Reading and Writing Argument

Articles used:

Michael Smith, Jeffrey Wilhelm, and James Fredricksen - Oh Yeah?! Putting Argument to Work Both in and Out

Say:

I love that there is a book on argument and teaching argument in high school English classrooms.  High school students love to argue, especially with each other, over hot button issues stemming from politics to pop culture.  Why not put their passion of arguing to good use in the classroom?  Smith, Wilhelm, and Fredericksen have several great ideas on how to best implement our students' love for debate.  While they may not see it this way, the simple fact of pointing out their strengths is a great way to get them excited and anxious to begin a new unit since they know from the beginning that they have the skills and talent necessary to succeed.  While our students may like to debate each other and can be quite skilled at pointing out different issues and which side they agree with, their biggest weakness is creating the strong argument which is so vital in the art of debate especially in academics.  We encounter argument and debate in our everyday lives and students need to understand this.  By pointing out different ways in which these occur, students will get a better grasp on argument and how to best present their viewpoints in their academic writing.  Smith, Wilhelm and Fredericksen suggest using advertisements to show students different ways in which argument in present in our everyday lives.  By analyzing these ads, students will have a deeper understanding of how argument works and the best way in which to present claims.  

Do:

In order to implement argument in my classroom I would show clips of presidential debates from the present and the past.  Then, I would have my students analyze a specific candidate's argument and the points they are making using a particular hot button issue.  By having students look at presidential debates, they will see how debate and argument is present in our everyday lives and they will understand the importance of having good debate skills.

Workshop Narrative with Animal Farm

Mattie Talbert

Dr. Styslinger

EDSE 786

7 December 2015

Workshopping George Orwell’s Animal Farm

            When I think of Animal Farm I think of my ninth grade English classroom and my teacher introducing this foreign, old book to a class full of fourteen year olds who would rather have been socializing than talking about some “dead, old white guy”.  However, due to my fascination with the Russian Revolution I became quickly immersed in this book.  My teacher did the normal introductions by telling us about George Orwell and the historical background which of course helped put the plot and its characters into perspective, but I was in the small minority in my classroom that actually enjoyed reading Animal Farm.  My teacher had good intentions but her introductions fell flat and set the tone for the remainder of the unit for my classmates who were not so interested in Communism and Stalin.  What she failed to do was garner interest and enthusiasm which would have made the entire unit much less painful and actually pretty enjoyable for not only her but for her class of freshman students.  My workshop narrative will draw from my resource collection along with Dr. Styslinger’s book and the readings that have been done over the course of this semester.

            When I chose Animal Farm for my resource collection assignment, I did so for two reasons: I love this book and it is something almost all high schoolers are exposed to at one point or another during their academic careers.  The rise of dystopian young adult literature has also risen tremendously in the past five years or so which puts Animal Farm in an entirely new spotlight for English teachers.  It seems as though we have an unprecedented advantage due to the fact that our students are reading outside of the classroom more and more due to the fact that young adult authors are catering to our students with more diverse subject matter and turning their books into trilogies.  Students are gobbling up these works which helps teachers tremendously when attempting to shape units on something our students would otherwise be completely uninterested in.  Our challenge as teachers is to find new and creative ways for our students to find personal connections to these otherwise stale, over-taught books which has almost completely turned our students off to these classics that we cherish.

            When I started looking into possible works I could include in my resource collection, I thought creating the essential questions first would really help me in deciding what I wanted my students to get out of this unit and how I could connect the themes in Animal Farm to their daily lives.  I decided to focus on the quote by Lord Acton: “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.  I then thought about popular young adult novels that I could include in class-wide book clubs which led me to The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  All of these books are different in their own right but they all revolve around totalitarian-type governments and its effects on adolescents and the society in which they live.  Also, these books have a variety of female and male heroines which will cater to many different students and their interests.  All but one of these books, The Uglies, have been turned into movies as well which students will more than likely either have seen or will be familiar with.  While I do not condone seeing the movie over reading the book, sometimes seeing the movie is what draws students in to reading the book because their interest has been piqued.  By using popular and mostly current young adult novels that our students are most likely going to be familiar with, they understand that books such as Animal Farm are still important in today’s society and that they can actually relate to the “dead, old white guy” who wrote it.  I am a big proponent of reader response and incorporating young adult novels into an otherwise uninteresting book to high school students is the perfect way to engage them and have them make personal connections.

            Teachers need to understand, despite how difficult it may be, that not all of our students are readers and we will not be able to turn all of these students into readers, either.  Because of this, we must find other ways to reach out to them by catering to their learning style or their interests which sometimes interweave.  In my experience with high school students, I have become pleasantly surprised at how many appreciate and love classic rock ‘n roll such as Pink Floyd and Rush.  While these bands may seem outdated to current high school students, music is one of the best ways to reach out to those who feel disenfranchised by their teachers because of the content that is taught.  Students with their ear buds in during class is an unfortunate common sight to see; why not use this to our advantage and read out to these students through music?  Both Pink Floyd and Rush created dystopian concept albums which focus on two entirely different things, but provide ample content for our students to explore and digest in order to personally connect to Animal Farm.  By showing our students the various ways in which to connect to a text, they understand that these books are not pointless and are still relevant today which will drive their interests further and maybe, hopefully, turn them into readers.  While it would be impossible to teach an entire album to a class as part of a unit, it could easily be discussed and partially explored in class and even turned into a type of a culminating project which would provide for a wonderful summative assessment. 

            News articles would be great to teach with music lyrics, especially older ones from Pink Floyd, because it will show how music from the 1970s or 1980s can still apply today.  Not all of our students are going to be interested in class rock ‘n roll but by incorporating the current with the old, they will begin to draw the same connection between Animal Farm and how its relevance to today’s society.  A current news article would be a great way to introduce Animal Farm and a bell ringer journal response could be used for this.  I would pick the news articles from my resource collection, put a different article on each students’ desk, and have them respond to the same question which would connect back to our main focus: how does power corrupt?  After students had a chance to respond in their writer’s notebooks, they would receive something similar to an anticipation guide which would further their thinking on the subject.  This would lead into a great Socratic seminar discussion in which students would express their thoughts on power and corruption in today’s society which would ultimately connect back to Animal Farm.  By introducing a canonical text this way, students will understand how a current issue has been discussed for far longer than their lifetimes which will help them see the relevance that books such as Animal Farm still have today.

            Another way to help students digest Animal Farm is to draw some focus on the historical context.  While I would not spend too much time on this, I think it is important for a book such as this because students need to understand why it was written and how it connects to history, which in turn shapes today’s geopolitical climate.  Propaganda from the Russian Revolution would be a great resource to use and while I did not include in my resource collection, it will help students understand the thinking of the time in Russia.  I chose not to include propaganda simply because I wanted to focus more on corruption and power instead of the Russian Revolution.  However, I think they would prove to a wonderful asset in the classroom when putting the book into context. 

