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An English Curriculum Guide

 

Emily Kolatch

 

 

                                                                                               

Part One: Articles

 

Title:               ‘That's What You're Here For, You're Suppose to Tell Us': Teaching and Learning Critical Literacy

 

Author(s):     Rebecca Rogers

 

Source:         Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, May 2002, Vol. 45                                    Issue 8, p772, 16p

 

Summary:    

In this article, Rogers describes the research she conducted over two years working as a literacy instructor with a group of poor, urban African-American students.  Rogers’ goal in her research is to develop a theory of critical literacy as a tool for challenging dominant power structures (societal), which are narrated in written and oral texts, through teaching and engaging in resistant reading strategies.  Rogers begins with the assumption that the “social world is composed of discourses that are inherently unequal in status.”  She also assumes the sociocultural (social constructivist) position (e.g. Vygotsky) and asserts that 1) learning is mediated by language, 2) learning cannot be separated from its context, 3) learning occurs on a social plane and then is internalized, and 4) learning involves more knowledgeable others.  Some of the goals that Rogers outlines for teachers who are working to change unequal power relations through resistant literacy practices (which Rogers call Critical Discourse Analysis or CDA) include guiding students toward understanding the connection between literacy and society, toward asserting their agency by leading their own way through discussions, asking their own questions, and developing their own interpretations and critiques of texts.  Rogers asks that teachers engaged in CDA practices work to provide students with literature at their reading level, to allow students to choose their reading material, to challenge the mainstream canon, to change the hierarchical structure of the teacher-student relationship (e.g. by asking open-ending questions), and to help students understand the ways that narratives of dominance and oppression play out in oral and written texts.

 

Literacy:       

Developing critical literacy practices in teaching literacy skills results not simply in teaching students to read and write, but in a radical practice aimed at effecting social change.    

 

Significance:

Rogers’ notion of critical literacy practice is invaluable for those of us who are committed to social justice issues in our teaching practices.  The critical literacy practices that Rogers describes can help us empower our students to effect social change.  Additionally, using critical literacy as a teaching tool has the potential to keep students engaged in reading/writing (through allowing for student choice, for example), to help students develop strong critical thinking and analysis skills, and to encourage students’ fluency development.  Many of these practices are, like culturally relevant pedagogy, just good teaching. 

 

 

 

Title:               Narrative interviews: An approach to studying teaching and learning in English classrooms

 

Author(s):     Eileen Landay

 

Source:         The High School Journal 84.3 (2001) 26-34

 

Summary:    

In this article, Landay suggests conducting narrative interviews with students as one approach the English teachers can take in understanding the difficulties that secondary students often have in negotiating the canonical texts usually taught in high school English courses.  Landay notes that secondary teachers are increasingly expected to be teachers and researches, instructing students, but also inquiring about, reflecting on, and developing their own practice.  She suggests that conducting selected student interviews is one approach to this task that is efficient and useful.  Landay argues that narrative interviews in which interviewees respond to a series of open-ended questions constitute a form of story telling.  Story telling is one significant way that people construct and express meaning.  Conducting interviews with students can prompt them to tell the stories of how they engage with the texts.  When examined in conjunction with student work, these interviews can help teachers understand the literacy practices their students use to negotiate meaning in canonical texts. 

 

Literacy:       

Making meaning of written text is a basic literacy function, but students employ a variety of techniques in negotiating texts.  Using narrative interview, which is a literacy practice in itself, to understand the various techniques of the students can help teachers develop their instructional practices appropriately.       

 

Significance:

Given all of the tasks that teachers are called upon to complete within limited time and budget allowances, developing an efficient and effective method for conducting inquiry and reflection about one’s teaching practice will be valuable for ensuring quality practice.  The narrative interview method is also important because it recognizes and values the variety of learning styles and challenges amongst students, which can help teachers develop pluralism in teaching practices.     

 

 

 

Title:               The Gay and Lesbian Presence in American Literature

 

Author(s):     David Bergman

 

Source:         http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/essays/gay_les.html

 

Summary:    

In this article, Bergman discusses addressing gay and lesbian issues (e.g. themes, characters, subtext, and authorship) in the canonical texts included in most American Literature courses.  Bergman notes that many literature instructors regularly teach literature with gay and lesbian themes, written by gay and lesbian authors, without ever discussing these issues as they relate to the texts.  Given the controversy that still surrounds discussing homosexuality in the classroom, Bergman offers three guidelines that he follows when discussing gay and lesbian topics in his literature class: 1) Discussion of gay and lesbian topics must arise from negotiating the text at hand.  In practice, this means posing questions directly related to the text, for example “’To whom are [lesbian poet Adrienne] Rich’s Twenty-one Love Poems addressed?’”  Bergman explains that when discussions of issues of sexuality are directed to the text, the question “what does it matter?” is often clearly answered in the course of explicating a work.  2) Maintaining a “matter-of-fact” tone throughout the discussion helps keep the discussion on the topic of the literature and not on emotional responses to a controversial subject.  For Bergman, this means using homophobic comments as a way of contextualizing the literature in it’s cultural context.  3) Discuss the topic of heterosexual desire in literature in the same textually specific, matter-of-fact way.  Doing so emphasizes that literary criticism that engages in discussions of sexuality and desire (homosexual and heterosexual) is valid academic work.

