Like many others, I've read Twilight before. I was drawn to the story because of my students, who write weekly journal entries based on their choice novels (or books that the students select). My students, both male and female, were completely OBSESSED with the Twilight series (and still are). I read snippets of information about the characters and plot in their journal entries and just had to get the rest of the story. I found that I was never really drawn into the story, but I could finally understand why my students enjoyed the story. As an educator, I was more than happy to encourage their decision to read Twilight, and I enjoyed the discussion (both written and verbal) about the characters and storyline.
Having said that, I feel pretty strongly that Twilight is not a novel that I'd write a teaching rationale for in order to bring it into my classroom. I just don't think the novel itself brings that much to the table. Do I think it's worthwhile for students to read? Yes, if they want to. Am I pleased that my students are devouring the Twilight books? Sure...they are reading, and that's all that really matters. I'll save the literary analysis for novels and short stories of my choosing. I agree with the article "Off the Shelves" that Twilight offers a good example of characterization, and I might consider using it in my class for that specific reason, but I wouldn't want to fight to bring it into my classroom as a whole. I don't feel it's a very well-written novel, especially when compared to Harry Potter (the OTHER adolescent series that has caused reading mania).
It's interesting that I'd consider using pieces of Twilight since I'm teaching a writing technique called a snapshot with my students now. A snapshot is basically a word picture that is created based on incredible description. The example I used to teach my students to create a snapshot is from Harry Potter - when Harry first sees Ron Weasley's house, to be exact. The description is amazing, and I think it's really important to teach writing skills using text that is modern and well-known to students. Doing so makes the connection that much smoother for young writers.
On another note, I really enjoyed the censorship articles and can't wait to discuss them in more detail. It's kind of a culmination for what we've said all along - are "questionable" novels worth fighting for? How hard should teachers push to get material they desire approved as part of the curriculum? I look forward to the discussion.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Teacher Inquiry Project
Topic: Student Tracking
Research questions:
1. What is the success rate of students placed in lower academic tracks?
2. How does tracking benefit/limit students?
3. How do teachers equally educate students of unequal levels?
Articles:
1. "Schools Making Tough Choices": educational equity with student tracking
2. "Derailing Student Tracking": national campaign to end tracking that pushes blacks into low-end courses
3. "Tracking, By Accident and By Design": description of various forms of differentiation and how they benefit/hinder student progress
4. "The Challenge of Detracking: Finding the Balance between Excellence and Equity": examining the use of tracking to benefit both high and low achieving students
I've found four sources thus far that examine student tracking in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm particularly interested in this topic because my school principal believes that tracking goes against the middle school philosophy, even though it's shown to be successful in older grades. The middle school students are tracked in math in 7th grade, but not in English until 8th grade. Their track is re-evaluated on a yearly basis based on their grades and work ethic. As a teacher who has high-achieving gifted students in the same class as low-ability students, I'm interested to explore all aspects of tracking - how it affects students, how it affects teachers, and if there is a "best practice" for middle schools when it comes to the great question, "To track or not to track?"
I'm hoping that the novel I'm reading for my book review will have some insight into possible practices to get lower-ability students more involved in reading and writing instead of tracking them into lower classes. I know that tracking can be detrimental to a student's self-esteem and I was actually pulled from a regular education math class in 6th grade and placed into a remedial class without my parents' knowledge. I will never forget how that felt and although my teachers goofed with that move, it only lasted a day and I wasn't scarred for life. I wonder if students placed in lower tracks are scarred by it, or if it's more beneficial than people give credit for.
Research questions:
1. What is the success rate of students placed in lower academic tracks?
2. How does tracking benefit/limit students?
3. How do teachers equally educate students of unequal levels?
Articles:
1. "Schools Making Tough Choices": educational equity with student tracking
2. "Derailing Student Tracking": national campaign to end tracking that pushes blacks into low-end courses
3. "Tracking, By Accident and By Design": description of various forms of differentiation and how they benefit/hinder student progress
4. "The Challenge of Detracking: Finding the Balance between Excellence and Equity": examining the use of tracking to benefit both high and low achieving students
I've found four sources thus far that examine student tracking in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm particularly interested in this topic because my school principal believes that tracking goes against the middle school philosophy, even though it's shown to be successful in older grades. The middle school students are tracked in math in 7th grade, but not in English until 8th grade. Their track is re-evaluated on a yearly basis based on their grades and work ethic. As a teacher who has high-achieving gifted students in the same class as low-ability students, I'm interested to explore all aspects of tracking - how it affects students, how it affects teachers, and if there is a "best practice" for middle schools when it comes to the great question, "To track or not to track?"
