CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #5

This week’s readings certainly gave me a lot to think about. I really like the idea of using technology in the classroom to enhance student learning by providing them with more authentic forms of writing, creating online relationships and communities with others, and placing a greater responsibility in the hands of the students to perform to the best of their abilities. But, let’s break it down even more…

Blogs. I think that blogs can be a great way for students to write down their thoughts and receive feedback from both peers and educators. The blog is informal, yet, has a more authentic and wide range in audience. Today, blogs are easy to create and control; with a handful of keystrokes and a few clicks of the mouse, you are good to go.

Wikis/Nings. The wiki/ning idea is great in that it provides a user-friendly arena in which a teacher can post unit materials and create online communities for students and their families. I love the idea of creating a wiki/ning with students from across the ocean and around the globe. The ability of technology to so easily cross distance and combine cultures can be a great way to expose students to different perspectives, provide them with communication skills, and connect them with new people and ideas. It is also through these sites that one can easily facilitate and/or participate in online role-play.

Online role-play. While I have never participated in online role-play, I can see the benefits. I think that it can provide students with the time to carefully prepare for a debate while also providing them with the safety of a role from which to take their stand. For me, debates are frightening. I would much rather take on the persona of another individual and present a researched argument from their point of view than to ambivalently take on a position that I might personally be indifferent or undecided to. The ability to create or research an opinion and to communicate through online communication provides a more genuine basis for the debate. Online role-play also creates the opportunity to monitor and analyze different arguments, connect points to related online material, etc., as suggested in the Beach and Doerr-Stevens article.

Of course there are many other ways to get students writing through the use of technology, whether it be through photo-essays, iMovies, digital storytelling, etc. With the ever-expanding arena of technology accessible to students and schools, it is important that we as teachers utilize these emerging tools for the benefit of our students. It is important that students find support and instruction in how to use these technologies to express their ideas in the same way that teachers provide instruction on how to write a five-paragraph-theme essay. Each and every writing experience in a student’s life is important and should be valued; it is up to us as teachers to help students broaden their definition of “writing” and to help them explore their talents for creating new types of texts.

Link:

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html

This is a neat link that provides some examples of digital storytelling, an overview of the tools necessary, lesson ideas, how to get started and evaluate projects, and even handy links where students can find free sounds and images. It could be a great way to get things going and learn to incorporate digital storytelling into the classroom.

CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #4

Finally! This week’s readings addressed something that has been on my mind ever since I first got it into my head that I wanted to be a teaching and has been plaguing me ever since—What do we do about grading different levels of writing in the same classroom?!?!?!?!?

I have been tormented by the debate in my head about subjective and objective grading. How is it that we can give a student who has improved in their writing so much but still is not near the same level as their peers a “C” for an awesome paper and then turn around and give another student an “A” for a paper that you know they could have worked much harder on! The fact of the matter is that, as teachers, we need to be both subjective and objective to some degree.

The Newkirk and Kent chapter posed the exact question that has been on my mind for so long and they surmised that “It might seem logical and fair to base grades solely on writing quality—but then a good writer who makes no progress would be evaluated more highly than a less proficient writer who makes great progress” (65). Exactly my dilemma! They conclude that the best way to go about grading writing assignments is to “reward students for diligence and for the quality of writing they produce” (N &K 65). To me, this seems like a great way to ensure that students are being evaluated on the amount of effort they put into a piece of writing as much as for the skills they possess as writers. The idea of formatting a grading system that allows for this is great, but then one has to worry about the repercussions, a.k.a. the students who will not be alright if they receive a paper that is less then “A” quality. I can remember those students from my own high school days and they are not the type of kids you want to mess with--their parents will often hunt you down. Hmmm…

Moving on, let’s talk about another gray area in the world of teaching: to use a rubric or not to use a rubric, that is the question! I can see where using a rubric can benefit students and teachers by presenting clear, outlined reasoning behind grades. Students can observe the different areas under examination by the teacher, see specific areas that need improvement, and find some kind of justification in their grade—unless, heaven forbid, they don’t understand the grading scale of the rubric either. The trick with a rubric can be found in the argument of, “Well, what’s the difference between a “4” in Presentation and a ‘3’? If I write it again will it boost my grade?” all in that whiny high school teenager voice—the one we have all employed at some point in our lives. When it comes down to it, rubrics are just a way of trying to justify a given grade and are just as subjective as not using a rubric. Will I use a rubric in my own classes? Probably. Will I struggle to create rubrics that are clear, concise, and valid? Yeah. Do I expect to be able to “cocreate” a rubric with my students successfully (Andrade)? No.

In the end, all I can hope for is that I can find a way to balance subjective and objective grading whether it is with a rubric, checklist, or some hybrid that allows me to monitor the progress of my students and reward them for improvement, innovation, and skill when it comes to manipulating the written English language. I would rather provide my students with positive feedback, constructive criticism, and opportunities to grow than to bury them in rubrics and grades. I’ll end with these final thoughts that mirror my own feelings on the matter:

Teachers who rely too much on grades to convey their evaluation of students’ writing are not communicating much that’s of value to a developing writer. Grades may be a required part of teaching, but…successful teachers of writing keep them to a minimum. (Dornan et. al.184)



Link:

dailywritingtips.com

This website has a lot of great information on grammar and vocabulary, writing basics, and pages on all sorts of different writing genres. It also hosts fun articles and cautionary advice about all things writing. (Very Englishy!)

CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #3

At this very moment I am watching Howl’s Moving Castle in my living room and trying to figure out how to start this response to our readings for this week. The main character in the movie—and book—is Sophie, a young girl who is cast aside by others and doesn’t recognize her own worth. In the course of the film she learns to find her strength and cast off the curse that has plagued her. This is one of my favorite movies and I love that the moral of the story corresponds, perhaps in a roundabout way, to what so much of our reading this week focused on—the need for teachers to foster in students the ability to value their own insights and skills as writers.

As teachers, it is our duty to ensure that students can find importance in their own writing. I noticed that there were many similarities in the readings this week and, thus, I decided to make a list of the most valuable insights that arose from the texts. These steps can help teachers create a writing pedagogy that meets the needs of students everywhere and will foster within them an appreciation for writing.

Teachers should be sure to…

1. Create a safe environment that encourages experimentation, risk, personality, and reflection in conjunction with the writing process.

2. Help students to discover for themselves that writing is an individual process and that there are many different types and forms of writing. This will help them learn to take risks and take pride in their writing. This may often include the need for them to understand that writing is not something that a teacher tells you to do, but “something real” (Dornan et. al. 172). Risk is something that writers need to get through and teachers can help them accomplish this by providing a safe and comfortable environment for experimentation and sharing.

3. Help students to appreciate and value their thoughts and insights in order to help them find their personal voice. This can be done by providing students with opportunities to explore their personal voices in a variety of writing genres and prompts. “When we nurture and praise voice in our students’ writing we imply that writing is much more than the basic ability to communicate in various social forms effectively; it is a way of expressing who we are” (Lane 164). This was something that my teachers never emphasized in their classrooms. I think this is important in helping students develop their writing style by helping them transmit their personality into their writing.

4. Help students identify the correct tone and level of formality that is expected with different genres of writing by exploring audience and purpose. This can be done by providing them with plenty of exposure to other authors and genres.

5. Provide time in class for revision. This can be in the form of conferences with teachers and/or peers and should be focused around providing questions that help students extrapolate/clarify the content of their writing. (Don’t worry, grammar, mechanics, and punctuation will come later!) Conferences should be about building the student-teacher relationship and not telling students how they should write; “the teacher should not look at the text for the student, not even with the student. The teacher looks at—and listens to—the student watching the text evolve” (Murray 28). Teachers should “encourage students to pursue ideas, feelings, or merely a sense of things which they may not yet have thought out or been able to express, but which may emerge into language between” student and teacher (32).