 

Literacy:       

Bergman’s suggestions for including discussions of gay and lesbian topics in literature courses emphasize instructional practices that teach students to engage in literary criticism and close textual analysis.  This article also highlights the way in which texts, literacy practices, and social context are integral to one another.

 

 

Significance:

For teachers who are committed to challenging institutional homophobia by acknowledging the gay and lesbian topics that are already a part of the literary canon, Bergman’s article provides useful suggestions and affirmations.  Because gay and lesbian topics are still controversial in school settings, techniques such as these can help teachers be successful in guiding sensitive discussions related to literature.

 

 

 

 

Title:               Already Reading Texts and Contexts: Multicultural Literature in a                             Predominantly White Rural Community

 

Author(s):     Jean Ketter and Cynthia Lewis

 

Source:         Theory Into Practice, Summer 2001, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p175

 

Summary:    

Jean Ketter and Cynthia Lewis examine the on-going discussion of one group of white, rural, Midwestern school teachers trying to reach a solution about how to select and teach multicultural literature at their school.  The authors use these teachers’ discussion to illustrate the understanding of the conditions that shape how many white teachers select and teach multicultural literature.  They assert that many white teachers conceptualize race in terms of “the other” and view learning about race and multiculturalism as “information gathering.”  Because many white teachers have not been encouraged to understand their own racial identities in terms of being constituted within a system that privileges whiteness, they often seek to read and teach multicultural literature as “neutral” and “universal.”  In other words, white teachers often present race issues with a focus on “color blindness” and understanding the multicultural experience as the same as the white experience (“they are just like us”).  Rather, the authors argue that multicultural literature should be read and taught to expose, examine, and challenge systemic oppression and normative privilege by approaching literature in terms of the question “how is difference constructed historically and sociopolitically?”  They encourage teachers to resist the notion that the presence of multicultural literature indicates the absence of white privilege.  They also encourage teachers to teach multicultural literature to expose the structures that can silence people of color and reinforce whiteness as normative.

 

Literacy:       

This article again emphasizes that (critical) literacy be used as a tool by teachers to help empower students to challenge oppressive social structures through resistant literacy practices.  As teachers, the texts we bring to the classroom and they ways that we guide students in their negotiations of the texts reinforce particular notions of literacy.  The authors here encourage literacy instructors to teach their students with a social justice mission.

 

Significance:

Once again, this article speaks to teaching practice that aims to challenge dominate social structures.  Encouraging white teachers to understand their own position as raced individuals who operate in a system that privileges and normalizes whiteness can lead to developing an purposeful and effective practice in teaching multicultural literature.  

 

 

 

 Part Two: Lesson Plan Critiques

 

           

1.  Playing Chaucer’s Pilgrims

 

http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/00-2/lesson0016.shtml

 

 

Summary: 

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduces and describes each of his characters (pilgrims) in the Prologue.  This creative lesson plan asks students to work in groups to write a skit demonstrating the characteristics of each pilgrim.  The students will dress up as the pilgrims and act out the skit using costumes, make-up, and music.  The teacher will photograph each group, and videotape each skit.  The lesson’s object is for students to demonstrate their understanding of Chaucer’s messages, which he explains through his descriptions of the characters.  The lesson plan is designed for 9th to 12th grade students who are studying The Canterbury Tales.      

 

Positive Aspects:

This is a creative way to help students understand Chaucer’s social commentary in The Canterbury Tales.  His lively characters transfer well to the stage.  This non-print assignment allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the text in a non-traditional way, and would be especially effective for visual, hands-on, and creative learners.  It would also be effective for ELL students and students struggling with the language of the text.  Group work allows students to help each other understand the text, and the dramatic “translation” of the text might help students “see” it in a clearer way.  No doubt that students who complete this assignment would have trouble forgetting The Canterbury Tale’s major themes.

 

Development Areas:

This lesson plan is especially vague.  Even though this creative idea is inspired and interesting, the author does not make clear how the teacher should best help the students understand the text’s themes.  The lesson plan gives vague instructions for completing broad tasks, for example, “Introduce Chaucer and the medieval period, using lecture, Q&A, and discussion.”  Also, the lesson plan does not specify a reasonable amount of time for completing this assignment nor does it specify whether the project should be completed in class or as homework.  This assignment asks for expensive materials like costumes and a video recorder.  I am not convinced that this is a reasonable assignment for a typical public high school classroom with 30+ students.

