A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle's
In my nearly two decades of reading experience, I had never read a graphic novel. Now, in a matter of only a few days, I have read two. The first was a graphic novel adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and this book, A Wrinkle in Time, is obviously my second one. With my relative "overload" of such a unique and foreign type of text, I am still trying to figure out exactly how I feel about graphic novels. I do believe they are worth incorporating into a language arts classroom, but exactly how often should they be used? How should we use them? And which ones are worth using?
Personally, I was okay with reading a graphic version of Shakespeare because many people, myself included, struggle with understanding the language of a 400 year old text. The images help the reader make sense of the words, and this type of book would be especially valuable for new readers of Shakespeare. For a book like A Wrinkle in Time, however, I found its graphic adaptation to be less worthwhile in a classroom. Yes, the pictures helped add to the suspense and excitement of Meg's journeys with the three Mrs. W's and her brother, Charles, but I did not feel like they served the same purpose as they would in another book--such as The Tempest. Of course, I am not saying that the only graphic novels that are worthy of being in my lessons are Shakespeare, but I do not feel like A Wrinkle in Time is necessarily one of them.
I have never read the original text of this book, so it might be worth pursuing in order to compare the two types of mediums. Unlike The Tempest, this graphic novel does not maintain its original text, and therefore, I believe we, as readers, may be compromising the value of the original text. The descriptive imagery and other rhetorical devices were lost in this book that I would assume would be present in the original text. Our imagination is replaced with the interpretation of the book's
artist, and we are unable to conjure up our own thoughts and images
because they have been decided for us. Additionally, when compared to the original text (assuming that its language is more descriptive), I would be less likely to remember the details, figures, and images presented in the graphic novel because I did not rely on my imagination or have the opportunity to interpret the book in my own way. Therefore, if I were to choose to incorporate this book into my class, I would most likely use its original text. With that being said, I would also consider allowing my students who struggle with reading or who are more visual learners to read the graphic novel version as a supplementary text.
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Biography Week
The True Adventures of Charley Darwin, by Carolyn Meyer
Because this book is written by as a first-person narrative from the perspective of Charley Darwin (AKA Charles Darwin), it is technically classified as "historical fiction." However, because Meyer incorporates real primary documents and writes her story based off only concrete primary sources, this book is as if it is a biography; the only reason why it technically is not is because she writes from Darwin's perspective. But about the content of the book....
I think Meyer offered a very unique side of Charles Darwin--or who we now know as the "father of the theory of evolution." For me, my experience with studying Darwin as been rather one-sided. I envisioned an old bearded British man, dressed in a white lab coat, who spent his life in a laboratory studying and examining different species. And, unfortunately, I do not think my vision of Darwin--or any other scientist for that matter--is a unique one. What Meyer does is replace that vision with a more humanized and relatable version of Darwin. No longer is he this "untouchable" man of science, but he is a REAL person. A person who had a childhood, who experienced hard times, who had disagreements with his father, who struggled in school, and who fell hopelessly in love with someone he could never have. This story also included an appropriate historical representation of life in Britain during the 1800s and provided a glimpse into the mindset of someone from this time period. It is important for students--and people in general--to understand the aspects that largely contributed to a community's society and government. In this case, religion played a crucial role in how people conducted their daily activities. Such talk about evolution was seen (and still is by some people) as an abomination of Christ. This historical fiction/biography offers its readers a lot of depth regarding multiple different aspects. You not only learn about one of the world's most famous modern day scientists, but you also learn a lot about the British culture.
George: George Washington, Our Founding Father, by Frank Keating, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
Had I read this book prior to today, I would have written quite a different response. After I interviewed one of my students from last semester, however, I am forced to take a different approach to my interpretation of this picture book. The reason why today's interview has changed my perspective on what students know about history and our nation's foundation is because my 14 year old student, an eighth grader, did not know who George Washington was. Sure, she recognized his name, but she had NO IDEA that he was a president, nevertheless our first president. Now, had you asked me what I thought about this picture book 24 hours ago, I would have said something along the lines that it is too simplistic for middle schoolers. It simplifies the life of George Washington in a mere 31 pages, which I think is somewhat of a disgrace to a man who contributed so much to our nation--contributions that are still visible today. But maybe that's what some students--even 14 year old eighth graders--need. With all these details of key figures constantly being thrown in our face, we often lose sight of the big picture. Maybe that is what happened to my student. Maybe she needs something that is illustrated as realistic and as simplistic as this picture book. I am not one to make excuses for my faults or other people's faults. From my experience as her teacher, she did not make many efforts to learn in class (which I'm sure someone would attribute to her low SES or her upbringing or any other number of factors that can be used to attribute blame). No matter how much effort I put in to teaching her about George Washington, she needs to take the initiative to learn that information. I think a lot of teachers spoon feed their students their material without having the students make the effort themselves to actually learn what is in front of them. At the same time, however, maybe I needed to explore different mediums to present my information. And it's okay if some of those presentations start with a simple picture book. Sometimes students' minds are clouded by all the minor details that they are unable to organize the information in order to create a general understanding of that person.