6. Encourage students to make decisions for themselves; providing helpful questions or insight into their own interests can be a way in engaging students with writing. In doing this, students can find value in putting their ideas down on paper—to organize their thoughts and help them expand upon questions that might arise; making sense out of seemingly arbitrary assignments.

7. Identify the difference between revision—editing content—and proofreading/copyediting—editing for grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.

8. Remember that “errors” in student writing should be assessed based on the student’s dialect and the tone/genre of the piece of writing in question.

9. Present grammar, mechanics, and punctuation in the classroom in a way that puts responsibility more in the hands of the students themselves in conjunction with the teacher and other students. Mini-lessons and self/peer revision can be the best way to help students learn to take responsibility for their own revising needs and writing in general.

10. Model, model, and model! An important rule writing teachers need to remember is that “students need to be immersed in a writing and reading environment in which language study has a direct application to their own composing, where the usage skills they are taught are immediately applied to the papers they are writing, and where the grammatical structures they study help them become responsive readers and flexible writers” (Dornan et. al. 82).

If these steps are met, teachers can turn the tide of poor writing that plagues American schools. I myself will keep this list handy and be sure to utilize it the best that I can in the classroom. Some of these things I have observed or experienced myself, but there are aspects of them that are new and exciting to me as a future educator. I can only wish that my former teachers had taught me to value my own writing style and voice, put grammar instruction into my own hands (for the record, sentence diagramming doesn’t count), and found ways to successfully utilize both teacher and peer conferences in the classroom. Nevertheless, here’s to the future of writing instruction!

Link:

http://www.songsforteaching.com/grammarspelling.htm

Okay, this is kind of a silly link, but I know that I remember the words to songs, or vocalized little ditties a lot more than I remember grammar rules. If your class is getting stuck on a grammar, spelling, or punctuation rule, this might be a good way to bring it all together in a rhythmic manner!

On a more serious note...

http://www.eslgold.com/

This link would be a great tool for both ESL teachers and students. The site provides materials that can be used by the teacher in helping ESL students master their speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary as well as providing ideas for teaching appropriate speech in the business realm. Some of the provided material looks more helpful than others, but it might still be a good starting point or back-up plan in our future endeavors.

CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #2

What I loved about the readings for this week was their ability to create a sense of just freedom in the processes of writing. Instead of providing one “correct” way in which students, as writers, should write the authors provided a plethora of ways in which students could write. The chapters and articles illustrate how personal the writing process truly is.

The first chapter in Within and Beyond the Writing Process details different assumptions that the authors make about teaching writing. They assume first of all that writing is thinking—an assumption I readily agree with. The reason in which we speak and write is to use language to communicate with one another. This communication can come in many different forms and be used with a variety of purposes. Because of this, I think it is important that as teachers we try to position the value of writing as part of the essential process of communication. In doing this, we need to present students with a reason or purpose to write; this can be to tell a story, communicate a dream, present a resume, or critically analyze a piece of literature. In a similar vein, the text quotes Frank Smith who says that, “words are the map of the way we think” (4). I myself feel much more eloquent and comfortable with written language than in spoken language—especially when it comes to presenting fuel for arguments. For me, writing gives me the ability to take my time and sift through the words entering my head, pulling the best out of the melee, and creating something that is worth communicating. An example would be the failed debate in our last class. My ideas were written on paper, but in the heat of the moment—and after Josh’s Karate Kid references—I am horrendously ill-equipped as a communicator to think on my feet. Writing gives me the right pace at which to process my thoughts and reread them as they are composed on the page.

As the Ede and Lunsford piece suggests, writers are writing as much for themselves as for their audience and it is important that they acknowledge that in order to take pride and responsibility for their writing. Of course, they also need to be aware of the other audiences of their writing--as many of the readings suggest, providing a real audience to readers can be extremely beneficial in helping them focus their writing. The duality between readers and writers in which "writers create readers and readers create writers" matches the ideas from Within and Beyond the Writing Process about writing and learning.

I loved the idea that humans learn to write and write to learn. As with the other assumption, this one draws upon the ability of writing to help organize one’s thoughts and facilitate both critical thinking and artistic expression. I think many students fear writing because of the “red-ink” effect, but with a variety of writing genres and tools in their pockets, students can use writing to help them explore their knowledge, solve problems, “reason, remember, understand, and imagine” (Dornan, Rosen, and Wilson 7). I especially like the idea of using writing to help students “imagine.” Writing in the classroom should be about imagining an audience and writing with a purpose intended for that audience. Students can use writing to help them create new thoughts and organize the new; writing has no bounds.

When it comes to teaching writing, I think daily writing and the retirement of the red pen can help students become comfortable with all aspects of the writing process. During Intercession at Crosswinds, we used an informal bell-ringer to help get the creative juices flowing and to get our students writing without fear. They were able to use this writing later on and craft something much more polished. I loved the Dornan chapter that detailed the different ways in which the authors write—from pre-writing ideas to the dreaded revision process. I think it is clear that people have different writing methods—everyone is different so why should anyone assume that one prescribed writing process will fit all. Personally, I use different process of pre-writing depending on the assignment and my comfortability with the subject matter. The revision process is the same, sometimes I have someone look over it for content issues, other times I read it out loud to myself to listen for structural and content issues, and on occasion, the revision process does include rewriting the piece from scratch. What is comes down to though, for me, is the reality that writing is a recursive process—what goes around comes around. Writers are constantly pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, etc.

I also think it is best to present as many different methods to students in an effort to help them find the techniques that work best for them—after all, they are the writers. An effective way to do this is by assigning a variety of writing assignments that utilize a variety of techniques, provide opportunities for a variety of genres, have meaningful agendas to the writer, and adhere to student interests. A writing portfolio—as used in the Kent chapter of Teaching the Neglected “R”—is one way to provide students with the chance to engage in different writing activities and acquire writing skills along the way. In order to ensure that these skills are taught in the best capacity, teachers should remember to create positive working environments that encourage communication and critique among all its members. Positive experiences foster learning and the retention of that learning and we need to get students to believe and find the positive side of writing.

Resource Link:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

This website provides a variety of handouts and information about grammar and writing from the basic sentence level on up to research paper guidelines. There are even powerpoints on different forms of punctuation and clauses. It also provides answers to some of the English languages more difficult conundrums. Overall, great resource for teachers who might need some help with their grammar and writing coaching!

CI 5461: Weekly Readings Post #1

Let’s start our journey at the beginning or at least at the beginning of the twentieth century…as a new decade dawning educators and researchers noticed that the pedagogy driving our nation’s efforts to instill in students the ability to write was ineffective and guess what, it still is to this day. Thomas Newkirk’s research reveals articles about the struggles faced by English teachers as they endeavored to teach writing to the nation’s youth. Newkirk notes that F.A. Barbour claimed that “Young people do not learn to write well by trying to apply rules of any text-book to their writing, but unconsciously rather” (2). Instead of being force-fed the different rules and regulations of the written word, Barbour noted that students needed to experience writing as modeled through their reading and personal experiences. He claimed that only through modeling, continued practice in areas of interest, and the constructive criticism of teachers could skillful writing be achieved. You would think that after one hundred years someone would have finally listened to these accounts and done something about it.

Combine the disdainful reality of the “test-prep” writing classroom of today with the stagnant concept of the “normal” schoolroom and there is no wonder as to why American students lack effective writing skills. The static imaginings of both what writing and schooling “should” look like has left its mark on America’s education system and is best summed up in Newkirk’s assertion that “if an English teacher from 1900 visited a school today, he or she would feel strangely at home” he juxtaposes this image with a comprehensive list of some of the major technological advances that have been made in the course of the century to further add illustrate the anachronism of the American classroom today (5).

