Observation #3

First, I think it's funny that you wrote that students "quickly take their seats." I was a little antsy at how slow they were, to be honest. Overall, I thought they were fine.

Just to make sure that we're both clear on how the lesson was to work: On Thursday, I received "notes" from students that were simply lines of "Fireflies" written down on paper with no description whatsoever. So, Friday's lesson was based on teaching them how to take notes (e.g., applying proper labels, writing necessary terms and explanations, etc.) and seeing if they could do significant work to understand "Charge of the Light Brigade" on their own. So, the idea of Monday's lesson was to clarify misunderstandings and to have them revisit their notes to see if they successfully completed the note-taking task.

I'm mostly responding to your notes here: while I'd love to teach the themes of the poem and things like that, as we discussed on the phone, I simply can't do it. The lack of comprehension by the students often prevents me from doing the more meaningful stuff. In an ideal world, the solution to this is to have lecture-type videos of the poetry lessons online so students can access them at home and receive the comprehension piece, then we can do the more meaningful aspects of poetry in class. Unfortunately, the demographics that we have at New Cumberland require teachers not to require anything that necessitates internet access. Similarly, in most cases, I can't have the students preview the poem at home and figure it out for homework because they simply won't do it. This could be an ideal situation for a reward system similar to Heather's -- if we give them something concrete to work towards, we might increase the positive pressures for students to do their homework. Again, the demographics are a bit of a problem with that idea, too, because of certain students' situations at home.

The problem that I have at the moment is our schedule from PSSAs is brutal as far as instruction. If we're lucky, we get a half hour with a class. If we're not, it's anywhere from 15-25 minutes (which is only half of a regular period). In other words, this poetry unit should have been done tomorrow, but instead it will go until Friday. The joys of scheduling for middle school <3

Regardless, I feel like the lesson went pretty well overall. I've had better and had worse, but I was happy with the way a large number of students performed on the assignment I gave them. Though I didn't want to take two days on that one poem, it was valuable experience for them.

Observation Reflection #2

I think the big thing about this day for me was that I didn't realize it was an observation day; had I read the email more carefully, I would have planned something else and saved the vocab quiz for another day. Regardless, you directly observed a couple changes that I made: the students' seating and the length of the quiz. Some of the seating changes I made allowed me to spend the quiz time more productively. Focusing less on individual students' actions gave me more time to think about other things--exactly how I wanted to ask a question, what I planned to do tomorrow, etc. The other change was the length of the quiz. Students had been taking quite a bit of time to complete vocab quizzes--up to 25 or 30 minutes for that number of questions. On the Friday prior to this quiz, I informed students that they would have only 20 minutes to complete it. While most students completed the quiz in only 10-12 minutes, the scores did not suffer.

I admittedly was surprised by the lack of understanding when I told them what their homework would be. Part of that is likely due to me calling the questions for homework "discussion questions." They're used to that term meaning something entirely different from what I was asking them to do. I should have asked for "questions for group discussion" or something similar. That probably would have eliminated nearly all confusion. At the same time, creating an example for them and showing it on the board would have helped, too. I really didn't expect them to need that help, given the work they had been doing in their RRJs.

The review questions/activity--chapter 1-8 quiz questions and apostrophes--basically went as expected. One change I made for sixth period was I put the quiz questions on the SMARTBoard as well, along with 4 options from the quiz itself. That made it a little easier to get students to answer the questions. The apostrophe activity was more lively 6th period, too. They got into a heated debate about the correct answers. It was fun. One thing I didn't like about the activity is that I ran out of time for it. Had the explanation of the questions not taken so long each period, I would've been fine. (But it did.)

The activity that I wanted you to see, involving chapter 13 and the poem "Southern Heritage" by Jason Carney actually turned out to be one of my least successful and most frustrating lessons. It seemed to me that students were given a lot of scaffolding to get them to the ideas that I wanted them to get to, but they never got there on their own. Before showing the video, I told them that the day's lesson was about connecting the messages and ideas from the poem to both chapter 13 and the novel as a whole.

The very basic idea I wanted them to grasp was that each work, TKAM and "Southern Heritage," dealt with issues of racism passed down through family lines and with a man who wanted his daughter to be a better person than all of those who came before her. Even when Dave helped me make modifications to the lesson (having them number the guiding questions and then number the lines in the lyrics where they thought the questions applied, which was really more poetry analysis than I had intended for the lesson), it just didn't work. Somehow that connection was still lacking. Having done literally hours of work to create that lesson (just getting the lyrics right, even after copying them from a source online, took nearly a half hour), it was definitely the most frustrated I've felt. I really don't know how to make that lesson more effective right off the bat unless I turn it into a poetry analysis lesson and follow up the next day with the connection to chapter 13 and the novel. My intention was to use it as a springboard for discussion of 13.

