My Learning Letter

Dear Reader,

Upon my completion of English 493, Teaching Literature to Adolescents, I would like to reflect on what I have learned in this class. English 493 has made me think about who I want to be as a teacher and how I can become that teacher.

In this course, I have completed a book talk, mini lesson, and a unit plan. I am proud that I attempted all of these assignments, and completed each with a monumental amount of care and thought. For my book talk, I chose Looking for Alaska by John Green. I chose this book because I would like the chance to try to use it in my future classroom. I think many students can relate to what Green writes about, and may lead students to be engaged in the text. I want to be the kind of teacher that considers her students interests and lives, and apply it to the classroom to allow students as much room to grow as possible. Looking for Alaska deals with issues many teens face. If students have a chance to confront those ideas in a academic setting, they will be engaged while working toward state standards and unit objective. Also, John Green helps give teachers supplement material and ideas how to use his books in the classroom. (Which is fantastic and helpful for both new and veteran teachers.)

In my mini-lesson, I subjected my peers to my first attempt (ever) at teaching material I created. It was a requirement to use pop culture in some way, but I didn’t want to take the easy way out with a meme. I chose to use a comic because it appeals to reluctant readers and students who love comics. Using a comic also gave a fresh second reading that can be helpful for students understanding of the material. I wish I would have waited to group the students and would have given guided notes to help their discussion and reading of the comic.

I am extremely proud of my unit plan. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into its creation. (Not really the blood or sweat, but I did cry in frustration a few times.) I got really down on myself a few times because obviously if I can’t write a unit plan perfectly I won’t be a good teacher. After talking to a few students, and having the last class discussion, I felt better about the fact that this was a hard project. I sighed in relief when I realized I wasn’t the only one who struggled. I learned that I was to allow a lot of guided discussion time with lots of practice. I don’t want to be a teacher that lectures. I want to be a teacher that helps her students do activities and readings to improve their skills. I want to be the teacher that picks exciting material and students actually want to come to class. (I loathed one of my English teachers, so I want to be the exact opposite of her. I don’t want students to dread coming to my class.) The unit plan gave me a look into all the work teachers put into their ideas. I actually had fun when I wasn’t having a mental break down. Poe is one of my favorite authors, so it was nice to explore the endless possibilities I could do in a classroom. I also loved the idea of a creative project instead of a paper. (There’s still part of me that wants to get an art minor because crafts are life.) Writing papers develop important skills, but there are other skills that are just as important for students. (Not all students will go to college, and that is perfectly fine.)

We have gone over a ton of ideas and theories in class. We have talked about Common Core State Standards. I like the idea that I could have a chance to create my own units and curriculum as I follow standards. I liked that the article “Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards” by Beach, Thein, and Webb talked about the goods and bad of CCSS in the classroom. I think that article paired with the CCSS website will be a nice resource to refer back too while teaching. Along with standards, we have discussed how to assess students on standards. It’s a wild idea to me that we create the way we assess our students, (unless it’s set by the school.) As long as I make sure my rational for everything makes sense, assessing students will be effective.

In our discussions and readings, we also talked about discussion, social justice, pop culture, and empowerment in the classroom. All of these topics are extensive on their own, but I think they work well together. All of these ideas should be used in the most appropriate way for students to learn about literacy and the world around them. Discussion and open dialog classrooms give students time to explore ideas without a teacher telling them exactly what they need to know. Students aren’t vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge, they are learning individuals who should be guided and given opportunity to arrive at the answer, or at least think about the answer. (This includes giving appropriate wait time.) Students don’t necessarily need to become social justice warriors, but they should be aware of problems and oppressions in their local area, state, and country. (Knowing problems in other countries could benefit students as well, but I think local is the best teaching tool.) Pop culture helps students engage in the lesson and build bridges to their life outside the classroom. Pop culture can also make a lesson fun, and who doesn’t love a fun lesson. It is important to empower our students and allow them to realize what they have to say is important. I like the idea of bringing the typical outside world into the classroom. (Hip hop and poetry sounds like a great idea!) All these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg when thinking about having a meaningful classroom space for students. I feel like the longer I’m in the program and when I’m physically in the classroom, I will learn what works best for me and my students.