In order to correct the situation at present, educators need to move beyond the perennial teaching of the five-paragraph essay and explore both new and creative ways of teaching writing to students. Kimberly Wesley’s article “The Ill Effects of the Five Paragraph Theme” presented me with the type of heresy I always imagined would send a teacher to the depths of Dante’s Inferno. She presents a strong argument as to why the five-paragraph essay should not be the end-all-be-all of secondary writing instruction. To put it simply, she argues that the system limits the student’s ideas, critical thinking, and complex analysis while emphasizing organization over content.

Another moment of brilliance can be found in Jeffery Wilhelm’s interview surrounding the current emphasis on testing. Wilhelm pointedly illustrates the unrealistic format and basis of the testing writing skills. I specifically remember—and I am sure others do to— being told by my high school teachers to focus only on my writing skills when taking my state exams. It was, “The content doesn’t matter, make something up that answers the prompt if need be, just be sure to write a nice five paragraph essay with all the important parts and you will pass.” How is that a realistic assessment of a person’s ability to write an essay? How does that demonstrate reality? Wilhelm goes further to explain how such exams teach students to be dishonest and do not teach them the realistic processes of writing as found in the real world. In the real world, writers have time to think about their topics, outline ideas, write drafts, discuss their drafts with others, edit and revise their pieces, and, eventually, come up with something that is worth the time and effort. These tests offer no glimpse into the real world and will only present kids with a false sense of the truth. Wilhelm claims that, “If you get a dumbed-down test, you’ll get a dumbed-downed curriculum, and kids are not going to learn what real people do. They are going to be disenfranchised because they are going to know they are just ‘doing school’” (15).

In order to change the writing pedagogy, we as educators need to think far beyond the five paragraph essay and standardized writing tests and help students by providing them with opportunities to write genuinely, risk-free, and with enough frequency to ensure skills develop through constant practice. Students do need guidance from their teachers and this can be given in three ways outlined by Dornan, Rosen, and Wilson, as the creation of a supportive environment in which the natural processes of writing can mature, the presence of encouragement and coaching in their guidance as an instructor, and the presentation of appropriate instruction on structure, form, audience, purpose, and other aspects of writing. In doing this, teachers can help to create an environment that allows students to explore writing and the many different genres found within its branches. Tom Romano’s Multigenre Research Project illustrate one way in which students can break free of the dominant expository form and experiment with using different genres to present research. In doing this, students gain experience and confidence in their writing as they practice manipulating the English language to fit their needs. As Romano notes, “Writing is a big world mural, not a snapshot” (88).

As teachers, we might forget how monotonous, trying, and difficult it was to write and present our materials to others; the pain of handing over something you spent hours sweating over only to have it returned dripping in that abominable red ink. In order to better understand and sympathize with our students, we need to be sure that we are actively presenting ourselves as writers alongside our students. Reid professes that she forces her graduate students to write difficult assignments and to explore their writing, and to reflect on their writing experiences in order to provide them with a better sense of community and empathy with their future/current students—something she claims to have recognized herself in the process of writing the article. To me this serves to emphasize the importance of providing students with opportunities to write without the fear of red ink and to continually return to the page ourselves in order to maintain that painful, anxiety-ridden, authorial affinity with students.


http://www.users.muohio.edu/romanots/

This resource link ties directly with Tom Romano’s section from Teaching the Neglected “R” and will be very beneficial to anyone who is thinking of utilizing his multigenre research project in their classroom. The site provides more information on the mechanics and development of the project, rubrics, and examples of his students’ work. Many, if not all, of the information can be reworked into a secondary school setting and still see the same successful results.

CI 5441: Shea Response

Shea, Pegi Deitz. Tangled Threads. New York: Clarion Books, 2003.

Tangled Threads by Pegi Deitz Shea tells the story of twelve-year-old Mai Yang, a Hmong refugee living in a camp somewhere in Thailand. Mai and her grandmother fled Laos—their homeland—during the Vietnam War after their village was attacked by the Vietnamese Army. For seven long years after their flight and arrival in Thailand, Mai and her grandmother have stuck together, caring for one another and supporting themselves by selling their pa’ndau—“flower cloth” that is a needle-and-thread form of art. Finally, Mai and her grandmother are given permission to travel to America to live with Mai’s uncle and his family who left the camp five years before. Along the journey to America, Mai becomes more and more aware of her grandmother’s dependency on her ability to speak English and her education of the American way of life. This shift in dependency places a great strain on their relationship, a strain that is intensified after they arrive in America and encounter the completely foreign way of life in which their family members now live. Mai struggles to maintain her own identity despite the pull of her Americanized cousins to give in to a new way of life, to understand and cope with her grandmother’s increased dependence, and to successfully integrate the two worlds in which she now lives—Hmong and American existences that pull at her.

I think that the book was very well done. Because the author is not Hmong herself, I was relieved to find an author’s note at the back of the book which details her interest in Hmong refugees and their culture, experiences, and new lives in America. The list of references in the back of the book adds to the validity of the research upon which the story was created. I think Shea does a great job in illustrating the confusing and frustrating experience of a young girl who struggles to cope with immigrating to a new land that is vastly different from the world she was so accustomed to. Mai’s experience brings up important themes of family, identity, maintaining cultural identities and values in a new land, new vs. old ways, and self-development. Mai’s story is unique, yet, it is accessible to those who read it. The text can be related to anyone who has experienced immigration themselves and there are enough issues not completely related to the difficulties associated with immigration that all readers can find some common element within the story. Personally, I enjoyed the book because it expanded my understanding of Hmong culture and history. After reading the text I did my own research into the Hmong and it added to my understanding of the text. I also enjoyed the story itself. I enjoyed following Mai to school and reading about her experiences, her love for knowledge, and her growth as a person.

I think this book is teachable because it has so many different levels on which students can relate to the text. On a broad level, students can identify to the confusion and frustration of growing up—the drama of middle school and the angst associated with becoming a teenager. On a narrower scale, the story documents a girl’s immigration to the United States and that is a connection that many students can identify with—either experiencing it themselves or having relatives who have had similar experiences. Going back to critical theory, the many layers within the text allow for the use of different lenses to analyze the text. Students can reflect on their personal reactions to the text (reader’s response); the power struggle between old and new ways, the refugees and the Thai soldiers, the new immigrants and the settled immigrants (Marxist); the gender roles and expectations of the Hmong culture (gender); to name a few. The many different themes and the different applicable lenses lend themselves well to discussion and the cultural element of the text lends itself well to various research-based/analysis projects. I would love to use this book within book clubs—as a choice text for those interested in this topic, or as a classroom text in which students would do research into the struggles of immigrants/refugees when coming to America—what difficulties they face in coping with distinctly different cultural values and norms.

CI 5472: Film in the Classroom

I think it would be interesting to have students read a short story—such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Three-Ten to Yuma” by Elmore Leonard, or even something like “Jumanji” (a short story made into a children’s picture book) by Chris Van Allsburg. After having read the story, show the film adaptation to the class. Because the films started out as short stories and where then turned into feature length films, I think it would be interesting to have the students examine what elements of the story are the same and what are different. Since the short story format doesn’t leave much room for a tremendous amount of detail, the film adaptors needed to find details either within the story (as inferred by the text) or through their own interpretation of the story (their personal response and visualization of the text).The teacher could provide students with a hand out that asks them to identify where details were added into the story—where was the story embellished and lengthened—and have them consider where the screenwriters added this detail, how they inferred that these details could/should exist within the story, etc.

Next, students could role-play the conversation that might have occurred between the original author of the text and the screenwriter. What questions would the author have for the screenwriter? Would the author be critical of the finished product or merely curious as to where/how the screenwriter created the details to add to the film adaptation? This could be written out, acted, or even filmed. Groups could present these interviews to one another and the teacher could use this to create a strong discussion as to what/how much creative freedom should be given to screenwriters in developing a film.

