If I remember correctly, at ten years old, I was mostly concerned with whom I would sit next to in class or if I was up to date on the latest Limited Too outfit. At ten years old, I was one of the oh, so lucky ones to hit puberty years before her peers and was already a year into my two-year braces contract. At ten years old, I considered my life to be hard because I was awkward and somewhat misunderstood. But at ten years old, my acne brace-face and training bra and awkward 5'2" frame never stopped someone dead in his/her tracks or gave children nightmares. At ten years old, August Pullman had already gained ten years worth of that experience, and unlike me, he will never grow out of this phase. August Pullman is a wonder.
Despite the fact that R. J. Palacio's Wonder is a fictional story about a boy with a genetic disorder that caused physical abnormalities on his face, it reveals a devastating truth about our intolerance as a society. At any moment during the day, I can turn on the television, open up a newspaper, or read a post on Facebook that stresses "human equality." A person's gender, skin color, sexual preference, or socioeconomic status does not define that person; instead, we must look past these certain characteristics in order to truly embrace and advocate for equality. Oh, but if you are not beautiful, are not as tall and lean as a bean, do not have flawless skin, or do not have a six-pack, then yes, you will be judged.
I think we permit, and sometimes encourage, the judgment of a person's physical appearance because many believe that it is something that can be fixed. If you're fat: work out! If you have crooked teeth: get braces! If you have frizzy hair: buy some product! In reality, if we do not have the tolerance for people who have any number of physical "flaws," then we sure as hell do not have time to integrate and accept those born with physical abnormalities into our "society of equality."
By presenting the novel's events through several first-person narratives, R. J. Palacio is able to develop a more complete understanding for his readers about the characters and their mentality. While August is the main character and focus of the story, Palacio considers the perspectives of other characters so that they may voice their experiences not only pertaining to August's appearance but also pertaining to their own insecurities: divorce, poverty, death, neglect, friendship, and poor grades.
I think Palacio does a wonderful job unmasking an ugly truth about our society’s perception of those born with physical defects. We gawk and point and shudder at the mere existence of a human being, often without noticing we are doing such things. In the case of August Pullman, his interests, kind personality, and impressive intellect were overshadowed by the cast of a rare chromosomal deficiency that affected his facial appearance. It was only months after being at his new school did his peers, teachers, and other parents uncover who he really was as an individual.
I would definitely recommend reading this book to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults because it contains a truth about how we treat those who look different and how these hurtful actions affect the individual and his/her family and friends. It stresses the importance of kindness and the wonders it can carry. After reading Wonder, I realize that I had it pretty good at ten years old.
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Banned Book: The Catcher in the Rye
First published in 1951, JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye stands as one of the most challenged and banned books over the past five decades. Between 1961 and 1982, it was the most censored book in libraries and high schools in the United States, and in 1981, The Catcher in the Rye was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in US public schools.
For those who have not read it, you may be asking what about this book would make it so popular to simultaneously ban and embrace in schools across the country?
The most commonly cited issues with the book are:
-vulgar language
-promiscuity
-undermining of moral codes and family values
-encouragement of rebellion
I, for one, believe that this book is essential to read for all students who are approaching adulthood. It reads from the perspective of Holden Caulfield, a troubled 17-year-old boy, and his experiences over the course of three days. If and when it is read in schools, most teachers present The Catcher in the Rye between 10th and 12th grade. While I agree that its content is more appropriate for older students, I do think eighth graders could greatly benefit from its messages. So many middle schoolers struggle with understanding and interpreting the world in which they live--a struggle with which Holden is all too familiar.
After people have read this book, many of them question why so many still schools challenge or ban it. They are often disappointed with its bleak content and lack of significant or controversial events. In all honesty, it simply tells a somewhat average story of a somewhat average teenager. But I think this is what makes the book so popular; it resonates with its readers. Most of us cannot relate to the wizarding world of Harry Potter or the life of a vampire, but The Catcher in the Rye exposes many aspects of real life experiences.
It is seemingly impossible for middle or high school students to experience life without exposure to controversy, rebellion, sexuality, or offensive language. I think by teaching The Catcher in the Rye, teachers can help adolescents and young adults make sense of their lives and the world around them. If it is inevitable that every person will be exposed to a less ideal world, why not use this book as an opportunity to explore the life's issues and questions? As one teacher remarked, banning this book for the reasons listed above is doing exactly what the title suggests--being the catcher in the rye. Holden, like those who challenge this book, wants to protect children from the troubles of the real world, in order to secure their innocence. I think if the challengers had a clear understanding of The Catcher in the Rye, they would see the irony and the uselessness in their efforts to ban it.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Penguin Books, 2010. Print.