            For a final assessment I think that giving students a choice as to what their assignment is would be a great idea.  Of course, I would have the assignments chosen for them to pick from but they would offer a chance for students to showcase their learning styles and their individual strengths.  I would not highlight this but the main focus of these assignments would be writing since I want students to understand how writing can influence people’s opinions.  I would have them look back at the news articles we looked at along with some of the artwork that I chose for them to study.  One option would be to create a storyboard in which they would write their own comic that would include power, corruption, and how they reciprocate.  Another option would be to write a song or come up with a concept album such as the ones by Rush and Pink Floyd and the last option would be to write an argumentative essay that would respond to absolute power corrupting absolutely and where this has been seen in the novel, history, and in current times.  All of these options cater to different learning styles while helping students draw connections to the core text: Animal Farm.  By allowing choices among our students and their assessments, they actually enjoy what they are doing and will most likely not see it so much as work but as a way to express themselves.

            Animal Farm is not a text that is normally read for enjoyment by today’s high school students.  Our students are reading Divergent and The Hunger Games, devouring the movies, and exploring totalitarian governments in new ways.  Unfortunately, they are also being exposed to corruption on the world stage and sometimes even in their social circles.  Animal Farm is a classic that I personally believe all students need to be exposed to at one point or another but teachers face an uphill battle when trying to get their students to connect to it along with other canonical texts that are included in high school curricula.  We need to use the current resources available along with our students’ interests so that we can help them see the relevance of these books which often leave students wondering, “why am I having to read this?”

Resource Collection

Articles used:

• Herz, S. & Gallo, D. (2005). From Hinton to Hamlet: building bridges between young adult literature and the classics, Building bridges: getting students from wherever they are to where the curriculum says they should be.
• Richison, J. Hernandez, A., & Carter, M. (2006). Theme sets for secondary students: How to scaffold core literature.

Say:

High school teachers face an uphill battle with their students whenever they introduce a canonical text in their classrooms.  I remember this happening many times throughout my high school career.  I can still hear the collective groan when Romeo and Juliet or Animal Farm was being introduced, despite my teachers' best efforts at being enthusiastic about the book.  The million dollar question seems to be how to get our students equally enthusiastic about reading the classics.  Going along with Herz and Gallo in their idea that these classics are best taught in units where instead of the one book being analyzed to death, and thus causing "readicide", multiple works need to be brought in to pique students' interest in the overarching theme.  In my DO, I was required to find multiple resources to bridge the gap between the oft-studied Animal Farm and the modern world.  I strongly believe that when students actually see and experience how these old books are still relevant today, their enthusiasm really shows.  Again, it goes back to the fact that students need to understand the purpose of something in order for them to be interested in it in the first place.  Herz and Gallo did a fantastic job of showing how The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn still relate to today's high school students by listing several examples of young adult literature that have similar themes to Huck Finn.  These in turn draw our students in and help them not only draw personal connections to the novel but it also shows them that a book as old as Huck Finn is still relevant today and the importance of it being studied.  Another point which is brought up by Richison, Hernandez, and Carter is similar to that of the Socratic circle.  They paint a picture of a high school hallway between classes and how students are engaged with each other in whatever topic they are discussing and as soon as the bell rings they depart from each other to go to class despite the fact that they would rather not.  How wonderful would it be if our students were this engaged in our English classes?  I get excited just thinking about it!  Of course, the authors also bring up the fact that our students enjoy talking about hot topics with each other which can then be translated into the classroom via the classic text they are reading.  According to the authors, if we as the teachers can get our students talking about controversial issues in the book, their interest will take off in the classroom!  It almost seems too easy but luckily for us, many of the canonical texts are filled with controversial issues just waiting to be debated and explored by our students.  These same authors have also provided fabulous resources in how to implement hot topic themes into our core texts, such as the migrant family in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and the dystopia in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.  No matter what the core text is, there is always someway a student can draw personal connections to it.  This is one of my favorite things about literature: it does not matter how old a book is or who wrote it, there is something for everyone.

DO:

Resource Collection for Animal Farm by George Orwell

Theme: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” –Sir John Dalberg-Acton

Essential questions:

1.      How does “absolute power corrupt absolutely”?

2.      Where is this seen in modern times? (Think current events, television, movies)

3.      Does corruption always involve the government?

Canonical text: Orwell, George. (1945). Animal farm. London, England: Secker and Warburg.

Young adult novels:

·         Roth, Veronica. (2011). Divergent. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books. (At-risk students)

·         Dashner, James. (2009). The maze runner. New York, NY: Delacorte Press (At-risk students)

·         Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The hunger games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press (At-risk students)

·         Westerfeld, S., Cummings, S., & Grayson, D.K. (2005). Uglies. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. (At-risk students)

·         Lowry, Lois. (1993). The giver. Boston, MA: Hougton Mifflin. (At-risk students)

Music:

·         Weinrib, G.L., Lee, G., Peart, N., & Lifeson, A. (1976). The temples of syrinx. On 2112 [Vinyl].  Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Anthem. (1975).

·         Meloy, C. (2005). The bagman’s gambit. On Picaresque. [CD]. Portland, OR: Kill Rock Stars. (2004).  

·         Waters, R. (1979). Another brick in the wall part II. On The Wall. [Vinyl]. Los Angeles, CA: Harvest/EMI

Informational/Explanatory/Argument texts:

·         Brown, Spencer. (1955, February 1). Strange doings at. Commentary Magazine, XIX, 155-161.

·         Stossel, John. (2010, February 10). Increasing government power threatens freedom. Real Clear Politics. Retrieved from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/02/10/governments_increasing_power_threatens_freedom.html

·         Keane, Tom. (2013, May 19). Big government is watching you. Boston Globe. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/05/18/the-overreaching-power-government/0NVX3NAI5nEmUguKhp5Q0J/story.html

·         Gaylord, Scott. (2013, July 17). States need more control over the federal government. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/07/16/state-politics-vs-the-federal-government/states-need-more-control-over-the-federal-government

Movies:

·         Batchelor, J., Halas, J. (Producers), Batchelor, J. Halas, J. (Directors). (1954). Animal Farm [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Halas and Batchelor.

·         Silver, J., Wachowski, L, Wachowski, A., & Hill, G (Producers), McTeigue, J. (Director). (2006). V for vendetta [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.

·         Sato, M., Okada, M., Kamaya, T., & Kayama, T. (Producers), Fukasaku, K (Director). (2000). Battle Royale [Motion picture]. Japan: Toei Company.