For a final assignment, the teacher could provide students with several different options of short stories to read and adapt into some sort of story board using ComicLife, VoiceThread, or iMovie—making sure that at least two students were creating an adaptation from the same short story. These adaptations would need to contain a set amount of added detail to the story in order to serve as storyboards for a larger film production. Students would need to provide explanations to support any additions to the story they put into their adaptation—providing insight into why they visualized something a specific way much the same way they analyzed the film version (personal vision due to the creator’s experiences or inferences made from their reading of the story, just to name a couple of ways to go about doing this). These would be shared with the class in a small “Film Festival” of their storyboards and students would be asked to reflect on the different interpretations of the same stories.

I think this activity would help students to think about author’s purpose and to consider how people read texts from different perspectives and therefore have differing opinions about a text. The teacher could go even farther and have students take on specific roles from which to create a film adaptation of the short story—for example, a conservative man from the South might interpret “Three-Ten to Yuma” differently than a escaped convict from the East. Anyway, I think this would be a fun way to get students thinking about how they read a text, what an author/creator’s purpose might be, and how to make inferences or pick out clues from a text to enhance one’s reading.

CI 5441: Spiegelman Response

Spiegelman, Art. Maus. New York: Raw Books and Graphics, 1986.

Art Spiegelman’s story Maus chronicles the real life relationship between Spiegelman and his father Vladek as he recounts his life in Poland during the first years of WWII. Spiegelman uses clever illustrations to transport readers back and forth between the present and past lives of his father and mother as they created a family amidst uncertain times in Europe. In his father’s narrative, Spiegelman learns about his time spent in the Polish Army, his time as a POW, the presence of the Germans in Poland, and their family’s removal to the Jewish ghettos. As Spiegelman learns about his father’s past, his current relationship is also chronicled. It is apparent that his father has many lingering side effects from surviving the war, including his need to horde everything. The novel closes with Spiegelman’s outrage toward his father for destroying his late mother’s diaries. The book is clearly chronicles the shifting tides of human nature as it faces the worst of circumstances and witnesses the worst of mankind. Vladek’s story is one of survival and sacrifice; it illustrates the lengths to which people will go in order to ensure their own survival. In the end, the reader is torn between sympathies for both the father and the son as they try to work through their rocky relationship and to find redemption in coming to terms with the ghosts from their pasts.

I thought the book was brilliantly done. Anyone reading the story is able to take away something away from the text. Spiegelman takes a common, though horrific, topic and present it in a new way that engages readers without losing the importance of the story. The use of the graphic novel form provides Spiegelman with opportunities that would be lacking in other forms. He is able to provide detailed illustrations that present readers with the ability to read both the words and the reactions of the characters. The black and white drawings set the serious tone of the book and help readers to enjoy the artistry of the book without neglecting the grave content of the story. By presenting his interactions with his father in obtaining the story, Spiegelman is able to provide the reader with a glimpse of their current lives and relationships as well as to provide a sense of validity in the contents of the story. Seeing Vladek in his present state illustrates how his experiences have shaped his life in the present. Overall, the text way that tells a story but also forces readers to think; readers can analyze the artwork within the text and add their analysis to both their understanding of the content and Spiegelman’s purpose in presenting the material in this form.

What I think is teachable about this text is both its content and presentation. Teachers can use the text to present students with a survivor’s tale. Students can read first-hand how Jewish citizens living in Poland were exposed to the war and the horrendous actions of the Nazis. The story provides enough historical content that readers will be able to comprehend the plot as it moves along. Students can also use this as a study of the use of both narrative and the creation of a memoir. But I think the best part about this text is that is can be looked at through critical lenses. Students can analyze the presentation of the characters as different animals—why would Spiegelman chose cats, mice, and pigs? Students can also be asked to look at the actions of the characters themselves and how power, money, class, gender, etc. affect the actions and situations within the text. I think the book would be a great study of author’s purpose and would create opportunities for research into genocide—something that has plagued mankind in one form or another for centuries.

Intersession Pre-Experience

So, this is a bit late, but here we go...I remember being really excited the day before Intersession began. As I mentioned in my blog from day one, I had a really hard time sleeping the night before. I was glad that the excitement finally set in because I was a bit "intersessioned-out" from all the work we had been doing to prepare our final lesson plans. Luckily, our final plans were really detailed and I knew things would go well.

One of my concerns was how to deal with the three boys in our class. They were clearly outnumbered and were enrolled in a class about fairy tales. I was sure to try and be aware of texts that might interest them--from adaptations with male characters to scary/dark versions of fairy tales I thought they might like.

I was also somewhat concerned about team-teaching. I had never been in a teaching atmosphere with either Brittany or Kim and I knew that they had some experience with kids through rec/YMCA activities. My only interaction had been with teaching some swim lessons and interacting with kids I babysat or that my mom taught (first graders). This led up to some concerns about discipline, but I knew I would find what worked best for me.

CI 5472: Music Preferences

Okay, I would have to say that my music preferences depend almost completely on either my current activity or the mood I am in at the time. When I am driving I enjoy songs that I can sing along with at the top of my lungs, when I am studying I enjoy listening to classical music (or musical compositions from film soundtracks), when I am cleaning I like listening to songs that are upbeat, and when I am working out I love listening to hard-rock or something with a fast and loud beat. When I am sad, I listen to slow, soft folk songs; when I am happy, I love listening to country, pop, or rock songs; when I am angry, I go back to my hard rock-songs...etc. That being said, I am also influenced by music a lot. There are certain songs with lyrics that literally bring tears to my eyes, others that make me laugh, some that make me shout. I guess, in general, I listen to music either to help me express the mood I am in, to try and create the right mood for a desired activity, or simply because I want that music to evoke a specific emotion in me.

If you were to glance through my playlist on iTunes you would find country, folk, rock, alternative, bluegrass, classical, oldies, metal, pop, and some rap. Sometimes it is the lyrics that pull me in and other times it is the beat that hooks me. When it comes to musical instruments, I am a sucker for banjos, harmonicas, orchestras, and pianos in songs. I love it when a beat or melody can pull me into a song and make me forget myself. Most of my music would fall into either alternative/folk rock or country--alternative rock keeps me pumped and country makes me smile. The Kooks are one of my favorite bands. I saw them live at the Fineline Music Cafe a couple of years ago and they were amazing! What I loved their concert was how intense and powerful the live versions of their songs were. I also think it is worth mentioning that went through a major Beatles phase between 4th-7th grade. I listened to their albums driving from Baltimore to Yellowstone and back in fifth grade and that is all we listened to.

When I was fifteen I got both the Jimmy Eat World album Bleed American and a car for Christmas. I put that CD in and went driving around my hometown on Christmas Eve and hearing that album always makes me think about that night. I can remember everything about that night--from what I wore to where I went to every single time I stalled (it was a standard car and I had never driven one before). I also associate songs with different people in my life, for example, "There Goes My Life" by Kenny Chesney makes me think of my Dad, and "Son's Gonna Rise" by Citizen Cope makes me think of my friend Kait.

It is hard to pick one song to encapsulate my music preferences because they are so varied and depend so much on the moment, but, because I mentioned the Kooks and how great they are, I thought I would talk about the song "Come on Down." I like the old rock, bluesy quality of the guitars and the simplicity of the lyrics--a few "sha la la la la la's" never hurt anyone.

Come on down love,
I've come to see you
Cause I am down, love
Only when I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine

Oh yes but you have the most beautiful...

Here I am love
I've come to be with you
Cause I get lost now
When I'm not around you

When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you i feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine

Oh yes but you have the most wonderful...
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la

When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
And I lose my mind
I feel fine

Oh yes and you have the most beautiful mind.

Simple, sweet, upbeat, and bluesy...perfect.

CI 5441: McCormick Response

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2008.