I also think that the books we read (I Read it, but I don’t get it and Readicide) will be important tools for me as a teacher. Readicide has helped me want to get back into reading, but also has allowed me ideas on how to not overwork students. Reading is important, and the more we have students read where choice and interest are involved, the more they’ll be engaged in the classroom. I Read it, but I don’t get it will help me organize the reading assignments, so students have a chance to comprehend what they are reading. I love the double entry journals, so I will definitely use them for my classroom.

Participating in this class has allowed me to think of who I want to be as a teacher. I have realized, I do feel a responsibility to help students become productive young adults. This includes allowing open dialog and giving students the chance be answer hard questions. Also, integrating students’ interests will allow them room for self-exploration and time to think about who they want to be. I know teachers need to follow the standards set by their state, but I think there is no reason to use that as an excuse why you can’t integrate student interest in the classroom. I also want to back my units with pop culture, social justice, and history, news, or facts. I think it’s important for students to engage with class material, and connect the material to outside the classroom. I remember being in high school, and I hated when teachers treated me like a child. Some teachers refused to talk about things that were happening in everyday life. We didn’t ever discuss race issues or politics. I think students should be treated like adults in the classroom. They need to have time to form their own opinion about different topics, and they can’t do that if we’re shielding them from the world. Of course, topics need to be age appropriate just like the material that is chosen. As a teacher, I want to help my students learn the literacy skills that are important for future academics, job opportunities, and participation in things outside the classroom (voting, traveling, and experiencing and appreciating other cultures to name a few.) I hope to be a great teacher, and this class has given me an introduction on how to do so. I will learn more about who I am as I participate in my own classroom and with my future mentor teacher. 

"Frankenstein" Graphic Novel Adaptation

I think the use of graphic novels in the classroom is a brilliant idea. Not all students love to read. Not all students who love to read want to read. My problem in high school was I would read dialog but skip the “scenery” of the text. I wanted to get things done quick and then base my answers from in class discussion, especially if I was uninterested in the text. I feel many students fit into the range I just described. Graphic novels cut out the extra verbiage and use pictures to describe what is happening, this will register with more students than just reading text.

I feel that graphic novels can reach more students. Reluctant readers, slow readers, and uninterested readers are more likely to do an assignment if it’s more interesting. A graphic novel is also a good starting point for students who are struggling to grasp concepts or just struggling as readers in general. The “Frankenstein” graphic novel is a good example of something that would work well for reluctant or struggling readers. It is a story most kids are familiar with, so if I were to give them just the story text they may ignore it and watch a movie instead. A graphic novel would help keep students engaged in the lesson and give students an extra understanding. Or I could assign both the text and the graphic novel and have the students compare scenes from it to develop a deeper understanding of the text.

The only thing that might be problematic using graphic novels is that some can be quite graphic or disturbing to some students. For example, Poe’s works can be disturbing at times with ideas of mental illness and death. When some stories were converted to a graphic novel, I would question using them because of the graphic nature. Of course, it depends on the students age and maturity. We should always customize our lessons to our students, so that will play a part in determining if graphic novels are worth it a classroom.

"Night" by Elie Wiesel

I had never heard of the novel "Night" by Elie Wiesel before this class. I remember in high school we briefly studied the Holocaust. In my English Language Arts class freshman year, we read “Anne Frank” and discussed the terrible things that happened to the Jewish people. We often talked about how people would hide Jews, and how the Jews were put into concentration camps. We never once looked at the Holocaust through the perspective of a Jew that was in a concentration camp.

Wiesel’s description was more horrific then I was prepared for. I had nightmares the night I finished the book. Wiesel’s depiction of his first night in the camp was terrifying. I can’t even fathom the fear that all those people were feeling. I can’t imagine not knowing if I was ever going to see my family again. What Wiesel (and many other Jews) went through is terrible and no human being should have had to endure that torment. The two scenes that come to my mind are the scene where the Polish are throwing babies in the air for target practice and the first day in the concentration camp when they were dumping kids into the fire pit alive. Those scenes were hard for me to even read, I can’t imagine what it was like for people’s daily lives to deal with that fear.

