To Teach a Teacher

I learned so much more than I ever thought I would in this class, and most of it was by doing and discussing, (rather than the usual heavy workload of reading and writing papers that many other classes require.) This is exactly how I want to teach -- through engagement. Engaging students is by far the most important concept I learned this semester, and I feel as though other classes or teachers have not stressed how utterly important it is. We cannot just stand in front of a classroom and lecture, or click through a Powerpoint presentation. We need to reach our students, and differentiate instruction to reach each and every one of them. The biggest shift in my view of education is that I now put myself in the students' shoes. If I would rather do a simulation activity modeling the Holocaust when reading Number the Stars than writing an essay, then why would I assign them an essay? I think that some teachers take the easy way out; I've had teachers like this in the past. My curriculum here at Shippensburg has shown me what past teachers could have done better. I am distraught when I think back to my junior high and high school classrooms that lacked the engagement I, and all of my friends, really needed. I could have had a better educational experience, which upsets me. I never want a student to reflect back on my class and have this same thought. If an individual prefers to take the easy road, then teaching is certainly not for him/her.

On the other hand, I have had wonderful teachers as well. And when I think back to their classes, they implemented much of the same engagement strategies that I have come to know. We did activities, we analyzed the book, we became the book, rather than just talking broadly or writing about it. My approach to literature and the way in which I will teach it has changed as well. I am not afraid to have my students just delve into a book like I do. I was worried for a long time that there would be a divide between the way in which I read and the way in which they will. But now I have the confidence to just convince them to jump in head first, even if it is a hard text (like Shakespeare). Because I will be right there if they need my help, and we can work as a class through our difficulties together.

I want to make my classroom a community, as mentioned above. I believe this creates more positive surroundings for everyone, which makes students want to come to class and enjoy their time there. Much of what I learned in Adolescent Lit was not taught through instruction, but through how our class was structured. Dr. Shannon promoted such a relaxed and fun atmosphere, such that I always felt comfortable asking questions and sharing my thoughts. This is vital to a classroom. If students cannot share their ideas, then we have nothing; because their education is about them. I want to keep my classroom management under control, but at the same time create the relaxed atmosphere I felt in this class. Lastly, I think if we are understanding and kind teachers, who are compassionate towards the needs of our students, we can never go wrong. If students make a connection with us as people, even if it is just that they feel as though we are easy to talk to, then maybe they will make a connection with us as teachers as well, and engage in our class.

The Lyrics of My Life

"The House That Built Me" ~ Miranda Lambert
I know they say you can’t go home again
I just had to come back one last time
Ma’am I know you don’t know me from Adam
But these handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs in that little back bedroom
Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar
I bet you didn’t know under that live oak
My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine
Plans were drawn and concrete poured
Nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama’s dream

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it’s like I’m someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could walk around I swear I’ll leave
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me


"Banana Pancakes" ~ Jack Johnson 
Can't you see that it's just raining?
Ain't no need to go outside...

Baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
From doing what you're supposed to.
Waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining?
Ain't no need to go outside

But just maybe, laka ukulele
Mommy made a baby
Really don't mind the breakfast
'cause you're my little lady
Lady, lady, love me
'cause I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there's no world outside

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining?
Ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need, mmm, mmm,
Can't you see, can't you see?
Rain all day, rain all night.

The telephone is singing
Ringing
It's too early
Don't pick it up
We don't need to we got everything
We need right here
And everything we need is enough
Just so easy
When the whole world fits inside of your arms
Don't really need to pay attention to the alarm
Wake up slow, yeah, wake up slow

Baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep ya
From doing what your supposed to
Waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining?
Ain't no need to go outside
Ain't no need, ain't no need
Rain all day and I really really, really don't mind
Can't you see, can't you see?
You gotta wake up slow 


"Life After You" ~ Daughtry
Ten miles from town and I just broke down
Spittin' out smoke on the side of the road
I'm out here alone just tryin' to get home
To tell you I was wrong but you already know

Believe me I won't stop at nothin'
To see you so I've started runnin'

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter
As long as I'm laughin' with you
I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after
After the life we've been through
'Cause I know there's no life after you

Last time we talked, the night that I walked
Burns like an iron in the back of my mind
I must've been high to say you and I
Weren't meant to be and just wastin' my time

Oh, why did I ever doubt you?
You know I would die here without you

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter
As long as I'm laughin' with you
I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/daughtry-lyrics/life-after-you-lyrics.html]
After the life we've been through
'Cause I know there's no life after you

You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one
After this time I spent alone
It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind
Thinkin' 'bout the better times, must've been outta my mind
So I'm runnin' back to tell you

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter
Without you God knows what I'd do, yeah

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter
As long as I'm laughin' with you
I'm thinkin' 'bout all that still matters is love ever after
After the life we've been through, yeah
Know there's no life after you

Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you
Know there's no life after you, yeah

Students or Fact Machines??

