On the 4th day, I gave students a test in order to see how well they were picking up the concept of theme in interpretive literature. The stories I used for this varied, and often were changed from class to class, but they were always interpretive and always short (easily read in 15-20 minutes). I allowed students to use the already completed theme analysis worksheets for guidance.
In my classes, I gave each student a 3 ring binder, which was divided into three sections. One of those sections was obviously "Literature." Copies of the stories, along with the worksheets were placed there. I kept two 3 hole punches near the desk where the days' lessons lay. Very high tech- since retirement, I've grown okay with fragments.
I should state here that I retired in 2008. During my last few yrs, I asked admin to give me computers and a smart board. No deal; I had to take 120 copies of Elements of Literature. Since my retirement, I have seen smart boards in almost every room, but they're not always used. In fact, I've seen a few teachers using them to tape up copies of old overheads.
I had a love/hate relationship with technology. The problem, as I saw it, was that administration bought computers, and then expected test scores to go up simply b/c students had access to them. It never happened. Teachers too often gave assignments in which students merely had to use the computer to retrieve information, and then publish it as a power point presentation. As I've said in my first post, I didn't see how this was going to develop higher order thinking skills.
The teachers I admired were those who used technology as an aid to learning. I recently read a blog from an English teacher who used a smart board as students dissected poetry, highlighting aspects of the poems as they presented to the class. Nicely done.
But in my school, and it's probably true in many, computers were being handed out without an idea of how best to use them. Now, of course, everyone is racing to buy iPads. That's great, but how are they going to foster higher order thinking? Being able to boast, "All our students have iPads" by itself is not going to raise SAT or PSSA scores, or help students with AP exams. My friend Jim Gates, a nationally reknowned technology expert, asks the same question when districts contact him about using computers.
Schools will never be able to keep up with technology. Companies such as Apple and IBM eat their young. My younger daughter works for SAP, a huge international business software firm; her husband is employed by Cisco's telecommunication branch. What they're working on for the future is beyond my understanding. So I always grimaced when I saw admins, and teachers too, act as if our graduates were going to be able to leave our high school with enough tech knowledge to allow them to ease into high tech jobs. I could imagine admins addressing some 8th and 11th grade English and math teachers with, "Why aren't PSSA scores rising? We bought you computers!"
As I've said, I think we should concentrate on the higher end of Bloom's. I have no evidence of this, but I feel developing those skills will give young adults the best chance of success.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
3 -- Escapist + Interpretive Literature
After two days (and two ex of interpretive lit) I gave students the story "Lamb to the Slaughter."
I read the first page (it's short too) aloud and then told them to finish and complete a theme analysis worksheet. One of my (many) curriculum coordinators was part of a PA reading council; one of their studies found that reading to students, even those in sr high, was a benefit and fostered better understanding. So, I did that often.
The plot of "Lamb" involves a loving, pregnant wife who kills her husband (the implication is that he's cheating) with a frozen leg of lamb, and then tries to get away with it. In the end, she convinces detectives, who are looking for the murder weapon, to sit and eat the now cooked lamb. One of them says, "It's (the weapon) probably right here under our noses." The wife hears this and giggles, end of story.
Students are usually surprised by the difficulty of completing the analysis sheet. The story seems less taxing than the first two ("Regret" & "Use of Force"). I direct attention to me in front, and ask for answers to the worksheet. Obviously, the external conflict pits the wife vs her husband, and the wife vs the detectives. Most students then say the internal conflict has to be the wife vs herself (yes, I always wrote it that way). So I asked them to think for a minute and then decide if the wife really was in conflict about the murder --- "Did she think of turning herself in?" "Did she feel anguish for her husband?" So, she has no internal conflict.
