Feb15-22: Post your Rationale
As we decided together in class, please post your rationale to the blog. The idea here is that once all are posted, you can do a simple copy and past of the entire posting and save it somewhere (in a Word document, in a manilla folder, or in a notebook, or in a baggie), so you'll have a nice beginner's rationale collection.
posted by Bucky C. at 6:52 PM
8 Comments:
Bucky Carter, EDIS 541
Rationale for Teaching Fax From Sarajevo
Students usually learn about genocide from units on the Holocaust and World War II. Even though American history has included its own version of “ethnic cleansing” via its policies and actions towards the removal and large-scale eradication of its indigenous peoples (Native Americans), notions of genocide are often approached from the perspective that “it happened somewhere far away a long time ago and thank goodness it will never happen again.” Phrases such as “we must never forget” and “those who forget history are bound to repeat it” are commonly heard in classrooms or seen on posters. Yet, as current news from Darfur and the recently acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda make so clear, the history of genocide is still being made.
With the intention of teaching students that genocide is a current global problem and that it is not something “from the past,” I am teaching Joe Kubert’s 1996 graphic novel Fax From Sarajevo in conjunction with current clippings from news agencies about atrocities in the Sudan and hopefully along with a class viewing of Hotel Rwanda.
Fax From Sarajevo uses actual faxes from Ervin Rustemagic, Kubert’s businessman and colleague, who is trapped in his homeland of Sarajevo as Serbs begin their attempts to “cleanse” Bosnia. The faxes detail such things as his attempts to escape with his family, how he had to dodge bullets and mortars, and how snipers from the hills would shoot children because their officers granted them monetary bonuses for doing so and because they could earn even more money once adults ran to help the wounded children, essentially becoming “easy pickings.” Kubert’s full-color illustrations drive home the violence and tension without needlessly assaulting the senses. Just as in Hotel Rwanda, the idea is to instill a sense of the circumstance’s terror without turning away the audience with overly graphic visuals. Again similar to the film, though, is the underlying blatancy that, as good as the graphics are at telling the story, they could always have been even more realistically portrayed.
Rustemagic’s faxes are sent between 1992 and 1993. Even our freshmen students cannot consider that “a long time ago.” I am aware that there is some controversy in considering the events in Bosnia a “real” genocide, but I plan to deal with this by exploring the issue head-on once the novel is read, and at the beginning of the unit by establishing the following baseline definition of genocide: “the purposeful and systematic attempt to remove by death, or means leading to death, any group of people.” That Bosnia is in Europe, I suppose, still makes it “far away” but the book does illustrate that in recent history there has still been “white-on-white” genocide, just as the other media listed show “black-on-black” genocide. The “other” person is not as unlike ourselves as we might want to think. Rustemagic says there was a time when he was younger when he could walk the streets and never know if anyone was a Jew, a Christian, or Muslim. “It didn’t matter.” But, suddenly, it did. Quickly, well-known neighbors became suspicious of one another.
As well, Rustemagic speaks of “shame” as he attempts to shame all of his local, governmental, and international contacts into helping the region. Paul Rusesabagina says the same thing in Hotel Rwanda. Genocide, apparently, has a history of going unchecked by detached outsiders until they are shamed into knowledge. This unit will attempt to pre-empt a strategy of shame and Fax From Sarajevo, in accordance with the other media I have mentioned, is an ideal book for getting students to realize that genocide has happened to people not unlike themselves, and has happened within a recent past that includes their lifespan and our contemporary moment.
Aaron Schmidt
Review #3, Rationale
Maus
The Holocaust is a seminal event in world history that is often difficult for students to fully appreciate. Adolescents who live in small communities with little worldly experience beyond their homes often fail to relate to the racism and hatred that led to the genocide of the Jewish people in German-occupied territories. To better understand the impact of the Holocaust, students often must undergo a jarring experience, such as hearing a first-hand account from a survivor or visiting the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. For this reason, I plan to teach Art Spiegelman’s Maus.