I chose to read Chapter 4 of Teaching Shakespeare Today, "The Use of Quotations in Teaching Shakespeare" by Leila Christenbury. I am such a "quote lover," you could say, and always seem to place inspirational and beautifully written quotations that I find around my room. So this chapter spoke to me from the beginning, and I came to embrace Christenbury's approach almost immediately. She pulls specific quotes from scenes of plays to teach the Shakespeare unit to her class, rather than having them read the plays in entirety. Smaller chunks of text focus students and provide more structure. Christenbury states that her approach uses the "part" to teach the "whole," meaning that quotes can exhibit for students a main theme of a Shakespeare play just as well as the whole play could. This method would be way less intimidating to students, I think, because many are discouraged before they even begin a play by its length and language. Even I was intimidated last semester taking Shakespeare as a Junior English major in college. We need to be sensitive to our students' feelings about Shakespeare and other complex texts, and facilitate enjoyment of reading more so than just pulling out facts. Christenbury reminds us that the "big picture" of a novel or play is of utmost importance; students should not be treated as fact machines. I remember so many times in high school where I would read a novel and love it; and my teacher would completely ruin these good feelings by asking us to restate menial facts about the story. (i.e. What color is the hat John wears?) These things have no relevance to the meaning and themes of a text, whether it be by Shakespeare or any author. I think that I will follow Christenbury's approach when teaching Shakespeare, and even other texts, in my classroom. It opens the door to creative extensions and activities that can be done with students, which facilitate a much higher level of thinking than fact spewing.

Can 1984 still fit into a 2011 classroom??

Feed could be our 1984 of today, but then where does George Orwell's novel fit into society and our classrooms? It was written in 1948 (oddly enough) and published in 1949, and predicted what the world would be like 36 years ahead of its time. 1984 is now 27 years behind us, and all of the proposals Orwell sets out seemingly did not even come true...or did they? Teacher Vision, a teacher resource website, explains the relevance of 1984 still today:
    
     1984...was intended as a warning against totalitarian tendencies rather than as a prophetic work. Now that the year 1984 has passed, many may scoff at the warning, but those who do would be wise to look at the present a bit more closely. Currently, we have subliminal messages, two-way televisions, computer viruses threatening to endanger our much depended-upon information systems (with possible global impact), and countries all over the world committing atrocities against their own people. Recent political campaigns have shown us explicitly the extent to which propaganda has corrupted our own language. Politicians have perfected their own type of "Newspeak."
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/science-fiction/activity/3305.html


The above excerpt points out all of the flaws of today's society that occur in Orwell's novel published 28 years ago. I remember sitting in my senior English class and thinking, "Why the heck are we reading this, when 1984 is long gone?" It is before some of us were even born! I think it is important to open with a quote like the one above to show students the relevance of both Orwell's and other futuristic novels. They can do reflections and/or have a class discussion at stopping points throughout the book to discuss which of Orwell's predictions or variations of them have actually come true. 

I never EVER want a feed.

Feed. is. weird. I have so many questioning thoughts about this novel! First of all, the lesions that all the characters have are DISGUSTING! They almost serve as a symbol of trends in modern-day societies: no matter how ugly or awful something is, if peers have one or are participating, we just jump on the badwagon! I wonder also if the lesions are a result of something harmful in the atmosphere. Maybe they are an exaggerated extension of the results of all the pollutants in our atmosphere today, since the novel is futuristic. Going back to the idea of the badwagon and lesions...this is a direct representation of how the characters cannot think for themselves because of the feed. In today's world, teens and young adults are already so easily influenced by friends and surroundings. Imagine if we had computers to think FOR us! This aspect of M.T. Anderson's book particularly scares me. It seems as though this is the direction in which our world is headed, the world where just a few generations below us could live. And the sad part is, they won't even realize how controlling and terrible technology is until it is ruling their lives. The characters in this book seem to think that the feed is the only way to think and communicate. They cannot fathom a time, nor want to, where people use their own thoughts and emotions to drive decisions and interactions. I do not want my children or my children's children to live in a world like this.

