I get to start some great units to begin the new year:
Am. Lit.: Ray Bradbury stories and science fiction
Soph. Honors: The Princess Bride
College in the H.S.: The Red Badge of Courage
Mythology: Norse mythology
It's going to be a fun finish to the semester! Plus, I only have six students (out of over 150) who I worry won't pass. All can, but they need to buckle down and improve in a couple areas. I'm hopeful.
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Walk the Line?
I almost forgot to mention an interesting tidbit.
My department head spoke with the local theatre company who is performing Romeo and Juliet and received an opportunity to have a special performance for all of our 600 freshmen students who read the play during the Spring. We have the funding for the tickets but not for substitute teachers and transportation.
When the Boss Lady was approached about helping get funding for the needed buses, she replied "Why not walk them to the show?"
Let me see...600 freshmen, over two miles, on snowy and icy sidewalks, and then a return trek all uphill. Hmm...I wonder why that might be a bad idea?
Needless to say, instead of trying to help us find a means of creating this awesome event, especially for students who may never have this opportunity again, we're told to "work it out."
Sheesh!
My department head spoke with the local theatre company who is performing Romeo and Juliet and received an opportunity to have a special performance for all of our 600 freshmen students who read the play during the Spring. We have the funding for the tickets but not for substitute teachers and transportation.
When the Boss Lady was approached about helping get funding for the needed buses, she replied "Why not walk them to the show?"
Let me see...600 freshmen, over two miles, on snowy and icy sidewalks, and then a return trek all uphill. Hmm...I wonder why that might be a bad idea?
Needless to say, instead of trying to help us find a means of creating this awesome event, especially for students who may never have this opportunity again, we're told to "work it out."
Sheesh!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tangents
I love tangents in class. Yes, you heard me correctly: I love tangents in class.
Sometimes I learn more about my students in these situations than in any other, and sometimes we all learn a bit more about life than we could have done during the normal lesson.
Today while discussing the scene in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where some townspeople exhume a body, students began asking unusual questions.
"How bad would the body be when they dig it up?"
"Is it true that the hair and nails grow when you die?" (I enjoy watching the kids' faces when myths are debunked.)
"What is left when a body is cremated?"
"How much is left after cremation?"
"Where did cremation start?"
(Oddly enough and maybe eerily enough, I just watched a program about cremation a few weeks ago on The History Channel, so I could answer many of these questions.)
This led to a discussion about why people choose burial over cremation and vice versa. Also, we discussed how (sub)urban myths begin and what a few are. Finally, we discussed how the exhumation scene could become a part of a CSI episode and how the frauds (the king and duke as the Wilks brothers) could be exposed today and how they could succeed in conning a family. All this in the final 30 minutes of class!
What a great day! The kids were engaged, they asked questions, they bounced ideas back and forth, and we all learned about one another. While we may have strayed from my intended discussion items, the kids thought critically, explored deeply, and decided to research the topic some more.
I wish I had inspired them myself, but I'll take true and honest curiosity any day.
Sometimes I learn more about my students in these situations than in any other, and sometimes we all learn a bit more about life than we could have done during the normal lesson.
Today while discussing the scene in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where some townspeople exhume a body, students began asking unusual questions.
"How bad would the body be when they dig it up?"
"Is it true that the hair and nails grow when you die?" (I enjoy watching the kids' faces when myths are debunked.)
"What is left when a body is cremated?"
"How much is left after cremation?"
"Where did cremation start?"
(Oddly enough and maybe eerily enough, I just watched a program about cremation a few weeks ago on The History Channel, so I could answer many of these questions.)
This led to a discussion about why people choose burial over cremation and vice versa. Also, we discussed how (sub)urban myths begin and what a few are. Finally, we discussed how the exhumation scene could become a part of a CSI episode and how the frauds (the king and duke as the Wilks brothers) could be exposed today and how they could succeed in conning a family. All this in the final 30 minutes of class!
What a great day! The kids were engaged, they asked questions, they bounced ideas back and forth, and we all learned about one another. While we may have strayed from my intended discussion items, the kids thought critically, explored deeply, and decided to research the topic some more.
I wish I had inspired them myself, but I'll take true and honest curiosity any day.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Loving My Students
My classes were awesome this week!