 

Classroom Use:

I like the idea of having students use Chaucer’s characters in skits.  These are vibrant and lively characters that students can easily imagine.  However, I would not use this lesson as written in my classroom.  Instead, I might have students work together in groups to transport the characters or their speeches into modern times.  I might ask, for example, “What would the Wife of Bath look like today?”  I would ask my students to rewrite a scene or a character using modern language and modern themes but preserving Chaucer’s original intent.  Students could then share these scenes, but they would not be required to come up with elaborate medieval costumes, make-up, and music.  I believe that the desired objective would still be met with these modifications.

 

 

 

 

2.  My very walk should be a jig 

 

http://www.shakespearemag.com/play.asp?id=11#28

 

Summary:

This excellent lesson plan for teach Act I, scene iii of Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night asks students to pay close attention to the detailed stage directions that Shakespeare wrote into the dialogue of this play.  After reading this scene, students work in small groups to visualize the movement of the characters, and then to describe that movement in their own words.  Through a very active process, students begin by imagining the movement of the characters by acting it out themselves or using “players” (small game pieces or buttons) on a “stage” (a piece of construction paper”).  They then substitute modern terms and settings to translate Shakespeare’s original stage directions into descriptions of their own imagined scenes. 

 

Positive Aspects:

This lesson plan is very thorough in its directions and its descriptions.  The activity is a creative, non-print lesson that will draw students’ attention to an important dramatic element, stage direction.  I like this activity because it emphasizes that Shakespeare is meant to be seen rather than just read.  This activity allows students not only to see this scene, but to physically act it out, though not in the traditional sense of “act.”  Instead, the students use simple, dance-like movements to trace the scene’s development.

 

Development Areas:

Although I feel that this lesson plan needs little development, I do think that this very non-traditional activity might be a bit intimidating to students who are not often asked to use their imaginations so creatively.  I think that in order to facilitate this lesson successfully, the teacher would have to be well prepared with models and examples of what the assignment is asking for. 

 

Classroom Use:

I would use this activity as is when teaching The Twelfth Night, however, I would think carefully about my students’ personalities before assigning this project.  This project requires as certain amount of extroversion, not to mention creativity.  More specifically, I’m not sure I would want to use this lesson with the 1st period senior British Literature class that I will be teaching next semester.  At 7:30 in the morning, that particular class of students even had a hard time participating in a Hamlet Jeopardy review!

 

           

 

3.  Jane Eyre Vocabulary Lesson

           

http://www.lessontutor.com/ees_jane_eyre2.html

 

Summary:

This lesson is a vocabulary worksheet assignment using words from the novel.  The worksheet lists several words from the text along with the sentence in which the word is found.  The page number is also supplied for easy reference.  The lesson asks the students to write down a definition for the vocabulary word based on their understanding of the word in context.  Students are then asked to look the word up in the dictionary, and to copy the dictionary definition under their own attempt at defining the word.

 

Positive Aspects:

Teaching vocabulary in context is an effective way to help students increase their reading comprehension and their vocabulary base.  This lesson encourages students to use their comprehension skills to figure out the meanings of words they do not know.  It also lets them practice using the dictionary as a resource. 

 

Development Areas:

This worksheet is much too long.  Students would be overwhelmed by the number of vocabulary words, and would become bored with the assignment half way through.  A worksheet this length looks like busy work!

 

Classroom Use:

I think that teaching vocabulary is crucial in English education.  Building vocabulary not only increases students’ reading comprehension and writing skills, but also helps prepare them for the standardized tests they will encounter in their student careers.  Vocabulary activities can be creative and fun, especially when structured like games (e.g. vocabulary BINGO).  I would break this worksheet into smaller segments or choose just some of the words to include.  I would not use this activity throughout the novel, but would use it to vary the other vocabulary lessons I plan to teach.       

 

           

 

4.  Romeo and Juliet Personal Response Journals

 

 http://www.geocities.com/trichard_ca

 

Summary:

This lesson plan should be used on several separate days throughout a Romeo and Juliet Unit.  In the course of reading the Play, this lesson asks the teacher to pose several reflective questions to the student about the play.  The questions ask the students to drawn on their personal experiences in reference to understanding the play.  The students choose one of these questions per week to which to respond in their journals.  Students’ responses are not graded for correctness, but they are given credit for turning in their responses on time. 

 

Positive Aspects:

Asking students to reflect personally on issues and themes in Shakespeare’s plays is a very effective method to help the students “into” the texts.  These types of reflective exercises also highlight the universality and timelessness of Shakespearean themes.  Students are often quite interested in writing about themselves, their lives, experiences, and ideas, and personal reflective activities can keep students interested in a text.  Also, the journaling format of this assignment encourages students to practice thinking on paper without fear of being “punished” for errors or incorrect responses.

 

Development Areas:

I have seen several teachers successfully use this type of assignment in conjunction with several of Shakespeare’s plays.  Teachers can adapt these questions to other plays, and can add their own questions to the mix. 