Maus represents a confluence of many important themes and devices that I would like to teach. The first of the factors that makes Maus a unique work that must be studied is its genre, the graphic novel. This factor is useful in itself, but specifically regarding the application for a Holocaust survivor’s narrative. Second, there are many SOL applications to studying this particular graphic novel. Lastly, the work is interdisciplinary. The work should not stand alone in literary study but also contribute to the study of the history of World War II.
Maus is widely regarded as the finest graphic novel to date. For that reason, any entrée into the genre almost has to include this work. The graphic novel is a growing genre that must be studied to encourage a new audience of young adult readers. Students should understand the contributions that the graphic novel makes to literature, as well as how to study and appreciate graphic novels as a whole. This genre is a resource that teachers and students alike must start to recognize as valuable to literature. Students can find a new way to get interested in reading, and teachers should understand how to use that productively. If the graphic novel is to be studied, Maus must be included in that study.
Specifically, Maus’ exposition of the horrors and hatred of the Holocaust make it essential to studying this dark period in human history. Through Spiegelman’s presentation, many valuable lessons can be taught that other texts simply cannot accomplish. The frame story of Art Spiegelman and his father Vladek ground the story as a dramatic re-telling of events, a life history being passed down from father to son. By presenting this tale in graphic novel form, Spiegelman is able to present this difficult re-telling in an accessible way. Not only does he use pictures that will entice adolescent readers, but expands that interest to benefit from symbolism as well. By making the Jewish victims of the Holocaust mice, Spiegelman points at the prejudice that made the Holocaust possible. While he uses the pictorial representation to his benefit in other areas (specifically the ‘masks’ that the characters wear), the perception of people as vermin is the most important message of Maus, one that cannot be told in the way that this graphic novel uses them. The effect of people being represented by mice holds a teaching power that no other work can give a teacher to use for students.
There are many SOL applications within the graphic novel as well. Graphic novels can be studied just as closely as prose and poetry, if not more closely because of the added influence of the illustration. In this respect, thematic and rhetorical devices literally take shape and can be pointed to as concrete examples. Whereas students may have difficulty when they are required to “open up” other texts by closely studying them, the graphic novel benefits from an accessibility that no other form can have. Elements like character, character development, plot, themes, etc. all take visual form. Teaching Maus specifically as a work of literature makes it easy to bridge the abstract ideas of literary analysis to the concrete images of the graphic novel.
The interdisciplinary value of Maus is immeasurable. The gravity of the Holocaust can more easily be realized due to the presentation of the story. Students will be drawn in to the work initially by the uniqueness of the genre but ultimately be gripped by the power of the story that makes the novel what it is. Maus gives life to the statistics and facts that often remain distant and inaccessible to adolescents. By using this graphic novel, not only will students be able to better analyze literature but also move toward a deeper understanding of the gravity of the Holocaust as a world history event and a study on the dark side of human nature.
Maus has a variety of applications in various units, whether it is the study of the hero, or what it is to be one in literature or real-life applications, or the study of identity and finding perspective in adolescence. For its power, effectiveness, and wide range of applications, Maus is a distinctly unique work whose influence cannot be matched by any other text.
Rationale for Teaching the Harry Potter series
When it comes to teaching reading in school, one of the biggest tasks is always trying to find a book that will make the students want to read. When a student actually enjoys reading, he is more likely to gain something from that book and to continue to read independently outside of class. Harry Potter is the type of book that has been doing this for children and adolescents; according to an article in Time magazine: "parents marvel… that their non-reading children (even boys!) are tearing through the Potter books and begging for more."