I would use this book in my classroom just because it would give students a new perspective on what happened in the Holocaust. Often, adults want to sugar coat events and ignore things that happened. I think it is important for students to be aware of things that have happened in history, so it doesn’t happen again. This book could also give students an appreciation of how strong the Jewish people and culture is.

The only thing I would be careful about is the graphic nature of this book. I would use this book in a group of older more mature students. (11^th-12^th grade most likely.) I would also need to bring up resources for students how may be troubled by the graphic areas of the book. Regardless of the graphic nature, I wish I would have read this in high school and if I can work it into my classroom I will. 

Poe Mini Lesson

TPA Lesson Plan #4

Course:

1. Teacher Candidate	Michelle Rubio	Date Taught
Cooperating Teacher	Sean Agriss	School/District	Eastern Washington University
2. Subject	English Language Arts	Field Supervisor	N/A
3. Lesson Title/Focus	“The Black Cat” Foreshadowing and POV	5. Length of Lesson	20 minutes
4. Grade Level	9th grade

6. Academic & Content Standards (Common Core/National)	CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
7. Learning Objective(s)	Students will be able to identify flashback and foreshadowing in Poe’s short story “The Black Cat.” Students will be able to identify point of view and discuss how it impacts the story. I can identify foreshadowing and point of view in “The Black Cat.”
8. Academic Language demands (vocabulary, function, syntax, discourse)	Vocabulary: Foreshadowing- when the author hints and warns of a future event. Flashback- technique used by an author to take a reader back in time to explain an event. Point of view- the person telling (or narrating) the story in first person, second person, or third person Function: Students will analyze foreshadowing and point of view. Syntax: Students will answer two questions (one question per group) about foreshadowing and point of view and answers will be written on the board. Discourse: Students will write out their answers about vocab and then discuss the vocab and answers with the class.

9. Assessment

Formative Assessment: Students will be asked to answer a question in their group. One group will be asked to compare foreshadowing in the text and comic and the other group will be asked to discuss point of view in the same way. Instead of turning their notes in, we will write their answers on the board and discuss as a class. 00At the end of the lesson, students will give a thumb up, down, or to the side on how they think they progressed through the lesson. This assessment will measure if the students can identify foreshadowing and point of view.

10. Lesson Connections

Research Theory: In the article “Linking Contemporary Research on Youth, Literacy, and Popular Culture with Literacy Teacher Education” by Robert Petrone, Using Pop Culture in the classroom can help student comprehension and bridge the gap of literacy development both in and out of school. Pop culture in the classroom “allows and creates spaces for students to draw on their own popular culture frames of reference to access, learn, and develop academic literacies.” (p. 14) In this lesson, students will connect a comic to a text, and further their understanding of the text. Students will use their own knowledge to think about how the text connects to pop culture they are familiar with. Prior Knowledge: This lesson will build off the pre-assessment at the beginning of the unit. Students were introduced to all the vocab they will need to know for the unit. In the previous lesson, students discussed and identified foreshadowing in Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart.” To participate fully, students will need to have an understanding of what foreshadowing and character development is. This lesson will build on the idea of foreshadowing by adding the term flashback. Point of view will be added and asked how in “The Black Cat” it relates to the character development. Students already know what foreshadowing is and how to identify it, but adding a comic and a new term “flashback” will deepen their understanding. Future Knowledge: This lesson will build into character development and what that means for the whole story. Students will be introduced to more terms as we move onto a longer story where more terms will apply. Viewing a comic will help the students get ideas for their creative portfolio, where they will have to create a couple scenes for part of the final project.