 

Classroom Use:

If my curriculum already had a consistent journal writing component in place, I would probably use this lesson plan as is except for the addition of some of my own questions.  If my students were not already asked to journal regularly, I might use these questions or questions like them as prompts for class discussions or for other, more formal writing assignments.  I also think that posing questions like the ones in this lesson plan is an effective way to introduce Romeo and Juliet or a variety of other Shakespeare plays. 

 

 

 

 

5.  Historicizing Catcher in the Rye  (Popular Culture)

 

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ailise/teaching/lesson/catcher/1.html

 

Summary:

This lesson plan is designed to contextualize Catcher in the Rye in it 1950s America time setting.  Before students begin reading the novel, the teacher asks them to share their impressions of 1950s American society.  The lesson uses the icons (the names, phrases, and/or pictures of) Elvis Presley, James Dean, Leave It to Beaver, and Rock ‘n Roll as prompts, asking the students to work together to generate a list of descriptions for each name or phrase.  After discussing the students’ images as a class, the teacher shows clips of commercial advertisements from the ‘50s, and asks the students to identify the kinds of messages the commercials send.  Finally, the students think of contemporary commercials, and compare them to those from the ‘50s that they have just viewed.

 

Positive Aspects:

I particularly like this lesson’s use of popular culture and media as an introduction to the text.  I think that setting Catcher in its historical time period is important to understanding the situations and issues described in the book.  Although I think that the appeal of Catcher is, in some ways, its universality, and in particular, Holden’s humanness as a protagonist, I also think that some of the novel’s events are particular to their specific time period.  I like the idea of setting the stage for exploring what Holden’s life might be like in 2002.

 

Development Areas:

While I think that this lesson would be an effective way to introduce this novel, I think that the lesson needs more historical content.  I think that the focus on media, advertising, and pop culture is interesting and important, I also think that it is important for students to understand some of the other historical and political aspects of the 1950s, for example, the aftermath of WWII and McCarthyism. 

 

Classroom Use:

In my own classroom, I would incorporate parts of this lesson into a larger historical introduction.  In particular, I think that viewing and analyzing commercials from the 1950s and then comparing them to corresponding contemporary commercials is a creative and effective way to help students understand 1950s cultural values.  I would make sure to include a wider range of details about the 1950s, as well as information about J.D. Salinger. 

 

 

Part Three: Original Lesson Plans

 

 

1.  Found Poetry (Popular Culture)

 

9th grade English

20 students

50 minute period

 

Task:

Students will choose a selection of non-fiction prose text from a popular culture source (e.g. - newspaper, magazine, flyer) to create “found poems.” 

 

Objective:

Students will manipulate non-fiction text into poems to expose the poetry in everyday writing. 

 

Materials:

 

Step

Description

Time

Introduction

This lesson is an effective lesson to use at the beginning of a poetry unit as it provides students with a fun, non-intimidating way “into” poetry.  It would work well on the second day of the unit, after students have already generated some ideas about poetry and its conventions and characteristics.  Teachers should ask the class to pay special attention to the deliberate choices that they make as found poets in terms of arranging the words on the paper, repeating particular words and phrases, emphasizes certain details while leaving others out all together, in order to expose meaning.

3 min.

Explain Assignment
  1. Look through the newspapers and magazines, and choose an article of interest to you to turn into a poem. 
  2. Choose at least three consecutive lines from the article and arrange them on your paper in such a way as to expose new meaning, or emphasize a certain message or image.
  3. You must keep the words in their original order.  Do not add or subtract words or change tenses.  You can repeat any of the words or phrases from any of the three lines as many times as you wish.  You can add a title, and arrange the lines with spaces, breaks, and punctuation in any way you wish. 
  4. Your poem can preserve the original meaning of the article, or it can bring out new meaning not necessarily intended by the original author.
  5. If you wish, you can copy your poem on a transparency to share with the class.

After explaining the assignment, share the model “found poem” with the original article.

5 min.

Work time

Students can work on the assignment individually or with one other person if they wish to do so.

25 min.

Sharing

Students who wish to do so can share their poems with the class.  They should briefly summarize the article they chose, and explain why they chose it.  Then they should put their poem on the overhead and read it out loud to the class.  The teacher should collect the poems of all the students.  These poems could later be published in a class literary magazine.

17 min.

 

Homework/Follow-up:

The teacher can choose to assign poetry homework after this lesson or can begin working on poetry in the next day’s class.  “Found Poems” are a great addition to class literary magazines.  Students can choose to submit them for publication if the classroom such a forum for publishing student work.

 

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their participation in activity.  They will be given credit/no credit for creating a poem according to the assignment, but will not be graded on the quality of their poem.

 

Literacy Aspect:

The lesson introduces students to the characteristics and conventions of poetry.  By creating their own poems, students realize that poets must make very deliberate choices concerning diction, form, and punctuation when writing poetry.

 

 

 

2.  Identifying the Problems in “Seventeen Syllables”

 

10th grade English

28 students

55 minute period

 

Task:

Students will work together in small groups to think critically about the thematic issues in the text, how these issues affect the characters, and what possible solutions to the issues might be. 