Rosa Parks, by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Eric Marlow
This picture book is definitely for the lower grades of middle school education. It contains mostly simple sentences and presents a watered down account of Rosa Park's contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. I would most likely not incorporate this picture book into my curriculum because it depicts a dispute between whites and blacks that is ultimately resolved and everything is all sunshine and roses. The fact is, many blacks--as well as other minority groups and women--still face issues of discrimination and unfair treatment to this day. In a very racist part of America, Rosa Parks most certainly continued to encounter issues of racial segregation in Montgomery, even after changes were made to the bus companies' policies. Additionally, this book ignored how people of all color contributed their efforts to the Civil Rights Movement. Without many of the key white players, the Movement's progress would have been compromised or delayed. When dealing with issues of race, we are often concerned with issues of being politically correct. But I think when we depict our society post-Civil Rights Movement as colorblind and perfect, we continue to ignore some of the issues that still linger today. I have read several accounts, short stories, and books on Rosa Parks, and considering all the crucial amount of information that is omitted (or "watered down") from this book, I would choose not to use it in my classroom.
"Choosing Not to Read: Understanding Why Some Middle Schoolers Just Say No," by Kylene Beers
This article was definitely useful in understanding how to approach all different types of readers--especially those who say they don't like to read. With the amount of "mindless" activities that are available to us, such as playing video games, watching tv, ect, many people see reading as too much of an effort. Furthermore, many teachers have presented reading as a task, rather than an enjoyment. They propose questions at the end of an expert to measure their students' reading comprehension, but these teachers often ignore the students' perspectives on the reading. I think it is important to understand that students need to feel that their opinions, interpretations, analyses, and perspectives on a particular written work is worthy of acknowledgment or a valuable incorporation into the classroom. Even as a college student, many of my assigned readings are coupled with "boring" questions at the end that measure how much I understood from them. Sure, I can spit back out the same information that the reading told me, but it is more valuable--to both the student and the teacher--to ask what the reader thought of it. That way, the reader is seen as a valuable asset to the learning community.
I also think students should be encouraged to read all types of printed medium. That could consist of newspapers, magazines, books, picture books, comic strips, online articles, and many more. Many prints are disregarded by teachers and treated as if they offer little or no value to its reader. Dense books with tiny text seem to be a unanimous choice when it comes to reading something with literary merit. I believe if we move away from these mindsets, we will see a student body much more interested in reading.
Because this book is written by as a first-person narrative from the perspective of Charley Darwin (AKA Charles Darwin), it is technically classified as "historical fiction." However, because Meyer incorporates real primary documents and writes her story based off only concrete primary sources, this book is as if it is a biography; the only reason why it technically is not is because she writes from Darwin's perspective. But about the content of the book....
I think Meyer offered a very unique side of Charles Darwin--or who we now know as the "father of the theory of evolution." For me, my experience with studying Darwin as been rather one-sided. I envisioned an old bearded British man, dressed in a white lab coat, who spent his life in a laboratory studying and examining different species. And, unfortunately, I do not think my vision of Darwin--or any other scientist for that matter--is a unique one. What Meyer does is replace that vision with a more humanized and relatable version of Darwin. No longer is he this "untouchable" man of science, but he is a REAL person. A person who had a childhood, who experienced hard times, who had disagreements with his father, who struggled in school, and who fell hopelessly in love with someone he could never have. This story also included an appropriate historical representation of life in Britain during the 1800s and provided a glimpse into the mindset of someone from this time period. It is important for students--and people in general--to understand the aspects that largely contributed to a community's society and government. In this case, religion played a crucial role in how people conducted their daily activities. Such talk about evolution was seen (and still is by some people) as an abomination of Christ. This historical fiction/biography offers its readers a lot of depth regarding multiple different aspects. You not only learn about one of the world's most famous modern day scientists, but you also learn a lot about the British culture.