11. Instructional Strategies/Learning Tasks to Support Learning
Learning Tasks and Strategies Sequenced Instruction Introduction: Discussion on vocab words. Learning Tasks: Comic reading and group discussion. Closure: Discussion on foreshadowing and point of view from the group discussion and asking the students how they feel they are doing on the I can statement.
Teacher’s Role Introduction (5 minutes): -I will prompt the students to get out their laptops as I write the I can statement on the board. -I will say the I can statement out loud. -I will ask the students what they remember about foreshadowing from the previous lesson. -I will ask the students if they know what a flashback is, and to keep that idea in mind for the rest of the lesson. -I will ask the students if they know what point of view is. I will explain what point of view is if they don’t know. -I will explain that the comic will help them with ideas toward their creative portfolio at the end of the unit. Learning Tasks (10 minutes): -I will ask the students to access the comic from my blog and being to read it. After about five minutes, I will split the class in half and ask them two different questions. -Group one will be asked to compare foreshadowing in the text and the comic. I will ask that they compile a list of what parts of the comic helps their understanding of foreshadowing. -Group two will be asked to compare the comic to the text and what they understand about the narrator and his point of view. After five minutes, I will bring the class together to talk about our findings. Closure (5 minutes): -I will create two columns on the board: foreshadowing and point of view. Both groups will share what they found and explain how the comic helped them find these instances. - I will ask the students how they feel they met the target today with a thumb up, to the side, or down. -I will remind the students that tomorrow we will continue talking about “The Black Cat” and that this lesson will help them with ideas for their creative portfolio.	Students’ Role -Students will get out their laptops (or their electronic devices.) -Students will listen as I read out the I can statement. - Students will tell me what they remember from the previous lesson about foreshadowing. - Students will tell me if they know what a flashback is, and/or listen to what a flashback is. -Students will tell me what they think point of view is. They will listen to me explain it a little more. -Students will listen as I explain the importance of the lesson and the comic for their portfolio. -Students will access the comic and begin to read it. -Students will split into two discussion groups. -Students in group one will compare foreshadowing in the text and the comic. One student will act as scribe and list what parts of the comic help their understanding of foreshadowing. -Students in group two will compare point of view and the narrator in the test and comic. One student will act as scribe and list what parts of the comic help their understanding of the narrator. -Students will return their attention to me as we enter the end of the lesson.   -Students from group one will share their list with the class and for it to be written on the board. -Students from group two will share their list with the class. -Students from the opposite group will listen so they get an understanding of everything presented. -Students will rate their progression towards the learning target with a thumb up, down, or sideways. -Students will listen as I explain what we will be doing tomorrow.
Student Voice to Gather Student voice will consist of the students giving me a rating of their progression towards the learning target at the end of the lesson. Sharing their ideas from the group activity will also give me a idea of what they know and allow them to discuss what they know with others.

12. Differentiated Instruction

ELL Students: Group work will help the ELL students get their ideas out. The students will be patient and willing to help them get their ideas across during the group discussion as well. Low: Students who are struggling with ideas of foreshadowing and point of view will be able to listen to ideas of others before picking out examples of their own. The comic will help them see things that may be hidden in the text. Medium/High: Students will be able to develop their ideas with a mixed group of students. High level learners will be able to help the other students find more hidden ideas from the text in conversation. Medium level learners can also add ideas to the discussion as well as develop their thoughts with all the different ideas from the group.    Interest Levels: Students will keep interested in the lesson because I will not be lecturing the whole time. I will introduce a comic that will grab their attention. Group work with the comic will help the students stay engaged in the lesson and learn in the process.

13. Resources and Materials

Petrone, Robert. Linking Contemporary Research on Youth, Liteacy, and Popular Culture with Literacy Teacher Education. Journal of Literacy Research, 45(3). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/9556/Petrone_JLR_2013_A1b.pdf?sequence=1 Teacher: White board, markers, comic, and text. Students: Pencil, paper, electronic device, and text.

14. Management and Safety Issues

Transition times between reading and discussion could create a problem. Students may not want to continue onto the next task, but the comic should keep the students fairly engaged in the lesson. Students will be praised when they are on task and provide good answers. I will walk around the classroom during the discussion, so the students will stay on task.

15. Parent & Community Connections

Students will be able to discuss with their parents/guardians the impact that pop culture has on their understanding of their academic work. Comprehension of literature and how it applies to the real world and why it is important will be important for future education. Making connections between different sets of information is also an important real-world skill students can use in their community.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a fascinating novel that every person should read. Before this class, I had heard of the novel, but had never taken the time to read it. I think the novel shows the diversity of the Native Americans culture and the problems many Native kids and families face all the time. I love the diversity of characters and that there a many relatable characters. We get to experience the life of Junior, who doesn’t have the easiest life. Moving to a new school is difficult, even though it was his choice. Making new friends and losing friends and a community isn’t the easiest choice.