At this point, I begin a discussion about escapist and interpretive literature, using popular movies as examples --- Batman, James Bond, Indiana Jones --- maybe show the first few minutes of "Temple of Doom." The goal obviously is to emphasize the black & white/good vs evil nature of escapist films. We'd discuss why these films are so popular when everyone knows the ending (James Bond is going to get the girl and defeat the bad guy). They require no thinking, and the protagonists make us feel better about ourselves with sympathetic heroes whose victories we can share. The ending is optimistic. Suspense and irony are the key literary elements. If there is a theme, it is one of good triumphing over bad. Escapist movies, though wildly popular, rarely win academy awards. Those Oscars go to films that are more difficult to watch, sometimes making us cringe. We don't enjoy seeing the protagonist humiliated, with a life spiraling downward.
We should now be nearing the end of the class. Returning to the theme analysis worksheet, I suggest that students finish the sheet by writing that the main conflict is external, and the theme is the (ironic) victory of good vs bad.
If there is time, you might discuss irony, but I think that's best left for another day when you can call on "Lamb to the Slaughter" for examples of the literary device.
Again, I may be gliding over this too quickly, and there may be places where I should go into more detail. I'll be happy to answer any questions in greater detail.
The plot of "Lamb" involves a loving, pregnant wife who kills her husband (the implication is that he's cheating) with a frozen leg of lamb, and then tries to get away with it. In the end, she convinces detectives, who are looking for the murder weapon, to sit and eat the now cooked lamb. One of them says, "It's (the weapon) probably right here under our noses." The wife hears this and giggles, end of story.
Students are usually surprised by the difficulty of completing the analysis sheet. The story seems less taxing than the first two ("Regret" & "Use of Force"). I direct attention to me in front, and ask for answers to the worksheet. Obviously, the external conflict pits the wife vs her husband, and the wife vs the detectives. Most students then say the internal conflict has to be the wife vs herself (yes, I always wrote it that way). So I asked them to think for a minute and then decide if the wife really was in conflict about the murder --- "Did she think of turning herself in?" "Did she feel anguish for her husband?" So, she has no internal conflict.
At this point, I begin a discussion about escapist and interpretive literature, using popular movies as examples --- Batman, James Bond, Indiana Jones --- maybe show the first few minutes of "Temple of Doom." The goal obviously is to emphasize the black & white/good vs evil nature of escapist films. We'd discuss why these films are so popular when everyone knows the ending (James Bond is going to get the girl and defeat the bad guy). They require no thinking, and the protagonists make us feel better about ourselves with sympathetic heroes whose victories we can share. The ending is optimistic. Suspense and irony are the key literary elements. If there is a theme, it is one of good triumphing over bad. Escapist movies, though wildly popular, rarely win academy awards. Those Oscars go to films that are more difficult to watch, sometimes making us cringe. We don't enjoy seeing the protagonist humiliated, with a life spiraling downward.
We should now be nearing the end of the class. Returning to the theme analysis worksheet, I suggest that students finish the sheet by writing that the main conflict is external, and the theme is the (ironic) victory of good vs bad.
If there is time, you might discuss irony, but I think that's best left for another day when you can call on "Lamb to the Slaughter" for examples of the literary device.
Again, I may be gliding over this too quickly, and there may be places where I should go into more detail. I'll be happy to answer any questions in greater detail.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Day 2
As mentioned in the Day 1 post, I began the next day with "Regret" by Kate Chopin, having students read it in class (it's another very short story) and then completing a theme analysis worksheet. They generally finished reading it in ten minutes, and I would then walk around noting their responses. My goal at this point was simply to begin the process of thinking on a higher plane, above plot comprehension.
"Regret" is one of many stories perfect for this stage because the theme is regret (in this case, an older woman's new-found awareness of what she has missed in life). Although a work of interpretive lit, the story's theme is fairly easy to analyze.
As I walked the room, I encouraged students to use the worksheet from Day 1, The Use of Force, as a guide. Maybe it should be noted here that I gave all students a 3 ring binder and used a 3 hole punch on every story and worksheet (as years passed, I more appreciated the value of order).
Allowing 25 minutes to pass (depending on the class), I started calling for answers to the worksheet. The external conflict is easy (Mamzelle A vs the children, etc). In this case, the internal conflict is fairly obvious (Mam A). Most students recognized the reason Mam A weeps at the story's end----the self awareness of the joys of motherhood, and the fact that at her age she will never enjoy them. Having experienced intimacy, she now regrets the values with which she had lived her life.
