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This week I received two emails from teachers asking what writing assignments I incorporated when teaching about the Holocaust. Although it largely depends upon the classes taught, I typically ask students to complete four writing assignments which are directly or indirectly connected to our Holocaust unit.
Citizenship Credits
The first piece of writing students tackle, even before discussions of the Holocaust begin, is an argumentative piece called Citizenship Credits. That assignment is described in this post; you can download the prompt from there, or from below.
Whose Rules?
As students read the latter portion of The Devil's Arithmetic, they take notes on the camp rules and Rivka's rules using a two column chart created in their notebooks. Students record both the rules they discover, as well as the page numbers upon which they appear. They later use these notes for a second piece: a comparison-contrast essay. They use this very simple model or this very simple model to structure their essay, but their writing is, of course, much more complex, as all points need to be text supported and elaborated upon. (For students needing some further direct instruction in comparing and contrasting, you may find portions of this ReadWriteThink interactive to be helpful).
Should Sixth Graders Study the Holocaust?
Once we've completed the novel, I challenge my students with this essay topic: "Should Sixth Graders Study the Holocaust?" The fact is, many parents and educators believe they should not. Students consult many online sources for support, including a speech by Jane Yolen which includes the "Alphabet of Evil," and a collection of quotes I've compiled. Some teachers may disagree with providing resources for their students, but after viewing many online sources which turned out to be inappropriate, biased, or simply hateful, I chose to provide students with some excerpts which I had personally vetted). A huge emphasis here is on recognizing and refuting opposing points of view.
Improving the World
A last writing piece which students produce nearly a month after our Holocaust unit is based upon an Anne Frank quote: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." In their responses, students provide examples of ways that others have improved the world, and ways in which they, in their present role as student, can do the same. This link shows how we organize the essay, and also provides many possible openings as well as ways in which to revisit those openings in the closing paragraph.
Hope these suggestions help. What responses to Holocaust studies have your students written?
0 Comments on Writing to Remember: Responding to Holocaust Readings as of 4/3/2014 1:51:00 AM
In discussing the persecution of European Jews in the years before and during World War II, my students would often ask, "How could they let this happen?" Meaning, how could the rest of the world stand by and do nothing? For all the answers I can help students to find, I still can't answer this question myself.
The question asked nearly as often, however, is this: "Why didn't the Jews fight back?" But to that question I can readily answer, "They did. They did fight back. But realize that it wasn't just with guns; even children your age found ways to disrupt and defy the Nazis who tried to exterminate them."
In teaching the topic of Jewish resistance, I've found a great resource in an impressive series of six books from Enslow Publishing titled True Stories of Teens in the Holocaust.This seriesexplores, through hundreds of primary documents and photographs, the diverse experiences of Jewish and non-Jewish youth caught up in the Holocaust.
Check out the books below, and then read on for suggested sites for helping students learn history through analyzing primary sources.
Courageous Teen Resisters: Primary Sources from the Holocaust
The popular title Courageous Teen Resisters: Primary Sources from the Holocaust documents both violent and nonviolent defiance of Nazi terrorism, from the increasingly overt persecution of early 1930s Germany to resistance efforts in France to the twenty-seven days of the Warsaw uprising. Readers learn how subtle and secretive efforts by Jews and Gentile sympathizers disrupted and distracted occupying enemy troops in some circumstances, while outright armed resistance and acts of sabotage wreaked chaos and destruction in others.
From Courageous Teen Resisters:
Courageous Teen Resisters is recommended as a stand-alone volume for students seeking to learn more about Jewish Resistance, as well an informational text companion to Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens (available from Scholastic).
The remaining five titles in the Enslow series are described below with a short publisher's summary or excerpt as well as recommended companion titles. This series is especially useful in text pairings not only to meet demands of the Common Core emphasis on informational texts, but to provide students with the necessary historical and social contexts needed to truly appreciate biography and historical fiction rooted in the Holocaust. (If you're seeking Holocaust texts for lower-level readers, be sure to check out my Annotated List of Holocaust Picture Books).
Youth Destroyed - The Nazi Camps
"Alice Lok was deported to Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp, in 1944. Upon her arrival, she faced a "selection." Alice had to stand in line as a Nazi doctor examined the new camp inmates. If the doctor pointed one direction, it meant hard labor—but labor meant life. If the doctor pointed the other way, that meant immediate death. Alice was lucky. She survived Auschwitz and two other camps. However, millions of Jews were not so lucky." ~ from the publisher
"(M)any Jewish youth living in the ghettos in Europe... faced death, fear, hunger, hard labor, and disease everyday. Millions of Jews were forced into ghettos, where the Nazis kept them until they could be deported to the death camps." ~ from the publisher
For this title I'd recommend Children in the Ghetto, an interactive site which describes itself as
"...A website about children, written for children. It portrays life during the Holocaust from the viewpoint of children who lived in the ghetto, while attempting to make the complex experience of life in the ghetto as accessible as possible to today’s children.
Along with the description of the hardships of ghetto life, it also presents the courage, steadfastness and creativity involved in the children’s lives. One of the most important messages to be learned is that despite the hardships, there were those who struggled to maintain humanitarian and philanthropic values, care for one another, and continue a cultural and spiritual life."
By examining writings, artifacts, and first hand interviews, students gain an understanding of the "anything-to-survive" mentality which the ghetto created, and demanded, of its inhabitants. Students can explore freely, taking advantage of the interactive elements, or respond to prompts in writing using the printable handouts (I downloaded the handouts, available in Word format, and adapted them according to my lesson objectives).
Once students have interacted with this site, they will have a mental bank of sites, sounds, stories, and symbols from which to draw upon, greatly increasing their understanding and appreciation of this nonfiction text as well as any novel with which they're working.
"Thousands of Jews lived on the run during the Holocaust. Some were able to escape Germany before the war started. Others had to move throughout Europe to flee the Nazis. And many more could not escape at all." ~ from the publisher
"(T)housands of Jews went into hiding during the Holocaust. Barns, trapdoors, bunkers, secret attics, forged identity papers, and fake names became tools for survival." ~ from the publisher
The fate of Jews who were hidden is of special interest to students. Even in a classroom that chooses not to embark upon a full Holocaust unit, time can certainly be devoted to learning about Jews who went into hiding rather than face extermination by the Nazis.
The uncertainty of such a choice is reflected in this diary entry from Anne Frank which appears in the book:
"Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party's rise to power in the 1930s changed life dramatically for all people living in Germany. Hitler used propaganda, fear, and brutality as his main weapons. Jewish children faced strong antiSemitism in their schools and on the street, and saw their families ripped apart. Non-Jewish children deemed "undesirable" suffered a similar fate. "Aryan" children were forced to enter Hitler Youth groups or endure humiliation." ~ from the publisher
This book is a real stand-out as it not only chronicles the experience of Jews in Nazi Germany, but also Gentiles who were reluctant to submit to Nazi ideologies.
Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust If you're looking for a single-volume resource for any middle or high school classroom, I recommend Doreen Rappaport's multiple award winning Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust, published by Candlewick Press.