George: George Washington, Our Founding Father, by Frank Keating, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
Had I read this book prior to today, I would have written quite a different response. After I interviewed one of my students from last semester, however, I am forced to take a different approach to my interpretation of this picture book. The reason why today's interview has changed my perspective on what students know about history and our nation's foundation is because my 14 year old student, an eighth grader, did not know who George Washington was. Sure, she recognized his name, but she had NO IDEA that he was a president, nevertheless our first president. Now, had you asked me what I thought about this picture book 24 hours ago, I would have said something along the lines that it is too simplistic for middle schoolers. It simplifies the life of George Washington in a mere 31 pages, which I think is somewhat of a disgrace to a man who contributed so much to our nation--contributions that are still visible today. But maybe that's what some students--even 14 year old eighth graders--need. With all these details of key figures constantly being thrown in our face, we often lose sight of the big picture. Maybe that is what happened to my student. Maybe she needs something that is illustrated as realistic and as simplistic as this picture book. I am not one to make excuses for my faults or other people's faults. From my experience as her teacher, she did not make many efforts to learn in class (which I'm sure someone would attribute to her low SES or her upbringing or any other number of factors that can be used to attribute blame). No matter how much effort I put in to teaching her about George Washington, she needs to take the initiative to learn that information. I think a lot of teachers spoon feed their students their material without having the students make the effort themselves to actually learn what is in front of them. At the same time, however, maybe I needed to explore different mediums to present my information. And it's okay if some of those presentations start with a simple picture book. Sometimes students' minds are clouded by all the minor details that they are unable to organize the information in order to create a general understanding of that person.
Rosa Parks, by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Eric Marlow
This picture book is definitely for the lower grades of middle school education. It contains mostly simple sentences and presents a watered down account of Rosa Park's contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. I would most likely not incorporate this picture book into my curriculum because it depicts a dispute between whites and blacks that is ultimately resolved and everything is all sunshine and roses. The fact is, many blacks--as well as other minority groups and women--still face issues of discrimination and unfair treatment to this day. In a very racist part of America, Rosa Parks most certainly continued to encounter issues of racial segregation in Montgomery, even after changes were made to the bus companies' policies. Additionally, this book ignored how people of all color contributed their efforts to the Civil Rights Movement. Without many of the key white players, the Movement's progress would have been compromised or delayed. When dealing with issues of race, we are often concerned with issues of being politically correct. But I think when we depict our society post-Civil Rights Movement as colorblind and perfect, we continue to ignore some of the issues that still linger today. I have read several accounts, short stories, and books on Rosa Parks, and considering all the crucial amount of information that is omitted (or "watered down") from this book, I would choose not to use it in my classroom.
"Choosing Not to Read: Understanding Why Some Middle Schoolers Just Say No," by Kylene Beers
This article was definitely useful in understanding how to approach all different types of readers--especially those who say they don't like to read. With the amount of "mindless" activities that are available to us, such as playing video games, watching tv, ect, many people see reading as too much of an effort. Furthermore, many teachers have presented reading as a task, rather than an enjoyment. They propose questions at the end of an expert to measure their students' reading comprehension, but these teachers often ignore the students' perspectives on the reading. I think it is important to understand that students need to feel that their opinions, interpretations, analyses, and perspectives on a particular written work is worthy of acknowledgment or a valuable incorporation into the classroom. Even as a college student, many of my assigned readings are coupled with "boring" questions at the end that measure how much I understood from them. Sure, I can spit back out the same information that the reading told me, but it is more valuable--to both the student and the teacher--to ask what the reader thought of it. That way, the reader is seen as a valuable asset to the learning community.
I also think students should be encouraged to read all types of printed medium. That could consist of newspapers, magazines, books, picture books, comic strips, online articles, and many more. Many prints are disregarded by teachers and treated as if they offer little or no value to its reader. Dense books with tiny text seem to be a unanimous choice when it comes to reading something with literary merit. I believe if we move away from these mindsets, we will see a student body much more interested in reading.
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Informational Text Week
Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
This relatively short book describes the chronological order of events that would be remembered by history as "The Salem Witch Trials." Having read The Crucible by Arthur Miller, I was pretty familiar with the people and events involved in the witch trials. However, unless someone has read The Crucible or has closely studied Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s, this book provides just enough detail for its readers to have a good understanding of the events that transpired without requiring a big time commitment to read it. For middle schoolers, I think this book not only answers questions about an infamous moment in American history, but it also shows how life was lived back then. While the ideas and fears of witchcraft, wizardry, and the Devil may seem ridiculous and illogical today, Puritan communities took them very seriously--as evidenced in the Salem Witch Trials. Out of pure fear, the Salem community was willing to accuse and prosecute "witches," even at the expense of having a fair judicial system. In its description and order of the events, this book allows its readers to recognize the importance of providing strong and incriminating evidence in the legal system. I think middle schoolers would recognize the importance of upholding fair courts, requiring tangible evidence, and question the perspectives of all parties.