I think this book would work very well in a classroom. It would give the students a taste of diversity and show them that we don’t know what other people are going through. (Like the scene where Rowdy guessed that Junior was poor, but wasn’t planning on saying anything. Or the fact that Junior’s dad is a drunk.) The book brings up many issues that an oppressed culture faces. I think that the more students learn about different cultures the more accepting and understanding they become. In my opinion, it is (partly) our job to raise our students into respectful, understanding young adults. I think it is important for the students to look at problems such as reservations and the way they’re more like a prison, as stated in the book. I think students should realize there are bigger problems teens are facing then acne and relationships. There is a lot to gain for students to look at and analyze local culture and the problems that are still current. I think it’s important to look at the cultures that surround our students’ local area. Students should be aware of the issues that go on close to home, and I think this book could open students’ eyes. 

John Green Book Talk

Book Talk: Looking for Alaska by John Green

11.   (Before.) Miles “Pudge” Halter is looking for a “Great Perhaps.” Miles is a teenager with a weird (but cool) obsession with famous last words. Unfortunately for Miles, his life is a complete bore; no one would ever read a biography about his life. In hope of an exciting life, Miles goes to Culver Creek Boarding School. Within Miles first day at Culver Creek, he gets the nickname Pudge, makes a few friends (Chip aka the Colonel and Takumi aka the Fox), and gets thrown in a lake. The book explores ideas that teenagers go through including smoking, sex, alcohol, relationships, and of course school. Miles falls in love with a girl named Alaska (well it’s more infatuation than love.) Miles and his friends pull pranks on the Weekday Warriors, who are the rich kids of the school. Miles and his friends pull a prank on the week day warriors for throwing Miles in the lake. It ends with Miles getting a girlfriend (Lara) and having an “adventurous” relationship, which is new to both of them. All seems well in the story of a teenager exploring new ideas and possibilities Alaska dies in a drunken car accident. (After.) Miles and friends are heartbroken and try to cope with their friend’s death. They chase hope and try to figure out why this tragic thing happened and what they could have done differently. Nothing is ever the same, but they do eventually come to terms with Alaska’s death.

22.   I chose this text because it is very relatable to teens. I feel as though books like Of Mice and Men can be hard to relate to our students regardless of it’s great content. I want to give students the chance to think about how they perceive themselves and how other perceive them. Often times, teenagers can act like their invincible and that consequences don’t matter. This book also has a great set up This book addresses many ideas and thoughts teenagers have (sex, alcohol, cigarettes, friends, guilt, and old grouchy teachers). This text would be appropriate for 9^th to 12^th graders because the book is easy to read, but deals with difficult subjects many teens are familiar with. Many students are going through the same things that Miles is. The characters are all very diverse and come from different backgrounds as well. Some 9^th grade classes may struggle to be mature around some of the more descriptive scenes, but overall, it’s an appropriate book for growing teens. This book can also be used in addition to Common Core Standards.

33. This book covers so many ideas that it could be used in a multitude of ways. Writing topics and discussions can be taken farther than the normal theme lessons. My favorites lesson ideas include:

a.       Foreshadowing: Before the death of Alaska, she talks also about death in the before part of the book. Students can get a sense of her morality and her death doesn’t come as a shock to most readers. The barn scene is a key scene to look and discuss as a foreshadowing example and sets up other scenes in the story.

b.      Character Development: All characters have major development, but Miles development is the greatest in my opinion. He goes from this boring kid with no life to having friends and tragedy very soon in his young life. Students could use in-text evidence to point towards Miles development.

c.       Narrative writing and POV: Students could write a letter to Alaska as Chip or Miles and write their feelings about her death. Students would be able to think about their characters point of view and how that character would feel based on what evidence from the text suggests.  

d.      Discussions: There are many appropriate topics that students could discuss in class to practice their discussion ability: how they are viewed, and the lasting impact of best/ worst days are my favorite.