 

Objective:

Students should leave today’s lesson prepared to begin writing a first draft of the unit’s final assignment, a problem/solution essay.

 

Materials:

Poster Paper

Markers

(Students should bring to class their copies of the short story)

 

Step

Description

Time

Whole Class Discussion

“As we have read this short story, several issues have emerged that effect all of the characters.  Can anyone name one of these issues?”

As a class, brainstorm to generate a list of the central thematic issues or “problems” in “Seventeen Syllables” creating a master list on poster paper for the class.  The “problems” in this story include the generation gap, first and second generation immigrant experiences, first love, unhappy marriage, coming of age. 

10 min.

Group Students

Divide students into 6 groups of 4 or 5.  Assign each group one of the problems from the class list to discuss (it is okay for more than one group to work on the same problem).  Student groups will designate a note-taker for the group.

5 min.

Small Group Work

In small groups, students will discuss the following:

  • Why is this an issue in the story, and how do we know?
  • How does the issue affect each of the characters?
  • What might be some possible solutions to the problem, and why might those be effective solutions?

15 min.

Resume Whole Class Disc.

Coming back together as a whole class, the small groups will each share the ideas discussed in their groups, and this information will be added to the master list poster board.

15 min.

Assign Essay

The Problem/Solution essay will be assigned and explained.  Students can copy down the master list and choose the problems they will focus on in their essays from the list.  Students should copy down all of the list, even if they have already decided to write their essays on a particular topic.  Students can also ask questions about the assignment at this time.

10 min.

 

 

Homework:

First Draft of problem/solution essay due in class on Day 6 for peer editing.

Finish Renga assignment for final Renga activity in class tomorrow.

 

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their ability to stay on task and contribute during small group work (as observed by teacher roaming from group to group and from the contribution of small groups to the large group during the final whole class discussion), and on their final essays, which are due next week.

 

Literacy:

In this lesson, students are asked to use critical thinking skills to analyze the major themes of the short story.

 

 

 

3.  Line-by-Line Reading of “Civil Disobedience”

 

11th grade American Literature

50 minutes

30 Students

 

Objective:

Students will each produce a list of questions about the essay, which they ask while completing a very close reading of Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience.”

 

Materials:

 

 

Task

Description

Time

Background Information

Teacher will share background information about Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience,” and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848).  Before beginning, ask students to generate a list of events that were taking place in American history in 1849, when the essay was written.  Write these on the board.  “Thoreau was a Transcendentalist writer who lived in Massachusetts in the mid-1800s.  [Students should already have an understanding of the Transcendental movement]  As a reminder, Transcendentalism is the literary movement that was led by Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Thoreau, and others.  Transcendentalists took a “back to nature” approach to learning about the world – meaning that they believed that knowledge was best gained through observing nature.  In fact, Thoreau spent two years living in near isolation in a cabin that he built himself.  Over those two years, he read, observed nature, and wrote extensively.  His most famous work, Walden, comes from his writings and thoughts from those years.  The essay that we are going to read is called “Civil Disobedience.”  The ideas that Thoreau explores in this essay influenced major civil rights leaders including Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Thoreau was an ardent opponent of slavery and of the Mexican-American War (fought over Texas).  In protest, he refused to pay his taxes and spent a night in jail for doing so.  This essay explains the philosophy that led him to take this action”

10 min.

Line-by-Line reading of “Civil Disobedience”

After handing out copies of “Civil Disobedience,” students will take turns reading out loud, stopping after every section so that volunteers can explicate the meaning of the passage and students can ask questions about the text.  The dictionary should be on hand for looking up any words that students don’t know. 

35 min.

Assign Homework

Homework should be written on board and teacher should review assignment in last 5 minutes of class.  Finish reading “Civil Disobedience” for homework.  As you read, stop after every paragraph to write down questions you have about the essay.  Have your questions ready to discuss and hand in for credit tomorrow.

5 min.

 

Assessment: Students will continue Line-by-Line reading as homework, developing a list of questions about the text for each paragraph to use in in-class activity tomorrow and to turn in for credit.  Credit will be given for having done the assignment thoroughly, but the content of the students’ questions will not be graded.  

 

Follow-up Assignment:

Students will participate in Questions Around activity using their homework assignment from this lesson.  They will also be asked to write a short essay addressing a thematic issue in this text.

 

Literacy Components:

Students will use close reading and questioning skills to explicate this persuasive essay.  Students will understand and analyze the author’s arguments.

 

 

 

 

4.  The Great Gatsby Book Cover Design

 

11th grade American Literature

28 students

60 minute period

 

Objective:

Students will use visual media to express their comprehension and analysis of major thematic issues in the novel. 