Art:

·         Lipton, Laurie. (2010). Surveillance [drawing]. Retrieved from http://www.superpunch.net/2010/08/dystopian-art-by-laurie-lipton.html  (ELLs)

·         Unknown. (2004). No name [political cartoon]. Retrieved from http://sadredearth.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ThePartyOfLimitedGovernment.gif

·         Foldvari, David. (2009). No name [drawing]. In Ctrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption. Retrieved from http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/Invaiatura-Short-story-by-Joel-Burcat.php  (ELLs)

Poetry:

·         Battle, M. (2015). Senza titolo. Retrived from http://allpoetry.com/poem/12380722-Senza-Titolo-by-Broken-Phoenix

·         Lathrop, R. (1864). Power against power. Retrieved from http://www.poetrycat.com/rose-hawthorne-lathrop/power-against-power

·         Dickinson, E. (1891). I took my power in my hand. Retrieved from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-took-my-power-in-my-hand/

Short stories:

·         Bradbury, R. (1953). The flying machine. In Golden Apples of the Sun. New York, NY: Doubleday Publishing. (High achieving)

·         Jacobs, W. W. (1902). The monkey’s paw. In Our Lady of the Barge. United Kingdom: Alan Rodgers Books. (At-risk students)

·         Faulkner, W. (1930). Red leaves. In These Thirteen. London, England: Chatto and Windus.  (High achieving students)

Graphic novel:

·         Satrapi, M. (2000). Persepolis. Paris, France: L’Association. (High achieving, at-risk students)

Picture book:

·         Gerson, Mary Joan. (1995). Why the sky is far away: a Nigerian folktale. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. (Special needs, at-risk students, ELLs)

Reading and Writing Multiple Genre

Articles used:

• Romano, T. (2000). Blending genre, alternating style: Writing multigenre papers. Portsmouth, NJ: Heinemann.
• Allen, C.A. (2001). Creating flow: Pulling it all together. In The Multigenre Research Paper: Voice, Passion, and Discovery in Grades 4-6 (pp. 96-99). Portsmouth, NJ: Heinemann
• Styslinger, M. (2006). Multigenred-multigendered research papers. 
• Blitz, S. Teaching literature through the multigenre paper: an alternative to the analytical essay

Say:

Before reading these articles I had never been exposed to the multiigenre paper or had even heard of it.  I can say, though, that I really wish my teachers had used these when I was in high school.  They are such a wonderful way to tap into the different learning styles of students while engaging them in inventive and new ways.  While I was in the minority of students who actually enjoyed analyzing literature and liked having a set structure, it is safe to say that most high school students would rather do a project that is more creative in regards to literature and the works they are studying in their English classrooms.  I really like how Dr. Styslinger worded the purpose of the multigenre paper when she says that it "is a unique work.  The individual who chooses and creates the crots necessary to transform experience from personal to public is challenged to provide a sense of particularity that abstractions cannot render and paragraphs cannot conceal." (p. 55).  This is also a great way to integrate reader response; by having students "transform experience to personal to public" they are forced to really think about their personal connections to the text.  This in turn helps them appreciate and understand the text in a way that relates to them.  Allen's thoughts on the multigenre paper are also something I agree with.  She says that "because so much is implicit, you have to help students think about ways to present their pieces." (p. 96).  I like how she summarizes the multigenre paper because it does a good job of breaking down the why or the purpose which is so helpful for students in understanding the reasoning behind an assignment, which is vital.  She talks about using a writing workshop in the classroom which is another great idea of hers that I like and would actually use in my own classroom.  Students using each other as resources is a great way for them to create good classroom rapport and for the teacher to get a better understanding of their students' individual struggles and strengths in regards to writing and in analyzing literature.  Blitz's article was wonderful and I really enjoyed looking at the different ways in which to integrate the multigenre paper using Macbeth.  She has some great ideas that I would definitely use in my own classroom.  She does a really good job of breaking down her instructions step by step so it is easier for students to see all of the requirements in an easy to read way that is not overwhelming or intimidating.  She also explains each section of the essay in easy to understand terms such as "attention grabber" and "documentation" which benefit students greatly when they look at the instructions.

Do:

I would do something similar to Blitz in my classroom when introducing a multigenre paper.  However, instead of having so many options on the suggestions part of the assignment sheet, I would choose one or two cater to each learning style.  That way, students are not as overwhelmed by their options which can really affect the amount of effort they put into it from the beginning.  For the kinesthetic learners I would have them choose between rewriting an interior monologue and performing it or having them act out a scene or soliloquy.  For my auditory learners I would have them choose between acting out a scene or soliloquy or writing lyrics and performing them.  My artistic students would have the option of creating a storyboard in which they would rewrite a scene or acting out a scene.

Informational Text

Reading used:

Get it Done!: Writing and Analyzing Informational Texts to Make Things Happen by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Michael W. Smith, James E. Fredericksen

Say:

I really l.ike the way this book begins because the authors take the time to relate their subject to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  While South Carolina does not use these standards anymore, the state standards have been adopted based on CCSS.  I really appreciate that the authors took the time to do this because it shows that what they are writing about is still moderately relevant to today's classroom in South Carolina.  In chapter one they define informative/explanatory texts by using real world examples such as Jeff's recent trip to the Grand Canyon.  They talk about how everyone who went exchanged emails which consisted of "naming and listing"" of what "the group members...thought they would need".  They then talk about how the group summarized "gear organization, the trip itinerary, training regiments, and the like."  This would be easy to follow for any high school student as it uses something they can relate to in order to explain.  While the first two chapters hit on the definitions, the rest of the book uses those definitions and their relation to the CCSS to illustrate how to best use informational and explanatory texts in the classroom by way of lesson plans.  In these latter chapters, the authors do a fantastic job of explaining each chapter using definitions and examples.  Then, they further this by bringing it all together in various lesson plans and activities to use, for example, comparing and contrasting.  Having a book like this makes it very easy to flip to a specific chapter and find exactly what you are looking for.  It is organized very well and there are even annotations in the margins which point back to the CCSS.  Again, while South Carolina does not use the CCSS, the state standards that have been adopted are close enough that they would be easy to find.

Do:

In chapter 10: "Comparing and Contrasting", the authors explain how best to do this by using a movie club.  However, this could easily be adapted for book clubs in the classroom.  Their steps include (I have adapted these for book clubs):

1. Choose a book ("have a purpose for comparing")
2. Review the reasoning for reading and discussion ("Identify at least two things to compare at this time and in this situation")
3. "We agreed we would talk to people who had" read "one or both of the" books ("gather data about the items or issues to be compared so we can operate from a rich base of knowledge")
4. Each member brings in research and the most interesting things were categorized according to "points we wanted to consider under the headings genre, topic, reviews...special considerations, rating, and length" (identify meaningful points of comparison/contrast related to the purpose")
5. Rank and prioritize these points
6. "Decide how to present the points"
7. "Describe and characterize each point of comparison for each item"

Having students do this for book clubs is an excellent way to make sure that they are not choosing a book based on one facet that may not benefit them, such as only relying on reviews or even how long the book is.  It is very easy to judge a book based on the cover but by having students really research and prioritize what is important to them in a book will help them not only choose the best book for them but will help them enjoy it as well.  To implement this in the classroom I would have a copy of these steps on the Smart Board (assuming I have access to one).  They would do a book pass among the class and jot down notes about each book.  After the book pass, they would collaborate and then follow these steps.  After each person has decided on a book, they would be placed into groups and those would be their book clubs.  I would assign part of this for homework if I were not at a one to one school, though.  However, if every student has their own device, I would have them do all of the steps in class.