Like all of Candlewick's titles, this text is supported by a number of resources available from the publisher's site, including a full page spread, a teacher's guide, an interview with a survivor, and an audio excerpt. The book itself includes primary source excerpts, maps, a pronunciation guide, timeline, index, and sources.
In speaking of her accomplishment (which took five years to research and write), author Doreen Rappaport says,
"How Jews organized themselves in order to survive and defy their enemy is an important but still neglected piece of history. I present a sampling of actions, efforts, and heroism with the hope that I can play a role in helping to correct the damaging and persistent belief that Jews ‘went like sheep to the slaughter.’"
Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
A key resource for teaching Jewish resistance, and for discovering a multitude of primary sources, is the web site of the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation, whose key mission is "to develop and distribute effective educational materials about the Jewish partisans and their life lessons, bringing the celebration of heroic resistance against tyranny into educational and cultural organizations."
Over 30,000 Jewish partisans, or “members of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory.” joined the hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish resistance fighters who fought the Nazis. Interestingly, however, their assistance was not always welcome, as antisemitism was often common in non-Jewish resistance groups.
This comprehensive and well constructed site offers teachers and students myriad free resources including:
Professional Development modules which can be completed for continuing education credits (CEUs) (I highly recommend that prior to using this site you complete at least the first module, to better understand how to best access the site's videos, articles, lesson plans, student hand-outs, and more);
An extensive film collection, containing 3 to 20 minute films trhough which students can "witness the Jewish partisans' stories of endurance, victory, and struggle;"
A very unique tool called Someone Like Me, where a students enter a combination of characteristics which describe themselves, and the site presents a partisan who matches those characteristics. Students can then explore the life and work of that partisan through any of the resource links above.
Primary Sources
Because the impact of Holocaust education relies heavily upon students learning the true events of this tragedy, primary sources should play a role in every Holocaust unit. The JPEF site described above provides a wonderful collection of sources from which to choose, but below I have compiled a number of additional resources which educators may find useful in planning their instruction. As always, please reach out and let me know what other sites, books, and documents you've found useful.
Primary Document Webinar This hour long recorded webinar present teachers with not only reasons for using primary sources, but also ten really easy-to-implement ideas for starting with primary sources in the classroom.
Making Sense of Evidence This is a highly recommended collection of articles written by experts in the field on how to make sense of films, oral histories, numbers, maps, advertisements, and more. While written by the experts, students will find the language they use to be accessible. From the site:
“Making Sense of Documents” provide strategies for analyzing online primary materials, with interactive exercises and a guide to traditional and online sources. “Scholars in Action” segments show how scholars puzzle out the meaning of different kinds of primary sources, allowing you to try to make sense of a document yourself then providing audio clips in which leading scholars interpret the document and discuss strategies for overall analysis.
Because of the career connections, this site is a valuable tool for achieving College and Workplace Readiness goals.
Where Can I Find Lesson Plans with Primary Sources?
I Witness From the USC Shoah Foundation, this site contains over 1300 video testimonies and other digital resources, as well as assistance for educators seeking to use these tools in Holocaust education.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Offers an ever-changing variety of resources, as well as searchable pages for research. Educators can often request free teaching materials as well.
PBS Resources on the Holocaust The search page of PBS provides a vast number of resources, including excerpts from shows which have appeared on public television.
Dr. Seuss Went to War Theodore Geisel was a radical political cartoonist who urged America to join "Europe's war," in large part due to the oppressive policies of Hitler's Nazi. But are Geisel's cartoons themselves a type of propaganda? See an earlier post here on Propaganda and Persuasion.
What Strategies or Tools are Available to Assist Students in Analyzing Sources?
SOAPS Primary Document Strategy This pdf provides information about the SOAPS acrostic, which students can easily recall for use in analyzing primary sources of information.
In a previous post I discussed close reading, so here I won't speak as much about that process as I will about a promising site for annotating called NowComment.
Many of us use Google Docs (Drive) in the classroom for student annotation of texts. It works, but could be better. What could be better? I think many of the ways annotating could improve online have been incorporated into NowComment:
My main question in previewing this site has been, "Why don't more teachers know about this?"
Some of the main advantages of NowComment over other annotating sites:
Two panes scroll independently, allowing better focus on flow of text, video, images, and comments. This feature is especially important when viewing videos or images while attempting to access all comments.
Annotations always appear to the right of text, never hovering above (and therefore blocking) the text, unlike many other annotation tools.
Teacher options control precise access dates when the text can be read, and when comments can be added. Teachers can both open and close these access dates for annotating, thus preventing students from later additions if desired. Additionally, these same time controls can be used to hide classmates' comments from individual students until a specified time; thus, students in the first round of annotations won't be able to simply copy or parrot the comments of peers, nor will they be swayed by what anyone else has said. At a later time, when all comments are revealed, students can return to interact with the comments of classmates rather than the text alone, thus creating a dialogue long before an actual classroom discussion. After all, discussions in class are only successful if everyone has read the text and reflected upon it.
Comments can be sorted by user which allows for easy assessment, or for students to locate the responses of select peers.
Notification options are customizable, allowing you schedule the "feed" from the site, and Update lets you to stay informed of every single comment that is added, which would be a huge help depending upon the importance or timeliness of a project.
In addition to the two-pane view, a combined view aggregates both panes into a narrative timeline, easily allowing you to note which lines and paragraphs received the most annotations.
The number of simultaneous viewers/annotators doesn't seem to be issue; according to the site, over one hundred users have accessed the same document concurrently without a problem.
The following video shows the ease with which the site can be set up, as well as basic functions:
Some uses for NowComment:
Many teachers argue that close reading requires students to interact with only that part of the text that teachers deem important. However, NowComment offers users the option of uploading their own documents; therefore, if students have digital access to the entire work under consideration, they can upload the excerpt they choose, and then invite peers to annotate with them.
Likewise, students can upload their own writing to engage peers in discussion (Microsoft Word docs work extremely well in the interface). Since the source text (the left pane) isn't in edit mode, peers can't make changes to the text, but only suggest them.
Many classic works of literature are now available in the public domain online at sites such as Project Gutenberg, providing teachers a seemingly endless source for texts (Mashable lists some great online sites, but do check the legality of using the texts for educational purposes). Likewise, many poems are freely available at sites such as Poetry 180. To get you started, also check out the public documents already uploaded to NowComment.
While I'm not a lawyer, and I'm in no way dispensing legal advice, I do believe that if I own 60 copies of any given book, and that book is in the students' hands, then I'm likely permitted to provide short excerpts from those texts for commenting and criticism. If you think I'm entirely wrong in this regard, please leave a comment below; otherwise, I'll still sleep soundly tonight.
NowComment is especially useful for leaving responses regarding images and videos. If you're seeking a site that will let students respond to select portions of a video, I recommend you check out my previous post on EDpuzzle. That site not only allows students to leave open-ended responses to select video portions, but also allows teachers to embed quiz and survey questions as well. A site which allows a running record of notes on videos is VideoNot.es which integrates with Google Drive.
