foreign people."Hmmm, or maybe that is their culture and we should learn about it and respect it? I understand how it is difficult to novels for a large group of kids because not everyone has the same maturity level, but I also feel that it is unwise to take away something that is potentially important to their learning.

Teacher Inquiry project

For my topic I am going to focus on Teaching to the Canon: Why teach the Classics?

My tentative questions are:

1) What makes a classic a classic?

2) What requirements does a novel have to fulfill to become a part of the canon?

3) How can we incorporate both classic and modern novels into the classroom?

4) Does reading classics affect students comprehension or intelligence?

My book is: Adolescent Literature as a complement to the classics

And articles so far are: The Canon and The Making of the English Canon (but these can change)

Persepolis

I have to admit, this story is unlike any other story I have ever read. I found it extremely interesting esp. because it was a true story. I never knew that they had to tear out pages in their school books that discussed the shah, or had school closed for two years so no one learned incorrect information. To be honest, I don't remember learning about the Islamic Revolution...which kinda says something about my schooling.

Anyway, I feel this book should be taught in high school. It is interesting and a powerful story. WAYYY better than actually reading a memoir, atleast to kids who are not all that interested in reading. It is hard for me to imagine why kids would not read a story that we give them to read, but that is just because I enjoyed reading in high school. I think it is important to show all types of literature that there is, because those kids who don't like reading, may not enjoy the standard novels, but may enjoy graphic ones. And if they have a book in their hands, what's wrong with that?

I liked the part in the article that discussed the wordless story. I think by having them analyze the pictures then make their own story, not only helps them with writing, but creativity too. It will pair well with art classes. Maybe for this activity, art students could draw a series of pictures, and then give them to the students in English classes. That way students have more of an opportunity connecting with the art piece and enjoy writing. My school always had an art show at the end of the year and students were able to show all of their work (literature included...I had a play performed!). All of our hallways were decorated in students' art pieces and it was great. If we were to have done the wordless story activity in our high school, I'm sure it would have been a big hit in the art show.

Book Thief

This book was def one of the better books we have read in this class. I loveeedd the perspective because of how different it was! Death? wow. Even though the whole time I was picturing the Grim Reaper (spelling? I have no idea) from that family guy episode where he keeps trying to kill Peter Griffin...

Anyway, I would def teach this book. I think it will fit in well with history class too when they are teaching about the Holocaust, then they can connect it to this novel. I also think the perspective, use of colors, and literary terms can be taught and analyzed. Also, there are plenty of other novels to connect it with, such as "Number the Stars," or "Night." Plus movies, and I am sure some TV shows or youtube videos have something on the Holocaust. I am a firm believer in not just analyzing and recognizing the plot line, but by getting the point across in a fun way. As a student, I always loved when teachers put on a clip of a movie, or tied it into a tv show we all watched. Actually, I still do love it.

Some activities that can be done with this book is maybe have them draw their own novel expressing a difficult time in their life (such as Max did). Maybe you could even have them tell their story through their parents' point of view. Also, I found this website when looking up things on the Book Thief because I was so interested, and one idea was to: have students create their own Rorschach test by using paper towels and food coloring. The food coloring is dropped onto one side of a folded paper towel. The paper towel is folded to create an identical two-sided image. Images are shown before the class and the students tell what they see. This demonstrates how differently we “see” the very same things, and ultimately how unique our personal view or narration of an event or story can be.

The website has a lot more ideas if anyone wants to check it out... http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/Novel%20Pages/The%20Book%20Thief.htm
it even connects it to the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," which I would have never of thought about.

American Born Chinese

The only other graphic novel I read was, "Mouse," in tenth grade. It connected with the novel, "Night," which I remember thinking how awesome it was that our teacher did that, especially since we were so sick of Holocaust books and learning about it. But "Mouse" brought in a new element and we were able to discuss the two books much easier than we were with just reading "Night."

Like Mouse, this book was a fast and enjoyable read. However, it confused me a bit. I think I was trying too hard to make assumptions to how they were connected, that I messed up who was who once they started being each other. If that makes any sense. But if it does, I think that the fact that I confused them, helps prove to the reader how easy it is for people to lose their own identity and become someone else because it is easier. This fits in with the article we read because instead of being creative and coming up with their own ways, new teachers often follow their own teachers to form their lesson plans. What he is trying to say is that we shouldn't be afraid to be ourselves and stray away from the curriculum. 

I think "American Born Chinese," can be taught in school, but the way "Mouse," was taught to me. I do think that substantial novels should be the primary novels taught. Like in the article, when he was describing the two teachers lessons, the novels that he listed were the standard novels that we read when we were in high school. I know we should establish our own identity when teaching, but it is still possible to do whether or not you use a certain book. 

Monster

Before reading "Monster," everyone told me how fast the story flies by, and although I did not believe them at the time, it truly did. When I first opened the novel, I have to admit I let out an "ugh," because I hateeee reading books that are structured like this one. It took my a while to get used to it, but once I did, I realized that the story did seem to fly by. I would def. teach this novel in my english classes because of how easy it is to read, and how much is in the story that there is to teach.

I really liked the moral of the story. Kids that will be reading this book should only be in 8th to 9th grade I think just because the level of reading is too easy. However, this is the age where kids tend to fall into the wrong group of friends. I think that if there are some kids who are involved in such crime that Steve or Boo were in, then they would be interested in reading this (hopefully) and would realize the consequences that can come with a crime as simple as being a lookout. Though, I must admit, that I am thinking about how it was when I was in 8th or 9th grade, and crimes such as a holdup, were not done by high school students, so it is hard for me to imagine kids doing something of that sort.

I also think that this story can be beneficial in teaching literary terms, such as setting and conflict. Although it would be great to teach a book for the love of reading, we still have to incorporate what will be on the standarized tests. The setting in this novel is beneficial because of how much it changes with his flashbacks, and also because of the brief descriptions he has as part of his movie script. It would be good to have kids draw their favorite scene, or maybe act it out as a project, for the visual learners to grasp the story. Maybe they can even draw their movie poster, or write a review on the movie. I think it is very student friendly and can enlighten them.