Entry 8: Reading Like a Writer/Close Reading

Articles used:

• "Where Does Rigor Fit?"
• "What is Close Reading?
• "Defining the Signposts"
• "Explaining the Signposts"
• Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray

Say:

This week's readings focused on close reading, writing, and how reading like a writer is a great way to help students with close reading.  The first four articles talk extensively about close reading and one word that comes up a lot in the first article is "rigor".  We learn that this term is often used incorrectly when talking about the intensity of academics, more specifically, reading.  The author says, "...rigor resides in the energy and attention given to the text, not in the text itself".  In other words, just because you read an incredibly long piece of literature, such as War and Peace as the author used as an example, does not necessarily mean you understand it and are ready to write a dissertation on it.  The point that the author is trying to make is that quality is better than quantity when it comes to reading literature.  The next three articles focus on ways to help our students with close reading.  One part that I really liked comes from the second article when the author references Rosenblatt and says that, "meaning is created not purely and simply from the words on the page, but from the transaction with those words that takes place in the reader's mind".  I have always thought this to be true and this is how I personally connect to anything that I read.  If I can't make a personal connection to the text, it becomes that much more difficult to enjoy it, much less analyze it.  This is why I believe Reader Response is one of the best ways to get students excited and enthusiastic about reading.  In Katie Wood Ray and Daniels and Steineke's works, they discuss the best ways in which to engage students in close reading.  Katie Wood Ray suggests using "sign posts" as a type of guidelines to help students as they read and even before they read.  I like that she talks about frontloading and scaffolding the work, especially if it is new. It is much less overwhelming to students if they are eased into a new work instead of thrown in the deep end.  

Do:

For my DO this week, I chose to use the sign posts.  I think this is a wonderful idea to help students with their close reading and something I would definitely have in my classroom.  I also think it would a good idea to make little bookmarks for my students with a shortened version so that they can continuously refer back to them as they are reading.  Having it right there will be extremely helpful, especially for the visual learners.  The bookmarks would look like this:

C & C (for contrasts and contradictions): "a character behaves or thinks in a way we don't expect, or an element of a setting is something we would not expect"

Aha! (for aha moment): an epiphany a character has

Tough Qs (for tough questions): "questions a character raises that reveal their inner struggles"

Wise words (for words of the wiser): life advice from an older character

Again and again; things that occur more than once throughout the novel

Memory moment: "a recollection by a character that interrupts the forward progress of the story"

Entry 7: Online Book Clubs

Readings:

• "It's All About the Book: Motivating Teens to Read" (Diane Lapp and Douglas Fisher)
• "Wiki Literature Circles: Creating Digital Learning Communities" (Elizabeth Edmondson)
• "Online Book Clubs: Bridges Between Old and New Literacies Practices" (from "Digital Literacies; Cassandra Scharber)
• "Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" (Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke)

Say:

 Continuing with last week's post on book clubs in the high school English classroom, this week's post talks about online book clubs and how to best use them with adolescents.  The first article deals more directly with how to get high school students to want to read, which is vital in creating successful book clubs no matter the medium.  They talk specifically about under privileged students who come from various backgrounds but who all struggle academically.  The authors explain how they were able to motive these students through book clubs and the subject matter.  One such way that the authors were successful is that they tapped into background knowledge and personal experiences of the students.  They created a few main questions, one of which included "Text Selections for the Racial Profiling: What Do People Think When They Look at You? Unit" (Lapp & Fisher 558).  They compiled a list of books which included Night by Elie Wiesel and had students use their personal experiences and backgrounds to connect to the books.  The students ended up loving the authors' ideas and were actually excited about reading.  I think the idea of tapping into students' personal lives and experiences is a great motivator for reading.  Oftentimes under privileged students are the ones who feel disenfranchised and disconnected from the reading world and authors when in fact, the opposite is true.  It is these students that we need to focus on because of the way they feel, no matter how wayward we may believe their thinking is.  While Edmondson and Scharber's articles discuss "digital learning communities", motivation is still a key factor here.  In order for something to be successful in the classroom, students have to actually want to do it.  She talks about the "Facebook mentality" and how our students are obsessed with knowing every little detail of their friends' lives, including what they ate for breakfast (Edmondson 43).  However, she suggests that teachers use this to our advantage by using what students already know about technology in the classroom.  One idea Edmondson proposes and one that she has personally used in her classroom is a wiki.  She admits that it took significantly longer for her to figure out than it took her students, but this is to be expected in this day in age.  Edmondson continues by using her own example from the classroom and explains how she created online book clubs for her students.  She says that she gave the class a choice of books and after telling her which book they chose, she put them into book clubs.  Then, they were assigned "daily duties" which included discussion leader, vocabulary builder, and theme tracker (Edmondson 45).  Using this model, students were to post on their club's wiki according to their assignment that day.  I love the way Edmondson uses her students' knowledge of technology to her and their advantage in the classroom.  Students really like when they can show their teacher how to do something and it shows them a way to use technology to their academic advantage.  Schools across the country are gradually beginning to become one-to-one schools in which all students have their own computer in the form of a laptop, Chrome book, or iPad.  Why not put their knowledge of technology to good use in the classroom?  Daniels and Steineke also tap into the role of students in book clubs and focus heavily on the fact that classroom community plays a big role in the success of these book clubs.  They mention that students can and will struggle with choosing their clubs with someone other than their friends, the fact that a classroom community has already been established will go a long way in the club's success.  Their mini lessons are extremely helpful and this is something I will definitely hold on to in order to obtain ideas for my own classroom.

Do:

In order to implement online book clubs in the classroom, I would have students live tweet their thoughts while reading.  Of course, they would need to read and THEN post their tweets in order to fully comprehend what they are reading.  Each Sunday evening, I would open a 2 hour window in order to allow them time to read, comprehend/take notes, and post with their group members.  In order to receive full credit their tweets would need to be somewhere in that 2 hour window and they would need to use specific examples from their text (these can be in the form of page numbers or direct quotes).  Depending on the amount of reading they have will determine the number of tweets they will post.  For example, if they were assigned to read 20 pages of their book I would have them make 8-10 tweets.  Of course, students will be allowed to post more but to receive full credit they will need to have the minimum amount of tweets.  They will also need to respond to their book club members at least 3 times per member.  These responses can be in the form of a question or a statement but they have to address it specifically. 

Entry 6: Book Clubs

Reading used:

The Book Club Companion by Cindy O'Donnell-Allen

I really enjoyed reading Allen's thoughts on book clubs.  She does a fantastic job of really explaining the purpose of them and how to best implement them in your classroom.  I like that she begins with a sort of background on book clubs and how to tell the differences between reading groups and small discussions from book clubs.  She goes into a lot of detail explaining the intricacies of the logistics and even says how many number of students are best to use.  I had no idea that book clubs could utilize students of different ages and she pulls in Vygostky's "Zone of Proximal Development" to explain how this would work.  She includes in chapter two the best things for teachers to include in their classrooms to best help their students in book clubs and reading in general which I think is wonderful!  Of course, some of them seemed common sense but I'm sure there are teachers out there who don't heed Allen's advice.  She mentions access to audio books as one of these elements to include and I love this because it taps into multiple intelligences.  Not all students enjoy sitting there for extended periods of time holding a tangible book and it gives them the option to listen to it on their iPods or their cell phones!  In chapter three she talks about Donald Schon's "frame experiment" and how it helps her decide what problems her students are having.  I would definitely use this in my classroom!  She also talks about the "Book Club Curriculum Planning Heuristic" and this seems very helpful for teachers deciding what books to use based on the standards they must teach to.  There are also other elements such as goals, flexibility, constraints, and adventure.  I am definitely going to hold on to this book to refer back to for my own classroom.  Allen has a lot of great ideas and I can't wait to use some of them!