If you are seeking a multi-author site, rather than an annotating site, and Google Drive isn't an option, then I highly recommend Titan Pad. Titan Pad (see a how-to video) allows multiple authors (color coded by contributor), and features a pretty cool time slider which allows the teacher (or any user) to see what contributions were made when. Titan Pad also has some great options for exporting documents. Documents can be public, or you can create a private account for free.
Finally, if you're seeking a source book for Close Reading strategies that is extremely practical, I recommend Kylene Beers' Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading, a popular book among upper elementary and middle school teachers, although it can certainly be adapted to the high school level as well.
0 Comments on Close Reading Through Online Annotation as of 1/1/1900
For the longest time, science fiction and fantasy writing were considered somehow less "respectable" than nearly all other genres. The way some of my teachers wrinkled their noses at my choice of paperbacks in middle school (Asimov, Bradbury, Burroughs, Howard) made me feel as though these books would have been better hidden under my mattress like obscene girlie magazines.
Yet at some point in time, sci fi and fantasy and all of their sub-genres became respectable, even celebrated, perhaps through their mainstream popularization in film.
What's in it for us as teachers, though, is a way to hook reluctant readers. That's a given. What's less immediately apparent is that much of the writing from these genres is actually pretty good, and could serve as models for our students' own writing.
From that article, a description of Elrond from J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring:
"The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars."
Authors Charlie Jane Anders and Mandy Curtis reflect on each excerpt they share, and it's interesting to compare their take on the character description to your own.
Also, if you're looking for some visual inspiration for your budding Asimovs, check out one of the site's Concept Art Writing Prompts, such as Attack on Kitty Titan by Park Insu. Seriously. Because if we as teachers think that we can continue to give out lame writing prompts and story starters and truly engage and excite our students, then we're mistaken.
And at the very least, if you're planning out a year that include genre book reports by months, consider adding in science fiction, fantasy, or dystopian literature as a choice. Some of our greatest scientific minds (and Grade 6 ELA teachers) were once sci fi nerds.
Disclaimer:Some stories posted on the site by readers are not appropriate for school audiences. Be aware of this before allowing students free access to the site.
0 Comments on Models for Writing from an Unlikely Source as of 1/1/1900
While this question irks many teachers, I don't mind hearing it. Not at all. I often ask it aloud to remind students that it's an acceptable response (if asked in a genuine way). The question shows me that a student is attempting to find meaning in the source material, whether it's a poem, novel, writing assignment, or video.
One fabulous tool I recently discovered for bringing purpose and focus to videos is EDpuzzle. EDpuzzle allows you to add response options within videos to make them more interactive. The site does this by allowing you to embed surveys, quiz questions, and discussion opportunities within the video itself.
Video Choice Options
Students access your video projects publicly through a URL, or via a student sign-in to your class account. Once students log on and enter a one-time class code, they are assigned to your class roster for all subsequent log-ins. Why go with this option? Because the site will keep track of all registered students' scores and responses; upon completion of a multiple choice format video, then, you will have fully scored quizzes for all students.
What the site does not allow (as of yet) is a way in which to embed the videos. So take just a few minutes to view a sample video quiz so you can get a feel for what the site can do.
More recently, in preparation for a visit from the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey to our school, I had students view a Spark Notes video of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with embedded EDpuzzle questions and comments in order to familiarize themselves with the basic story line and characters. You can check that video out and try the quiz for yourself.
If you accessed one of my video quizzes (you can still go back and try one out) you may be wondering how the site will score open ended responses. It won't. Open ended responses are recorded, and the teacher then scores those at a later time, marking them simply right or wrong with the click of a button.
It's a simple site, but with lots of potential. Especially when you consider that you can trim a video, add voice overs, and embed comments without demanding a student response. Also beneficial is the fact that when the video has finished running, it returns to the starting point rather than showing a selection of related (and often inappropriate) videos.
If you're wondering how you might use the site in the classroom, read on.
Expand Upon Vocabulary
A recent vocabulary word in our Greek and Latin rooted list was fractal. That word is a fairly new one with an interesting history, so I shared the video below to provide a glimpse into the work of Benoit Mandelbrot, the Father of Fractals.
Build Background
Before our annual visit from a live Shakespeare company, I wanted students to understand the basic plot of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The following video gave them the basic events and characters, just enough to follow the action the next day. For fun, contrast the use of lines from MSND in the original play to how they're used in this Levi's 501 Commercial.
Start a Discussion
Because many students' preconceptions of the Holocaust are from by Hollywood films, I wanted to begin a discussion from this perspective and branch out from there. The trailer from Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust provides students with some seeds for thought which can lead to a deeper conversation (the EDpuzzle version appears in a link below the video): You can see how I added the opportunity for students to engage with the video by viewing that same video on EDpuzzle. Note that you can hit Continue to advance the video if you don't care to leave comments.
Tell a Story
The Internet contains many wonderful wordless videos that beg the viewer to discover the story through music and images alone. Students can narrate or paraphrase a short film such as Going Green:
Tackle a Tough Topic
I wouldn't interrupt a video like Losers (below), but might provide an open opportunity at the video's end to leave thoughts. It's a tough video to watch, with coarse language, but trust me, these are the names students call each other.
Talent Show is more PG-13 when it comes to cyberbullying if Losers is too intense for your kids.
This graphic interpretation of the Gettysburg Address fits in well with suggested CCSS curriculum (sorry; it wouldn't embed here). Similarly, the video reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" below is aided by subtitles, sound effects, music, images, and the creepy voice of Christopher Walken which allow students to better understand the mood of the classic poem:
Future Shorts is a YouTube channel containing over 400 extremely well-produced short videos. Great for discussion starters, examples of story elements, etc. You already saw one above called Losers.
Denée Tyler's video blog is a wonderful collection that's well organized, with videos vetted by a teacher.
Most lesson suggestions on Film-English are EFL, but you might find videos there which you can use in unique ways.
Awesome Stories is a site that is, well, awesome, in and of itself, but the lesson plans there are often accompanied by videos which reside on YouTube. Some great inspiration if you're looking to try EDpuzzle but don't have a topic in mind just yet. Recently designed, and looks great!
Scoop.it Online Video in Education is a juggernaut collection of videos and articles which will really opoen your eyes to what is freely available in media online.
And, of course, the usual suspects such as YouTube and TED Talks. TEDEd has its own site and opportunities for creating interactive video which you should also explore. The Art of the Metaphor is a pretty good example of the high quality stuff you can find there.
What other sites for videos can you recommend? Leave a comment below to share a favorite site for video suggestions, or to share the URL of an EDpuzzle video you've created.
0 Comments on Video Viewing with a Purpose as of 1/1/1900
Hi. My name is Keith, and I am a rubric hater. I'll confess that's true when it comes to generic rubrics provided to assess writing on most standardized tests; in my opinion, those rubrics are way too general and in no way responsive enough to specific writing tasks. So for some time, like many teachers, I tried grading writing without a rubric. My efforts were comically similar to those of Mr. D: So I then gave paper rubrics a try, even generating custom versions using the free tools at Rubistar and Essay Tagger. Still a hater. But just recently I've had a lot of success with ForAllRubrics, a web and mobile app provided free of charge for teachers from ForAllSchools. ForAllRubrics allows you to create, copy, or customize rubrics; upload class rosters (or add students individually); select indicators on the rubric; add narrative comments as needed; email or print results; and access multiple sources of student data via the teacher dashboard. Again, all for free. This video provides an overview of the ease with which you can use the site..