Observation Reflection #1

Overall, I was pretty happy with my first day being observed. Though many students weren't quite as equipped as I had hoped for the day's discussion, I felt like it went well.

The class started off with a student from the previous period staying for an extra couple minutes, then a number of students who were absent came to me. Students are supposed to come during resource time in the morning, but they often end up not coming until class. Having multiple students come to me at the beginning of the period often throws me off slightly, because I don't expect them and I'm usually trying to get things in order to start the period.

I put students with their clock partners because I knew that asking questions like, "What are we missing from chapter 9?" when it had been read for Monday (it was Thursday at this point) would make students hesitant (or unable) to answer those questions on their own. Students' behavior tended to dictate how much time I gave them to discuss the questions I posed: the fewer groups who were actually working, the less time I gave. While you noted that a few students seemed to carry the group, I mentioned in our post-conference that a number of students who don't usually offer much participation or had been lagging recently did very well in the period. I was happy with that participation from them.

You also noted that a lot of the energy came from me instead of the class. As Dave mentioned, that's a  technique that he has, in essence, challenged me to use. In 6th period, I didn't really need to use it. The class had its own energy, was participatory throughout discussion, and asked many of my questions for me. In other words, the same lesson worked very well later in the day. The only modification I made was walking around to partners to check progress on the questions that they were to discuss together.

Regarding the emphasis on points, students ask many questions regarding what assignments are worth and how they will be graded. We spend a lot of time answering questions like, "So wait, if I didn't write ________, do I still get all of the points or just half?" and "How much was that worth? Did you put the grades online yet?" The students respond to points, whether that's beneficial to them or not. I would love them to be interested in the learning itself, but some days that's simply not the case.

If I were to do this particular lesson again, the only thing I would change is the amount of time given to partners for discussion. In isolation, there was not much participation, but many students who didn't regularly offer input delivered it here. The following day, nearly every student in each period was called upon to share ideas. I do my best to get to everyone no less than every third day.

Grammartime

Grammar's hard.

But by that I mean, teaching grammar is hard. And it's not because it's actually hard, it's really just because no one cares to learn it. "It doesn't matter" whether I use the adjective or adverb form of the word, even though I sound like a fool saying I "did good." It doesn't matter what a preposition is or even which preposition I use. No one cares. It doesn't matter that my verb tense doesn't match my subject. That won't be confusing. You know what I'm trying to say. It doesn't matter if I know what an adjectival clause is. I can clearly point out what it's modifying (and therefore understand the gist of the sentence) without knowing what an adjectival clause is.

The biggest problem with teaching grammar is that no one cares, but everyone should care. Everyone should care that the second "I did good" comes out, anyone listening should be judging their intelligence. Everyone should care that using the wrong preposition makes the sentence confusing for the reader (or the translator). Everyone should care that the world is a place of credibility and reliability, and words reflect those things. Words mean things. Wrong words mean even more things. (See?)

So how do we get students to care? How do we teach them grammar and make it stick? Judging from discussions with Cumberland Valley's English Department Supervisor, they've got it right: teach traditional grammar in elementary school when students still care what their teachers think, what their parents think, and what their peers think. Allow them to learn and to make mistakes at a time in their lives when they're quick to forget mistakes and not be so self-conscious that they refuse to participate because they're afraid to get the answer wrong. Teach them while they want to learn. Enrich and review when they no longer actually care, but still remember the foundations that were laid.

Should we teach grammar in secondary schools? No. Not really, anyway. Grammar should have already been learned. Students should know nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and maybe prepositions. If they still need to learn appositives and absolutes and relative clauses, fine. We shouldn't be teaching basic skills in high school. If we're teaching what a noun is or what a verb is, we're wasting our time and every teacher before us has neglected to do his job.

Image Grammar is a book that has good ideas. It's a book that has useful practice activities. And it's a book that has fundamental flaws. How does one know what an absolute is if the book never tells what an absolute is? One or two sentences do not suffice. Showing examples of absolutes without addressing which part is the absolute in each sentence does not suffice. Most of all, expecting people who don't already know what those grammatical pieces are to understand them based on those exercises is a pipe dream. Does it teach aspects of grammar in context of writing? Sort of. Does it make students better writers? Probably. Does it actually teach what those grammatical constructions really are? No. Are there far too many rhetorical questions in this post? Probably. Will I add one more? Why not.

So, my teaching of grammar will probably look a lot like the traditional teaching does. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year for "high interest" material. But I'm not a TV show, or a movie, or a video game. I'm not a rock star, I'm not a circus performer, I'm not an NHL player. My job is not to entertain. My job is to teach. Sure, there will be games and activities, but there will probably be some worksheets and lectures, too. And you know... if students don't care to learn it, I can always manage this. And they can always manage this.

Post title?