American Literature: These kids have jumped right into The Crucible and explored the play wholeheartedly. They're asking the right questions and seem genuinely enthused to start each day. I think the groups I created are finally creating the collaboration I wanted to see.
College in the High School: They love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! It's the first time they have actively pursued the themes and nuances of the readings this year. One of kids said he really enjoyed the sonnet they wrote as well (from the perspective of a character in The Crucible), which prompted most of the kids to agree. I need to create more of these creative writing literary analysis writings.
Mythology: I have successfully turned them into the "myth geeks" I warned them they would become. At least ten kids in each class have explained how they identified mythological references in TV shows, movies, comics, and so on. I love it!
Sophomore Honors: We just finished a unit on The Chosen and Night, and the students explored both in Socratic circles for three days, and I never had to intervene. They continued the conversation with respect, introspection, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. I am so proud of them!
American Literature: These kids have jumped right into The Crucible and explored the play wholeheartedly. They're asking the right questions and seem genuinely enthused to start each day. I think the groups I created are finally creating the collaboration I wanted to see.
College in the High School: They love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! It's the first time they have actively pursued the themes and nuances of the readings this year. One of kids said he really enjoyed the sonnet they wrote as well (from the perspective of a character in The Crucible), which prompted most of the kids to agree. I need to create more of these creative writing literary analysis writings.
Mythology: I have successfully turned them into the "myth geeks" I warned them they would become. At least ten kids in each class have explained how they identified mythological references in TV shows, movies, comics, and so on. I love it!
Sophomore Honors: We just finished a unit on The Chosen and Night, and the students explored both in Socratic circles for three days, and I never had to intervene. They continued the conversation with respect, introspection, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. I am so proud of them!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
What We're Reading Now
American Literature: Puritan and Colonial literature such as Bradford, Bradstreet, Equiano, and de Vaca.
College in the High School (C.H.S.): Finishing Miller's The Crucible and beginning Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mythology: Finishing "Pegasus and Bellerophon" and starting "Jason and the Argonauts"
Sophomore Honors: Just finished Night by Elie Wiesel and starting The Chosen by Chaim Potok tomorrow
By the way, the students finished their projects in Mythology, C.H.S., and Honors, and they were awesome!
College in the High School (C.H.S.): Finishing Miller's The Crucible and beginning Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mythology: Finishing "Pegasus and Bellerophon" and starting "Jason and the Argonauts"
Sophomore Honors: Just finished Night by Elie Wiesel and starting The Chosen by Chaim Potok tomorrow
By the way, the students finished their projects in Mythology, C.H.S., and Honors, and they were awesome!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Test Prep
Last week I gave my students study guides for their novel final exams this week. One of the teachers in the copy room saw my study guide and asked why I give the students all of the identifications, quotes, and essay questions. I explained that I see teaching as:
1. Tell the students what they need to know. I show the students everything I want them to learn, skills and content.
2. Teach the students what they need to know. We learn the content as we learn the skills.
3. Make sure the students show me what they need to know. The exam reveals to me how well I did in teaching the material and skills, and it shows the students how well they did. The exam is as much a test of my success as it is representative of student learning.
If I see very low scores, I know we need to practice more and redo the final exam or project. If scores are high, we were all successful.
Anyway, the teacher in the copy room with me seemed surprised that I would give the students so much information that will be on the test or in the project. I simply stated that I don't believe we (teachers) should surprise students or try to trick the students. I believe students should be responsible for their learning but with known targets and standards.
I don't give the students every question, but I do give them every identification and skill required.
1. Tell the students what they need to know. I show the students everything I want them to learn, skills and content.
2. Teach the students what they need to know. We learn the content as we learn the skills.
3. Make sure the students show me what they need to know. The exam reveals to me how well I did in teaching the material and skills, and it shows the students how well they did. The exam is as much a test of my success as it is representative of student learning.
If I see very low scores, I know we need to practice more and redo the final exam or project. If scores are high, we were all successful.
Anyway, the teacher in the copy room with me seemed surprised that I would give the students so much information that will be on the test or in the project. I simply stated that I don't believe we (teachers) should surprise students or try to trick the students. I believe students should be responsible for their learning but with known targets and standards.