Do:

To implement Allen's ideas into my classroom, I would want to start the beginning of the year with a similar questionnaire that Allen mentioned in chapter three.  It comes from Donald Schon and it is called the "frame experiement".  This gets students thinking about their own reading in a way that isn't completely influenced by outside sources and what others have told them.  This type of personal reflection is a great way to start the school year and to get a good feel of how your students feel about reading in general and their own reading.  Of course, not all of these questions would be appropriate to ask students but here is how I would amend it:

1.) What makes a good reader?

2.) Do you think you are a good reader?  (Don't think about what others have told you--what do you think.)

3.) How do you think you can become a better reader?

4.) How can I help you become a better reader?

5.) How do you read?  Do you take notes?  Ask questions?  Read aloud?

6.) Do you prefer tangible books or audio books?

7.) What could you change about your reading to become a better reader?

Entry 5: Fostering Talk Around Literature

Articles used:

• "The Chicken and the Egg: Inviting Response and Talk through Socratic Circles" (Mary E. Styslinger and Timothy Pollock)
• "Strengthening Argumentative Writing with Speaking and Listening (Socratic) Circles" (Mary E. Styslinger and Jessica F. Overstreet)
• Socratic Circlces: Fostering critical and creative thinking in middle and high school (pp. 1-35) (Copeland, M.)
• Bridging English, Developing an oral foundation (pp. 90-101) (Milner and Milner)
• Response & Analysis (pp. 71-100) (Robert E. Probst)
• Adolescent Literacy (chapter 5: "Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking") (Robert E. Probst)

Say:

I have always been a proponent of Socratic circles for many reasons, but the main one is because of the power and confidence it gives students.  I am also a firm believer in multiple intelligences and think this is one of the best ways to tap into students' talents in public speaking and to help them hone their analysis skills.  I think Copeland said it best in his introductory chapter when he claims that "Socratic circles turn partial classroom control, classroom direction, and classroom governance over to students by creating a truly equitable learning community where the weight and and value of student voices and teacher voices are indistinguishable from each other."  I honestly do not think there is a better way to describe how a Socratic circle works in a classroom and why I will use it as much as possible in my own classroom.  Something else that Copeland says in the same paragraph that really struck me is, "What might appear to be random chaos to the naked eye of a hallway passerby is, in fact, the careful implementation of a method of philosophy more than 2.400 years old."  What a great way to get students excited about participating, especially the history buffs!  I know personally I would have thought it was really cool to participate in something that has been around for over 2,000 years.  This is definitely worth mentioning to students before beginning a Socratic circle.  Syslinger and Pollock's article make great points about the benefits of the Socratic circle as well.  Perhaps my favorite point from the article is, "when they [our students] turn the final page of Extras, completing the Scott Westerfeld series, they typically don't beg to showcase their knowledge of the book in a voluntary five-paragraph essay, and they certainly don't want to prod, pull, and dissect every square inch of the novel for hidden meanings and symbolism."  This is no doubt the truth, but I have never thought of it in this way before.  No wonder "readicide" is happening at an alarming rate!  We should allow our students, and ourselves for that matter, to simply enjoy a book for what it is instead of analyzing it until there is nothing left.  It is almost like eating your favorite meal everyday; after a while it just gets old and then you never want to eat it again!  In another of Styslinger's articles, this time written with Jessica Overstreet, they explore the benefits of Socratic cirlces on students' argumentative writing.  What a great benefit!  Styslinger and Overstreet say that the students who used specific evidence from the work being discussed in the Socratic circle also specifically cited in their essays and the students who did not cite in the Socratic circle did not do so in their essays, either.  Styslinger and Overstreet also use points from an actual Socratic circle to further highlight their point.  They say that, "...the Socratic Circles provided students the opportunity to discover counterarguments to claims."  Milner and Milner in their book Bridging English offer wonderful spoken activities for students to participate in in the classroom setting.  All of their ideas are great but my favorite has to be the "hero worship" activity.  They describe it as an invitation for "students to read speeches and other documents that were originally to be spoken and heard.  From one or more selections, students extract short "sound bites" that capture significant moments in the life of the person who wrote them.  When students find these passages, assemble them in chronological order, and arrange them by emotional color or by themes, they often develop a personal connection with the author.  This identification can intensify the already heightened language."  This would be perfect for Shakespeare, especially the soliloquies!  Students would really enjoy being able to put their own twist on how it is spoken and there is a research element in there as well.  Probst, in his chapter from Adolescent Literacy and his book Response & Analysis makes similar claims to the benefits of Socratic circles that I completely agree with.  His thinking is similar to mine in that he believes Socratic circles help students learn imperative skills in public speaking and that it is our responsibility as teachers to teach our students to know how to properly speak.  What better way than to throw them in the deep end and have them simply do it in front of their peers, discussing classic literature?

Do:

Before beginning a Socratic circle, I would give my students a brief history of Socrates and how Socratic circles can help them.  Students need to know the purpose of a lesson and the activities involved so that they can create meaning and understand that everything they do has a purpose and will benefit them in some way.  At the end of reading a Shakespeare play (I think Hamlet would be best), I would have them participate in the "hero worship" activity outlined in Milner and Milner by assigning them a soliloquy or a speech from the play.  They would be put into groups and would need to do the proper research in order to get full credit. I have attached a rubric that I would use for this activity. 

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Historical Accuracy	All historical information appeared to be accurate and in chronological order.	Almost all historical information appeared to be accurate and in chronological order.	Most of the historical information was accurate and in chronological order.	Very little of the historical information was accurate and/or in chronological order.
Knowledge Gained	Can clearly explain several ways in which his character \"saw\" things differently than other characters and can clearly explain why.	Can clearly explain several ways in which his character \"saw\" things differently than other characters.	Can clearly explain one way in which his character \"saw\" things differently than other characters.	Cannot explain one way in which his character \"saw\" things differently than other characters.
Props/Costume	Student uses several props (could include costume) that accurately fit the period, show considerable work/creativity and make the presentation better.	Student uses 1-2 props that accurately fit the period, and make the presentation better.	Student uses 1-2 props which make the presentation better.	The student uses no props OR the props chosen detract from the presentation.

(Rubric Made Using:RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org)

  

Entry 4: Finding the Right Balance

Articles used:

• "Readicide" by Kelly Gallagher
• Chapter five from Bridging English by Milner and Milner
• "What Matters: Meeting Content Goals through Cognitive Reading Strategies with Canonical Texts" by Mary E. Styslinger, Julianne Oliver Ware, Charles W. Bell, and Jesse L. Barrett

Say:

One of these things that all of these articles has in common is the discussion of the canon and how to make works such as The Great Gatsby and Shakespeare's plays relatable and interesting to today's high school students.  One of the biggest concerns and where teachers and experts often disagree is the fact that we all have different opinions on how to best reach students when it comes to reading.  Some believe that we need to move away from the curriculum and allow students to choose books by themselves that really speak to them and which they can relate to.  On the other hand, however, there are those that want to keep the classics in the classroom because of their importance.  I, for one, think there has to be some sort of grey area as far as this issue is concerned.  Not all students loathe reading classics, despite the stereotype.  When I was a high school student I actually enjoyed reading Shakespeare and The Great Gatsby.  Perhaps the best way to reach students is to simply ask them.  I don't feel that it's right to assume that high school students don't enjoy reading classic works just because of their age.  However, I do understand that there are students who don't enjoy the classics.  Despite this, though, there is still a grey area where we can all meet and at least most of us are pleased.