Sold tells the story of Lakshmi a young girl living in a remote village in Nepal with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother. Life in their mountain village is difficult and Lakshmi and her mother slave away in order to make a living for the family. Lakshmi’s stepfather is incapable of working and gambles what little money the family has. As a result, the stepfather sells Lakshmi off to a woman who promises to take her to a better life as a maid in the city—little does Lakshmi know that she is really being sold into prostitution. After arriving in India, Lakshmi finally becomes aware of her fate. Despite her efforts to resist her new situation, she is drugged and raped; and so her new life begins. Lakshmi forms relationships with the women around her and her desire to learn never wavers. Over the course of a year she does her best to try and pay off her debt to Mumtaz—the owner of the brothel—while still maintaining the belief that she is providing her mother and brother with a better life. In the end it is her continued interest in education that helps her escape her circumstances.

The book is written in prose verse and is a very quick and compelling read. McCormick is able to use a sparse amount of words to capture not only the Nepalese lifestyle and the horrific shift in Lakshmi’s life, but also the depth of conviction, hope, and faith that Lakshmi refuses to let go. The premise for the book was researched by McCormick and in her author’s note she recounts the different survivors of sex-trafficking that she had spoken with during the pre-writing stage of the novel. I think this book is a great way to introduce readers to the continued injustices in the world and to make them aware of the precious gift that is freedom. I think the book will resonate with young readers who are the same age as Lakshmi—male or female. Lakshmi is just a young girl who is naïve and trusting of those around her; she expects to be able to trust her stepfather and the women and men she encounters on her journey from Nepal into India, but it is not so. I enjoyed gaining a new perspective and understanding on a terrifying and horrific subject that I was not truly cognizant of before and I think McCormick brings this subject to life with Lakshmi’s tale.

I think the book is teachable because it lends itself to different kinds of exploration. Students can look at the format of the book and discuss what that brings to the text—how and why does McCormick use this medium? The book allows students to focus on a world issue that they might not be aware still exists—human slavery. The book also can be used with different critical lenses—the most obvious being the gender perspective, but also colonialist, reader-response, and even socio-economic. The issue of education and the power of knowledge is also an element that can be targeted in the book. I can also see myself using this book as a gateway between fiction and reality; students could research human-trafficking and the different aspects of that underground market that still exist in the world today. The book is also relatable to students either from the different themes—trust, family, the unknown, power of knowledge, community, faith—to the ability to project one’s own thirteen-year-old self into such a dire predicament.

CI 5441: Jaramillo Response

Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea. Harrisonburg: Roaring Book Press, 2006.

Miguel Carlos Octavio Pablo de Cervantes has just turned fifteen. Where he is usually treated to a practical gift from his grandmother today he receives something he has been waiting for since he was eight years old—the summons from his father to come to America. Jaramillo follows Miguel’s journey as he leaves his life behind him and embraces the uncertainties of the long journey he must take across la línea. Along the way he encounters many obstacles: a stubborn sister, money-hungry officers and thugs, a strange old man, the mata gente, and a harrowing trek across the deserts of the southwest. Along the way both Miguel and his sister grow and learn the power of hope, the intense need for family, the effects of pride and jealousy, and the dangers of immigrating to the United States—the land of the American Dream and better opportunities for all. The book forces readers to think about these themes as they follow Miguel and Elena on their journey north across the border and into the United States. In the end, Miguel and Elena learn the truth about life in America and reevaluate their paths. As the book closes, we read as Miguel notes that there are “thousands of la líneas in life” sometimes you see them and sometimes you don’t, sometimes they change you immediately and other times it takes a moment of reflection to open your eyes to the change.

I thought this book brought up some interesting points, but I don’t know how much I think that it accurately portrays the experiences of those crossing the Mexican border into the United States. I think Jaramillo is able to capture some of the situations faced by those who cross the border in such a way, but I think there are many different details within the book that are missing. It is hard for me to believe that Miguel and Elena caught so many lucky breaks and were able to come out of the desert alive. It seemed to me like that leg of their journey could have benefited from more details and a greater look into the physical reactions of the body when deprived of water. Having had personal experience with dehydration, it didn’t seem believable or accurately portrayed in the text. Other than that, I thought the themes within the book were both important and chronicled well within the text. The relationship between Miguel and Elena is multi-faceted and it is interesting to see how they change over the course of the book—going from siblings, to enemies, to dependents. I think that the themes within the book are especially relevant with so much debate over the immigration issue in the United States and the many areas in which it is played out in our society. I think students will be able to identify with the characters and/or the themes in the book both because of their relevance in our society and the ability for students to connect with different aspects of the characters—from age to circumstance. I thought the book was fine; I liked it more than I disliked it, but the lack of details and my inability to believe in the events within the book pulls me away from giving it two hearty thumbs up. The issue surrounding the authenticity of the text based on the author's background only bothers me in correlation with the lack of details I think should be present in the text and the unbelievability aspect of the story. Beyond that, I think she did a great job in writing a text her students could relate to--a text that tells an often overlooked point of view.

I think the themes and the relationships within the book are highly teachable in a classroom. Even the format of the book, with extremely short yet rich chapters, lends itself well to being utilized in the classroom. We are using this book as a model text within a book club. After dividing the class into different “clubs,” we are providing them with an opportunity to pick between six different foci to study as they read and sticky note the book together. These different foci include looking at the Miguel and Elena through their “coming-of-age” metamorphosis within the text and the different themes covered within the book—pride/jealousy, family/belonging, hope/resilience, and líneas/obstacles. Each group will have some choice in what they follow throughout the book—giving them a sense of agency. Students will then be asked to work together in reading and sticky-noting the text as they discover passages/quotes that relate to/develop their focus. Each group will record their findings on a T-chart and within the pages of their books on sticky notes. After each class, students will be asked to write a reflective paper about their topic and how it is evolving within the text. At the end of the unit they will be taking their notes and collaboratively writing an essay zeroing in on an aspect of their groups focus. They will then present this essay to the rest of the class. This was each group is responsible for discovering their focus within the text, working together to bring it all together, and reporting their synthesis of the text to the rest of the class. Because of the length of the book and the relevance of its themes, the text is ideal for teaching students both how to participate in a book club successfully and how to use different reading strategies in analyzing a text.

Intersession Reflection Day 5:

We're done! I can't believe the week is already over! I thought today's class went really well and the kids were great. I hadn't realized how many of them took their assignments home to work on, or that they would complete them at home and so I felt bad that some students were ready to go before others. Nevertheless, the students were excellent today.

For homeroom we discussed plans for next week and the rest of their break and it was great to hear everyone share something with ease. We didn't have to ask people to share, they were raising their hands or offering up their plans right away. That made me feel great because it suggested that we were able to create an environment that they all felt comfortable in.

Next, I read to the "The Robber Bridegroom" which is a more obscure Grimm's fairy tale and asked them to think about our fairy tale ingredients as I read. It is pretty dark--with cannibalism and kidnapping--but in the end the bad guys are executed. The students absolutely loved it. After the story, which had a lot of gasps and "ewwwws," I asked them to identify some fairy tale ingredients. Students talked about the characters and settings and with a little prompting they used some of our word castle words--motif, foreshadow, and author's purpose. It is great to see them catch on, and I think by referring to the word castle words and our ingredients list at least a couple of times every day (in different contexts and stories) helped to drive the points home.

After homeroom, students did their bell ringer (with a few groans) and then we let them work on their stories. Some worked on finishing their stories and others practiced their skits. The skit group who was already done were given the chance to read or look at some of the YA fairy tale adaptations that we had on display. They were very engaged in reading these and it was nice to see them so focused.

When we went to the stage for the performances, I really didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the plays and presentations. They were awesome! I loved that the first group to go used one of the motifs we talked about in class--the dangerous dark woods--within their story. They even mentioned that they had learned about it in the "Happily Never After Class" they took! Too funny!

Maggie's picture book presentation blew me away! She did all of that at home and finished the last page in class today. I loved her story and it was clear both how she adapted the story and what her moral was. I was proud of her for presenting so strongly--her voice was loud and clear and she read with confidence. She had participated a lot in class but was much more hesitant and quiet.