Feed does however have many positive aspects for our future students. The language personally drove me crazy as an English major, and was a challenge to get through at first. I was confused in certain parts of the novel where the characters would constantly switch back and forth between their own simple language and modern-day English. However I do think the language is very relatable to students, who spend their days using short responses in texts and on social networks. Another positive aspect of the novel for students is its text and length. Not only is the language itself quick and easy to read, but the format of the novel is not at all intimidating. The chapters are short, and the amount of text on each page is minimal. Finally, the themes presented in Anderson's story are fun and interesting to discuss with a class of high school students. Many extensions and activities could be used in a Feed unit in the classroom. We could have students communicate one class period only through texting or instant messaging, and ask them if the activity is similar or different to their real lives. Students could create a future world in a 3-D version (diorama) or a drawn version on poster board. To accompany this, they could submit a short paper listing both the positive and negative aspects of their created world.

I began Feed on the plane ride to my Spring break destination and quite honestly was like, "What the heck?!" at first. But once I read farther and got past the language a bit, I did enjoy it. :)

I am enjoying Lois Lowry's Number the Stars just as much now as I did in sixth grade! This was one of my favorite books as a child, partly because I remember my teacher being so enthusiastic about it. I will definitely include this novel in my curriculum whenever possible, and hopefully portray the same enthusiasm my sixth grade teacher did. This book is so easy to relate to, especially for children, which is another reason I enjoy it so much. However on my second read because I am older, I find myself relating more to Annemarie's parents than to Annemarie and Ellen. I cannot imagine being put in their situation with, say, the two little girls I babysit or my little cousins. I would not even know how to go about informing children of such a serious and dangerous event, but they seem to do it beautifully. In this sense then, Number the Stars offers young readers other children they can relate to (Annemarie and Ellen), and also wonderful role models (the girls' parents). The fact that a story of the Holocaust is told through the eyes of a young girl makes it so much less intimidating for our students. It informs them of how that terrible time affected children and young adults their own age, which can help them to comprehend much better than reading facts out of a history book. In my opinion, relating material to students' own lives will always improve their understanding and remembrance of it. Lowry also provides a glimpse of the Holocaust through the eyes of what could just as easily be these young readers' parents. I think making these connections when teaching a unit as serious and tough as the Holocaust can put the material on our students' level, and make it a little less scary to learn and discuss.


I looked online for ideas to teach Number the Stars in relation to the Holocaust. One website strongly suggested discussing with students the reoccurring Star of  David, and what it means to Jewish people. I think this is especially important, since it comes up many times in the novel and our students may not know a lot about the Jewish faith. Perhaps introducing the Jewish faith in general and major events and countries included in the Holocaust prior to reading the novel would be beneficial. In addition, Denmark may be a little known country to students in sixth or seventh grade. I remember wondering about characteristics of Copenhagen, Denmark in sixth grade. It is hard to understand the context of a story if the reader cannot grasp setting. One website offered this activity:

"1. Travel Brochure

Prepare a travel brochure using pictures found or drawn from Denmark to share with the class and encouraging people to visit this country after the war."

Some modifications could be made to this activity, such as half the class making a brochure of Denmark during the war, and half of post-war Denmark. Comparisons could then be made in class discussion. This would also be beneficial to students if completed prior to reading the novel, and help them to accurately imagine where Number the Stars takes place. 

A Fun Thought :)

Can I just tell everyone how excited I am to read a book that I actually want to read over Spring Break?! Any suggestions?

The Icing on the Cake: Ingredients of a Literature Circle

     I love Daniels' "Eleven Key Ingredients" to facilitating successful literature circles. They really highlight the positive aspects of lit circles in the classroom. The fact that number one is, "Students choose their own reading materials," shows just how student-centered this approach is (Daniels 18). I want students to love coming to my class every day; and what better way to achieve that great teacher-student relationship than by giving them freedom. In addition, another item on this list states that students extend their choice of reading by creating their own discussion topics. So not only can they choose their text, they can also highlight and discuss the sections and themes of it that interest them the most. I like how Daniels' suggests that groups be temporary. This gives students a chance to make a connection with many different classmates, and also to gain various perspectives and methods of learning from other students. 