I'm hoping that the novel I'm reading for my book review will have some insight into possible practices to get lower-ability students more involved in reading and writing instead of tracking them into lower classes. I know that tracking can be detrimental to a student's self-esteem and I was actually pulled from a regular education math class in 6th grade and placed into a remedial class without my parents' knowledge. I will never forget how that felt and although my teachers goofed with that move, it only lasted a day and I wasn't scarred for life. I wonder if students placed in lower tracks are scarred by it, or if it's more beneficial than people give credit for.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Persepolis and graphic novels in the classroom
Since Josh gave such a lovely summary of Persepolis, I don't feel the need to belabor it too much. The first item that came to mind when I read the introduction was, "Gino (the history teacher on my team at school) would LOVE this book!" My students study ancient cultures in 7th grade and they focus on the seven themes of culture and various cultures, like the Persians, that existed in the Ancient World. The graphics of tyranny on page 11 cracked me up since I collaborate several essays with history class and read all about these cultures. This novel brought a new perspective to me as a teacher! Although not all of the graphics are appropriate for middle school, I'd love to pick and choose some of them to accompany English/history essays.
We've already spent a good amount of time dissecting the graphic novel and its purpose in the classroom, so I want to spend some time writing about the article. I marked down a few items as I read:
1. "We were intrigued by the status of graphic novels among adolescents" (19). Me too! That's all that I had next to that one. =)
2. "When we attempted to strike up conversations about these works, students seemed reluctant to discuss them, perhaps because it would disclose a literary form belonging to their generation" (19). I was pleased that the teachers had taken notice of student interests, which is really half the battle anyway.
3. "We did not discuss the ending, which was left up to the imaginations of the student writers" (20). This is extended thinking, which is what Anne and I both found we missed in reading graphic novels where the ending is provided.
4. "When we noticed that students overused the word said in their dialogues, we present a lesson called Said is Dead..." (21). LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea and I feel the need to email the authors of the article to get a copy of this lesson! I bet they send it to me, too.
5. I starred the box on page 22 titled Graphic Novels and Picture Books Used As Writing Prompts because my students complete daily writing prompts and offering them a scene or picture to write about would be a great change of pace for them. Same skill with a twist of variety.
6. Student excerpts reminded me of something I've used as a filler activity titled "Pass Back Stories." I give a certain amount of time and a prompt to begin with. Students write for a few minutes, then stop mid-sentence and pass their stories to another person. Students keep adding to the various stories until they receive their own back again. This sort of "free writing" activity goes over really well with middle school, provided that I remind them that there are boundaries in their writing, for example, killing off a friend for laughs is not acceptable. *sigh*
7. The culminating activity of the picture book on page 23 is similar to the culminating activity we're doing now - my students analyze literary elements and devices in children's picture books, and finish with a culminator where they create their own. I loved the idea of snapping a photo of the author and including an "About the Author" page - I may try this next week.
8. "The use of these forms of popular culture and media afforded us a space to provide students with instruction on the craft and mechanics of writing" (24). Student interest + modeling + hands-on activity + clear expectations = RESULTS! Go figure...
We've already spent a good amount of time dissecting the graphic novel and its purpose in the classroom, so I want to spend some time writing about the article. I marked down a few items as I read:
1. "We were intrigued by the status of graphic novels among adolescents" (19). Me too! That's all that I had next to that one. =)
2. "When we attempted to strike up conversations about these works, students seemed reluctant to discuss them, perhaps because it would disclose a literary form belonging to their generation" (19). I was pleased that the teachers had taken notice of student interests, which is really half the battle anyway.
3. "We did not discuss the ending, which was left up to the imaginations of the student writers" (20). This is extended thinking, which is what Anne and I both found we missed in reading graphic novels where the ending is provided.
4. "When we noticed that students overused the word said in their dialogues, we present a lesson called Said is Dead..." (21). LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea and I feel the need to email the authors of the article to get a copy of this lesson! I bet they send it to me, too.
5. I starred the box on page 22 titled Graphic Novels and Picture Books Used As Writing Prompts because my students complete daily writing prompts and offering them a scene or picture to write about would be a great change of pace for them. Same skill with a twist of variety.
6. Student excerpts reminded me of something I've used as a filler activity titled "Pass Back Stories." I give a certain amount of time and a prompt to begin with. Students write for a few minutes, then stop mid-sentence and pass their stories to another person. Students keep adding to the various stories until they receive their own back again. This sort of "free writing" activity goes over really well with middle school, provided that I remind them that there are boundaries in their writing, for example, killing off a friend for laughs is not acceptable. *sigh*
7. The culminating activity of the picture book on page 23 is similar to the culminating activity we're doing now - my students analyze literary elements and devices in children's picture books, and finish with a culminator where they create their own. I loved the idea of snapping a photo of the author and including an "About the Author" page - I may try this next week.
8. "The use of these forms of popular culture and media afforded us a space to provide students with instruction on the craft and mechanics of writing" (24). Student interest + modeling + hands-on activity + clear expectations = RESULTS! Go figure...
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