44. Some obstacles in using this text are mainly the talk of “teenage” things. Sex, smoking, drinking, and cursing are all used in the text. Some scenes portraying women’s body can be graphic and in some opinions objectifying. Also, death is a really heavy subject to talk about for many teens.

a.       For students: Some students made chortle when they hear the word breast or when a sexual scene arises. Students may struggle with talking about death because they made be able to relate it to a similar experience of a friend dying.

b.      Parents and administrators: may not be happy with the idea of sex and drinking being “taught” in the classroom. My rational is that all these scenes are used to prove a point. Most teens are already familiar with these topics through social media and television. Although there are sex scenes, it is mostly talk of it and is in no way descriptive. As for the scenes of a woman’s body, it is something students are realizing at that and would be able to open up a line about respecting each other and all the topics that come with puberty. Parents and administrators may not want a description of what her body looks like but again it’s used to prove a point and is helpful to the story.

55. John Green is amazing. He has online resources such as his YouTube channel and Penguin Book guidelines to teaching the text with Common Core Standards. (Link to guidelines in blog.) 

Ideas and Book Guide:   http://www.penguin.com/static/images/yr/pdf/JohnGreen_Guide_june_2014.pdf 

"Readicide" Response

“27 percent of adults in this country did not read a single book in 2007” (Gallagher, Readicide).

In the book Readicide by Kelly Gallagher, attention is brought to the changing levels of enthusiasm for reading. Forcing reading in school is most literally, killing reading. As I sat in my home this summer, I looked upon my book shelf. My book shelf was filled with book waiting to be read; most being brand new from the bookstore. I wanted to read the books SO BAD, but I didn’t. As an avid book lover, it makes my heart hurt to say, I just didn’t feel like it. I use to get lost in books. I could stay up way past midnight just to read “one” more chapter. That feeling was flown away because I’m tired of being forced to read dry, irrelevant material. I had to give my brain a break from reading, and that makes my soul ache.

The first thing that really stood out to me was that Gallagher pointed out that multiple choice tests don’t help struggling readers, it allows them to continue struggling. In the same section he points out that teaching to the test and giving students a purpose in their reading is part of good teaching. Although, shallow tests are a waste of everyone’s time. Teaching to a multiple-choice test with no real substance is a problem. Going through this program I’ve been told over and over we don’t want to teach to test. But I think there is a difference between teaching to the test and helping students gather knowledge and teaching the test. Teaching the test would be more of just giving answers and help for a multiple-choice scenario, that isn’t what we want to do. Gallagher points out that it’s all about the level of thinking students need to use. Our students thinking shouldn’t be limited to the standards and being able to pass a state test. Test driven curriculum is what leads to the death of reading… Readicide.

I like the Michael Phelps anecdote Gallagher provides. Students are not practicing enough authentic reading but are still expected to perform well on reading tests. Teachers aren’t worried about putting good books in front of students. It’s an issue that just isn’t really addressed. In my opinion, we should be giving students interesting material that they want to read in our classrooms. Added to that, students are spending too much time prepping for tests in school and not enough time reading. I don’t understand why all these studies are done and no one listens to them. If it has been proven that free voluntary reading helps students, why don’t more schools practice that?

The big question is: what can educators do to prevent readicide? Well, one thing we can do is teach students to value reading the texts we assign. Hopefully, educators don’t just assign things for the hell of it. There should be a specific reason to assign a text or passage and something a student can gain with that passage. In many cases, an old text can be compared with a modern text to give more meaning to the students. I feel like relevancy is the biggest factor in choosing text, you need to know why it’s important before you assign it. Finally, my favorite idea, is to adopt a 50/50 approach. Recreational and academic reading is so important, so student’s literacy can grow just as much as they can as young adults. I love the idea of having students read one book of their choice and doing a simple “one-pager.” It helps students read things that they are interested, improve their reading skills, and start to love reading. This book is filled with amazing tips, tricks, and explanations but this one was by far my favorite. I hope one day my students will love reading and literature as much as I do… Or at least want to read for pleasure or to better themselves.