Some features I absolutely love about ForAllRubrics:
I can create customized rubrics and store them in my library, where they can be accessed, tweaked, and recycled for new projects.
I can access a public library of rubrics created by others, which I can use as-is or, again, customize.
Once I "click through" the indicators on a rubric, the site generates the score. These scores are key when I later compare data by students, assessments, or indicators.
I can email results to individual students, or to all students at once. Additional email addresses can be attached to each student's account, keeping parents and other stakeholders in the loop.
Comments can be added below each scored attribute, allowing me to provide feedback for how writing can be improved in the future. For each rubric that I create, I also create a Google Doc containing frequently used comments. Cutting and pasting comments not only saves time, but gives me a pretty good idea of skills in need of further instruction.
Many teachers may feel that the initial time investment seems overwhelming, but the dividends are well worth the effort. My sixth graders, for example, are required to read and respond to current events articles using TweenTribune. Those responses, however, must follow a prescribed format. I created a rubric to assess these responses, and it gets used three times each marking period. Immediately before attempting their next response, students are encouraged to open their emails and view their most recent rubrics to see which components need improvement. I've seen student success soar in this particular area due to my time spent assessing student writing, and student time spent reflecting upon results. Parents also love that my assessment methods, compared to Mr. D's, do seem to follow some quantifiable format. Give it a shot, even if you try it with just a few students on a single assignment. I think you'll be sold!
0 Comments on How I Learned to Love Rubrics as of 1/1/1900
It is 1943. Americans are overseas fighting World War II to help keep the world safe from Hitler's tyranny, safe from injustice, safe from discrimination. Yet right here at home, people with white skin have rights that people with black skin do not.
What is courage? What is strength? Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn't ready to fight for you.
~ from Courage Has No Color
We've all heard some variation of the saying that "respect isn't given; respect is earned." That adage rings resoundingly true in Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles. This engrossing story of America's first black paratroopers knits together interviews, images, and countless source references to create a you-are-there chronicle of one battalion's struggle to win equality and opportunity, a struggle that black soldiers would wage as tenaciously on the homefront as any struggle fought on a foreign battlefield.
When Tanya Lee Stone states in a wonderful example of chiasmus, "Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn't ready to fight for you," she encapsulates the frustration felt by black servicemen who wanted to serve their country in positions other than "building roads, driving trucks, sweeping up, unloading cargo, cooking, doing laundry, serving meals, or guarding facilities."
When the opportunity to contribute meaningfully finally came, many black servicemen jumped at the chance. Clarence Beavers, one of the original Triple Nickles, voices the sentiment of many when he states, "I had a grandfather who ran away from his master as a slave and joined the Union Army and fought as a soldier... And here I am coming down almost a hundred years later and I cannot even fight in a war that's about to eat up our whole world."
The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was nicknamed the "Triple Nickles" because of its numerical designation and the selection of 17 of the original 20-member "colored test platoon" from the 92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division. Hence, the origin of the term Buffalo Nickles; the spelling derives from old English. Three buffalo nickels joined in a triangle or pyramid is the identifying symbol.
Author Tanya Stone's writing reads like pure storytelling, from the engrossing second-person point of view that opens the book (read that entire preview chapter here) to later third person exposition, such as this excerpt which describes one black unit's forays into battle, and its effect upon white troops:
On March 13, 1945, a company from the 99th Infantry Division was in serious trouble. The Germans surrounded them. Casualties were high. The number of living dropped every hour. The wounded - including their commander - lay bleeding, unable to be evacuated. Ceaseless gunfire had trapped them all. Then, in the distance, the company heard men coming. Cautiously they looked and listened for signs that the approaching men were American and not the enemy. But even when they saw the telltale American uniforms, the faces they saw confused them for a moment. Only two were white. The reaction that came next stuck in the mind of one of the black soldiers walking toward them, Harold Robinson: "They were all Southern boys, but they sure were glad to see us." Although the trapped white soldiers couldn't risk giving away their exact location by shouting, they couldn't contain themselves completely. They cheered and waved anyway, as quietly as they could.
Did such encounters between races change perspectives on integration of the armed forces? It seems so, as the author reports:
Before the Battle of the Bulge, only 33 percent of white soldiers had a positive response to including blacks in their companies. Afterward, a whopping 77 percent felt favorably about the idea.
Unfortunately, the 555th would never see the combat action they so desperately desired, but would instead fulfill a crucial role in combating a little known attack on America's West Coast by Japanese balloon bombs. The American press was asked to keep all the incidents quiet, in an attempt to fool the Japanese into thinking that the balloons weren't reaching America. The dangerous jumps made into remote wooded areas to battle fires earned the 555th another nickname: Smokejumpers. The video below shows the smokejumpers in training exercises.
In addition to her faithful chronicle of the 555th, Tanya Lee Stone includes fascinating background pieces on racial tensions in the civilian sector, stereotypes in movies and advertising, ignored photographs of black units in action, and finally, integration in action.
Courage Has No Color brings long-overdue recognition to a victory which was at least as important as any other of World War II:
The 555th had a double burden to shoulder. They had to prove to the world that they had the bravery and skill it took to succeed, and they had to do it while reacting to the prejudice they ran into around every corner..."We fought segregation and discrimination and intolerance. They tried to burn us out...It made us stronger. It made us angry. It made us persevere."
In response to my War Stories post, some readers (okay, two readers) asked for recommendations for nonfiction texts on World War II that would be appropriate for middle graders. So happy to comply! Providing students with historical trade books is an excellent way to encourage independent exploration into nonfiction reading, a much-discussed area of focus in our new Standards.
My first recommendation for middle schoolers and up, World War II by Sean Callery, comes from the Scholastic Discover More series of books which provide a multimedia "bonus" digital book to accompany each nonfiction title.
These digital books aren't simply online versions of the print book in hand; instead, each supplemental digital text contains audio, video, and in-depth topics that compliment the print book. The introductory video below illustrates the concept.
The sample World War II chapters include Child Heroes and Animals Heroes. Four chapters available through the book's code include Secrets and Spies, On the Front Line, Heroes at Home, and Everyday Heroes and Heroines. In all, the digital book contains 67 additional pages of text, images, and video, perfect for sharing on laptops, devices, or even a projection screen.
Both texts include a fantastic assortment of nonfiction text features including headings, subheadings, photos, diagrams, timelines, maps, captions, pull quotes, sidebars, tables, infographics, glossary, index, and more. Fast facts, anecdotes, and oversized data bits help to make this book exciting to browse. Chapters are constructed in a Q and A format, priming readers with thought-provoking questions.
For readers seeking to learn more about those who played important roles in World War II, I'd recommend World War II: Ten Greatest Heroes from Scholastic's America at War series (available through Scholastic).