The Queen's Progress: An Elizabethan Alphabet, by Celeste Davidson Mannis, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
This picture book describes and illustrates Queen Elizabeth I of England and her royal progression. The pictures are colorful and detailed, showing an accurate depiction of the fashions, landscapes, and people that constituted Elizabethan England. I did not, however, like how idealistic the Queen and England are represented. Having studied Britain's Protestant Reformation at Oxford University, I knew a good bit about the religious controversies that swarmed throughout England. The book mentions that Elizabeth's sister, Mary, threatened the Queen's throne and well being, but it does not explain why. And while Elizabeth was widely popular with her subjects, she was cruel to heretics and Catholics. In a classroom, I would probably use this book to show examples of the fashions worn during this time period, but I would not use it for its informational content.
The Boston Tea Party, by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Peter Malone
Wow! I loved this book. In my opinion, it does everything an informational picture book should do: be historically accurate, include primary and secondary accounts, have engaging illustrations. Last semester, I taught an 8th grade Georgia studies class, where we spent a solid week on discussing the events that led up to the Revolutionary War. Several students definitely struggled with this unit because it involved so many specific details in several different locations. I definitely wish I had known about this picture book so that could have incorporated it into my lesson on the Boston Tea Party. The picture book not only focuses on the Boston Tea Party, but it describes the events that caused it as well as Britain's reaction to the rebellion. A timeline of events is provided at the end of the book, which is useful when some students still have a hard time connecting the Boston Tea Party with the rest of colonial America. This book is definitely sophisticated enough for 8th graders and would even be useful in a high school American history classroom. I will most certainly be recommending it to anyone studying this time period.
This relatively short book describes the chronological order of events that would be remembered by history as "The Salem Witch Trials." Having read The Crucible by Arthur Miller, I was pretty familiar with the people and events involved in the witch trials. However, unless someone has read The Crucible or has closely studied Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s, this book provides just enough detail for its readers to have a good understanding of the events that transpired without requiring a big time commitment to read it. For middle schoolers, I think this book not only answers questions about an infamous moment in American history, but it also shows how life was lived back then. While the ideas and fears of witchcraft, wizardry, and the Devil may seem ridiculous and illogical today, Puritan communities took them very seriously--as evidenced in the Salem Witch Trials. Out of pure fear, the Salem community was willing to accuse and prosecute "witches," even at the expense of having a fair judicial system. In its description and order of the events, this book allows its readers to recognize the importance of providing strong and incriminating evidence in the legal system. I think middle schoolers would recognize the importance of upholding fair courts, requiring tangible evidence, and question the perspectives of all parties.
The Queen's Progress: An Elizabethan Alphabet, by Celeste Davidson Mannis, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
This picture book describes and illustrates Queen Elizabeth I of England and her royal progression. The pictures are colorful and detailed, showing an accurate depiction of the fashions, landscapes, and people that constituted Elizabethan England. I did not, however, like how idealistic the Queen and England are represented. Having studied Britain's Protestant Reformation at Oxford University, I knew a good bit about the religious controversies that swarmed throughout England. The book mentions that Elizabeth's sister, Mary, threatened the Queen's throne and well being, but it does not explain why. And while Elizabeth was widely popular with her subjects, she was cruel to heretics and Catholics. In a classroom, I would probably use this book to show examples of the fashions worn during this time period, but I would not use it for its informational content.