The next play, with King Duncan, was much more elaborate than I had thought. I also was expecting a bad ending, but they pulled out a "Happily Ever After" kind of ending in the end. I loved how into the play they all were and it was AWESOME to see Jamie have such a big role in the play! In the LRRH skits they put on the other day she was very reserved and quiet, but today she was reading her lines and acting very confidently with her peers!

Mary's story was also fantastic and I loved how into her own world she became. In her reflection she notes how much she loved writing and creating her own story. This is followed by a few lines mentioning how she now wants to write even more--either a longer fairy tale or a fantasy piece of work.

We had our feast, they did their reflections, and with the last fifteen minutes of class we watched a bit of Shrek, calling out the different characters we saw in the movie and how their stories are being twisted or "fractured."

As they were leaving, we handed out their bound and published copies of everyone's fairy tale! They loved this SO much and it was amazing to see how much they enjoyed having their final project and those of their classmates in such a packaged product.

REFLECTION:

I thought the class went really well. I think that everyone learned something in the class and they worked well with us, with each other, and on their own. They loved the creative aspects of the class and did an excellent job with the two reading strategies we presented them with.

If I were to teach this unit again, I would try to implement more challenging activities into the lessons. This could be done by utilizing ideas from critical theory into the unit and identifying some of the different ways one can read a fairy tale, and what this suggests about the stories, authors, and cultures. We did this to a small degree in our class, but it would be great to kick it up a notch with more in depth reading of both well-known and obscure fairy tales from around the world. It would also be neat to examine fairy tales from around the world with more depth.

I think that for Intersession this class was the right mixture of learning and fun, but in a traditional classroom with a traditional curriculum, it would need more (maybe with my suggestions from the paragraph above). The students did meet our goals and standards for the class and learned some new things about fairy tales.

Some things I need to work on are explicit and clear directions, the ability to rethink and regroup myself in order to make something clear, repeating my directions (especially with ELL students in the classroom), and discipline. Some things I thought I did well were connecting with the students and forming some relationship with them, being patient, helping students and checking in with them, keeping students on task during work times, and adjusting the lessons/unit as I went along.

Overall, I thought this was a nice way to baby-step my way into teaching. It was both helpful and stressful to have two other cooperating teachers with me in the classroom, but I think we handled ourselves well and collaborated easily together. We had no problems transitioning from one person to the other and we were all involved in each part of the lesson--whether it was through helping with the discussion, working with students, using our proximity to help keep the class in order, or providing support to both the students and each other.

I learned a lot about middle-schoolers and myself during this experience and I know I will be able to draw on this past week in the weeks and months to come. Intersession was, in general, a great way to help me start to develop myself as a teacher. I would say all our hard work on this unit payed off and the students both learned somethings and had fun; what more can we ask than that?!

Intersession Reflection Day 4:

Day number 4, wow. This week has flown by! Today wasn't as energetic or exciting as yesterday, but the responses from the students in their reflection cards were really positive anyway. Today we talked about author's purpose, audience, and motifs.

For homeroom we had the students write "warm fuzzies" about the person sitting to their left on Burger King crowns. They wrote some very nice things and then got to wear the crowns for the rest of the class period.

We reviewed the ingredients of a fairy tale--to get their minds in the right place for writing their own fairy tales later in the class--and we talked about motifs. It was great to see how they were able to understand something new to them and identify common motifs in fairy tales. I was impressed at how detailed the discussion got. We used many of the items from our ingredients list to start us off with motifs and expanded upon them, for example: magic motifs include curses, spontaneous, karma related, animal/human magical helpers; characters include damsels, heroes, helpers, villains, magical creatures; setting is often medieval, in kingdom, far away, summer; and plot usually involves a journey, magical obstacles, traveling from home to dark place, etc. It was great!

It took a while for them to really get author's purpose and audience, but we thought about some stories we had already read together and brainstormed reasons for why the author might have written that particular version of LRRH. Then they broke up into small groups and read a fractured fairy tale, determining the audience and author's purpose. Mary really understood the idea, as well as a few other students, and I think they all have some idea of how they can think about author'sProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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0purpose. Again, they were completely absorbed in reading and on their reflection cards asked for more time to read! Yay!

Today we had a bit of a teacher, not power-struggle, but discrepancy in teaching strategies. I told kids that I was fine with them doodling during our discussion--I do it when I am in class and I know that it can help students focus. While another teacher, soon after told them to stop. I felt bad for letting them doodle and then having them get be reprimanded and told something different by another teacher.

The rest of the class was spent creating their fairy tales and that went really well. Many of them were really excited to take their work home tonight--completely based on their own prerogative. Another good day Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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d the kids are SUPER excited to act out their skits and tell their sto

Intersession Reflection Day 3:

Today was another great day for Intersession! We had the students read during homeroom and then share a bit about the books they read--which they all easily participated in. Then we did our bell-ringer and it was great to see so much creativity and detail. Tom even had the number of turrets on his castle mentioned in his setting. I got to work more with Jamie in coming up with a setting and I really enjoy talking to her and helping her brainstorm different ideas. She is so bright and delightful; I think she benefits from extra scaffolding and one-on-one instruction/aid. It seems to help her focus and continue working on her own once she has confirmation that she is on the right track.

I was nervous because Nikki's reflection note card was misplaced and so we didn't have one to return to her, especially since she seemed to have been going through something yesterday. Luckily though, she was really involved in today's class. She raised her hand a lot and even went up to the board to draw a plot diagram for the rest of the class.

We talked about plot and the different pieces of it, which went well, and then we dove into Little Red Riding Hood. We read one version and then several alternate endings together. The students LOVED the one in which Red calls out the huntsman for trying to "help" her and to kill the wolf, killing the huntsman in the end and befriending the wolf. After this we mapped out the plot of one story together and then they paired up to work on mapping the plot for a different version. They all were engaged with this activity and worked well together.

Then we had them reenact their own version of LRRH and it was AMAZING! They all got so involved and engaged in this activity. Even the students who are more introverted--and our classroom addition, Jacey--were so excited in planning it out. They performed their skits to the opposite group and they were great! Jamie and Nikki were a bit lackluster in the actually acting of the play, obviously shy--but they were smiling and laughing and having a good time along with everyone else. It was great to see even Edward, a quiet but clever boy, getting caught up in the plays; he was literally leaping through the air! We had them talk about the key plot points and map them out, as well, and they did a great job with this.

Next we went back to character analysis. They did the "What's in your wallet?" activity and were really creative. Bella had a folded wanted poster of the Wolf in his wallet, "Because he doesn't want anyone to see it. He tore it down and put it where no one could see it at all!" At the end of the class they did their reflection cards and it was unanimous--today's class was really fun! They also asked if they could create another play, which is great because that is one of the options they can use for their final project. We are thinking of letting them pair up into groups of 3 to create a play for their project.

Some things to work on...I think we need to find a better way to refocus the students when they get a bit carried away during discussions. They tend to become louder and talk over one another which makes it hard to hear everyone in the class. Sometimes, in trying to get them to be respectful of their fellow students and to quiet them down, we end up adding to the noise with comments or "shhhh!" I think this is something we need to work on, and yet, since we only have a week with these kids it is hard to establish consistent classroom expectations. In reality, I am mostly glad that they are so into the lessons that they are talking so much, but I know that there need to be guidelines and more structure in the discussions to make sure that everyone is heard.

On the plus side, the kids always apologize when they get too loud and they are quiet when they hear us tell them to be respectful to their peers.

One thing I still need to work on is regaining student focus and figuring out my own, successful way of dealing with loud talkers and discussions that get a bit loud and unrestrained. I won't always have two other people there to help with this and I need to find what works for me that I am comfortable with doing.

Tomorrow we write!