Unfortunately, there has been a slew of criticism for the Harry Potter series ever since its appearance on bookshelves. The American Library Association listed the series as part of its Most Challenged Books list in 1999. Most complaints about the novels have to do with the fact that the characters are witches and wizards, and in the minds of those who challenge it, witches and wizards are equated with "evil." However, as is painstakingly obvious to anyone who has ever read one of these novels, "witchcraft" in Harry Potter has absolutely nothing to do with being evil. Witchcraft in Harry Potter is not a religion at all, as most of its challengers seem to think; it is more of a genetic gift - a good analogy would be a person who happens to have natural athletic talent, but in the case of Harry Potter, the talent is the ability to do magic. Even if witchcraft was presented as a religion in the novels (which it is not – most of the characters in the books actually celebrate Christmas!), those who challenge it for this reason could be considered little more than religiously intolerant.
Some others argue that such fantastical notions as magic in literature could confuse children. Firstly, in a high school setting, most students already have a firm grasp on what is real and what is fictional, but more importantly, the ability to suspend disbelief is a critical part of reading comprehension and analysis in all literature. The canonical middle English poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", for example – read in almost all high school English classrooms – requires readers to suspend their disbelief of the green knight who has his head chopped off, only to appear once again at a later point in the poem with his head fully intact with his body. Harry Potter is no different – it is a story – fiction – not a biography or a documentary which claims to be true.
For anyone who still remains unconvinced about the value of teaching Harry Potter in the classroom, the books contain both thematic and literary elements valuable to adolescents. Some of the issues dealt with in the novels include coping with loss (Harry is an orphan), making the right choices and steering clear of the wrong crowd, the importance of school work and grades, good sportsmanship, modesty, self-motivation, and loyalty – and this list is by no means exhaustive. Harry and the other students at Hogwarts, though unique in their abilities to perform magic, are very much realistic representations of what it is like to be an adolescent. They struggle with issues that any adolescent might struggle with, thus making Harry Potter a work that students can easily relate to and find relevant to their own lives.
Additionally, J.K. Rowling is phenomenal in her ability to create an entirely new lexicon (full of muggles and quidditch, and alohamora) to go along with the magical world presented in the Harry Potter series. Though not necessarily relevant to everyday life, the new vocabulary in Harry Potter helps students to use to context clues to derive word meaning and connotations for words that are unfamiliar to them, thus increasing their reading comprehension skills as a whole.
No other book or series of books of books is able to offer what Harry Potter offers both teachers and students. It increases reading comprehension through new vocabulary and word play (think Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley), and the characters serve as good role models for adolescents, struggling through many of the same issues that a middle or high school student may be concerned with. Most importantly, however, the Harry Potter series offers all of these benefits while appealing to students and truly creating a love of reading.
Cara Sinclair
Rationale for Annie On My Mind
I am using Annie On My Mind with my sophomore class at this time for many reasons. First, I want to help establish a place of trust in my classroom so my students can feel safe to engage in discussions about many subjects. I don't want students feeling isolated in my classroom because they don't feel represented in the literature we are covering. I feel that at this age it is our moral responsibility to educate our students about many different topics and experiences so they can create informed opinions and beliefs. School, specifically the English classroom, is a great place to learn about tolerance and identity and Annie On My Mind tackles both of these issues. When students are exposed to life and reality in the classroom, such as this book, they will have the experience of the text to fall back on which will guide them in their moral/social decisions.
My first specific objective is to study the literary theme of identity. Specifically, I am looking at the search for identity and what obstacles many characters in literature have to over come. Another objective that I am looking at is the topic of exile and the many forms that it can take on. I also want to explore the reactions of the characters who are experiencing the exile. The topic of love and romance is another topic I am looking at to address, specifically the universal themes of love and how they are applied to non traditional texts. The last objective I want to explore is the concepts of narration and point of view. How do these affect the story being read?