I don't give the students every question, but I do give them every identification and skill required.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Final Projects
I finally decided to give my final projects to my students in my Sophomore Honors class. They are going to choose three of the following four options for their A Tale of Two Cities project:
1. The students must choose a moving or critical quotation or passage and create a visual representation based on it. Paintings, drawings, and the like are acceptable, and the selected quotation or passage must be a part of the representation. In addition, the students must compose a short explanation about color choice, images, and so on.
2. This option requires the students to select eight literary devices from the class list and to create a graph/chart. On the chart the students must have a column for the devices, a quotation showing the device's employ, and the effect of its use.
3. Here, the students recreate a key scene from the novel and film it to play in class. Clothing, backgrounds, and dialogue must be authentic, and the students must have excellent film work.
4. This final option allows the students to compose a 300-400 word eulogy for any character from the novel.
My American Survey class will finish Fools Crow this week as well. They will select a 100 word passage and will compose a diction analysis. For now, this is all they will do since they have written three essays on the novel already. Besides this, I'm excited to start The Crucible.
My Mythology students will choose two of the following options (though I stacked the points, so the sonnet is a desirable option):
1. A Shakespearean sonnet where each of the first three quatrains summarize three different myths and the final couplet explains the connection between the three myths.
2. An original myth which must include eight mythological figures. The myth must either explain the creation of something, follow two lovers overcoming obstacles for their love, or teach a moral or lesson. These three types mirror the myths we've covered thus far.
3. A comic book summarizing one of the tales covered in class.
4. A picture book aimed at children teaching kids about mythological figures.
I look forward to these finished projects!
1. The students must choose a moving or critical quotation or passage and create a visual representation based on it. Paintings, drawings, and the like are acceptable, and the selected quotation or passage must be a part of the representation. In addition, the students must compose a short explanation about color choice, images, and so on.
2. This option requires the students to select eight literary devices from the class list and to create a graph/chart. On the chart the students must have a column for the devices, a quotation showing the device's employ, and the effect of its use.
3. Here, the students recreate a key scene from the novel and film it to play in class. Clothing, backgrounds, and dialogue must be authentic, and the students must have excellent film work.
4. This final option allows the students to compose a 300-400 word eulogy for any character from the novel.
My American Survey class will finish Fools Crow this week as well. They will select a 100 word passage and will compose a diction analysis. For now, this is all they will do since they have written three essays on the novel already. Besides this, I'm excited to start The Crucible.
My Mythology students will choose two of the following options (though I stacked the points, so the sonnet is a desirable option):
1. A Shakespearean sonnet where each of the first three quatrains summarize three different myths and the final couplet explains the connection between the three myths.
2. An original myth which must include eight mythological figures. The myth must either explain the creation of something, follow two lovers overcoming obstacles for their love, or teach a moral or lesson. These three types mirror the myths we've covered thus far.
3. A comic book summarizing one of the tales covered in class.
4. A picture book aimed at children teaching kids about mythological figures.
I look forward to these finished projects!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Books Right Now
Here are the books I'm teaching right now:
American Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
American Survey: Fools Crow by James Welch
Mythology: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Sophomore Honors: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
We finish Twain, Welch, and Dickens this week. I just love when Carton mounts the steps to the guillotine and says, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." It gets me every time, and this line hooks the kids for good. They never forget it. What a finish!
American Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
American Survey: Fools Crow by James Welch
Mythology: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Sophomore Honors: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
We finish Twain, Welch, and Dickens this week. I just love when Carton mounts the steps to the guillotine and says, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." It gets me every time, and this line hooks the kids for good. They never forget it. What a finish!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Say It Ain't So
My wife asked me the other day (paraphrased): "Isn't it just sad that Avril Lavigne could be the poet laureate of the current generation?"
Fortunately my wife was not standing in front of me when she said this because, first, I had to clean up the pop from across the room and next had to endure a sting in my nose for a few moments. Then, I had to sit and think: who really is the voice of this generation?
I did an activity with my kids this year (not totally mine, but still a good one) where they created a list of all of the current people who would be included in the history books from the 1990s and 2000s. They came up with the Clintons, the Bushes, Dick Cheney, Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt, Stephen Hawking, Angelina Jolie, Condoleeza Rice, J.K. Rowling, Harry Reid, and then local Washington politicians and some top 40 musicians.
