I learned some new things about myself as a middle school English teacher throughout the course of this class. I learned to pay more attention to what my students are reading so that I can not only respond to their writing about these novels, but open a door for conversation about them as well. Although I'm a fan of tried-and-true strategies and I already have my favorite ones based on my time in the classroom, I'm always up for new ideas and I enjoyed the creative projects we completed during the group teach sessions. My students really enjoy hands-on projects and I plan to incorporate some of these into my own classroom. I also really enjoyed my book review text, which also gave me a whole new perspective on how to help my struggling readers.
I really enjoyed reading most of the novels for this class and the discussion that followed. Speak resounded quite heavily with me because of the age group I teach. It's tough enough to pass through adolescence without some emotional scars, but given the pressures that exist in today's society, this novel reminded me to keep alert to serve as the first line of defense when my students need me the most. Although Speak may have seemed like just another novel, it was the one that I connected to the most. I also enjoyed learning about the genre of graphic novels and I look forward to suggesting this genre to my students in the future. I wasn't a big fan of Boy Meets Boy because of the unrealistic setting, but even that wasn't a bad read. I think I definitely would have enjoyed reading some reviews that compared these current adolescent novels with more current texts since many of us have already read many of the classics.
I really enjoyed creating a blog and learning more about the strengths of blogging in the classroom. This is something I'd like to bring into my own classroom in the future, once resources are available. I may try to pilot something like this in the near future based on the experience of other teachers in my building.
The group teach experience was good in terms of working with a small group of peers to develop a cohesive lesson, but it was difficult to create based on the jobs and outside time restrictions that existed for my group. I think altering this project a bit could be beneficial - perhaps put people in groups based on topics and have them each develop a section of a lesson that they are individually responsible for and teach that to the class, instead of everyone working on every part of the lesson.
One of my favorite things about this class was the ability to discuss meaningful literature with other people who love it. It's so important for teachers to stay "fresh" in terms of what their students are reading, and this class came along at a great point in my own career. If anyone ever needs some ideas or strategies, or even just wants to visit, my classroom door is always open. For those of you who will be starting your teaching careers in the next year or so, you'll quickly learn that most teachers share ideas and you can easily put your own twist on things - it's like the largest "free strategies" garage sale you've ever seen. I've been blessed to work with a staff who loves to share new ideas and thus, I have quite a collection of things to share. If you're ever in need...you know how to find me. Best of luck to everyone!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Harry Potter Fanfiction
He turned back to Harry. “You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”
Harry wasn’t accustomed to being part of any crowd, much less the “wrong sort”. He had been so taken aback by the friendliness of the wizarding community toward him that he was feeling rather out of sorts all together. At first glance, Ron Weasley and his family hadn’t seemed terribly put-together, but they certainly had a grasp on one thing that Harry had never experienced: a family bond. Imagine if he had older brothers who had experienced the same things he was now experiencing and parents who were looking out for his best interest, just as Ron’s seemed to be. Better yet, imagine having parents at all. Harry reminded himself not to let his mind wander to what might have been and focus instead on putting together a response for Draco Malfoy.
Harry cleared his throat and mustered a quiet, “Thank you, Draco.” Draco continued to fix his gaze on Harry as Ron squirmed uneasily in his seat. When Harry didn’t offer anything else, Draco was clearly displeased. “Well, it seems you’re not much for taking advice from those who know how to give it,” Draco hissed, “Perhaps you’re not worth all the fuss that people have been making anyway…we shall see.” Crabbe and Goyle glanced at each other and nodded their heads in smug approval. “Come on, boys, let’s leave the legend alone with his red-headed, freckled friend.” Draco quickly exited the train compartment, his long robe flowing behind him and his posse not far behind.
“Well, I never….” Ron said with a twisted look of disgust. “Isn’t he just the image of his father?”
Harry wasn’t sure what to think about the entire situation, but one thing was certain: Harry hadn’t seen the end of Draco Malfoy.
I chose to add to the scene with Draco Malfoy for several reasons. One, I really do like the characters from Harry Potter. Two, I enjoyed this particular scene, especially knowing the type of relationship that Harry and Draco have in the rest of the series. Lastly, I'm not too keen on the characters in Twilight and wanted to try my hand with the Potter boy. My only disappointment was that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make Harry like Draco. I know too much about both of them, which caused me some frustration. I wasn't really a fan of fanfiction when I read it, and I have to admit, I'm not much good at it either. I think I'll stick to analyzing the characters and plot as the author intended from now on.
Harry wasn’t accustomed to being part of any crowd, much less the “wrong sort”. He had been so taken aback by the friendliness of the wizarding community toward him that he was feeling rather out of sorts all together. At first glance, Ron Weasley and his family hadn’t seemed terribly put-together, but they certainly had a grasp on one thing that Harry had never experienced: a family bond. Imagine if he had older brothers who had experienced the same things he was now experiencing and parents who were looking out for his best interest, just as Ron’s seemed to be. Better yet, imagine having parents at all. Harry reminded himself not to let his mind wander to what might have been and focus instead on putting together a response for Draco Malfoy.
Harry cleared his throat and mustered a quiet, “Thank you, Draco.” Draco continued to fix his gaze on Harry as Ron squirmed uneasily in his seat. When Harry didn’t offer anything else, Draco was clearly displeased. “Well, it seems you’re not much for taking advice from those who know how to give it,” Draco hissed, “Perhaps you’re not worth all the fuss that people have been making anyway…we shall see.” Crabbe and Goyle glanced at each other and nodded their heads in smug approval. “Come on, boys, let’s leave the legend alone with his red-headed, freckled friend.” Draco quickly exited the train compartment, his long robe flowing behind him and his posse not far behind.
“Well, I never….” Ron said with a twisted look of disgust. “Isn’t he just the image of his father?”
Harry wasn’t sure what to think about the entire situation, but one thing was certain: Harry hadn’t seen the end of Draco Malfoy.
I chose to add to the scene with Draco Malfoy for several reasons. One, I really do like the characters from Harry Potter. Two, I enjoyed this particular scene, especially knowing the type of relationship that Harry and Draco have in the rest of the series. Lastly, I'm not too keen on the characters in Twilight and wanted to try my hand with the Potter boy. My only disappointment was that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make Harry like Draco. I know too much about both of them, which caused me some frustration. I wasn't really a fan of fanfiction when I read it, and I have to admit, I'm not much good at it either. I think I'll stick to analyzing the characters and plot as the author intended from now on.
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