Annie On My Mind meets all these objectives wonderfully. Liza is a senior in high school who is now just learning her place in the world. She is coming to grips with who she is as an individual but also as a student and family member. Liza struggles to be true to who she is while maintaining her status and reputation at school and being the family member she is expected to be. All students can relate to these struggles. Liza also goes through the trial of exile. She is exiled at school when she comes back after her suspension. She and Annie are also forced into an emotional exile by society for they can not express themselves in public or around others. They must find a secured and safe area in which to spend time together, similar to Romeo and Juliet if you will. Annie On My Mind is not only a book about identity, but it is a love story as well. The book presents the topics of love and romance in such a universal way that the descriptions and feelings can be related to by anyone. The concepts and feelings conveyed in the book transcend people and places and become a truth. This book also takes a wonderfully unique and different perspective with the narration. It is told through the eyes of Liza, a 17 year old girl who is struggling to find her way in life and coming to terms with this way. The narration and perspective of Liza is so incomparable that no other book could capture the voice and power that she has.
The main problem of subject matter in Annie On My Mind is the fact that it is primarily dealing with a “taboo” subject matter – homosexuality. Another problem that stems from this is sex. Both in my opinion are dealt with in a very mature and sensitive light and I intend to do the same. I don't intend to deal with this novel just on homosexual terms. I want to look at the deeper themes and lessons that can be taken out of the novel. Tolerance, innocence to maturity, the quest for identity, and love are some of these deeper themes that are enhanced because of how Annie and Liza identify themselves. These are real young adults with real world problems that real students, mine, can benefit learning about because I won't be judging the homosexuality in the novel, but allowing the students to draw conclusions and opinions on their own. Also, as far as the subject of sex goes, the novel is very tasteful in dealing with the topic. It is also such a minor part of the novel in terms of action and consequence because the tension in the novel arises not from what is being done but who it is being done with. I don't plan on making sex the main focus of my discussion, but will be open and tactful if the students so decide on engaging in discussion about it.
I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical of anything in the graphic novel genre. However, after reading Maus I, I know not to judge a book by it's cover (pun intended).
Maus I tells the story of Vladek and Anja Spiegelman as written by their son, Art. Vladek recalls his years running from the Nazi's while trying to keep his family and business safe. The book contains some strong language and images, and deals with sensitive subjects such as death (suicide, loss of a child, and murder), discrimination, marital problems, and basic human survival. The Jews are portrayed as mice, the Nazi's are cats, and the Poles are pigs.
After consulting with the history department, I decided Maus I would make an excellent compliment to the texts eleventh graders were reading. In an effort to coordinate lessons with the history department, Maus I would be introduced to English 11 students when they are studying World War II in their world history classes. I believe this is necessary to paint a more emotional picture of the events. As the history classes discuss events and dates, I want my students to be exposed to the effect these events had on the people living through them.
Through Maus I, students will know Jewish families were oppressed in Eastern Europe beginning as early as 1936; students will understand some Jewish families went to great lengths to survive the Holocaust, and that some of those families lived to tell about it; and students will be able to make a time line and/or map Vladek and Anja Spiegelman's path to freedom. Because of the nature of the graphic novel, students will be introduced to imagery not only through words, but also in pictures. Students will also be exposed to a variety of languages and dialects including German, Polish, and broken English.
I believe Maus I will help students better understand what eastern Europeans went through during the Holocaust because of the way Vladek narrates in first person. History classes may address the fact that Jews spent a lot of time escaping from the Nazi's, but may not take the topic much deeper. This book provides a unique insight to students about how difficult it was for Jews to survive.
Sensitive subjects must be dealt with in a delicate way in the classroom. Students will be given various opportunities (usually at the beginning of each class) to respond to a writing prompt in their journals relating to Maus I. These journal entries are shared with the class on a volunteer basis; nobody will be forced to read their entries out loud. When issues of strong language arise in my classroom, I expect my students to act like adults and consider what that language brings to (or takes away from) the novel. I will also explain to the students that a majority of the harsh language is what Vladek remembers, and therefore a part of history. An accurate representation of events can only help students appreciate them more.
I welcome all questions and comments concerning my use of Maus I in my English 11 classroom. I sincerely hope my students will come to appreciate it's historical accuracy and emotional narration as much as I have.