We then compared and contrasted this list with the famous names in the history sections of the literature book. What did the kids discover after complaining that history is composed primarily of rich, white people? Their list was comprised primarily of rich, white people. It truly shocked them. They didn't see this result coming.
Granted, they included more actors and musicians than the history sections but the point was made: they view history much like the writers of their textbooks and as Americans have for generations.
Now comes my task: what do I do to help them find the voices of their generation? How do I help them find a diversity of voices while still completing the assigned curriculum for the courses I teach? How do I help them to foster an understanding of what is image and what is substance in contemporary literature?
Over the course of this year, as I learn the new course I'm teaching, I want to identify where I can include contemporary voices or how I can help them discover voices of substance on their own.
Fortunately my wife was not standing in front of me when she said this because, first, I had to clean up the pop from across the room and next had to endure a sting in my nose for a few moments. Then, I had to sit and think: who really is the voice of this generation?
I did an activity with my kids this year (not totally mine, but still a good one) where they created a list of all of the current people who would be included in the history books from the 1990s and 2000s. They came up with the Clintons, the Bushes, Dick Cheney, Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt, Stephen Hawking, Angelina Jolie, Condoleeza Rice, J.K. Rowling, Harry Reid, and then local Washington politicians and some top 40 musicians.
We then compared and contrasted this list with the famous names in the history sections of the literature book. What did the kids discover after complaining that history is composed primarily of rich, white people? Their list was comprised primarily of rich, white people. It truly shocked them. They didn't see this result coming.
Granted, they included more actors and musicians than the history sections but the point was made: they view history much like the writers of their textbooks and as Americans have for generations.
Now comes my task: what do I do to help them find the voices of their generation? How do I help them find a diversity of voices while still completing the assigned curriculum for the courses I teach? How do I help them to foster an understanding of what is image and what is substance in contemporary literature?
Over the course of this year, as I learn the new course I'm teaching, I want to identify where I can include contemporary voices or how I can help them discover voices of substance on their own.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
A New Beginning
Finally, the local college has approved me to teach the College in the High School course for American Literature, which we call The Survey. This course meets Communications 240 and English 250 at the college, so I have to meet some very specific learning targets in order for my students to have a chance of earning the credits.
I am looking forward to teaching this course, not just because my passion is American literature, but because I like trying to teach a new course. I get to explore literature on my own. I get to teach myself this August, a rare opportunity indeed. Knowing that teachers are the worst students, I guess this means I get to be teacher and student; thus, my complaints about the students this August are all about me.
Truly, my only real concern about this course is that I must follow the timeline and exact teaching units of the instructor currently teaching this course. She is an amazing teacher, but we do have distinct style differences. I also cringe at the thought of having to follow someone else's plan. Is it my arrogance or just my free spirit? I hope the latter. Maye it just reminds me of the push elsewhere to have teachers be on the same page at the same time, stifling the creativity of the craft.
Still, after this first year I will be able to branch out and do my own thing.
I am flattered that a number of my Sophomore Honors students and parents have requested that I teach this course in the hopes we'll be together again. I also feel excitement that we now have enough students requesting this course to create three sections instead of the normal two. One teacher told me he thinks my wife (an English teacher at my same school) and I have helped with this, fostering a greater love for English in our students.
While I'd love to believe this to be the answer, I think the push for students to take higher level courses is a primary factor. We have an AVID program in our school, now
in its third year, and we have a definite encouragement from the district and state to convince students to attempt higher level coursework. To be honest, I like seeing the kids challenge themselves in this way as well, not just to have a better looking transcript, but to see the students really want to explore (especially in English--my bias).
Anyway, I get to delve into the chronology of American literature beginning with Native American works through the modernists and possibly the post-modernists. We'll read contemporary pieces such as Fools Crow by James Welch, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Of course, we'll cover much of the canon, but I look forward most of all to exposing my students to more recently written texts. In the future, I hope to include even more.
I am looking forward to teaching this course, not just because my passion is American literature, but because I like trying to teach a new course. I get to explore literature on my own. I get to teach myself this August, a rare opportunity indeed. Knowing that teachers are the worst students, I guess this means I get to be teacher and student; thus, my complaints about the students this August are all about me.