Usually at the end of the second day, students are somewhat more confident in their ability to analyze literature. Down the road, I'll ask students to evaluate works, but my goal is now to bolster their assurance in their ability to think on a higher level.
The next day, I will throw a curve at students with the story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl (www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html).
There are probably some things I am taking for granted here. I'll be glad to complete a theme analysis worksheet on this story, for ex, if anyone would want it.
I kept a small table along a wall in my room. There, students could find the stories they had missed due to being absent. The day to day lessons were posted online, so upon returning to school, students simply went to the desk for missed work. I hated beginning each class with someone asking, "What did I miss yesterday?" or "Did we do anything yesterday?"
"Regret" is one of many stories perfect for this stage because the theme is regret (in this case, an older woman's new-found awareness of what she has missed in life). Although a work of interpretive lit, the story's theme is fairly easy to analyze.
As I walked the room, I encouraged students to use the worksheet from Day 1, The Use of Force, as a guide. Maybe it should be noted here that I gave all students a 3 ring binder and used a 3 hole punch on every story and worksheet (as years passed, I more appreciated the value of order).
Allowing 25 minutes to pass (depending on the class), I started calling for answers to the worksheet. The external conflict is easy (Mamzelle A vs the children, etc). In this case, the internal conflict is fairly obvious (Mam A). Most students recognized the reason Mam A weeps at the story's end----the self awareness of the joys of motherhood, and the fact that at her age she will never enjoy them. Having experienced intimacy, she now regrets the values with which she had lived her life.
Usually at the end of the second day, students are somewhat more confident in their ability to analyze literature. Down the road, I'll ask students to evaluate works, but my goal is now to bolster their assurance in their ability to think on a higher level.
The next day, I will throw a curve at students with the story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl (www.classicshorts.com/stories/lamb.html).
There are probably some things I am taking for granted here. I'll be glad to complete a theme analysis worksheet on this story, for ex, if anyone would want it.
I kept a small table along a wall in my room. There, students could find the stories they had missed due to being absent. The day to day lessons were posted online, so upon returning to school, students simply went to the desk for missed work. I hated beginning each class with someone asking, "What did I miss yesterday?" or "Did we do anything yesterday?"
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Day 1 English class
I retired in 2008 after 37 years of teaching. In that time, I taught every grade level, but spent the final twenty years with juniors and seniors, including the AP class. I also served as the gifted ed co-ordinator for the rural PA district. An old friend urged me to share some ideas/lessons that my students seemed to respond to (or for the Warriner's devotees, to which my students seemed to respond). I was lucky in that my students were great young people who trusted that what I was doing was going to help them. Years went by between discipline problems.
A little background: about halfway through my career, I was asked to leave the junior high and take the senior English classes, which included a new AP course. I was made gifted teacher also. I was unprepared, and did a poor job that first year. With some help from Duke's TIP program, I returned with a new mindset, and started teaching with a poster of Bloom's tax on my back wall. The goal was to foster higher order thinking skills. I started each new school year's class with the first short story I was assigned in college, "The Use of Force," a William Carlos Williams (very) short story about a doctor who makes a house call and forces a young girl's mouth opened to check for diptheria. I used this story for both my highest and lowest performing classes.
The lesson: I passed out copies of the story, and read it aloud to the students. After that, I distributed a "theme analysis worksheet," which comprised eight simple questions designed to help students think analytically about any story. The worksheet looked like this:
1. External conflict (s)? (doctor vs child, mother vs father, for ex).
2. Internal conflict? (doctor vs doctor).
3. Most important conflict? (here I talked about escapist (external conflict) and interpretive (internal) literature. In this case, the doctor vs himself is most central to theme.
4. Abstract terms in conflict? Students gave many here, but "rage vs calm" and "anger vs reason" and "love vs hate" etc were among the most mentioned.