I'm not gonna lie: I'm more than a little concerned about having to teach writing. First of all, I don't follow the "writing process" that we've always been taught to follow.  Second, it's very difficult in a school setting to help people revise/edit their papers without doing their paper for them. I sat down with my roommate last night and had an extremely productive revision session with him, and he did about 80% of the work. It was a great model of how revision should work. That said, we took about a half hour to work on what ended up being around eight sentences.

While we haven't had enough hands-on instruction when it comes to teaching writing, a lot of the things we've been reading have helped with ideas and practices. It's hard to tell exactly how these activities will work in practice, or how effective they'll be at teaching writing (as opposed to simply being things to write), but they should be helpful. In no particular order:

• Providing students with models of assignments 

This one comes in many forms: writing along with students, using good and bad student papers from prior years, or giving examples of different genres of writing (movie review, comparison/contrast, etc.) are all effective ways of helping students understand what is expected of them.

• FCAs for rough drafts

 Giving students three specific areas to focus on in a rough draft will lessen the burden on them while also helping to scaffold towards finished products.

• Revising rough drafts in groups (twice)

 A guided revision activity in what is essentially a mini-workshop setting is helpful for a number of reasons. Students get to read each others' papers and therefore see what others' strengths and weaknesses are, they get to work on their own revision skills and strategies, and they practice both giving and receiving criticism. Even better, they have an opportunity to fix their papers more than once. I'd rather give students multiple opportunities to revise after receiving input from peers than give them a grade and allow them to fix it: by the time the paper is graded, it should be done well.

• Reader-response journals

Reader-response journals are a nice alternative to reading quizzes. Not only do they demonstrate that students have read, but they also allow students to make the connections and ask the questions that are important to them.

• One-pagers for SSR choices

 I'd love to be able to do SSR, but I'd need to be sure students are actually reading. I think these are a good solution.

• Comics as summaries

Making comics/graphic novels/storyboards lets students engage in a fun activity that also reinforces plot and characterization.

• Free-writes

Free-writes are great for short writing activities, as well as brainstorming topics and questions.

• Correcting relevant writing mistakes after assignments are completed

 Seeing students' errors and using mini-lessons to work on those errors should be more immediately effective than just teaching concepts because they are concepts.

• Asking questions

As Smagorinsky suggests (88), having students prepare questions and lead discussions engages students with the text and enhances their critical thinking about the text.

• Personal journals

Like free-writes, journal prompts are great ways to get students to write about things that interest them. Additionally, good prompts will allow the kids both to practice writing and to learn things about themselves.

• Article of the Week

AOWs are fantastic ideas, mostly because of how little some people actually know about the world around them. Providing students with meaningful texts, especially when they connect to works from class, should be really helpful.

All of these activities/strategies are ones I'd like to use with my students. Looking at the list seems so daunting, though. It seems impossible to have time to do all of these things. I can only hope that I work in a school with 50-minute periods instead of 40-minute ones, or I'll have a hard time doing anything I want to on a regular basis.

I can haz tekst?

http://prezi.com/jdpae4kw_k1_/tuck-everlasting-text-satellite/?auth_key=9b9d013c84d2bf24ce56f135d5a64e083be506ff **fixed

My text satellite is based off of the novel Tuck Everlasting and its themes of duty, greed, mortality vs. immortality, change vs. stagnation, and the natural order of things.

Speaking of the natural order, I chose simply to organize the works by their types.While many of the works I chose specifically deal with death, most deal with at least two of the themes. For example, "A White Heron" relates to greed because the hunter wants to kill the white heron, while the girl's sense of duty compels her to lie to the hunter despite being enamored by him.

One of the most difficult things for me about assessing students is that I tend to want to create only the assessments that would like to do as a student. In other words, I don't want to make students create drawings, posters, or anything else too artsy, because I always hated those projects. I always felt that if I wasn't in at class, I shouldn't be forced to do art projects. That said, there will be a number of students in classes that do enjoy those types of assessments, so I need to be able to create them as second or third options.

The difficulty in using an art-related project is making it equivalent to a traditional essay/assessment. A five-page paper is not the same as a poster. The time involved might be the same (for a student like me, who has no art skills whatsoever), but the level of thought is entirely different. So, what steps can be taken to make them equivalent? Adding a short write-up to the art assignment would be fair, but I still don't think that gets the student to the same level of depth with the work. That is one of the biggest problems I'm having right now, because I know there are students who do like the non-traditional assignments. Between the task and the grading, though, I'm not quite sure at this point how to create them effectively.

On the other hand, I feel pretty comfortable making the traditional assessments. My feeling is that reading quizzes should be based on the topics I want students to take away from the reading, but at the same time--if I'm truly checking to see whether students read--I need to be conscious of what's on Sparknotes. That is what makes it hard to make a "fair" reading quiz, or one that's not just based on details that are hard to pick out. In that case, I'd rather lean towards a "prove to me that you read the chapter" quiz. It would be open-ended, and students would be required to prove more than that they read Sparknotes to get full credit. It's difficult, but it's also higher-level thinking using the text. The different responses and their scores would probably need to be modeled for the students.