     There is, however, one item on this list that remains a bit confusing to me. Number 8 states: "The teacher serves as a facilitator, not a group member or instructor" (Daniels 18). I find myself thinking I understand this concept, and then confusing myself all over again. To me, an instructor would assign discussion questions and walk around the room, hovering over students during class time. So I see why Daniels does not recommend this tactic. I have always thought a good way to go about group work, (as a teacher), though was to make your way around the classroom, joining each group as a contributing member for a few minutes. But Daniels' statement also disputes this idea. So how do I go about facilitating literature circles when I am a teacher? I really want to have a strong understanding of this approach because I think it could be such a fun and positive experience for my future students! 

A Stroll Down Mango Street

     I have been excited to read The House on Mango Street since the day I saw it on our reading list. I read it in my tenth grade Honors English and loved it! It was a breath of fresh air for me five years ago, just as it was this past week. In my tenth grade English class, it seemed unlikely and nontraditional to be reading a novel that, quite honestly, was so easy to get through. Placed amongst the classic texts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Wuthering Heights, it was such an easy read. And again, this past week, I found myself reading The House on Mango Street before bed to help me relax. Hopefully when implemented in our classroom, Sandra Cisneros' witty and charming novel will have the same effect for our students. But does the fact that House on Mango Street is a short, easy read diminish its merit as a piece of literature? In my opinion, definitely not.
     I remember my tenth grade English teacher referring to the small chapters as vignettes, each one being its own little life story. We wrote our own vignettes throughout the course of reading the novel, which was a refreshing class activity. I think any time we can incorporate our students' own lives and stories into class activities, we should. It makes the activity more personal, meaningful, and relaxing to complete. Beyond all of the creative extensions House on Mango Street provides for us to do with students, it also offers an array of discussion and activities within the genre of multicultural literature. In fact, I think one of the vignettes I composed in tenth grade was about how my family celebrates a holiday according to our culture. Of course every holiday in my family is celebrated with a trip to church, a full table of food, and good beer and wine, fitting to the Irish Catholic demographic. But the point is, this came through in my vignette. We can offer students various activities that allow their own heritages to come through, just as Esperanza'a does through the entire novel. Some of these include constructing a family tree, and illustrating a room in their house that displays their own culture. Again, these activities are personal and so become meaningful, while also providing a reason to connect with family members and ask questions. The House on Mango Street also generates great class discussion, in which we as teachers could pose the question to each student, "What does your own culture and background really mean to you?" It is surprising to me that such a fun and relaxing read can supply us with so many windows of opportunity to explore with our students!

Happy Early Valentine's!

A Comic Epiphany

     I made a connection that really hit home with me between a point raised in Chapter five of Wilhelm's YGBB and Dr. Mortimore's article. Wilhelm states: "Much of what these students revealed to me made me begin to believe that these students did not 'see' anything when they read, and that therefore they could not experience and think about what they had read. They had no ownership over the process, and no sense that it could work for them in personally meaningful ways" (158). We as teachers need to teach students the strategies and motivate them to own their own stories and reading processes. We need to remind them that a book is what you make it; so they should each make it their own! I think many students, well most all students actually, are disappointed when they hear that the entire class will be reading the same assigned text. But if we can help them to understand that a text's meaning varies for each and every reader, maybe they will crack it open and read! The characters, conflict, and themes of a story will resonate differently with all of our students; and we need to remind them of that to create a sense of individuality, (something very important to secondary students).
     This is where Dr. Mortimore's article and the use of comic books in our classrooms comes into play. My favorite convention discussed is the "gutter," and not just because its name makes me laugh. The gaps or gutters in a comic allow readers to use their imagination and make the story their own. One reader may kill off the protagonist, while another murders the villain. And so I think we can use comics in our classrooms to teach the strategy of visualizing and creating meaning that students can then extend to more complex and longer novels. For example, I could assign all of my students the same comic to read and ask them to fill in each gap with their own picture and words of what they think is happening. I would then ask each student to share with the rest of the class their take on the story, or their own story rather. I can almost guarantee that each and every one will be different in some way, whether the variations are significant or small. This exercise would prove to a class that everyone interprets a story differently, when he/she really takes the time to engage and visualize it. It also provides great practice for imagery in reading, which can eventually transition to the mental imagery Wilhelm suggests "good readers" use.

Fun Activities for Our Students!