Do:
I think anticipation guides are a wonderful way to introduce a text.  It really helps students become engaged before they even start reading.  It also allows students to make personal connections as well by tapping into their prior knowledge.  I would love to use this for The Great Gatsby because of the recent film adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio.  Most high school students have likely seen it or at least familiar with its music and it would be really interesting to see what they expect from the novel if they have only been exposed to the film.

I found a great example of an anticipation guide from: http://s264.photobucket.com/user/lizthackeray/media/GreatGatsby-AnticipationGuide.jpg.html

Entry 3: Inviting Other Theoretical Perspectives

Articles used:

• "A Lens of One's Own: Of Yellow Wallpaper and and Beautiful Little Fools" (ch. 5 of Critical Encounters in High School English)
• "Of Grave Diggers and Kings: Reading Literature Through the Marxist Lens, or, What's Class Got to Do With It?" (ch. 4 of Critical Encounters in High School English)
• "Introduction" from Critical Encounters in High School English
• "Responding to Literature" (ch. 5 of Bridging English)

Say:

The first three articles all discuss feminist theory and how it is slowly making its way into today's English classrooms.  Perhaps the most explicit as to its importance comes from the first article when the author talks about telling her students a story about her being at the airport and listening to an announcement about the carry-on policy.  She tells them about her shock and disbelief at the fact that the announcement states women are allowed a carry-on plus a purse while men are allowed a carry-on plus a briefcase or laptop bag.  Her disbelief came when she looked down at her laptop bag and seemed to realize that she was a woman who happened to not carry a purse.  These kinds of incidents are all too common and it has led to more integration of feminist literary theory in English classrooms.  The second article specifically references Marxist, theory, but ties in feminist theory as well.  The main rationale behind including Marxist and feminist theories in English classrooms, they say, is that "more secondary teachers have recognized the potential richness and utility of introducing cultural criticism to their students and encouraging them to view literature through political prisms such as Marxism or feminism."  The third article specifically references an activity that the author did while she was visiting a high school English class.  She brought in Ray-Ban sunglasses that had been specialized for driving in order to better see the traffic lights, etc.  She told the students to put these on and explain how their vision changed; one student exclaimed that the colors of her classmates' clothing became more vivid, and they soon understood the relation between these sunglasses and how reading a text from a different perspective can make the theme more vivid.  

Do:

I think the sunglasses idea is a great one, but instead of bringing in something expensive and valuable I would put up an excerpt from a popular song on the SmartBoard and leave out various lines and words.  I would show them numerous versions of the excerpt and ask students to compare/contrast how this changes the song's meaning.  Then I would ask them to write a brief response on how this can be applied to literature.

Entry 2: (Re)Introducing Reader Response

SAY:

Articles used:

• "Critical Literacy as Comprehension: Expanding Reader Response" (Maureen McLaughlin, Glenn DeVoogd)
• "Where We Are: Responsive Reading Using Edmodo" (Mary E. Styslinger, Emily Langdon Eberlin)
• "The Lens of Reader Response: The Promise and Peril of Response-Based Pedagogy" (from Critical Encounters in High School English)
• "The Challenge of Literature" (from Literature as Exploration)

McLaughlin and DeVoogd's article offers great insight on how students actually respond to what they are reading by using Rosenblatt's "Efferent-Aesthetic Contiuum".  According to Rosenblatt, "readers transact with text from aesthetic and efferent stances. The aesthetic stance is a more emotional perspective; the efferent stance is a more factual one" (2004).  Rosenblatt also claims that when students are reading, they are not engaged in either efferent or aesthetic by themselves, but a combination of both.  McLaughlin and DeVoogd go on to make a really good point when they say that exposing students to more than one perspective opens them up to new ideas which benefits their connecting to the text in a personal way.  To integrate this into the classroom, they suggest "juxtapositioning texts, photos, videos, and lyrics".  To further illustrate their point, they mention a middle school teacher who incorporated the theme of World War II by reading her class snippets from Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.  The students were also exposed to the perspectives of German soldiers, Holocaust victims, and Japanese internment camp victims.  They were then put into groups and created a visual display of these perspectives.

I completely agree with McLaughlin and DeVoogd's points about exposing students to multiple perspectives, especially ones that are not normally encountered (such as the German soldiers' viewpoints during WWII).  While being careful not to be biased towards one perspective, students learn about more than just literary criticism; they discover things about themselves and how everyone has a different perspective and story on the same event.  The WWII unit the teacher in the article used is a great example of how to integrate multiple viewpoints of the same event because of all of the players involved in WWII.  Night by Elie Wiesel is a wonderful resource to use for the viewpoint of a Holocaust victim while interviews from actor George Takei would be good resource to gain more insight into how Japanese-Americans were affected after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Styslinger and Eberlin's article tackles a similar issue that McLaughlin and DeVoogd dicussed, but in a technological context.  Their main question revolves around how best to incorporate reader response in classrooms that are either completely paper free or are in the process of becoming paper free.  They also wanted to know how to integrate reader response with technology, including social media.  Styslinger and Eberlin decided to turn to Edmodo, a site that mirrors the social media site Facebook but with an educational twist.  According to the article, "incorporating Edmodo allowed her [Eberlin] to meet students in their worlds".  The authors continue their praise of using Edmodo with reader response and say "not only were students responding individually, they were responding collaboratively.  In lieu of a dialogue between the self, text, and perhaps teacher, they were engaged in a digital response conversation with one another".
Having used Edmodo myself, I can confidently concur with Styslinger and Eberlin.  Not only are students comfortable with using this type of technology, it allows them to hone their skills in connecting with the text and how to use technology in a way other than for social reasons.  While it seems unfortunate that print books are slowly becoming archaic, it is a sign of the times that students are more comfortable using technology to respond to reading.  Some critics would say that this type of response is not beneficial to students due to the unorthodox use of technology in literary analysis, we must find a way that allows students to best connect to the text in order for them to understanding it.