 

Task:

Students will work independently to think creatively about the thematic issues in the novel.  Students will choose either to design an original book cover for the novel or illustrate on scene from the novel.  Students will complete a short written component, defending their choice of images and explaining how the images they chose represent a major theme (or themes) of the novel (see assignment).  Students will deliver brief and informal presentations of their projects to the class.  Students should have read most or all of the novel before completing the assignment.  Allow approximately three days of class time to complete this unit.

 

Materials:

(Students should bring to class their copies of The Great Gatsby)

 

Task

Description

Time

Introduction

Hand out Xeroxed copies of and review the assignment:

Choose ONE of the following creative assignments to complete by ___________.

 

Book Cover Design Assignment:

 

Before reading The Great Gatsby we examined the book’s cover to predict what the book might be about.  Now that you have read the novel, consider whether the book’s cover accurately represents the book.  If you were designing the jacket for this novel, what would it look like?

 

Use any materials (ink, watercolors, magazine cut-outs, yarn, tissue paper, etc.) you would like to design a cover for The Great Gatsby.  Call up all of your creative powers to create a book cover that shows others what this book is about.  You will have three days of class time to complete your creation.  You might choose to illustrate one of the many cinematic scenes from the novel, which clearly demonstrates one or more of the major themes of the novel.

 

After completing your book cover, write an explanation of your project.  The writing portion of the assignment should clearly articulate how the images you chose represent the themes of the novel.  You may also choose to include your thoughts on the ways in which the book’s original cover does or does not accurately represent the novel’s themes.  Your explanation should be at least one page long, but not longer than two pages.  It should follow all of the guidelines you already know about good writing, and should stick to standard MLA format.

 

This assignment will be graded on the following:

  • Thoughtfulness – have you shown careful and creative thinking in designing your cover or illustrating your theme? 
  • Effort
  • Clarity in written explanation.

 

Remind the class of the major themes of the novel by asking them to list some.  Write them on the board.  [They should include:

 The American Dream

Honesty/duplicity

The American upper class

Love/Infedelity

The Roaring ‘20s]

 

Circulate models of the assignment.

Answer student questions

Review guidelines for sharing art materials and cleaning up.

10 min.

Individual Work Time

Suggest that students spend some time brainstorming/sketching their ideas.  Allow students to work together to discuss the major themes of the novel, pick out relevant scenes, brainstorm ideas, but remember that these are individual projects.  Students should feel free to complete their own creative process.

40 min.

Clean Up

Students should spend the last 10 minutes cleaning up materials and storing their unfinished projects in designated space.  The classroom should be left as it was found.  Students should be able to take their projects home to work if they chose, but they must be responsible for bringing them back to class.

10 min.

* On the second and third days, skip the introduction, but repeat Individual Work time, allowing students to get started immediately and letting them work for 50 minutes.  As students begin to finish the non-print portion of their projects, they can begin working on the written explanations.  On the fourth day, projects should be turned in.  That day should include time for students to present their projects to the class in brief and informal presentations.

 

 

Homework:

Homework should be assigned on the third day of the lesson.  Students will type their written explanations, and have them ready to turn in with their completed book cover on the following day.  Anything that students do not finish in class should be finished for homework. 

 

Follow-up Activity:

Students will present their projects to the class.

 

Literacy Aspect:

Students will use non-print/visual media to demonstrate their understanding and analysis of the major themes of this classic American novel.

 

 

 

 

5.  Identifying Common Themes: “The Hollow Men” and The Great Gatsby

 

11th Grade American Literature

28 students

60 minutes

 

Objective:

Students will work together to generate a list of themes in common between “The Hollow Men” and The Great Gatsby.  They will also cite specific lines, scenes, images, etc. that illustrate the common themes in each work.

 

Task:

Students will read the poem aloud, and as a whole class, complete stanza-by-stanza explication of the poem.  Students will then work in small groups to identify themes, and find textual illustrations from the poem and novel.  Groups will report their work to the whole class, and the teacher will compile a list of the themes and illustrations on a poster board for the class.

 

Materials:

 

Step

Description

Time

Introduction

“’The Hollow Men’ was written in 1925 by T. S. Eliot, an American Expatriate poet who relinquished his American citizenship to become a British subject.  We’re reading this poem because it discusses several themes that are similar to those Fitzgerald explores in Gatsby.  We can look at these commonalities as they reveal the concerns of writers of that time period.  As we read the poem, pay close attention to how Eliot discusses hollowness as compared with how Fitzgerald does so in Gatsby.”  Hand out the poem

5 Min.

First Read-through

Ask for student volunteer(s) to read the poem aloud.

4 min.

Second read/Explication

Ask for student volunteers or select students to read the poem again, stopping after every stanza to figure out its meaning.  Make sure to point out the major themes of the poem that are similar to the themes of the novel.  Help students with references they don’t understand.

18 min.

Small Group Work

Divide students into 6 groups of 4-5.  Each group should find the images/lines/words/scenes/etc. from each text that illustrate the common themes.  One member of each group should record the image (etc.) and the page or line number in which it is found.

18 min.