Rubrics for essays and other assignments are relatively easy. Make requirements for the assignment, then read down the assignment sheet and create a section for each part of the assignment. If the paper is supposed to be 2-3 pages, there should be a "length" section on the rubric. Makes sense.

Exams and assessments for middle-schoolers are also a concern, because I don't know what those are like. I know papers are capped at one or two pages, but is that a good thing? Should we actually be pushing them to write two or three pages instead? Part of the problem is the education the students have received up to middle school and high school, because many teachers have not properly equipped the students with the appropriate skills for their age. That means topics and will have to be retaught, or certainly enriched, before moving on to more difficult skills. How do we compensate for the failures of prior teachers?

:(

Even though I was interested in the topic, the sheer length of the first two chapters made me want to commit readicide halfway through.

Much of that feeling was due to the fact that Gallagher is preaching to the choir, at least when I'm the one reading. For the last couple years I've been planning to take the Social Studies Praxis exam when I graduate so I can be certified in both English and Social Studies. While part of that is a way to (maybe) increase my chances of finding a job, the other part is that I'm interested in history (and, to a lesser extent, the other aspects of Social Studies). That being the case, I included texts on the American Revolution and the web collective Anonymous as reading in my conceptual unit. These are real-life examples of some of the topics covered in Fahrenheit 451. I'm all about putting real-world texts in the classroom, because I know that many people lack information on many fronts. CNN.com and the front page of Yahoo aren't in everyone's "Wanna Waste Time?" bookmarks.

That being said, I love the idea of the Article of the Week, and I would love to be able to require SSR on Fridays (though the classes at the end of the day might need that moved to Mondays...or I could just move it there for everyone).  I know that there will be some push against that idea, but one of my high school teachers used to play a class game of Taboo with us on Fridays; as an administrator, I'd be much more apt to think, "But that's a game," than, "Why are they reading?" (I'm not saying Taboo has no merit. It does.) Something else I'm trying to do is work off the Khan Academy model and move all of my parts-of-speech instruction outside of the classroom and work on practice inside it--maybe using the AoW as a basis for the sentences we'll break down.

The idea about using Amazon to build a classroom library is a great idea, too. No one wants to be "that guy" and push and push for things in department meetings and planning centers, which is likely a large part of the reason that schools are lacking in positive change. The Amazon library avoids that issue totally. I actually ask for people to buy my birthday and Christmas presents (I feel awkward mentioning my own "birthday and Christmas presents" at 22-years-old. Huh.) used on Amazon. Why? Well I'll be honest--I can get more of them that way. Do I want Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland for $18 or for $6? Duh.

So basically, I'm all in. I just wish there had been a SparkNotes version of the first two chapters, because I really didn't need to be convinced.

Oh-ooh-oh, listen to the music

Train - When I Look to the Sky
[Verse 1]
When it rains it pours and opens doors
And floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry
And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love
That have to say goodbye

[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go

Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here

[Verse 2]
And every word I didn't say that caught up in some busy day
And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before
And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss
And pick you up in all of this when I sail away

[Chorus:]
And as I float along this ocean
I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave

[Verse 3]
Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plane overhead
Instead it just feels like it is impossible to fly
But with you I can spread my wings
to see me over everything that life may send me
When I am hoping it won't pass me by

And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me
there you are to show me

Cause when I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me
And you make everything alright
And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me
And I can always find my way when you are here


Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ?9...

Wear Sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas
the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience
I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand
the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years
youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how
much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
Youre not as fat as you imagine.

Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Dont be reckless with other peoples hearts, dont put up with people who
are reckless with yours.

Floss

Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes youre ahead, sometimes youre behind
the race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing
this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your life
the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds know still dont.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.

Maybe youll marry, maybe you wont, maybe youll have children,
maybe you wont, maybe youll divorce at 40, maybe youll dance the funky chicken
on your 75th wedding anniversary.
What ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
its the greatest instrument youll ever own..

Danceeven if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you dont follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when theyll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and
the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander,
you too will get old, and when you do youll fantasize that when you were
young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their
elders.

Respect your elders.

Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Dont mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling
it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...





Rascal Flatts - My Wish

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

Strategies I've learned:
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text

One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.

Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.

I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.

Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.

Huh?

That's what I thought the entire time I was reading Manga Shakespeare. I love the concept, but I just couldn't handle it. The first few pages give a guide to show us who the characters are, but the guide is in color. The rest of the book? Black and white. Thanks for being so helpful. It essentially took me more than half of the novel to keep a few of the characters straight (of course, with some of the illustrations, not even I could keep them straight--kudos to those drawing it for keeping that aspect of Shakespeare's works). I think reading this is analogous to watching the awful 1996 movie in that it's just so difficult to follow. And a bit ridiculous at times (then again, when isn't Billy completely over the top?).