Rationale for teaching The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
It is important for high school students to be prepared to encounter people in life who are different from them. After high school, students will be attending college, joining the military, or entering the workforce, all places where they are likely to meet and have to interact with people from significantly different backgrounds than their own. This novel will not only allow students to interact with a person whose life is markedly different from their own—from the country where they live to the way their brains function—but also will give them the chance to see the world through this person’s eyes.
Beyond the social lesson of seeing another’s worldview, this book is a fine example of point of view. Mark Haddon takes an autistic child as his narrator, and one of the main reasons behind the teaching of this book is to think about how the author was able to get so deeply into his narrator’s head, and how his experience differs from ours, as readers.
Certainly, there are many novels which we could study that would give us an opportunity to think about perspective, the author’s process, and how it relates to the reader’s experience. This particular novel, however, forces the reader to grapple with these issues in a way that is distinctly different from others: the narrator is a high school-aged kid, just like them, but he is an individual with a mental disability. As they read his story, however, the students will find themselves sympathizing with and relating to the narrator, a person whose world they may otherwise have seen as wholly incongruent with their own. This narrator lives in their time. They will relate to him in a more real way than they would with other, less controversial (though perhaps equally different) characters.
Issues that may be of concern in this book will include some instances of graphic imagery—particularly with reference to cruelty to animals—some sexual references, and a number of instances of profanity. These, however, will contribute to the students’ understanding of perspective, as they are all treated by the novel from the singular impression of a fifteen year-old narrator with autism. Instances of violence, sexuality, or profanity, are treated by this narrator purely as facts, and this will be one of the important elements of the novel—and the character—discussed at length in class. Other possible roadblocks with this novel may include students’ own reluctance to give this book/narrator a chance. He is so different from them, his brain works so differently form theirs, that they may be inclined to dismiss him out of hand; but this, too, will be one of the explicit issues treated in class. One of the most major points in studying this novel is to see the world through another’s eyes. This book will not allow them to do otherwise: nor will I.
Kate E. Putnam
2/15/06
EDIS 541
Rational: Maus I
Students are expected to learn, read about, and understand such historical topics as the World Wars, the Vietnam War, JFK’s assassination, etc. In history class, students develop detailed opinions about these topics from what they are taught and sometimes more importantly what they aren’t taught. Students who are introduced to the timeline of World War II are exposed to Hitler, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, and the Atomic Bomb. These are nonfiction, real life events in our history that over time have been set back into history instead of being brought to the forefront of our student’s education.
The rational I write today is to eliminate the opinions from ignorance by introducing a book into my English classroom that I feel appropriate for teaching the subject of Holocaust as it relates to history, and more importantly its theme of genocide, discrimination, and torture. These themes are not make-believe; they are the history of the world in which we live. In order to allow our students a chance to understand our history, we must provide them with the literature they need to appropriately see each event for what it was, and how it still affects our human race today.
Maus I is a graphic novel that takes us back into the life of a Jewish man living in Germany during the Holocaust, and who survived. There is no other book that compares to the dialogue, the factual explanations, and the historical timeline that is included in Maus I. I feel as thought this book, although it deals with mature content, is a one in a lifetime opportunity to offer my students the understanding they need to truly be aware of the Holocaust and its effects. Along with the fact that this book tells a trying, true tale, it tells a parallel story through pictures. We can find themes, expressions, and understanding in the pictures alone, without the words, which makes this book all the more important for our students to read. Gaining knowledge from the unspoken word, from the pictures and what they portray is an irreplaceable teaching tool.
I feel as though this book could be read, discussed, and used as a supplement to an entire unit on the history of World War II and the Holocaust. Along with this book, I would show clips from Angela’s Ashes, a movie written about the Holocaust, and take clips from the written version to supplement and add to the theme of this bestial event in our history.
This unit will not be an attempt to create controversy but an attempt to teach the truth to students who do not know enough about these events to begin to understand them in a way that truly matters to them. Maus I will be that source in my classroom that helps students understand that they must care about their history, as it could happen again.