Truly, my only real concern about this course is that I must follow the timeline and exact teaching units of the instructor currently teaching this course. She is an amazing teacher, but we do have distinct style differences. I also cringe at the thought of having to follow someone else's plan. Is it my arrogance or just my free spirit? I hope the latter. Maye it just reminds me of the push elsewhere to have teachers be on the same page at the same time, stifling the creativity of the craft.
Still, after this first year I will be able to branch out and do my own thing.
I am flattered that a number of my Sophomore Honors students and parents have requested that I teach this course in the hopes we'll be together again. I also feel excitement that we now have enough students requesting this course to create three sections instead of the normal two. One teacher told me he thinks my wife (an English teacher at my same school) and I have helped with this, fostering a greater love for English in our students.
While I'd love to believe this to be the answer, I think the push for students to take higher level courses is a primary factor. We have an AVID program in our school, now
in its third year, and we have a definite encouragement from the district and state to convince students to attempt higher level coursework. To be honest, I like seeing the kids challenge themselves in this way as well, not just to have a better looking transcript, but to see the students really want to explore (especially in English--my bias).Anyway, I get to delve into the chronology of American literature beginning with Native American works through the modernists and possibly the post-modernists. We'll read contemporary pieces such as Fools Crow by James Welch, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Of course, we'll cover much of the canon, but I look forward most of all to exposing my students to more recently written texts. In the future, I hope to include even more.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Reflections
Having just finished the final installment (awesome!) in the Harry Potter heptology, I began to reflect on the books from my childhood which have propelled me to love language and to keep one volume or another open at all times.
1. The Hardy Boys
- My mother would read a chapter a day to me on the back steps of our house until I was able to read these books on my own. Then, of course, I ravenously read the entire series numerous times.
2. The Three Investigators
- I loved these books. After I had practically memorized the adventures and Frank and Joe Hardy, these books helped me continue my mystery story obsession.
3. Choose Your Own Adventure books
- These interactive books were great! I could read them numerous times and discover every possible ending. Loved them!
4. Lucifer's Hammer
- This was the first "adult" book I had ever read when I was about seven. It pushed me to read more science fiction, which I still enjoy to this day.
5. Best Foot Forward
- My first sports love was soccer, and I read this book numerous times until I had literally read the cover off of it.
1. The Hardy Boys
- My mother would read a chapter a day to me on the back steps of our house until I was able to read these books on my own. Then, of course, I ravenously read the entire series numerous times.
2. The Three Investigators
- I loved these books. After I had practically memorized the adventures and Frank and Joe Hardy, these books helped me continue my mystery story obsession.
3. Choose Your Own Adventure books
- These interactive books were great! I could read them numerous times and discover every possible ending. Loved them!
4. Lucifer's Hammer
- This was the first "adult" book I had ever read when I was about seven. It pushed me to read more science fiction, which I still enjoy to this day.
5. Best Foot Forward
- My first sports love was soccer, and I read this book numerous times until I had literally read the cover off of it.
End of an Era
I have been an avid reader since I was young, and the Harry Potter series has fascinated me since its entrance into the literary world. Believe it or not, my mother purchased the first book, The Sorcerer's Stone, for me just after I began my first full-time teaching stint. She told that there was this phenomenon with some kids books, and she thought I should try them. I sped through the initial book just in time to purchase the second. I was hooked.
While I felt great about predicting the secret behind the final horcrux (I won't give anything away), I am somewhat saddened by the loss of a great series. No more secrets. No more mysteries. Stephen King always says it's not the destination which is important; it's the journey. I guess that's true in this case. The enjoyment, for me, really stemmed from the adventure, the secrets revealed, and the maturation of the characters. This bildungsroman kept me enthralled for eight years.
At midnight on Friday night I went with my wife and friend to purchase our reserved copies of The Deathly Hallows, and there I again loved seeing the students and adults dressed up as their favorite characters to purchase a book. A book, not a video game or movie. It renews my faith in the written word. There's nothing like the feel of new book in your hand, turning clean pages, and being the first to see the plot unfold in the new volume.
My favorite sight on Friday was seeing the excitement of the kids, who were waiting for others, flop right down on the floor and begin reading right away. They couldn't wait!
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