This simpler 32 page book features full spread profiles of Doolittle, Patton, and Nimitz, in addition to those of lesser known heroes such as British commando Major Tony Macpherson (who armed and trained French resistance fighters) and Lt. Colonel Henry Mucci (who rescued 500 U.S. and Filipino POWs, the sole survivors of a Japanese death marches which had killed over 53,000 of their their fellow prisoners).
Easy to understand text accompanied by photographs, maps, and biographical data combine to make this a winner with your younger history buffs.
For general background materials and teaching units appropriate for the two books above, see the World War II and Holocaust Resources at the Scholastic site.
1 Comments on Courage Has No Color, last added: 3/24/2013
So often when we study conflicts in history class, we learn only of the victors and the vanquished. But what happens to those innocents who get caught in between?
Alan Gratz provides an answer in Prisoner B-3087, an awesome and awful new Holocaust title based on the life of Jack Gruener, born Yanek Gruener in Kraków, Poland. In the novel's afterword, Gratz explains that the book is a work of fiction, but based upon the true life story of Gruener. Although the author takes "liberties with time and events to paint a fuller and more representative picture of the Holocaust as a whole," the reader is amazed to discover that the most incredible parts of the narrative are, in fact, true. Jack did survive the deprivation of the Kraków ghetto by living in a roof-top pigeon coop with his family, and he also incredibly withstood the brutality of ten different concentration camps (including Birkenau, Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Dachau) before liberation by the Allies.
The novel is incredibly readable, and although disturbing and distressing, would make an excellent addition to any upper middle or high school level library. My own sixth grade class is reading The Devil's Arithmetic, and I discovered that Prisoner B-3087 makes an excellent companion to that book.
Gratz, for example, is able to illustrate with incredible understatement the sense of loss and regret experience by so many who were subjected to the Holocaust:
If I had known what the next six years of life were going to be like, I would have eaten more. I wouldn’t have complained about brushing my teeth, or taking a bath, or going to bed at eight o’clock every night. I would have played more. Laughed more. I would have told my parents and told them I loved them.
~Prisoner B-3087 (p. 2)
And again, that same regret, and a feeling of helplessness in the face of the enormity of the situation:
It was too late. The Germans were here. If I had only known then what I know now, I would have run. I wouldn’t have stopped to pack a bag, or say good-bye to my friends, or to even unplug my projector. None of us would have. We would have run for the woods outside of town and never looked back. But we didn’t. We just sat there in my family’s flat, listening to the radio and watching the sky over Krakow turn black as the Germans came to kill us.
~Prisoner B-3087(p. 6)
One of the concepts which most students find difficult to comprehend is illustrated dramatically. Every year in every one of my classes, my students will ask, "But why didn't they fight back?" and they learn that some Jews did. Still they ask, "But why didn't they all fight back?" While at Trzebina Concentration Camp, Gruener witnesses a fellow prisoner who dares to grab an officer's club rather than be beaten. "Yes! Yes,..." thinks Gruener. "It all begins here. Together we can take them all!" But as he looks on, no one (not even Gruener himself) steps forward to help. But even their stillness and silence can't save them. After the rebellious prisoner is killed, the camp commandant begins selecting others who will be punished for this "plot to escape."
“I’m innocent!” the boy my age sobbed as they dragged him to the gallows and put the hangman’s noose around his neck. “I never tried to escape! I promise! I’ve done everything you’ve asked!” I shook with helplessness and rage, but also with fear, This is what fighting back earned you. More abuse. More death. Half a dozen Jews would be murdered today because one man refused to die without a fight. To fight back was to die quickly and to take others with you. This is why prisoners went meekly to their deaths. I had been so resolved to fight back, but I knew then that I wouldn’t. To suffer quietly hurt only you. To suffer loudly, violently, angrily - to fight back - was to bring hurt and pain to others.
~Prisoner B-3087(p.111)
Only by witnessing such horrific acts can we be inspired by Gruener's stubborn will to survive. Witness Gruener as he embarks upon a Death March to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp:
Under the whips and clubs of kapos and SS officers, we marched out through the front of Auschwitz.
You come in through the front gate, but the only way you leave is through the chimney, the guards had told us when we arrived. Ha! Look at me now, I wanted to shout, walking out through the front gate, the way I came in! I had survived the ghetto. I had survived Plaszów, and Wieliczka, and Trzebinia, and Birkenau, and now Auschwitz. I was going to survive it all. I was going to be alive when the Allies liberated us. This I swore.
~Prisoner B-3087(p.168)
I read Prisoner B-3087 in one sitting, which would be my only reason for not recommending its use as a classroom novel; your students simply will not choose to read it piecemeal if doled out over several weeks. It's that compelling! For those students seeking a broader understanding of life in the ghettos and the camps that followed, this book provides them with that context, driven by a powerful and personal survival tale.
Extensions:
If your students are unfamiliar with even the most basic facts of the Holocaust, I recommend laying a foundation with nonfiction picture books (see my annotated list). This nonthreatening approach is effective for elementary students and up, although the reading level I'd personally recommend for Prisoner B-3087 is middle school and up.
For an interactive and highly visual examination of the Holocaust, check out Glencoe's Holocaust Remembrance Day Interactive, along with its teaching guide.
As suggested earlier, I recommend you read this book as a companion novel to The Devil's Arithmetic or another Holocaust title. Many issues concerning camp conduct which arise in Jane Yolen's Newbery winner are elaborated upon in this one.
Each year I challenge my students with this essay topic: "Should Sixth Graders Study the Holocaust?" The fact is, many parents and educators believe they should not. Students consult many online sources for support, including a speech by Jane Yolen which includes the "Alphabet of Evil," and a collection of quotes I've compiled (after viewing many sources which turned out to be inappropriate, hateful, or biased, I chose to provide students with some excerpts which I had personally vetted).
Upon his return to Krakow, Gruener discovers that a cousin was able to hide during the war and survive in that way. Discuss with students what they know about Jews who were able to go into hiding. Many students have likely heard of Anne Frank, and they can learn more about her experiences at The Secret Annex Online.
As much as I loved the book, I disliked the cover. The wall and the boy's apparel are too modern, and to me the book looks Dystopian. For this book (and some others I know) I'd recommend that students create their own book covers to better represent the historical period, characters, and themes of the book.
Help students picture Gruener's incredible journey by examining maps showing the locations of the camps. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum features a variety of animated maps related to the Holocaust.
Additional Recommended Reading
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes provides another fascinating glimpse into World War II. Thirteen year-old Paolo finds daily life mundane and tedious in Nazi occupied Florence. Caught between the Nazis and the equally terrifying Partisans who defy them, Paolo seeks a way to play a meaningful role in the conflict that ranges all around him. When his family reluctantly agrees to hide downed Allied pilots, the tension rises as threats begin to close in from all sides.
A perfect read for middle school and up, Hero on a Bicycle reveals the courage of ordinary citizens when subjected to extraordinary circumstances. Conflicting interests and divided loyalties on both sides keep the reader hooked throughout.
The website for the book provides background information, maps, and wonderful illustrations by the author. You'll also find wonderful videos depicting the history, music, and popular culture of the times which are mentioned throughout the book.