Reading Chapter 5 of YGBB motivated me to look for fun comprehension activities to use in my future classroom. Specifically I looked for ones that can include imagery because Wilhelm suggests, "...the ability to use imagery is a central difference between good and poor readers" (158). The activities I found are not just beneficial to students like Walter, Tommy, and Kae, but to all of our future students! :)

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/prodev/PAS_Sequence-Chain.pdf

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/TCR/0743932080_019.pdf

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/graphic-organizers/reading-comprehension/2279.html?detoured=1

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/reading/graphic-organizers/2280.html?detoured=1

For these organizers, students could draw or place magazine clippings in each box with a caption. This will help them to visualize the character, scene, or theme, and also to remember it (since they have drawn/chosen the pictures themselves). I think that these would most likely work well with middle school students, but the last link in the list says its age range is 2nd grade to 12th grade. More blogging later!

YGBB Part 1

     Wilhelm's discussion of New Criticism versus reader-response in the classroom really made me aware of my own education in middle and high school. There are only two classes I can remember, Honors 10th and 11th grade English, that I utilized the reader-response method as a learner. As I read Wilhelm's words, I realized for the first time that a majority of my education of literature was searching for the right answer in a novel and plugging it into a fill-in-the-blank on a worksheet. It is appalling to me that I was instructed in this manner, and that there are still teachers today using the New Critical approach in their classroom! I will most definitely not be that kind of teacher. As I think back to my 10th and 11th grade classes where we practiced reader-response, I remember forming our own interpretations, writing responses and feelings based on those interpretations (rather than answers to questions or prompts), choosing our own version of projects that correlated with the texts, and discussing the texts in both small and large groups. I had the most positive literary experiences in these two years, and also retained the most information. A student does not need to be overwhelmed with information or specifics about a text, and then told to memorize it, in order to take something away from a class.
     I understand that I will have students showing up to my class on day one with a negative attitude toward reading. That is the ugly truth of being an English teacher, one reinforced constantly by Wilhelm. However while reading YGBB, I thought of a strategy to break the ice a bit. During the first week of school, I can assign my students an interesting and fun book chapter or excerpt to read in class one day. I will then collect the text without saying a word. I will give them no worksheets or questions that go with the reading. Just reading for reading's sake. (I'm sure they will think this is odd.) The next day, when they come into class, I can ask them to write a paragraph or two in response to the previous day's text. I will remind them that the response should be based on such things as how the text made them feel and what they thought about the choices each character made. It does not have to include any specifics or "right" information about the text. I would do this exercise once or twice a week for the next couple of weeks to break my students of their efferent reading habit. Hopefully it will allow them to enjoy reading and really absorb the text. Also, having them read one day and write the response the next takes the pressure away of "just looking for things to write about in the text," as they had done in previous classes.
     A question came to me as I was reading about Wilhelm's reader-response approach in his classroom. He states: "It became clear to me that the general strategies used by many students to read a textbook in the efferent stance were not sufficient to achieving an aesthetic reading with literature" (31). Students utilize the efferent stance with textbooks in almost every other class of the day. They search for methods to solve problems and the correct answers in both math and science, and the correct people, places, and dates in their history textbooks. So how then can we as English teachers expect them to just shift into the aesthetic stance when they step foot in our classrooms? This is a difficult transition. I guess my real question is, What strategies and assistance can we provide in the English classroom to smoothly transition from "looking for the answers" to "creating one's own meaning"?

My Literacy Profile

I would describe my literary "style" as classic. I love old classic novels as well as the modern and contemporary classics. The Great Gatsby is my absolute favorite book. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is my second. This book has been deemed a modern classic for its coming-of-age theme. Also Smith's writing is brilliant and creative in my opinion. I am a fan of the novels I will most likely be teaching, such as To Kill A Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, and The House on Mango Street. Sometimes over the summer when I need a quick and easy read, I read books set up in the same vignette style as The House on Mango Street. They are a nice break from all the reading I do during the semester. My favorite poet is Tennyson, and I especially enjoy his love poetry; it's beautiful! The most recent book I've read was Salman Rushdie's Luna and the Fire of Life, which was unexpected and fantastic. I finished it at the end of break, of course. I always wish that I had more time to read new bestsellers during the semester, but its so hard! I have loved reading ever since I was old enough to hold a book. I hope that I can inspire my students to read and write through the use of classic and contemporary classic novels every single day.