For those who have not read it, you may be asking what about this book would make it so popular to simultaneously ban and embrace in schools across the country?
The most commonly cited issues with the book are:
-vulgar language
-promiscuity
-undermining of moral codes and family values
-encouragement of rebellion
I, for one, believe that this book is essential to read for all students who are approaching adulthood. It reads from the perspective of Holden Caulfield, a troubled 17-year-old boy, and his experiences over the course of three days. If and when it is read in schools, most teachers present The Catcher in the Rye between 10th and 12th grade. While I agree that its content is more appropriate for older students, I do think eighth graders could greatly benefit from its messages. So many middle schoolers struggle with understanding and interpreting the world in which they live--a struggle with which Holden is all too familiar.
After people have read this book, many of them question why so many still schools challenge or ban it. They are often disappointed with its bleak content and lack of significant or controversial events. In all honesty, it simply tells a somewhat average story of a somewhat average teenager. But I think this is what makes the book so popular; it resonates with its readers. Most of us cannot relate to the wizarding world of Harry Potter or the life of a vampire, but The Catcher in the Rye exposes many aspects of real life experiences.
It is seemingly impossible for middle or high school students to experience life without exposure to controversy, rebellion, sexuality, or offensive language. I think by teaching The Catcher in the Rye, teachers can help adolescents and young adults make sense of their lives and the world around them. If it is inevitable that every person will be exposed to a less ideal world, why not use this book as an opportunity to explore the life's issues and questions? As one teacher remarked, banning this book for the reasons listed above is doing exactly what the title suggests--being the catcher in the rye. Holden, like those who challenge this book, wants to protect children from the troubles of the real world, in order to secure their innocence. I think if the challengers had a clear understanding of The Catcher in the Rye, they would see the irony and the uselessness in their efforts to ban it.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. New York: Penguin Books, 2010. Print.
Wednesday 16 January 2013
3 Picture Books
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Although I am not studying to be a math teacher, I often hear many educators complain about the lack of math-related literature. Similarly, I often hear many students complain about math--especially higher level math--because they don't believe they use it on a regular basis. This book addresses both issues of complaint because it simultaneously employs literacy skills while demonstrating how everything in life can be viewed as a math problem. I enjoyed how the illustrations reflected the narrator's thought process; when he was overwhelmed, the pictures also became overwhelming. The narrator's frantic and scrambled thought process is finally put to ease when he makes sense of fractions--the hardest aspect of math. While he is finally content with understanding the endless amount of math problems around him, the book concludes with the science teacher explaining that everything in life can be viewed as a science experiment. I thought this was a clever way to end the book because it challenges the readers to observe and understand life as a science experiment. Although this is a math-related picture book, it encourages its readers to employ all content areas in their every day lives.
Hoops by Robert Burleigh
I really enjoyed this picture book because it read like a poem, containing multiple rhetorical devices that ranged from onomatopoeia to alliteration to personification. While the pictures helped tell the story, I enjoyed how the words alone painted an illustration of a basketball game. I think students often have trouble reading, understanding, and interpreting poetry because they feel that the ideas can be too abstract. I thought this book did a good job of incorporating both abstract and defined ideas with a colorful range of rhetorical devices.
Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg
This book is unique on all different levels. At first glance, I was convinced that it had gotten in the hands of a young child because the illustrations are scribbled with the colors of crayons, as if it were meant to be a coloring book. But when I touched the pages, I realized that these illustrations looked this way on purpose, an aspect that definitely captivated my interest. The picture book tells of a story set place in the small western town of Riverbend. One day, the a bright light appears and the world around them gradually becomes covered in this mysterious slime. Ned Hardy, the sheriff of Riverbend, goes on a mission to find this light in hopes that it explains the origins and spreading of the slime. As the story develops, each page has more and more crayon scribbles on it. Just as the sheriff and other residents of Riverbend are about to reach the once distance light, the story flips to a realistic illustration of a boy coloring in the book's pages. Suddenly, the story ends with the coloring book closed and a line that says "And then the light went out." While the story initially seemed to contain elementary content, it definitely required some higher level thinking once I finished reading it. I could see middle school students engaging in thoughtful and analytical discussions regarding multiple aspects of the internal and external stories.