Fans of graphic novels will enjoy Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh. Lily Renée, Escape Artist is the exciting biography of a young Austrian Jew who escaped the Nazis via Kindertransport. Her life story is truly a series of escapes, leading finally to her emergence as one of America’s most successful and influential comic book artists.
Students will be interested to learn that antisemitism was strongly felt in England during the war, and that many Jews who sought refuge there were considered “enemy aliens.”
The book contains additional notes on Kindertransport program, concentration camps, internment camps, and English culture, as well as a photo album of Lily Renée.
For younger students seeking to learn more about those who escaped Nazi persecution, I recommend you investigate The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden and Allan Drummond. In this large format book full of wonderful "artifacts," husband and wife team Hans and Margret Rey flee Paris of 1940 as the German army approaches. Their manuscripts depicting a curious little monkey save them more than once, allowing them to reach safety in a new home.
The English language is peppered with chess idioms: stalemate (a position of impasse), gambit (a risky tactic, often involving a sacrifice), checkmate (a measured response, leaving your opponent with no way out), rank and file (literally, the rows and columns on a chess board; often used to name the "lesser players" in an organization), pawns in a game (bit players), and endgame (the final phase of an operation or story). Movies, television shows, theater, literature, and even video games widely use chess as a metaphor for human interactions.
In The Lord Of The Rings, for example, Gandalf describes the coming conflict in chess terms:
The board is set, and the pieces are moving [...] But the Enemy has the move, and he is about to open his full game. And pawns are likely to see as much of it as any, Peregrin son of Paladin, soldier of Gondor. Sharpen your blade! (source: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChessMotifs)
Chess as a metaphor for critical thinking and decision making is the central theme of Chess Rumble, written by G. Neri and illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson.
From the book jacket: "Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, Chess Rumble explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life." Told in free verse, this book has a rich, authentic voice and a truly plausible story line.
Here G. Neri and Jesse Joshua Watson reflect upon their respective roles as author and illustrator, and the phenomenon that is chess:
As an educator once faced with designing an academic curriculum for inner-city youth at a Salvation Army summer camp, I chose chess as a center piece for that program (center piece is also a chess derived idiom). Sixth and seventh graders who otherwise had difficulty following directions and sitting still suddenly found motivation to immerse themselves for hours in tabletop warfare!
In one memorable game, a student made a reckless attack which cost him a rook (a valuable piece, outranked only by the Queen). He slammed a fist against his leg, but said nothing.
My counselor sagely responded to the student's dismay by saying, "You made a move from anger. When I took your piece two moves ago, your first thought was to get revenge. But if you had looked a move or two ahead, you would have seen a bettter way."
That exchange was just one of many that came from our games. Students took a cue from this, relating our teaching topics in other areas of the curriculum to chess. We even used the idea of the point system in chess (each playing piece is designated with a point value) to help students better understand the concept of algebra as they interacted with Hands-On Equations in their math course. By the end of just four weeks, students had progressed from using manipulatives to solving quite complex algebra equations on paper and even mentally, using the Hands-On Equations method and chess.
In addition to dozens of school chess clubs since that summer, I also taught a chess course at church called The King is the Thing, which taught life lessons through chess. Many homeschool groups have used that same curriculum with lots of success.
Chess Rumble is a fabulous book for your classroom library or as a read-aloud. The authentic voice and plentiful black and white illustrations make it a stand out for the middle school group.
0 Comments on Chess Rumble: Life Lessons through Chess as of 3/1/2013 10:54:00 PM
Google Moderator was originally designed to collect and rank questions to be answered in large conference settings. Users could submit questions and then vote up or vote down those questions or ideas submitted by others. Used in this manner, Moderator acted as a back channel for live sessions.
What's great for classroom teachers, however, is that Moderator can also be used as a tool for collaboration, crowdsourcing, and even assessment. See some recommended classroom uses below the video.
How to Use Google Moderator
Using Google Moderator is in no way difficult, but you need to be aware of variables which can be toggled on or off.
First, be sure that you're logged into a Google account (students will need to be logged into Google accounts as well to submit responses or vote on ideas).
Once you arrive at Google Moderator, you'll need to choose a nickname. Since you are the moderator, this nickname will be used to identify you, so yes, it will be visible! Choose wisely.
Next, click on Create Series. Other series (questions sets) you've created with this same Google account will show up as well.
Rather than simply typing a Title, click on Advanced.
Use the Advanced Screen to choose a Title, Description, and other variables.
One task is to Choose Options for Responders. These are fairly self-explanatory, but note that
If students submit responses, these will simply appear below the moderator's question. Peers will not vote on these responses.
If students submit ideas, these can be voted up or down as a "Good Idea" when students click either yes or no. Additionally, peers can respond to each submitter's idea. This option creates more dialogue among students.
When students submit questions, these can voted up or down by choosing yes or no.
One setting I recommend changing is Series Visibility. This will lessen the chance of uninvited users adding to your conversations.
Other settings might make little sense now, but become more clear as you begin to use the site. The good news: you can always change these later, and they'll take effect on all responses and questions, no matter how many have been submitted. When done with options, choose Create Series.
If you didn't do so earlier, click on the Home button to create your nickname as moderator for the Series. Otherwise, all of your comments and questions will appear as "submitted by Unnamed."
If you want students to remain anonymous to each other (and you), don't let them choose nicknames. If you want identities known, I recommend students use nicknames or codes that are already known to their peers.
Next, submit a Question.You can submit multiple questions, but I recommend you try just one at first.
To share the Series with students, click on the Home Menu and select Share. The Share button provides options for email, direct link, etc.
Once students reach the site, they create a nickname and they're good to go.
When I tried Moderator for the first time, I neglected to allow students to post responses to questions. I easily fixed that by editing my Series (which took just a couple seconds). Then, we noticed that all the responses came up unnamed, since I hadn't directed students to create nicknames. What's cool, though, is that once the nicknames were created, all the "Unnamed" attributions changed to the owners' nicknames (which leads me to think you might actually want to work your responses in this manner in order to initially keep responses and ideas anonymous, thereby preventing students to vote ideas up or down based on student popularity).
Video Explanation
Below is a video which explains much of what I discussed above. Nothing, however, beats giving it a try with your own students!
Suggested Uses:
Post a statement concerning a character's motives. Let students voice opinions on whether or not they agree with this character's actions. Students can also discuss what the character should have done instead.
Post a headline from a recent current event. After students read the news article, they chime in with their opinions.
In preparation for argumentative writing, allow the class to crowdsource ideas. Assign students to post ideas, examples, and evidence for both sides of the issue. Regardless of which side each student chooses to argue in a later writing piece, the ideas from the other list will help them to craft their opposing view statements. (For more on strengthening argumentative writing with opposing viewpoints, see my post called Fightin' Words).
Students agree or disagree with an editorial stand.
Post a scenario relating to a topic or theme of a novel and ask students to share their thoughts. When students wondered why neighbors would assist the Nazis is locating Jews, I introduced the idea of Citizenship Credits. Students soon learned that incentives to report on your fellow citizen can lead to abuses.