Rationale for Teaching Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower as companion literature to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye
Clare Noone
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story that does not shy away from the many controversial issues that affect and afflict the 21st century teenager. Rather, the novel faces them head on and does so beautifully. Through a collection of letters written by a 15 year old freshman named Charlie, the reader is immersed into the sometimes shocking yet real world of adolescence. Charlie is an outcast who, with the help of new friends, family and his freshmen year English teacher, learns to fully “participate” in life rather than observing silently from afar. In many aspects, the character of Charlie can be compared to The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield. Salinger’s novel is even read by Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both of the boys’ journeys through adolescence prove difficult and, like many real high school students, they struggle with depression and alienation along the way. For this reason and others which I will go on to describe, I believe students would benefit from reading the Young Adult Perks of Being a Wallflower as a complement to the classic Catcher in the Rye.
In scientific research as well as popular culture, depression is identified as one of the most prevalent psychological problems affecting adolescents today. Thus, we as educators need to communicate with students about the challenges they face, regardless of possible controversy. The high school years are a period of much personal growth. This growth comes from experience (whether positive or negative, voluntary or involuntary) and how each individual reacts to their experiences. The Perks of Being a Wallflower describes Charlie’s struggles to deal with the difficult events taking place in his life and in the lives of those he loves. The book gives an accurate and honest portrayal of adolescence and students will be able to relate and learn from Charlie’s experience. Since every major issue affecting teenagers is covered in the text, it is an extremely useful tool in explaining to students that they are not alone: it is okay to experience rough times and, perhaps more importantly, help is out there.
In addition to the important ideas and messages conveyed in the text, students would also benefit from the book’s literary aspects. Although students are generally familiar with the first person point of view, the book is also written in letter form, which gives the audience a different and perhaps more involved reading experience. Charlie is an extremely intelligent character throughout, which is reinforced through his advanced use of vocabulary and the books that his English teacher/mentor encourages him to read. For the most part, these texts are also coming of age stories where the respective characters struggle to deal with their life experiences. The works he reads and discusses/mentions include: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, A Separate Peace, Walden, Hamlet, and as mentioned, The Catcher in the Rye. Reading these texts help Charlie realize that he is not alone in the world.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower offers a realistic look at high school life. Thus, it is filled with controversial issues. Although there is no glorification or encouragement of any aspect that many come into question, these issues are often discussed in detail. Therefore, I believe informed parental consent should be established before the book is introduced to the class. Controversial issues include: love, sex, depression, drug use, loneliness, rape, suicide, homosexuality, homophobia, child molestation, abortion, physical abuse, and teenage pregnancy. The book does not condone any negative behavior. Rather, it sends out the message that life is full of difficulties, i.e. the sexual abuse that Charlie received from his aunt as a child, the physical abuse Charlie observes in his sister’s relationship, her subsequent pregnancy and the feeling that she has no other option besides abortion. There may not always be a perfect ending and life may seem harsh. However, as the book explains, with help it is possible to come to terms with challenging experiences and grow from them.
Charlie’s character promotes tolerance and open-mindedness by proving that education is the remedy to ignorance. After learning that his best friend is gay and having an affair with the popular high school quarterback, Charlie researches the topic of homosexuality to understand the issue. Although homosexuality is a controversial topic that society may not agree upon, the novel reinforces the fact that each and every person deserves respect regardless of their personal beliefs.
Drug use is another topic of controversy that exists in the novel. Charlie initially experiments with drugs by accident at a party (by means of a marijuana brownie) and then to fit in with the outcast crowd. Although it is an unfortunate fact, drug use is a reality in the lives of many high school students, particularly introverted or depressed students like Charlie. Chbosky’s inclusion of drugs in the novel shows that this is a real issue that teachers should not ignore or shy away from. The use of drugs is by no means encouraged, but rather it is mentioned as an existent factor in the adolescent world. Through Charlie’s story, teenagers will see that drugs do not solve any problems. Help does exist, but not in the form of illegal and damaging substances.
Post a Comment
<< Home