Although I am not studying to be a math teacher, I often hear many educators complain about the lack of math-related literature. Similarly, I often hear many students complain about math--especially higher level math--because they don't believe they use it on a regular basis. This book addresses both issues of complaint because it simultaneously employs literacy skills while demonstrating how everything in life can be viewed as a math problem. I enjoyed how the illustrations reflected the narrator's thought process; when he was overwhelmed, the pictures also became overwhelming. The narrator's frantic and scrambled thought process is finally put to ease when he makes sense of fractions--the hardest aspect of math. While he is finally content with understanding the endless amount of math problems around him, the book concludes with the science teacher explaining that everything in life can be viewed as a science experiment. I thought this was a clever way to end the book because it challenges the readers to observe and understand life as a science experiment. Although this is a math-related picture book, it encourages its readers to employ all content areas in their every day lives.
Hoops by Robert Burleigh
I really enjoyed this picture book because it read like a poem, containing multiple rhetorical devices that ranged from onomatopoeia to alliteration to personification. While the pictures helped tell the story, I enjoyed how the words alone painted an illustration of a basketball game. I think students often have trouble reading, understanding, and interpreting poetry because they feel that the ideas can be too abstract. I thought this book did a good job of incorporating both abstract and defined ideas with a colorful range of rhetorical devices.
Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg
This book is unique on all different levels. At first glance, I was convinced that it had gotten in the hands of a young child because the illustrations are scribbled with the colors of crayons, as if it were meant to be a coloring book. But when I touched the pages, I realized that these illustrations looked this way on purpose, an aspect that definitely captivated my interest. The picture book tells of a story set place in the small western town of Riverbend. One day, the a bright light appears and the world around them gradually becomes covered in this mysterious slime. Ned Hardy, the sheriff of Riverbend, goes on a mission to find this light in hopes that it explains the origins and spreading of the slime. As the story develops, each page has more and more crayon scribbles on it. Just as the sheriff and other residents of Riverbend are about to reach the once distance light, the story flips to a realistic illustration of a boy coloring in the book's pages. Suddenly, the story ends with the coloring book closed and a line that says "And then the light went out." While the story initially seemed to contain elementary content, it definitely required some higher level thinking once I finished reading it. I could see middle school students engaging in thoughtful and analytical discussions regarding multiple aspects of the internal and external stories.
Week 1 Articles
"Aren't These Books for Little Kids?" by Linda Billman
Like Jenna, I initially believed that middle schoolers were too old to be reading picture books. Those kinds of books are only for elementary kids! However, with their visual engagement, easy readability, and short length, picture books are being integrated more and more in the middle grades. I think they provide a more entertaining alternative to the textbook, which helps students better remember its content. I also agree with Billman that picture books especially help students who struggle with reading and ESOL students understand the information. There is definitely a stigma about picture books, but the more teachers integrate them into the middle grades curriculum, the more likely people will realize they are appropriate outside of an elementary school.
"A Middle School Teachers Guide for Selecting Picture Books"
by Bill Costello and Nancy Kolodziej
While I am trying to shed the stigma that picture books are only for young children, I still wonder what an appropriate middle school-level picture book looks like. This article was useful because it provided guidelines for teachers when selecting a picture book for adolescents. Like other forms of literature, these books may contain abstract ideas, high levels of vocabulary, and insight into the world around us. I also liked how the article gave specific guidelines for each content area. As an education major, I often hear my professors ask us to incorporate different types of materials, but they rarely provide explicit guidelines to how to appropriately select the material. This does a great job of answering my many questions on how to choose and use picture books in a middle school classroom.
Like Jenna, I initially believed that middle schoolers were too old to be reading picture books. Those kinds of books are only for elementary kids! However, with their visual engagement, easy readability, and short length, picture books are being integrated more and more in the middle grades. I think they provide a more entertaining alternative to the textbook, which helps students better remember its content. I also agree with Billman that picture books especially help students who struggle with reading and ESOL students understand the information. There is definitely a stigma about picture books, but the more teachers integrate them into the middle grades curriculum, the more likely people will realize they are appropriate outside of an elementary school.
"A Middle School Teachers Guide for Selecting Picture Books"
by Bill Costello and Nancy Kolodziej
While I am trying to shed the stigma that picture books are only for young children, I still wonder what an appropriate middle school-level picture book looks like. This article was useful because it provided guidelines for teachers when selecting a picture book for adolescents. Like other forms of literature, these books may contain abstract ideas, high levels of vocabulary, and insight into the world around us. I also liked how the article gave specific guidelines for each content area. As an education major, I often hear my professors ask us to incorporate different types of materials, but they rarely provide explicit guidelines to how to appropriately select the material. This does a great job of answering my many questions on how to choose and use picture books in a middle school classroom.
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