This next article also discusses the many "benefits of the reader-centered approach".  According to the author, "it has forced us to rethink what we do when we teach literature, why we do it, and whom we do it for".  While reading that is centered around the audience has not always been popular, it has gained steam in modern times.  The author then moves on to talk about Rachel, a teacher who is an advocate of "the reader-centered approach" but who is having difficulty in taking advantage of its full benefits.  Her main concern deals with the fact that "something that might trivialize the importance of the real differences that exist between the students' world and the world of the text.  Are we really all the same?...We know the personal connection and engagement with literature that is gained when students measure the relationship of Hester and Chillingsworth through their own dating experiences, or measure issues of adultery with contemporary examples involving American presidents.  But what is lost?"  The author then turns to Rosenblatt who has come up with a way to bridge this gap between focusing solely on the personal connection and understanding the text as it is.  Rosenblatt's diagram has "meaning" in the middle with "reader" and "text" on either side.  According to the article, students look at "the textual properties that might affect their reading or response and to list those properties".  After this, students then turn to their personal reactions to the work and use these along with "the textual properties" to analyze and connect to the text.
This issue involving "the reader-centered approach" never phased me until now, but the problems discussed in the article are completely legitimate.  There needs to be a line between the reader's personal connection to the text and the actual analyzing of the text itself.  We can connect to a text until we are blue in the fact but this does not necessarily mean we are understanding the text and its meaning.    However, students still need to believe that their personal connections matter in their understanding of a text but that the author does have an intent and that needs to be taken into consideration in the analysis as well.  Using Rosenblatt's diagram is a great idea to use in the classroom to help students remember how to draw the line between their personal connections and the author's intent.

DO:

I think Rosenblatt's "Reader Response Diagram" would be worth making copies of and handing to students.  Revisiting the diagram at the start of each text would also be beneficial to remind students to refer back to as they are reading.

To highlight the points made in the McLaughlin and DeVoogd article,  I think showing students an interview with George Takei about the Japanese-American internment camps during WWII and comparing it to an interview with a WWII veteran.

An interview with George Takei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yogXJl9H9z0

Interview with WWII veteran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LK2sRmffc0

Entry 1: Transacting with Literature

Articles used:

• "Teaching Young Adult Literature"/"Making Magic with YAL" (Mike Roberts/Jeanette Haskins)
• "Using Graphic Texts in Secondary Classrooms: A Tale of Endurance" (Mary Rice)
• "Directing Versus Exploring: How to Get to Where You're Going without a Literary Map" (From Hinton to Hamlet)

In "Teaching Young Adult Literature/Making Magic with YAL", I love that Haskins, a high school English teacher, uses examples from her classroom to pave the way for the reader as to how she evolved as a teacher and how that helped her students as well.  One question she asked herself early on in her career is something that I think is still on the minds of all new teachers, especially those who love YAL.  Haskins says, "But no matter how much I loved all the YAL I was reading, I couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled. After all, if I wanted to be a high school English teacher, shouldn’t I have been devoting more time to reading the classics?" (Haskins 101).  As a future English teacher, this seems to always been at the back of my mind: how do we balance the classics with the new?  Haskins recalls how she began each school year with having her students complete a "Reader's Profile" questionnaire in order for her to get a better sense of who they are as readers.  Along with questions that pertain to their reading lives, she asks them about YAL as well and lists popular titles where the students must circle each one they have read and rank them on a scale of 1-5 on how much they enjoyed it.  Of course, Haskins addresses the fact that not every high school student enjoys reading and her solution is to recommend I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa  Schroeder.  Of course, she uses a female student as an example but her logic here is to appeal to the audience.  For a male student, perhaps The Maze Runner by James Dashner because of its male characters and the action and mystery of the plot.  Haskins goal rests on her students actually enjoying what they read, whether it be a classic or YAL and she says, "Let me set the record straight. I’m not saying young adult literature should replace the literary canon. At the same time, if I can use YAL to help make reading enjoyable, my students stand a better chance of someday appreciating The Scarlet Letter and Ethan Frome. And even more importantly, they stand a better chance of leading literate lives" (Haskins 104).

Haskins is truly an inspiration and I felt connected to her personally as a future English teacher and a fellow lover of YAL and the classics.  One of my biggest concerns is that my students will not walk out of my classroom as lovers of the written word, whether that be Shakespeare or Suzanne Collins.  I also want my students to understand that just because something was written in the 16th century doesn't mean it can't apply today.  Even Romeo and Juliet has themes that are relatable for today's readers.  One of my biggest goals as a teacher is for students to be able to connect to the classics and to today's YAL.

I loved Mary Rice's article about graphic novels.  Like she said, people are very apprehensive in using these in a classroom but I think she provides very good points as to why it's beneficial.She begins by talking about her artistic students and that she wanted to implement graphic novels to appeal to their interests.  She then did extensive research on its history in order to gain more knowledge on why they were invented in the first place.  She ultimately decided on one and says, "as I flipped through the pages of American Born Chinese, my husband stopped me. “If you are turning the pages that fast,” he said, “you are not really reading it. You have to read the pictures and the text together.” When I started to do as he recommended, the book took me four hours of intensive study." (Rice 37).  I love that she included this part because it shows those who may be against using graphic novels in the classroom that they actually take time and effort to fully appreciate them, such a Shakespearean play.  Despite graphic novels being nontraditional, they can still serve a wonderful purpose in the classroom.  Rice then went on to do more research on how to best use graphic texts in a classroom and she found that "The literature on instructional uses of comics also suggests that one may also use graphic texts to guide students to create superhero comics or to engage in word-level tasks such as using comics to study literary devices, particularly onomatopoeia in superhero comics. There are also more integrated strategies such as using graphic novels for free voluntary reading (Edwards), examining experiences of “other” (Boatright), and using graphic texts as fodder for book club reading (Seyfried)" (Rice 38).  Rice then goes on explain how she taught her students to read graphic novels and uses an example of when she taught summer school to Chinese students.  She says that she and her co-teacher "... taught this text by providing background about Chinese culture, including the legend of the Monkey King. My colleague arranged for a guest speaker to talk about the importance of this legend in Chinese culture, and I found several written versions of the legend. We also talked to the students about how to read panels directionally, how to discern narrative from dialogue, and how to observe images looking for contradictions between things such as facial expressions and dialogue" (Rice 41).

Although I enjoyed reading all of the articles, this was my favorite out of the three.  I remember one of my first college English classes used a graphic novel and I was very skeptical at first but once my professor explained its importance and usefulness, I have been hooked ever since.  I think it's important that teachers choose works that appeal to more than just one type of learner.  There will no doubt be students who enjoy reading the classics, there will be just as many, if not more, who will loathe trying to figure out what Shakespeare meant in his plays.

In the final article, taken from From Hinton to Hamlet, the author makes a very good point when they talk about how teachers who, while having good intentions, produce copies of questions for the chapters in a book that they are reading at the time.  The author says, "although the teacher believes he or she is being helpful in giving students these materials, in fact, by discussing the answers to these questions on a daily basis, the teacher has stolen the students' freedom to express their own personal reactions to the novel" (Hinton 15).  I could not agree more, however, I do think it is a good idea to provide prompt-like questions in order to get students thinking about a particular work without telling them what to think about specifically.  It really does do a disservice to the student and teacher because students who like to think outside the box feel chained to what they believe they "should" think as opposed to the teacher telling the students that it's okay to disagree with literary critics.  As a teacher, I want to see my students flourish and acknowledge that we're all literary critics even if we're not published or world renowned.  One of my favorite things about literature is that there are so many possibilities to what an author meant and even if the author explicitly stated the meaning, it seems that they are more than open to hearing other interpretations.  Another great statement the author touches on the same topic.  He says "enjoyment of reading is not a consideration, discovery and exploration by students are immaterial, and allowing them to select what they want to read or are interested in is often ignored by many of us" (Hinton 16).  This is something that I have just recently discovered about what books I choose to be a part of my classroom library.  Throughout my undergraduate career I came across several books that are considered YAL that I told myself I would never keep in my classroom library because I didn't agree with the content.  However, as I matured as a teacher and a student I decided that this isn't fair to my students.  Just because I don't agree with a book's message doesn't mean I get to decide what my students are going to be exposed to.  The author goes on to cite Louise Rosenblatt and her thoughts on adolescent literacy.  The author says, "the literary experience also helps the student develop sensitivity and understanding about the human condition; it relates experiences that aid the emotional maturation of the developing reader and allows him or her to listen and exchange ideas with other students" (Hinton 20).  This really drives home the point that reading is so much more than just academic interpretation and benefit; it's about students maturing their thinking about the world around them.