Students can share opinions in connection with a video (which can be attached to the form). See some sources for videos at the bottom of this page.
2 Comments on Let's Agree to Disagree: Using Google Moderator in the Classroom, last added: 2/26/2013
I had no idea either until just recently. Apparently it's been around for at least two years. We were using a cool debate site called Barkles but it disappeared, so I'm happy to have found this one to take its place.
I'm a huge believer in using nontraditional materials to get kids reading in the classroom. It's no secret that I totally dig picture books for all grade levels, and I also feel that appropriate graphic novels can serve young readers.
Another way to motivate reluctant readers is through the use of movie scripts. For many students, scripts are both engaging and nonthreatening, since the overall plot lines are already familiar (and don't be surprised if students know whole scenes by heart as well). The Internet Movie Script Database features dozens of scripts from current movies and television shows, categorized by genre and fully searchable. From classics like The Breakfast Club to newer films like Lincoln, you'll find tons of gems here! The scripts can be read right online, with no download or additional software needed.
Simply Scripts features a larger assortment of scripts, from movies, television, radio, stage, and more. Several other sources are available through Google, but I've found these two to be most reliable.
These scripts can be used in other ways as well:
Students attempting to write scripts can use these as models for conventional formatting.
Teachers working on proper use of quotations can assign a portion of a script to be rewritten as traditional dialogue.
Oral expression can be examined through multiple readings of sections, emphasizing different words and varying rate and pitch. For example, how many emotions can be expressed by rereadings of the simple question, "Really?"
Students can discuss the use of flash forwards and flashbacks as vehicles for advancing the plot.
Speakers of English as a second language can practice reading portions, comparing their diction with that of the on-screen actors. (I suppose you'll have to be careful which scripts you choose for this purpose. Having a classroom full of Nathan Lanes or Robert DeNiros is probably not a desired outcome of instruction).
Some disclaimers:
Movies rated R appear here as well, so proper guidance on this site is needed.
I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but my guess is that printing off entire scripts from this source or any other is probably not legal and should be avoided. Snippets of the scripts might be okay, but don't take my word on that.
Although the scripts I viewed seemed true to the movie versions, it's possible that some vary from the final theatrical releases.
These script sites exist to sell movies, books, DVDS, etc. For that reason, some schools are likely to block them! I recommend you search about a bit and you may be able to find the desired script on an unblocked site.
Have some other uses for online scripts? Email me or leave a comment below.
2 Comments on And Action! Motivating Reluctant Readers with Movie Scripts, last added: 2/23/2013
Interesting idea. Although some could argue that most English teachers have the same idea when they assign a Shakespeare play. But I think most students would much rather read a more current script. ;)
I agree with you, but would counter that most students probably haven't seen the stage production of the Shakespeare play that they're muddling through on paper. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey just visited my school and in their after-perfomance visit with students noted that Shakespeare is meant to be performed, not simply read, due to the nuances of the language and the physical interpretations of the scenes. I would love for all kids to experience the plays before they read, so perhaps movies are the next best thing. Thanks for the comment!
The world is a dangerous place to live. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. ~Albert Einstein
If you're reading a Dystopian or a Holocaust novel with your students, you're apt to see the wisdom and warning in Albert Einstein's words. If so, then keep reading.
When studying the Holocaust, my students always ask, "How could people let this happen?" They little realize how insidiously this tragedy was allowed to occur, and how quietly and malevolently similar atrocities continue to proliferate across the globe.
To help students better understand, I assign a writing piece called Citizenship Credits. It consists of a prompt for an argumentative essay, and its success relies upon students' struggle with seeing both sides of the topic presented. Most important, however, is the discussion which ensues, as it helps students begin to understand how such tragedies can occur, through both not only action of those who seek to control others, but the inaction of those who stand aside silently and allow it to happen. This small understanding is a jumping off point to exploring further causes; it is also, however, a cautionary tale for avoiding the consequences of inaction in their own lives.
Please know that this is NOT a simulation activity. I recently attended a session of the Master Teachers Institute in Holocaust Education at Rutgers University, where I heard teacher educator Ilana Abramovitch discuss the ineffectiveness of simulations. We cannot conduct one short exercise which causes discomfort and deprivation, and then declare to students, "And now you know how it must have felt."
This prompt instead allows students to see that "how this was allowed to happen" could happen just as easily in their own country, their own state, their own school. If you're studying a Dystopian novel, this prompt could also serve as an excellent prereading discussion piece, with exactly that same message
The Prompt
The prompt I share with students is embedded below. I kept it as simple and jargon-free as possible, and it's always amazing to see the number of provisions and conditions and rules which students attach to it as they begin to write, regardless of the perspective they've chosen to argue.
The class reads the prompt together and discusses it briefly. I then ask students to turn to the assignment's blank backside, fold the page in half, and write at least three bulleted statements arguing why such a policy is good, and three bulleted statements for why such a policy is bad. We share these aloud, and I encourage students to record points made by classmates which they might have missed. Students are encouraged to record arguments for both sides, even if they've already decided which point of view they take.
Students are then directed to choose one side of the topic or the other. My students organize their thoughts on a Google Draw doc which I've created for this purpose, which later allows them to copy and paste sentences easily to a blog or wiki. Another possibility for organizing ideas is with an interactive mapping tool such as Read Write Think's Persuasion Map, which can be edited online or printed up as a blank map for off-line use.
If you prefer that students use a more traditional outline format, check out Quicklyst. This frills-free outlining site is incredible quick to learn and leaves off distracting bells and whistles which students simply don't need.
As students begin writing their essays, encourage them to discuss not only the facts, examples, and anecdotes which support their own side of the issue, but also the opposing views of their opponents. Only if they acknowledge these opposing views and counter them will their writing be argumentative, versus simply persuasive. For more on argumentation vs. persuasion, and also the power of the opposing viewpoints, see my previous Fightin' Words post. How you choose to close this activity depends largely upon the approach you'll take with your novel. Every year it's my students who draw parallels between the dangers of the Citizenship Credits policy, and what began to happen with citizens reporting on their neighbors in the early years of Nazi Germany. You may also wish to share The Hangman by Maurice Ogden, an allegorical poem with a powerful message. See "The Hangman" related activities.
If you're looking to read more on the topic of argumentative writing, check out They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. This book explains in concise language, dozens of templates, and numerous real-world examples, the powerful concepts which guide argumentative writing. Here you'll find templates for openings, closings, discussion, disagreement, etc. You'll also have at your fingertips many professionally written articles, essays, and speeches which show these same templates at work (see the explanation of argumentative writing in "Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail" shown in the book preview on Amazon). This work, aimed at both instructors and high school- and college-aged students, is must reading.
7 Comments on How Could "They" Let This Happen?, last added: 2/25/2013
I've read many many books about the holocaust and Nazi Germany, including many of the ones you listed. It always makes me think about how I would react in that situation. I am currently reading The Book Thief. I like how Markus Zusak shows us the everyday German Citizen's story and the things that they experienced. The fear, hunger, and shame that they dealt with.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm following you as well.