Like I said, I love the concept. I think being able to visualize Shakespeare's works is much easier than having to try to set everyone up yourself. I just didn't like the execution. This doesn't make it less confusing, it makes it more confusing. Maybe you disagree, but I think it's much easier to follow when there are names and text side-by-side, and there's never a doubt who's who because of it. The lack of color is also disappointing for two reasons: we're teased in the front by being shown amazing pictures, then 4 pages in it's all black and white. On top of that, black blood just doesn't have any feeling to it. Who cares if there's a pool of black blood on the ground? It doesn't even look like blood. Why should I feel bad?

I really don't think I'd ever use this in class, at least not without going through it a couple more times. I'd certainly have to work hard to convince myself to use it. I'm in Shakespeare right now and have no problems reading the majority of the stuff, so if I'm confused by this, I don't think that will benefit my future students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag-Oyn8vIPE

The Hunger Games

Another gushing post? Maybe. What can I say? I loved the book. A quick rundown:

• The Hunger Games shows a society that, like Feed, isn't all that far-fetched. Granted, I don't think we'll get to that point, it's still conceivable that it could happen. (Something to think about: how are the Hunger Games similar to the Olympics?)
• You had to know Peeta was really in love with Catnip, despite his protestations near the middle of the novel.
• There's alot of fodder for discussion from this novel, including discussion about many different aspects of life--among them:
• (nested bullets? YUP!) Autocracies, dictatorships, etc.
• Upper/middle/lower classes and their roles and histories
• Hunting/gathering societies
• Mining towns
• Whether it's a good idea to have different sectors responsible for certain things, and how that relates to the history of the U.S. (steel belt, sun belt, wheat belt, etc.) and the U.S. today
• The pros and cons of an autocratic nation
• Rebellion and/or standing up for your rights and the rights of all people
• Friendship and love
• Connections to "The Lottery"
• Other connections to literature and pop culture (Twisted Metal games, the movie Gamer, etc.)
• ...and I'm out of ideas for the moment, but that's a pretty solid list to start out with. Like I said: there's alot
•  Catnip, maybe less than halfway through the book, reminds us about rebelling against the Capitol, making it clear that, at the end, she'll be left making an agreement with someone that they won't kill each other. I expected that. But I also expected the Capitol to let the muttations eat them.
• We've only finished one book out of three; in the next one it'll be interesting to see how things work out with Gale, and I have no idea what to expect form the final book. The fact that it's a trilogy gives even more opportunities for discussion whether or not the other books are ever read in class.

Teaching Hunger Games with Feed or Fahrenheit 451 might be a good idea. Depending on the level, maybe contrasting it with The Giver would even be good. The Giver is a portrayal of a utopian society rather than a dystopian society, but it questions whether that society really is a Utopia or not. I think the discussions resulting from contrasting the two would be very interesting and meaningful no matter what the level in high school. Middle school might provide less opportunity for fruitful discussions comparing and contrasting the two societies, and I would anticipate some push-back against reading The Hunger Games in a middle-school classroom, but I don't think I'd be opposed to teaching it there.

http://prezi.com/mojdt36mrozf/mixing-mind-and-metaphor/

PC World

"When people of any age are too afraid of saying, doing, or reading someting wrong, the tendency is to...withdraw int o a frozen state of immobility; then learning dies. Fearful silence...would seem to do more harm than any speech of text I can imagine!"

Let me start by saying that I can't deny the fact that Black students might feel uncomfortable in the classroom when Huckleberry Finn is read aloud with no omissions. And perhaps they might be upset by it if a White person (or a non-Black person) is the one who utters the word. However, if the word "nigger" is only to be used by Black people, and is never meant to be said by anyone else, why does the same group that promotes the non-use of the word proliferate it?  Movies, music, slam poetry, stand-up comedy, and a whole host of other mediums highlight it. Some 4:00 songs probably use it as much as Huck Finn. Some might say, Well it's their word now, so why shouldn't they use it? My answer is that if a word is taboo, it better be taboo to everyone. You can't make music that you know will be purchased and played primarily by Whites, say nigger 300 times on an album, and expect them never to use the phrase even if they are only singing the words written by a Black person.

I am absolutely opposed to anything about the political correctness movement, regardless of whether it has anything to do with race. I don't think people should be out shouting words that will likely be offensive to people, but it's in the book. It's meant to be read. It can't be changed, even when it is. Mental retardation is a legitimate disease diagnosis, just as people are handicapped. When we become "older Pennsylvanians" maybe we'll know more "differently abled" people because something has left them "with an intellectual disability." Senior citizens will tell you that most kids these days have plenty of intellectual disabilities, and many of them are differently abled, but that doesn't necessarily make them mentally retarded or handicapped. (This reads like a rant, but trust me that it's typed in complete calm.)