Create List

Coming back together as a class, each group should share the textual illustrations they found.  They should be ready to explain how the image illustrates the theme.  The teacher will record the themes and images (in brief), with the page/line numbers, on a poster paper.  Students should make a record of the master list for later use.  The poster can be displayed on the wall for future reference in class.

15 min.

 

Homework:

Students should continue reading the novel.

 

Assessment:

Students will be assessed for the day’s work on their participation in reading and explicating the poem and working in their groups.  Their understanding of the themes identified in class will be demonstrated in the projects/papers/assignments to come.

 

Literacy Aspect:

Students will read, explicate, and analyze a poem.  They will recognize and connect major themes in this poem and in the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby. 

 

 

Part Four: Resources 

 

 

1.  Inside Out: Developmental Strategies for Teaching Writing

 

Kirby, Dan and Tom Liner.  Inside Out: Developmental Strategies for Teaching Writing.  Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1988.

 

Summary:

This handbook for writing teachers is filled with a variety of interesting, accessible, and applicable ideas for teachers struggling to construct their own successful writing curricula.  This book offers creative formulas and instructive anecdotes suggesting solutions to issues ranging from establishing a positive classroom environment, to motivating students to write, to evaluation techniques.  Kirby and Liner are experienced writing instructors who are able to offer real classroom examples to illustrate the methods they suggest.  My favorite chapters include “The ‘J,’” which is all about instituting a successful journaling program in the classroom, and “Responding to Student Writing,” where the authors talk about looking for the good in student writing instead of focusing on the errors.  This accessible handbook is inspiring in it’s positive message about students’ abilities to write well and useful with all of it’s suggested activities, techniques, and exercises.

 

Positive Aspects:

Kirby and Liner write in an accessible, almost conversational style, and with a good sense of humor.  Their classroom anecdotes suggest the applicability of their theories.  The classroom exercises and assignments they model are interesting, varied, and, often, non-traditional (e.g. – non-print or visual assignments).  Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the book is the authors’ acknowledgement of some of the very real problems in being a classroom teacher.  They know that all of their progressive suggestions and ideas sound great for those teachers who work at the Utopia School.  They also know that most of us work in public school systems riddled with problems like over-crowded classrooms, scarce resources, violence.  Their realism is an encouraging change from some of the handbooks that seem to expect writing teachers to resemble Gandhi. 

 

Development Areas:

Despite their acknowledgement of the problems in real world educational systems, Kirby and Liner fail to offer many real world solutions.  The writing program they outline does not address issues like meeting the framework requirements or preparing students for standardized tests like the high school exit exam.  The assignments they model are also very non-print oriented – that is, they rather shy away from traditional expository essays.  However, Kirby and Liner nowhere claim to have written the definitive writing teacher’s handbook.  The claim to offer “strategies for teaching writing,” and they deliver. 

 

Classroom Application:

I plan to always keep this book handy when writing lesson plans.  Kirby and Liner model a variety of interesting exercises and assignments that would work well with a variety of literature, especially when seeking to implement some non-print or media based activities.  The creative writing prompts to help get students writing will be useful for pre-writing for larger projects and for journal exercises.  I’m positive that some of their activities will come in handy on those assembly days when I’m left with an odd 20 minute period and when planning lessons for substitutes to teach.      

           

 

 

 

2.  A Success Curriculum for Remedial Writers

 

Camp, Gerald. A Success Curriculum for Remedial Writers.  Berkeley: The National Writing Project, 1982.

 

Summary:

In this booklet, Camp takes us through a semester of his remedial writing course.  He explains his approach to all aspects of the classroom, from classroom management to grading, and he provides examples of handouts, worksheets, assignments, and student work to illustrate.  The foundation of his approach is what he calls a “success curriculum.”  He believes in three basic principles: 1) In learning a new skill, success is the most important motivation to continue, 2) Success means knowing how to do something you didn’t know how to do before, and knowing you know, and 3) Any reasonable assignment can be structured in such a way that every student in the class can succeed.  Camp describes an approach to teaching that is positive, holistic, and results oriented.

 

Positive Aspects:

Camp’s approach to education is positive and is designed expressly to facilitate the success of every student.  His methods were not developed for the most academically-talented students, but for the least.  I think that one of the most positive aspects of this booklet as a resource is that Camp’s ideas are applicable across the curriculum, not just in the English classroom.  I feel that teachers of all content areas looking for a unique approach to developing their classroom environments and curricula could adapt Camp’s model.  The booklet provides hardcopies of examples of worksheets, assignments, and other classroom documents, which would be very useful as models that can adapted to fit any classroom.  Also very useful for teachers, Camp supplements his writing with an annotated bibliography, giving his readers access to several of the books and studies that have most influenced him.  Camp is involved with the local Bay Area Writing Project so many of the resources he mentions are very accessible for me and for my classmates.