Intersession Reflection Day 2:

Day 2! So, I thought that today went pretty well. It was my day to be the lead teacher for our big activity which was using sticky notes to help us identify characters within different versions of Cinderella--focusing on indirect and direct characteristics for the characters within the story. For homeroom we had each student say hello in another language--this was a great opportunity for some of our more culturally diverse students to shine. One girl, we'll call her Jamie, is Hmong and she is very quiet in class. She shot her hand up to give us an example of a different way to say "Hello!" It was great to see her so engaged. Everyone had fun. Then we played "What's my name again?" and all the students seemed to like this as well--they wanted to go another round but we decided to get to work.

The bellringer was GREAT! Everyone shared their newly made characters by taking on that persona--even the three teachers had to do some improve acting. We were laughing and having a good time, the kids are excited to put it together later in the week.

Next we talked about Cinderella--what does she look like. Because we had a lot of Cinderella books out in the back of the class, I think some of them drew images from there. They also had theri newly created characters in their minds, so, I think they felt like they had more choice in their creations. Despite this, we still had a nice discussion on why our Disney Cinderella looks a certain way and what that says about American values. We went over the definition of culture and value--which went very well--and then we introduced sticky noting by doing a "story time."

The kids sat around me, with their sticky notes ready, and as I read a page we would stop and see what characters and characteristics we found. The kids really got into it and were making a lot of great suggestions. It was nice to have Kim and Brittany in the audience adding their comments too--this gave the kids more scaffolding and modeling by being able to observe their teachers participating and adding to the reading. We cut the group story short and let the kids pair up and chose their own book to sticky note and gave them the worksheet we modeled together. This was the best part of the day!

All the kids were so engrossed in their books! Even Nikki (we will call her), who was having trouble focusing today--Brittany talked to her to make sure she was okay, but we think there is something going on outside of class--was reading her story outloud with her partner and talking about their sticky notes together. Jamie grabbed the Hmong Cinderella book and she worked with her partner--an older and more confident English reader--spent the rest of the class reading their book and filling in their worksheet. Those who finished their books went back and grabbed more. Even Tom, who said he hated fairy tales, was reading another book as soon as he got the chance. Tom and Liza were being a bit chatty, again today, and we did have to separate them, but they worked on the sticky note project together and did well. I think they just get really excited and loud about things which can distract the rest of the class.

It was great to see them so engaged in fairy tales! Kate was checking out the YA adaptations we had on hand--there is a Chinese YA Cinderella book that she was really interested in, she is Asian herself and knew the child version of the Chinese Cinderella already, so this book really appealed to her. It is so important for kids to see themselves represented in books and I saw the power of that today. Anther girl wanted a copy of the Grimm's story to take home and read--spurring similar reactions in Tom and some other students. Based on the enthusiasm that these books were met with and the desire of the students to read more of them, I think we are going to have silent reading tomorrow morning during homeroom so they can check out more of the books!

Overall, I thought today was great. We had to cut out the PSA because we ran out of time, but it is better to have too much planned than not enough. I think we need to besure to give the students the time they need whcih cuts into other activities; as long as reading and writing are getting done, and the kids are having a good time, I don't think we need to worry about the other fun activities that get cut out.

For tomorrow, we have our reflection note cards to hand back--with more messages from the three of us. I hope we can get Nikki's attention and keep it for the whole class while making sure that Tom and Liza don't talk too much or too loudly. We also dive into Little Red Riding Hood tomorrow! Wahoo! Day 3 here we come!

Intersession Reflection Day 1:

Alright, today was our first day of intersession and my first day of teaching--what a rush! It was so exciting to be actually setting up the classroom and prepping for our students to come in. I had been nervous this past week that I would be so tired of looking at my lesson plan, but last night I couldn't sleep from excitement! During the course of the morning, I was so glad to have added more detail and descriptions to our lesson plan this past week. It comforted me to have a plan as to what the day would entail--even though it didn't go quite as we imagined it would. There were certain activities within the lesson plan that took longer than we had expected. Creating our coat of arms for the realms took quite a long time and the students didn't finish them. I think a bit more structure in the creation would have made it easier for them--they could have benefited from a set outline from which they created their crests. This illustrated to me the need to provide choice and a sense of agency but also the need to provide some scaffold in order to move the process along more smoothly. Because this took so long, we had to cut down on our reading time, but, the reading went really well!

After looking at our Intro to Fairy Tales powerpoint (which they all loved) we generated a really great list of ingredients on the wall. With this list we created symbols for each ingredient as a class. Next I read "Rumpelstiltskin" out loud and the students followed along on their own copy. After each paragraph we would stop and I would ask them what happened in the paragraph--or, what could we mark. Everyone was following along and participating. I only saw a couple of students who weren't keeping up as well, but even one of them really stepped up when we talked about the morals of the story. I was surprised at how well they were able to pick up on the morals both on their own and with some prompts from us.

The word castle was another hit within the class and the kids enjoyed a little game at the end. It was during the game that two of the most distant students opened up. One boy who tried to get out of the game on purpose through lack of any kind of effort, ended up winning the game and celebrating his victory (after we called him out on trying on purpose to get out). It seemed like he needed a little push and to feel more confidence in his abilities--where have I heard this before.

For tomorrow, I think that we can work on scaffolding even more, making sure that students aren't talking out of place, and being careful not to try ant talk over or interrupt each other. These were things that I noticed as well as things that were mentioned by the students in their reflection note cards. We asked them what worked about the class, what they could do better, and what we could do better. All around the kids said they had fun and that they could listen and focus more while we could give them more time, repeat directions, and not talk over/interrupt each other. I think after today we have a better division of labor and the experience from today will really help with this as well. It is great to get feedback from the students and to be able to discuss the day with each other!

I hope tomorrow goes just as well! :)

CI 5472: Documentary

I watched the documentary Red, White, Black, and Blue which recounted the experiences of two 85 year-old men who fought at the battle for Attu island--of the Aleutian Islands--in 1943. The documentary serves to retell an unknown history of the forgotten battle between Japanese and Americans on Attu Island. In 1942 the Japanese invaded Attu and took control of the island, a year later American troops were sent in--unprepared for the bitter conditions of the island--and the expected 72 hour battle lasted 19 grueling days. The story is told from the point of view of Bill with comments made from his friend and fellow infantryman Andy. By using actual footage of the American troops and still images captured during the battle in combination with moving accounts from Bill and other members of the Attu infantry, the creators of the film are able to capture the forgotten horrors of war waged on American soil. Bill and Andy return to the scenes of battle and photographs and film footage from 1943 match both the newly filmed scenes and the accounts of the two men with shocking clarity and validity. The documentary follows the men from their landing in Massacre Bay through the hardships of weather and fighting until the end of the battle 19 days later. The film crew uses moving images and footage (past and present) of the formidable Attu landscape combined with interviews from Bill and his contemporaries as well as experts--Coast Guard members on the island and an Alaskan historian. These shots are filmed in silence or presented with music that adds to the tone by matching the narrative and images--letting you know how to feel about the shots (as if there even was another way to feel).

The documentary focuses entirely on Bill's point of view with comments from other soldiers that emphasize and reinforce his accounts of the battle. What is interesting about the documentary is that it uses images captured from Japanese soldiers on the island. These images suggest the humanity of the Japanese and they seem to be inconsistent with the grenade wielding men who "bonzaied" the Americans killing themselves and their enemy without mercy. Yet it is important to remember Bill when he says that no one can understand what they went through except others who have fought in hand-to-hand combat with a mortal enemy. Bill and his men were sent there to eradicate their enemy and take back the island and the Japanese struggled to maintain their hold; surrender was not an option on either side of the battle-line.

The film is clearly biased by the patriotic feelings of Bill and Andy. Bill acknowledges that the youth of nations have been used, but not abused, as the front-line of defense for their countries since the dawn of time. He was sent there to do a job and he didn't think about the consequences to him or those around him until after the fighting was over. To this day, Bill has some serious racism toward Japanese and these feelings come across in the film. On Engineer Hill there is a titanium star-burst monument erected by the Japanese to honor their fallen soldiers; Bill is outraged by the "audacity" of the Japanese government in erecting the monument on American soil for men who "stole" Attu Island from the U. S. He tells of his efforts to have the monument removed--pushing his own agenda in that regard. He mentions a trip to Hawaii in which he saw Japanese vacationers by the bus load. The image this created for him of Japanese again on American soil disturbed him greatly and seemed to be a catalyst for further work to remove the monument.