Though some of you may disagree, it is our job as English teachers to fix misconceptions about euphemism and encourage precise language. "African-American" does not mean Black. Plenty of Whites are African-American. "People of color" does not mean non-White, nor does it mean Black. I like to think I have plenty of color, thanks. I've met lots of art majors, too, and they're very differently abled; I can't even draw a tree and they're drawing waterfalls surrounding by forests. I think my point has been made. For issues regarding legitimately offensive language, it is preferable to use something in its place if the use of an offensive word will incite problems; similarly, it's important to teach why those words are deemed offensive. I don't think I've yet had a teacher who would say "nigger," regardless of what we're reading (Huck Finn, Light in August, etc.), and I don't know if I'd be doing any kind of service by reading it 213 times. However, it would certainly be said and discussed in the classroom. And I'd love someone (besides an older Pennsylvanian like Bill Cosby) to truly speak out against the use of the word by Blacks if they expect everyone else not to use it. If it's an oppressive, hateful word, why use it amongst yourselves? I know there's the who co-opting argument, but I don't feel like it holds any water whatsoever.

"Those who rock the boat or question the status quo are viewed as trouble-makers. Being 'good' teachers--like being good students--often means accepting the authority of others, not resisting or challenging it."

I think Wink's article is mostly important not for transforming students, but for transforming teachers (as she sort of implied). As teachers, it's our job to not only teach students, but to let them know why we're teaching what we are if they can't see the connection. Now, there's some leeway in that: "Why are reading this?" is a question that's important, but I think we need to use discretion in answering it. We've seen that sentiment in this class, specifically during the first couple of weeks when discussing why we teach certain works and don't teach others. It's important for us to have reasons for what we're teaching, even if they're as simple as "I like the themes," "It's a different genre than anything we've read," or "It's required by the district." Sometimes, though, it might be more beneficial to flip the question and see what the students' responses are--if not immediately, then when you're finished teaching whatever it is. Ask the students why we read what we did, or why we just did a grammar unit, etc. Those are good questions, and they show that students are (or aren't) making connections. I know I ask/ed myself "Why are we reading this?" after just about anything in Brit Lit 1 and 2 and American 1. A lot of that stuff is (in my humble opinion) beyond terrible, and even more beyond irrelevant. Teaching why we're teaching is a beneficial aspect to combating apathy, considering there are plenty of works you can assign that promote apathy at its greatest.

The Book Thief

Despite the 550 pages, there's no way I could complain about having to sit down and read this in a 24-hour period on a Friday and Saturday. I was hooked from the first page as Death sets up the narrative. Page 3 (really page 1) is one of my favorites of anything I've ever read. Add 4 and 5, and we get a kind of Gregory House as Death, which I'm thrilled about. And since the opening chapter was set up perfectly to both outline the novel and make the reader (or, at least, me) want to continue to read? All the better. I couldn't be much happier with the way the novel began or ended.

Maybe more importantly, I think this is a book that could replace one of the "classics." I would have no problems seeing this replace the Diary of Anne Frank. Or, if not replace, either use in addition to or simply excerpt the Diary. Here's why:

• The Book Thief is more engaging as literature (perhaps not more emotionally engaging)
• It has more literary elements to explore and discuss
• Though not factual, it's based on factual happenings
• It has the same general subject matter as the Diary
• We get to see more than one side of the horrors of WWII 

I think the last bullet is particularly important. We get to see the bombing, the hiding Jews, the fearful Germans who oppose the Nazis, the economic impacts of the war, the Hitler Youth, the parades of Jews, etc. Though we get realism from the Diary, the perspective is very limited. In this novel, we get nearly everything. And we get the novelty of Death's perspective! Not only that, but we also get a fractured narrative structure--sometimes Death seems to take a backseat as narrator to a more third-person omniscient view; I almost forgot Death was there sometimes--that is nonlinear. And metafiction. Death tells us at one point, after telling us that Rudy dies, that he doesn't care about the mystery; in turn, the author doesn't care about the mystery of the ending, he cares about the design of arriving at the ending. And better still, it's not a happy ending. Because honestly, how easy is it to have a happy ending in a novel about WWII?

Aside from my gushing review, I think that there is plenty to work with and to study here, with the potential to be nearly as emotionally engaging as the Diary. Zusak even wrote a book that appeals to the traditional gender classifications of both boys and girls: action, adventure, intrigue, and sports! for the boy stereotype, and family, companionship, and love for the girl stereotype. There are so many things you can do with this novel, from exploring gender to society to the economy to class to religion to Nazism as religion, etc. I guess I didn't end the gushing review last paragraph. This book is great. Great for the students and for the teacher. More thoughts later.

That don't make no sense.