 

Development Areas:

This booklet is twenty years old.  Although I really believe that Camp’s approach is just as sound and would be just as effective today as it was at the time of it’s publication, several of his references are quite outdated.  Some of the assignments seem irrelevant or uninteresting, and could be updated.  Also, I would like to hear Camp’s thoughts on incorporating technology into his curriculum, and I wonder how he would handle contemporary issues in the public schools, for example, even though his students were “remedial,” he never mentions ELL students. 

 

Classroom Application:

Camps’ Success Curriculum is a great starting place when sitting down to develop a classroom management plan, course curriculum, and/or individual lessons.  I plan to keep this booklet handy as I begin teaching and throughout my career as an affirmation of my goal to help every one of my students feel successful at learning.  

           

 

 

 

3.  Online Resources Addressing the Needs of Gay and Lesbian Youth in Schools

 (Note: This is not one single resource, but these are links to a sampling of organizations who provide what I think are some of the most useful resources for teachers looking for information, support, and resources for developing anti-homophobic classrooms and for addressing the needs of queer youth in high schools.)

 

PFLAG’s From Our House to the Schoolhouse Safe Schools Campaign

http://www.pflag.org/education/schools.html

 

Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network

http://www.glsen.org

 

Gay-Straight Alliance Network

http://www.gsanetwork.org

           

Summary:

The first link listed directs users to PFLAG’s (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Safe Schools campaign.  This website features several resources for educators including a “Brochure for Educators” with resources, information on legal issues for schools regarding providing equal education opportunities for all students, and suggestions for ensuring safe schools.  Another brochure offered on the website is called “Tips for working with GLBT Youth,” which provides simple suggestions for school personnel.

 

The second link goes to the national Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which is an organization that focuses on working through its local chapters to reform America’s educational system in terms of ending anti-gay bias against students and school personnel in school systems.  GLSEN is powered by gay and straight folks who are committed teaching America’s schools to value diversity of all kinds through education, lobbying, and providing services.

 

The Gay Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network) is a San Francisco-based, youth-led organization that works to link individual school Gay-Straight Alliances to one another and to community resources.  Their goal is to create safe school environments for all students, to educate school communities about homophobia, and to end discrimination, harassment, and violence against queer students in schools. 

 

Classroom Use:

I plan to keep up my involvement with similar organizations as I begin teaching.  These organizations offer many local resources for workshops, activities, and other educational opportunities.  I will keep these resources in mind to refer to colleagues, students, and parents.  I will also be able to refer to these resources when planning specific lessons that may deal with gay and lesbian issues and when working with gay and lesbian youth. 

           

 

           

 

4. Teacher Vision

 

http://www.teachervision.com

 

Summary:

This enormous website provides a wealth of information and resources for teachers of various content areas.  From lesson plans to printable activities to quiz banks, many of the resources are free and easily accessed.  Resources are organized into categories by type, content area, or grade level.

 

Positive Aspects:

This is a great place to go for ideas on almost any issue that comes up in teaching from content materials to classroom management to professional development. 

 

Development Areas:

The content of this website is so huge, it’s a little bit overwhelming.  Also, the quality of resources varies vastly.  Some of the lesson plans, for example, are original, thorough, and creative while others are too simple or too complex or too boring. 

 

Classroom Use:

I will use this website as a starting point for finding information on various topics.  I think that this will be an especially useful resource for generating ideas for planning creative lessons for specific units.  I also think that this is a good place to see some of the activities other teachers have used successfully, especially when considering teaching a novel you have never taught before.      

 

           

 

5.  National Public Radio

 

www.npr.org

 

Summary:

When I was in high school, I remember NPR being the media source to which teachers and students most commonly referred.  NPR offers a variety of national and local radio programs delivering up-to-date news, current events analysis, live broadcasts of important speeches, interviews with contemporary politicians, writers, artists, scientists and the like, historical perspectives, and so much more.  Some of my favorite radio programs include Morning Edition for news, Forum for local and national current events analysis, and Fresh Air for interviews with contemporary writers, politicians, scientists, etc. 

 

Classroom Use:

Segments from programs aired on NPR can be a great way to make contemporary and relevant connections with course materials.  Interviews with authors, perspectives pieces on current issues, and commentary on major events can help bring content issues alive for students.  The audio-format is a good alternative to print media sources, and encourages students to develop their listening skills.  Many of the programs aired on NPR are available for free from its archives through Real Audio Player.  I plan to continue to listen to NPR regularly, keeping the programs I hear in mind as I continually search for new and interesting resources to bring into my classroom.

 

Positive Aspects:

Many NPR programs, in particular those that focus on current events analysis, are committed to airing a variety of voices and showing all perspectives on current issues.  The variety of programming provides many opportunities to find interesting connections to course materials.  The radio is free, and accessible for most every classroom teacher.  NPR’s archives are searchable, so teachers can look for programs on specific subjects.

 

Development Areas:

This is an enormous resource, and it is not specifically geared toward classroom use.  Teachers might have to use some creativity in adapting the available resources to the classroom.