5. Most important abstract conflict? It really doesn't matter, but let's say "anger vs reason."
6. Choose the winning abstract of question 5 (Anger).
7. Why did you choose this abstract? In the story, the doctor loses control of his sense of reason and overpowers the young girl, even as he realizes he should leave and return later.
8. Theme? The answers to 6 and 7 should lead to an easy theme statement--"-Often, even the most rational people lose control of their better judgement," for ex. Or "Anyone can lose it completely." Or more simply, "Anger often triumphs over reason."
The length of this lesson was always about 40 minutes. If time permitted, I told students that they loved stories, even if they didn't think so. They are attuned to wanting to hear and create stories. Words just aren't words. As an example, I told them, "In a few seconds, I'm going to give you two words. They are just words and have no connection. Ready? Okay, 'baby' & 'lawnmower.'" I would wait a few seconds and say, "Those were just words, but my guess is you put them together into a story. How many of you pictured the lawn mower rolling toward the baby?" Everyone :)
This would sometimes lead to a discussion of enjoying gossip, etc. But mainly, I was trying to get them to accept that, believe it or not, they really do love literature.
Day 2 would be a continuation of theme analysis, but this time on their own with the (again, very) short story "Regret" by Kate Chopin ( classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/kchopin/bl-kchop-regret.htm).
Note: My wife, newly retired, was a far better English teacher than I. Her junior students had an almost unbelievable success rate on PA's state assessment test. She will also contribute to the blog.
Hope this finds its way to helping a few classes.
A little background: about halfway through my career, I was asked to leave the junior high and take the senior English classes, which included a new AP course. I was made gifted teacher also. I was unprepared, and did a poor job that first year. With some help from Duke's TIP program, I returned with a new mindset, and started teaching with a poster of Bloom's tax on my back wall. The goal was to foster higher order thinking skills. I started each new school year's class with the first short story I was assigned in college, "The Use of Force," a William Carlos Williams (very) short story about a doctor who makes a house call and forces a young girl's mouth opened to check for diptheria. I used this story for both my highest and lowest performing classes.
The lesson: I passed out copies of the story, and read it aloud to the students. After that, I distributed a "theme analysis worksheet," which comprised eight simple questions designed to help students think analytically about any story. The worksheet looked like this:
1. External conflict (s)? (doctor vs child, mother vs father, for ex).
2. Internal conflict? (doctor vs doctor).
3. Most important conflict? (here I talked about escapist (external conflict) and interpretive (internal) literature. In this case, the doctor vs himself is most central to theme.
4. Abstract terms in conflict? Students gave many here, but "rage vs calm" and "anger vs reason" and "love vs hate" etc were among the most mentioned.
5. Most important abstract conflict? It really doesn't matter, but let's say "anger vs reason."
6. Choose the winning abstract of question 5 (Anger).
7. Why did you choose this abstract? In the story, the doctor loses control of his sense of reason and overpowers the young girl, even as he realizes he should leave and return later.
8. Theme? The answers to 6 and 7 should lead to an easy theme statement--"-Often, even the most rational people lose control of their better judgement," for ex. Or "Anyone can lose it completely." Or more simply, "Anger often triumphs over reason."
The length of this lesson was always about 40 minutes. If time permitted, I told students that they loved stories, even if they didn't think so. They are attuned to wanting to hear and create stories. Words just aren't words. As an example, I told them, "In a few seconds, I'm going to give you two words. They are just words and have no connection. Ready? Okay, 'baby' & 'lawnmower.'" I would wait a few seconds and say, "Those were just words, but my guess is you put them together into a story. How many of you pictured the lawn mower rolling toward the baby?" Everyone :)
This would sometimes lead to a discussion of enjoying gossip, etc. But mainly, I was trying to get them to accept that, believe it or not, they really do love literature.
Day 2 would be a continuation of theme analysis, but this time on their own with the (again, very) short story "Regret" by Kate Chopin ( classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/kchopin/bl-kchop-regret.htm).
Note: My wife, newly retired, was a far better English teacher than I. Her junior students had an almost unbelievable success rate on PA's state assessment test. She will also contribute to the blog.
Hope this finds its way to helping a few classes.
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