After reading "Teaching Standard English: Whose Standard?," I'm left wondering one thing: do education systems in other countries teach a standard version of their languages? Do Mexican schools teach students not to use shortcuts in their formal writings? Do they teach that they don't "need" to know the vosotros forms of words? Or do they teach the vosotros forms and say, "Se necesitan solamente en su escritura formal."  I know when I learned Spanish in high school, I was told that the Mexican version of Spanish doesn't really use vosotros forms ("you," informal and plural), while Spanish from Spain does. I'm considering this question because I think we take a lot of flak for teaching American Standard English, but surely other countries must teach standard versions of their language. I hesitate to ask something like, "How would they grade papers?" and instead ask, "But how can they know if students are learning the language?" The devil's advocate would respond that they're learning the language at their house, because they certainly couldn't function without learning the language--how would they communicate?

What this post will eventually get to is that very question: How would they communicate? Christensen insists that SE is the language of power, but really, SE is the language of communication. Here's an extreme case as an example of what I mean: When I'm not at school, I work in a warehouse. Two women from South Korea work there, and have worked there for nearly 10 years. When I first started, I couldn't understand what they were trying to say to me. I'd ask what we were supposed to do next, and Sun would say, "Asking Barbara." Naturally, I assumed that meant she would be asking Barb, or had already asked and was waiting for a minute. After a few seconds, she'd make a motion or point and say "Go asking Barbara." Obviously I figured out that I was supposed to go ask. Though my example is not necessarily dialectical, it is representative. SE is used so that, when used correctly and by the rules, there can never be miscommunication. If you have the correct agreement, syntax, and word choice, everyone should always understand what you're trying to say. Without that, it's a language of inherent miscommunication. Any time I edit a paper for someone, I end up calling and asking, "Did you mean to say this, or this?," and that's the problem with non-standard English. In matters of national or personal security, I want the person who can speak SE every time, so there is no miscommunication about what's happening.

I titled this post as I did because it's a phrase I often use. I grew up in a home with a mother who taught journalism for one year and a father whose motto when it comes to English is, "If it was good enough for my grandfather, it's good enough for me." I know all about being unable to understand directions, and I know that there's something to be said for having a dialect or a personality in one's words. I love reading stories written that way--Roll of Thunder, things by Mark Twain, etc. Those writings have a different type of flavor than others. But that doesn't mean essays or government missives or menus should be written the same way. There are many more people who can understand basic SE (i.e., 7th-grade reading-level words, not words that you had to look up twice just to spell correctly). Far fewer can understand non-standard English. English majors can barely pronounce words in Roll of Thunder (much to my amusement), so it doesn't exactly make sense to argue for its acceptance in formal writings, only for its status as a legitimate dialect. Would you expect to take 100,000 English-speakers into Mexico and force them to change their syntax so you can be accommodated? Absolutely not.

Edit: "Yes, untracked classes will probably be louder than honors classes. Yes, more students will arrive academically unprepared than in an honors class. Yes, if the balance of the class is shifted too heavily in favor of low-track students, 'discipline' may remain an issue. But well-balanced untracked classes will also be more inventive, more creative, and more honest" ("Untracking" 173). -- Ok, that's all well and good. What about learning? I sat through untracked classes for 4 years in elementary school (K-3), and then only math and English were tracked (4-5). The first 4 years were the most boring years of my life as far as school is concerned. I got in more trouble than you could imagine. I was in the principal's office constantly, did about half of my homework, and often either talked during or didn't participate in class. Why? I was bored by the kids who needed to learn addition 17 different times, so I was a distraction to others. It's just like in college classes when there's an audible sigh because that kid raised his hand again. Obviously there are going to be kids who need extra help and it's our job to help them (and everyone else), but why hold others back? There's an easier way: honors vs. non-honors. Honors/AP for the kids who are hardcore, non-honors for everyone else. Easy enough.

Finally, Hade is trying to create controversy in a place where it doesn't exist. The lions are behaving in a manner fit for KINGS. Patriarchal societies have males on the throne. Period. And the women did not "[suffer] injustice quietly and patiently waiting for the rightful male heir to claim what is his" (234). Sarabi verbally challenged Scar, and Nala went to find Simba. And, he wanted so badly for this to be a gender issue that he conveniently glossed over the fact that literally hundreds of hyenas were there to protect Scar (vs. the 15-25 lionesses). Honestly, why should we give any credibility to a man who can't bother to spell the names of two main characters (Scar and Mufasa--Mustafa? Someone has issues with latent racism) correctly? Try giving any credence to someone writing an essay about "Hamlit" once, let alone about "Hamlit" and "Opheelya". Hade is the kid who, because the two male characters hugged, raises his hand the moment class begins and says, "I think the two guys are gay" and the teacher has to spend the next half hour explaining that they're not gay, but that we'll find later that they're far from it. Hade is that kid.