The Boston Tea Party, by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Peter Malone
Wow! I loved this book. In my opinion, it does everything an informational picture book should do: be historically accurate, include primary and secondary accounts, have engaging illustrations. Last semester, I taught an 8th grade Georgia studies class, where we spent a solid week on discussing the events that led up to the Revolutionary War. Several students definitely struggled with this unit because it involved so many specific details in several different locations. I definitely wish I had known about this picture book so that could have incorporated it into my lesson on the Boston Tea Party. The picture book not only focuses on the Boston Tea Party, but it describes the events that caused it as well as Britain's reaction to the rebellion. A timeline of events is provided at the end of the book, which is useful when some students still have a hard time connecting the Boston Tea Party with the rest of colonial America. This book is definitely sophisticated enough for 8th graders and would even be useful in a high school American history classroom. I will most certainly be recommending it to anyone studying this time period.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Poetry Week
Something About America by Maria Testa
This book was a prime example of the beauty of simplicity. Written in a series of short poems, the narrator of Something About America describes her life as a refugee, who--along with her family--has fled her home of Kosova, Yugoslavia and relocated in America. Although a large portion of her skin is scarred with burn marks, the narrator maintains a positive outlook on her new life as an American, often referring to herself and her family as "the lucky ones." But the narrator's experience in America is not all rainbows and butterflies... She and her family are faced with similar ethnic hatred in America as they faced in Kosova. As she reexamines what it means to be "American," she realizes that her struggles is the uniting factor for all Americans. Everyone faces different hardships, but overcoming them is what ties Americans together. While it only took me about twenty minutes to read this book, its simplistic nature and poetic rhetoric delivered a powerful message.
Love to Langston by Tony Medina, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
I really enjoyed this book because it penetrated so many deep levels that many authors try, but sometimes fail, to achieve. On one level, I think Tony Medina was successful in creating a picture book that would be appropriate for a wide age range of students. I could see this book being read in a third grade classroom all the way through an eighth grade classroom. Through a series of short poems, Medina illustrates significant events and details of Langston Hughes' life. Not only do the readers learn about the environment in which he grew up, but we also learn about the struggles he endured as a poet. Many people, including his own father, discouraged him from pursuing his dream of becoming a writer/poet, but in the end, he followed his own intuition and is now regarded as one of America's greatest writers. This picture book is not only informative, but it also expresses many messages and morals that many students would appreciate.
DeShawn Days by Tony Medina, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
On the middle grades spectrum, I would put this picture book in a fourth or fifth grade classroom. To me, the book's simplistic concepts, ideas, and reading level are most appropriate for elementary students. DeShawn Days consists of a series of poems that document the life of DeShawn, a ten-year-old African American boy who lives in projects. Although I was not a huge fan of this book, I do think it would be worthwhile to read in a classroom because it shows a life that many of us have overlooked or have stereotyped. As revealed in this book, children and their families who live in the projects can be empathetic towards others, have big imaginations, are intelligent, and are proactive in their communities; therefore, DeShawn Days definitely has the ability to humanize this group of people for those hold negative stigmas about the projects and those who live there.
This book was a prime example of the beauty of simplicity. Written in a series of short poems, the narrator of Something About America describes her life as a refugee, who--along with her family--has fled her home of Kosova, Yugoslavia and relocated in America. Although a large portion of her skin is scarred with burn marks, the narrator maintains a positive outlook on her new life as an American, often referring to herself and her family as "the lucky ones." But the narrator's experience in America is not all rainbows and butterflies... She and her family are faced with similar ethnic hatred in America as they faced in Kosova. As she reexamines what it means to be "American," she realizes that her struggles is the uniting factor for all Americans. Everyone faces different hardships, but overcoming them is what ties Americans together. While it only took me about twenty minutes to read this book, its simplistic nature and poetic rhetoric delivered a powerful message.
Love to Langston by Tony Medina, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
I really enjoyed this book because it penetrated so many deep levels that many authors try, but sometimes fail, to achieve. On one level, I think Tony Medina was successful in creating a picture book that would be appropriate for a wide age range of students. I could see this book being read in a third grade classroom all the way through an eighth grade classroom. Through a series of short poems, Medina illustrates significant events and details of Langston Hughes' life. Not only do the readers learn about the environment in which he grew up, but we also learn about the struggles he endured as a poet. Many people, including his own father, discouraged him from pursuing his dream of becoming a writer/poet, but in the end, he followed his own intuition and is now regarded as one of America's greatest writers. This picture book is not only informative, but it also expresses many messages and morals that many students would appreciate.
DeShawn Days by Tony Medina, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
On the middle grades spectrum, I would put this picture book in a fourth or fifth grade classroom. To me, the book's simplistic concepts, ideas, and reading level are most appropriate for elementary students. DeShawn Days consists of a series of poems that document the life of DeShawn, a ten-year-old African American boy who lives in projects. Although I was not a huge fan of this book, I do think it would be worthwhile to read in a classroom because it shows a life that many of us have overlooked or have stereotyped. As revealed in this book, children and their families who live in the projects can be empathetic towards others, have big imaginations, are intelligent, and are proactive in their communities; therefore, DeShawn Days definitely has the ability to humanize this group of people for those hold negative stigmas about the projects and those who live there.
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