In all reality, the documentary accurately captures the account of these two men and the use of photographs and film from the battle itself only add more validity to their claims. We hear the men talk about the "Little Falls Cemetery" which no longer exists only to see the image in a photo; we hear the men talk about the Japanese men racing toward them with grenades and then see them rushing through the fog or with their heads blow up from their own grenades in film clips moments later. I had no doubts in my mind after watching the film that the battle for Attu was bloody and dangerous on all sides. Even Bill's racism can be if not justified then at least explained by his experience. It is only be luck and the ingenuity of an American captain that he survived the battle; while injured from a shot in the leg he had to sit by while the Japanese raided their make-shift hospital tents, killing wounded troops with guns and bayonets.

Bills heartfelt account and the use of excellent primary images and footage made this story successful in convincing me of both the ill-prepared and ill-equipped American soldiers who slid down frozen mountain faces in an effort to win back Attu. They succeeded in doing their duty to their country and while their story has been forgotten by many--their success and pain is undeniable. I leave this documentary feeling patriotic, proud, sympathetic, and more informed--mission accomplished.

Activity:
Provide students with clips from different types of documentaries to watch in class. These clips can come from different time periods. Clips can come from early propaganda focused documentaries from WWII to documentaries, historical documentaries meant to inform, or documentaries with social awareness agendas like Super Size Me, just to name a few. As they watch, have them identify different techniques used by the director of the film, how the documentary is presented, what is the goal, is their an agenda behind the film, who is the audience, is the film biased, what is the purpose of the film, etc. The class can discuss the different reasons for creating documentaries and what makes a successful or effective documentary. Lists can be generated by the class to identify the goals for making these different types of film. For a final project students can choose a type of documentary and create it using the class created lists as guides. This is great way to get students to think more critically about agendas and biases behind the media, as well as a way to work on persuasive or goal based creations (writing and media based).

CI 5472: Media Analysis

While I was watching the news (Fox 9 News--it was the first one I flipped to) I noticed that there were more local than national news stories—which I understood and expect from a local news program. For the most part, stories These stories ranged from brief overviews of national and world events to community stories. The longest amount of time was spent on a news piece recounting a memorial service held at Ft. Hood in Texas after 13 people were killed by a shooter, a health piece on a local boy who is battling a rare and serious disease, a look inside the Petter’s case, a long segment on weather, a news story on an older St. Paul couple facing foreclosure, and the follow-up account of a stab victim in St. Paul. I was surprised by the length of the weather story as well as the 5-6 minute account of the young boy who is recovering from brain surgery and therapy. Weather is important and the story about the boy is uplifting, but much less time was spent on trying to determine whether or not President Obama will be sending more troops to Afghanistan or if terrorists in the Middle East had gotten their hands on U.S. weaponry. These issues seem more newsworthy than the small health piece that was very specific and the back-and-forth banter of the weatherman and the anchor news reporters.
Overall, it seemed that in order to get through a variety of news stories the reporters spent a small amount of time on stories—enough to mention the story and quote a source—before moving on. This allows the audience to hear a variety of stories in a short amount of time. They also use images and video clips to give the audience more information about the story than they can report in a short amount of time. The stories they spent more time on included eyewitness accounts and interviews with family members or experts in an area. The voice of those being accused of something was usually not heard unless it was a paraphrase or quote that adds to their guilt. Interviews lend a sense of credibility to the stories, especially if they are experts—doctors, lawyers, members of executive or director boards, et. al.. The anchors used their voices to set the tone for the story--letting you know how to react to the story from their tones alone. The anchors themselves were a white man and an African American woman--which was a nice mix to see--yet the stories typically focused on white members of the community and nation unless they were involved in crime stories.


The shows I watch are The Office and Bones, as well as movies featured on HBO. As for news sources, I check the news on AOL Online and BBC America Online. The Office is broadcast on NBC which is owned by General Electric, Bones is a show on FOX which is owned by News Corporation, HBO and AOL are both owned by Time Warner, and BBC America is owned by the British Broadcasting Company. News Corp and Time Warner are major media producers being two of the leading media conglomerates in the U.S. While this means that they have the ability to provide national news and high quality media, it also means that these companies have a major hold in the media market. Eventually this control can become a monopolistic and influence what the American people receive from the media.

Activity:
In order to examine the differences between different local news stations, I think it would be beneficial to have students watch at least two different local news channels and compare the news reports of each channel. They can observe the different stories that are aired as well as the different ways in which channels report different stories--do they use the same footage, witnesses, quotes, etc. If they are able to, they can also note the different techniques used within the broadcast that appeal to the audience--are these the same between stations or do they differ? How effective are the techniques? From their observations students will be asked to identify which station seems more reliable to them and why. Students can then reflect upon their findings and report them back to the rest of the class. From these reflections the class can determine which news sources they find to be the most effective and reliable--this can lead to further descussion as to why students made these decisions.

CI 5441: Alexie Response

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Arnold Spirit Jr., or Junior as he is known on the “rez,” is a Spokane Indian who realizes he is being suffocated and trapped by the limited opportunities available to him. Junior’s realization leads him to a difficult decision; he must leave the reservation in order to reach his full potential by attending a white school twenty miles away. The novels follows Junior on his journey of discovery among the white students at his new school—Penelope, his anorexic girlfriend; Gordy, his genius friend and ally; Roger, the star-athlete and Junior’s teammate; and Coach, who has unswerving faith in Junior. While Junior is adjusting to his new relationships he also struggles with the existing ones, the troubled lives of his family and the loss of his friend turned enemy—Rowdy—on the reservation. The book explores general themes of class, race, and power as well as more defined themes such as resilience, death, and success. The book forces us to question hoe we think about these important themes by creating contradictory feelings of hope and dejection. As we follow Junior we learn that things are not as clear-cut as we imagine them to be and that for every up there is also a down, sideways, and every-which-way in between. In the end, Junior learns this for himself and comes to terms with his identity as white, Indian, basketball player, loser, winner, boyfriend, friend, enemy—he is what he is; a part-time Indian, full-time human.

The book is a well-written account of a fourteen-year-old boy who tells his life as it happens, how it happens. The use of a diary and the comical cartoon illustrations help readers identify Junior’s part in creating the text—it’s his story and he is going to tell it how it is. Because Junior’s character comes through the text and medium of the text it is easy for readers to identify his characteristics as a teenager. Junior’s voice also shines through with the breadth of teenage topics he is more than willing to present to the reader; he is not afraid to talk about kissing, masturbation, fighting, swearing, or boners. The major themes of the text themselves are important and Alexie creates a character who faces these difficult themes in his day-to-day life. The variety of issues assures that readers will be able to identify with some aspect of Junior’s life and make a relevant connection with him. I loved this book for its humor and ability to broach difficult subjects in an effective, meaningful way. Alexie invites readers into Junior’s world and doesn’t hold anything back and I appreciated that. I liked going through everything with Junior and reading his thoughts as he faced many things far beyond what any young man should.

I think this book is teachable because it is a captivating and humorous text that deals with many important and relevant issues students will face today: prejudice, classism, racism, power struggles, and self-identity issues. The book places these topics in a modern context that is accessible to students and allows them to see themselves and their own experiences mirrored in a text that they can relate to more easily then canonical texts. I think this text would be a great choice for teaching in a classroom. I think this book would be well-received in literature circles and could be looked at through reader-response, postcolonial, and privilege and social class lenses. Something I think you could really focus on throughout the text is identity; this text would be a great way to have students explore their own identities and discover how many different “tribes” they belong to themselves.