Included is a lesson plan on how I would incorporate classic literature with graphic novels:

Subject: English I CP (90 minutes)

Topic: Multimodal discourse with Act I of Hamlet

Title: “What is the best way to deal with the unfairness of life?”

Objectives:

1.       Students will explore Hamlet’s circumstances through reading and analysis of act I.

a.       4.1 Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

2.       Students will begin creating their storyboard which will serve as their final projects.

a.       2.1 Analyze ideas and information from text and multimedia by formulating questions, proposing interpretations and explanations, and considering alternative views and multiple perspectives.

3.       Students will delve deeper into Hamlet’s way of thinking and attempt to think about how they would handle unfair circumstances through the reading of news articles and events in history.

a.       3.2 Examine historical, social, cultural, or political context to broaden inquiry and create questions.

Purpose:

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce Hamlet and to get students thinking about the unfair circumstances he has been put in by his mother and step-father.  Also, students will begin imagining unfair circumstances in their lives along with recent events and historical events and what they think would be the best way to handle that situation.

Materials:

Whiteboard, whiteboard markers, computer with Internet connection, iPads, SmartBoard

Procedures:

·         Introduction (20-25 minutes):

o   As soon as students begin arriving for class, there will be a quote on the board for them to write a journal entry about.  The quote is, “Hurting people hurt people, but forgiving people forgive.” -Unknown author.  Simply tell students that they are to write a journal entry on what they think this means (re-word it), what it means to them, and how it relates to the world and recent or historical events and to Hamlet.(Allow no more than 20 minutes for students to write.)

o   Give students a 2 minute warning and ask them to finish their thoughts.  After everyone has finished writing, ask for volunteers to share what they wrote.  3-5 should be enough.

o   Tell students what the purpose of the lesson is and how it will help them understand Hamlet and the world as well as their own lives.

·         Developing (40 minutes)

o   Ask a volunteer to hand out the class set of iPads to every student while they are getting ready to move on to the next activity.

o   While the iPads are being passed out, have students take out their copies of Hamlet and call on 2 or 3 students to summarize what happened in act I.

o   Pull up www.storyboardthat.com on the SmartBoard so that students can see the website from their desks.

o   Show students a tutorial on how to use the website and explain to them that they will be creating their own storyboard as they read the play.  Also tell them that this will serve as their final project and they need to complete a storyboard for each act.

o   Create the storyboard for act I scene I with students so that they can become familiarized with how the website works.  Make sure to go through step by step on how to add characters, backgrounds, text bubbles, etc. and mention that they do not need to use the same language that Shakespeare did.  Allow about 30 minutes for this part because students will need time to become comfortable with creating their storyboards.  Also, as we are creating the storyboard as a class for act I scene I, call on different students to contribute.  Don’t just rely on volunteers because you need to know who read and how well they understand the material.

·         Conclusion (20 minutes):

o   Allow students to play around with the storyboard website and to begin their storyboards for act I scene II by the end of class.  They will need to show you as they are leaving.

o   Tell students to finish act I for homework and to come prepared to discuss it tomorrow.  You will also be checking their storyboards periodically so they need to keep up with them.

Evaluation:

o   Before: this will be based on their journal entries.  In order to receive full credit, students must 1) reference the play; 2) reference a historical or recent event; 3) how it relates to them; 4) what it means to them (how would they re-word this quote?)

o   During: this will be based on class participation.  Are they volunteering even if they aren’t called on?  When they are called on, whether or not they volunteered, how detailed are their answers?  Are they able to sufficiently summarize act I by referencing specific scenes and characters?  How engaged are they during the storyboard tutorial and activity?  Are they volunteering useful information that contributes to the understanding of the play, such as characters, quotes, setting?

o   After: this will be based on the storyboard activity that they were to start on their own.  As they are leaving, look at how far they got and what they have so far.  Is it indicative of 10-15 minutes of hard work?  As in, they didn’t just focus on the aesthetics, but they have characters, text bubbles, accurate quotes, etc.?  If they have at least 4 panels completed, they will receive full credit.

Accommodations:

o   ESL students: will be allowed to complete the storyboards in their native language.

o   Students at risk for failure: will be allowed extra time to complete the storyboard activity if they do not have access to technology at home.

o   Students with special needs: will be allowed to use my computer or a desktop computer in the classroom instead of the iPad.

o   Students from diverse language and learning backgrounds: will be allowed to complete the storyboards in their native language.

o   High achieving students: will be given the option of creating another storyboard in which they are the main character and they are faced with unfair circumstances but they must use Shakespearean language.

Link to storyboard for act I scene i: https://www.storyboardthat.com/portal/storyboards/mattietalbert/classroom-public/hamlet1

Rubric for storyboard project:

Storyboard- multimedia : Hamlet Storyboard Final Project Teacher Name: M Talbert Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Content	All content is in the students\' own words and is accurate.	Almost all content is in the students\' own words and is accurate.	At least half of the content is in the students\' own words and is accurate.	Less than half of the content is in the students\' own words and/or is accurate.
Spelling & Grammar	No spelling or grammatical mistakes on a storyboard with lots of text.	No spelling or grammatical mistakes on a storyboard with little text.	One spelling or grammatical error on the storyboard.	Several spelling and/or grammatical errors on the storyboard.
Required Elements	Storyboard included all required elements as well as a few additional elements.	Storyboard included all required elements and one additional element.	Storyboard included all required elements.	One or more required elements was missing from the storyboard.
Use of Time	Used time well during each class period (as shown by observation by teacher, and documentation of progress in journal) with no adult reminders.	Used time well during most class periods (as shown by observation by teacher, and documentation of progress in journal) with no adult reminders.	Used time well (as shown by observation by teacher and documentation of progress in journal), but required adult reminders on one or more occasions to do so.	Used time poorly (as shown by observation by teacher and/or documentation of progress in journal) in spite of several adult reminders to do so.
Clarity and Neatness	Storyboard is easy to read and all elements are so clearly written, labeled, or drawn that another student could create the presentation if necessary.	Storyboard is easy to read and most elements are clearly written, labeled, or drawn. Another person might be able to create the presentation after asking one or two questions.	Storyboard is hard to read with rough drawings and labels. It would be hard for another person to create this presentation without asking lots of questions.	Storyboard is hard to read and one cannot tell what goes where. It would be impossible for another person to create this presentation without asking lots of questions.