Comics

As far as the article is concerned, I'm impressed with the work done by the authors. To improve measurable statistics as much as they did is quite a feat. I have an issue or two with some of the insinuations they make, but I'll address those a little bit on Wednesday.

With American Born Chinese, I'm a little hesitant to use it extensively as a text for anything but middle school classes or lower-level classes in 8th-10th grades. I read it in maybe an hour and a half, so there's some benefit to using it for a couple days in a high school classroom, but not much longer. Again, that's simply for the literary aspect of it. To use it and then do other activities with it (such as those described in the article) or starting with ABC as a way to introduce conventions before moving on to a more difficult graphic novel would be beneficial.

I think it's more suited to middle school partly because of its message. With students going through difficulties as far as meeting new friends, growing up, etc., the theme of establishing and accepting one's identity is important for the students. Sixth grade or eighth grade seem like the best times to use it, as often those are the transition years--transitioning into a new school or about to move up to high school, respectively. The best part about using it in eighth grade would be that you could do it at the end of the year in order to give a bit of a break. I always hated when teachers assigned everything for the last 2-3 weeks of the year (just like professors inexplicably still do in college), so having that extra benefit is nice.

Edit: Wilhelm writes, "I have found that my student are all familiar with a variety of graphic organizers but that they don't really understand how to use them to do what they were invented to do: organize and analyze data. Instead, they seem to use them as a glorified worksheet for repeating what they have read or learned, not for seeing new patterns in the data and constructing new kinds of knowledge and representing this knowledge" (185). -- I've always had that problem. The only type of graphic organizer (besides maybe a chart every now and then) that has ever been useful to me is the Venn diagram. Everything else (especially KWL charts) has been mostly useless to me. Occasionally T charts are useful, too, but very rarely do they give me anything I haven't noticed myself (or else I wouldn't have been able to fill in the T chart in the first place).

You Gotta READ the Book

My initial and immediate reading of Wilhelm's method is that New Criticism is somehow a bad thing, but taking that stance would make readers miss so many things that texts themselves have to offer (a reader following NC might have noticed the alliteration in that sentence, which wasn't originally intentional but became so). If the reader isn't looking for characteristics like that (or isn't at least later made aware of them), he'll miss the genius of the writer or the work. I'll be the first to acknowledge that, oftentimes, there is no genius coming from either one (here's looking at you, Chopin), but it's hard to imagine missing out on the kinds of things that a close reading--but not necessarily NC--can show. I stopped on page 22 to type this, so maybe Wilhelm can reel me in with an argument soon.

It's important not to worry about correct interpretation unless there really is one, though. If an author has gone on record stating his or her intentions, there's nothing wrong with offering that view of the book. If the teacher hijacks the discussion with his favorite theoretical reading, regardless of how outlandish it is, that's a problem.

I also think it's important to visualize the scenes and connect to the text, but I have a hard time saying that that's more important to the reader than paying attention to the meanings of the words. I remember in 6th grade reading class, Mrs. Chilton gave us worksheets on which we had to make this many connections and visualize (draw) that many scenes and predict what would happen in the next chapter of whatever we were reading. Well, that's perfectly fine and perfectly correct. That's what Wilhelm is saying students need to learn. But, in my case, that was something we learned in 6th grade! We learned it in 6th grade and could then carry it over to 7th grade, through high school, through college, and into the rest of our lives. We didn't have to learn it in 8th or 9th or 10th grades. We had already learned that we were supposed to do those things. And that's why I have such trouble with the notion that students should be more focused on their own connections. They should've been taught those things years ago, and by 8th or 9th or 10th grade should be learning how to dive deeper into texts to gain meaning that way--in addition to what they've already learned about their own connections. That said, even in 10th or 11th grade, teachers would ask questions like, "How do you feel about Curly's wife? Do you think she's a good person?"

On page 88, Wilhelm says that many of his students have trouble spontaneously imagining the scenery of the story, and I literally cannot imagine not doing that while reading. My inability to understand that is most likely something that I'll have to learn to deal with while I'm teaching. It's a little bit like playing a sport: a great athlete will have difficulty understanding why you can't do something that he or she does every day, and will often have trouble teaching that skill until they understand what the average or less-practiced person needs to do in order to accomplish the task.

I read a story earlier today about teachers who are removing the desks from their classrooms. I feel the same way about this as I do about reading: aren't the desks important? I'd love to sit in a beanbag chair in class, but surely there are times when desks are better. Or maybe not. Maybe the desks are only important because teachers make them seem important; after all, they're often in the wrong place and need to be moved to facilitate activities anyway. So... maybe it's okay to get rid of the desks, but I think we need to keep some of the close reading.

I'm looking forward to reading more of this book because I think the subjects Wilhelm is writing about are things that inexperienced teachers either often worry about or never even think about. I'm interested to see what solutions he used in order to help his less-engaged readers become more so.