A very interesting approach. I also wondered why they let it happen and over the years I've started to understand. I recently read "The Hare with Amber Eyes" which is a terrific book - the story of how a collection of netsuke made its way through generations to the author. The piece on his (great?)grandparents in Vienna is very moving and explains so much. Nice to meet you - thanks to the Kid Lit Blog Hop and your visit!
This is a great idea. My older son has read a lot of books about the Holocaust including those listed here. These books do get kids to think and hopefully prevent anything like this from ever happening again in our world.
Wow! This IS a fascinating post. Thank you for the tremendous resources and for stopping by in the kidlit blog hop. I am thrilled you shared your blog and will be visiting often!
Love, love, love your post! I think this is such an important exercise to undertake with older kids. It was reminding me as I was reading through your post of Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development. Each stage gets increasingly complex as we think through and weigh out the consequences and impact of a single act.
I'm not sure if Randy Coates has linked into the Hop this week because I haven't been through the whole list, but I want to connect you two. He has many thought provoking posts based on his experiences as a Grade 8 (?) teacher. Here is his website:
http://randycoates.wordpress.com/
I consider The Book Thief one of my favorite books of all time. I get goosebumps just thinking about the story of the Word Shaker.
Thanks so much for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop. I'm a new follower!
A lesson which features a focused initial activity is more likely to produce active participation, focused learning, and intended learning outcomes. The lesson openers, or anticipatory sets, that follow are designed to immediately engage the student in the learning process.
The closers, or closure activities, describe how each opener can be revisited in some form at lesson’s end, thus providing students with a quick review and closure, while providing the teacher with some small measure of student achievement of the desired objective.
1. Prior Knowledge
Opener: Students discuss and list on a flip chart or in a journal all they know about the topic to be covered in the lesson. While this might be a traditional KWL type chart, with older students I prefer a bulleted list or a T-chart showing opposing viewpoints. At the teacher’s discretion, students can add ideas which their peers share (we call this crowd sourcing).
Before reading a nonfiction article about privateers, for example, or well-researched sea yarn such as Privateer's Apprentice, students might be asked to list all they know about pirates. Walking the plank and burying treasure are sure to top such a list, and most students will likely agree that pirates were lawless, ruthless renegades that roamed the oceans. They would be surprised to discover, then, that many "pirates" were in fact privateers, commissioned by royal powers to attack ships under enemy flag. In Privateer's Apprentice, author Susan Verrico provides a students with a compelling narrative that not only keeps them reading, but also dispels many of our most common misconceptions about "pirates."
Closer: At lesson’s end, students place a + sign by those listed items which were addressed or confirmed, and circle any issues about which questions remain. In some cases, the "facts" students know may not be confirmed or denied until a large portion, or even the entirety, of a book is read.
2. Presort
Opener: Each group of three to four students is given a number of index cards to sort according to set criteria. A stack of mixed cards, for example, may contain factual and ten fictional statements drawn from a historical fiction text. The group sorts them, relying upon prior knowledge alone.
Closer: The group’s sorting is later confirmed or emended through information provided in the lesson or reading. These cards can be saved and used by the group for later review before testing. As students become accustomed to this strategy, you can assign students to make similar card sets, to be swapped with a partner for purposes of review.
3. Rules
Opener: Have small groups create a list of rules pertaining to the lesson subject. You can specify that rules begin with prompts such as:
• Always...
• Never...
• At least once a day...
• If you want to succeed, you must...
• If you wish to guarantee failure, always...
For example, you might say to students, “Thinking about The Witch of Blackbird Pond, pretend you are a colonial mother giving advice to her daughter on the proper behavior of a young woman. Make a list of rules she must follow.” (In the case of Kit Tyler, headstrong ideas and odd behaviors directly oppose the rules governing her present circumstances). This activity would be followed by a group reading of a colonial era journal, or by students referencing relevant passages from the novel. Realize that with this activity you’re likely to receive as many humorous as serious responses!
For other books such as Animal Farm (where the rules mysteriously and malevolently shift) and Devil's Arithmetic (where obeying Rivka's rules are as important to survival as obeying the Nazis' rules), this activity might be adapted somewhat and revisited over multiple class periods.
Closer: For that reason, this strategy is a great closure activity if each group’s rules are shared after the lesson is formally conducted. Another possible closer is asking, "What is likely to happen to a member of this community if these rules aren't followed?"
4. Pretest
Opener: Similar to Presort, but here each student is individually given a quiz which they answer to the best of their ability. Students check their answers as the lesson progresses.
Closer: Formally review the answers to the pretest, and have students provide the reason for, or additional information regarding, each answer. These can be saved for test review.
5. Share a Goal
Opener: Each student jots down one goal he or she would like to see addressed in the lesson. These are posted by group and addressed at lesson’s end as a form of closure. The same procedure can be done with “questions to be answered.”
Closer: Review questions/goals to see what has been accomplished, and which items remain as “burning issues” for future lessons.
6. Sentence Starter
Opener: Each student responds orally or in writing to a sentence prompt. Some effective prompts might include:
• A successful student prepares for a test by...
• When checking over your writing, always check to see...
• The most tragic character flaw a character can possess is...
Closer:Have students with at least three other students in paired sharings. Then ask students to share with the class the best answer they heard, whether it’s their response or another student’s.
7. Describe the Best...
Opener: Students brainstorm a list to describe their best teacher, class, learning experience, etc. for the purpose of finding common attributes which point out good teaching, learning, etc. Another possibility is to show video excerpts of three to five exceptional public speakers, asking students to take notes on what makes their presentation style so compelling.
Closer: Have students choose one trait they will focus on during a specific role play, during the next day, or as a semester long goal.
8. Think Tank
Opener: Ask a number of general knowledge questions which all students should know, but may not (capital of Bolivia, number of teams in the NFL, the meaning of the word tsunami, Mark Twain’s real name, three sports which celebrate “hat tricks,” the most common animal from which we get pâté, etc.). Have each student complete the quiz independently, then form groups of 4 to 6 and let students share information. They will learn that the more people involved, the more informed the process, or, in a more cliché mantra, Together Everyone Achieves More(TEAM). This can lead into a discussion on shared problem solving, communication, etc.
Closer: The teacher, widely known as Mr. or Ms. Know-It-All, might be challenged to answer similar general knowledge questions generated by the students.
9. Read Aloud
Opener: The teacher asks students to listen to a piece being read aloud, with a specified objective in mind. The literature piece can be a poem, fable, excerpt of a historical diary, example of a specific genre or literary device, top ten list (David Letterman style), a news article, a fictitious letter, etc.
Closer: Closure depends on the type of literature used. Groups can be encouraged to create their own “top ten” lists, read a related article or story for discussion at a later time, or write their own “You Were There” letters. A fictitious letter from a Civil War mother, for example, can be answered from the point of view of Abraham Lincoln, or from an “enemy” soldier who has found the body upon the corpse of a man he has killed in battle. A book such as On Enemy Soil: The Journal of James Edmond Pease provides ample historical background as well as personal narrative to provide students with both a contextual frame and a writing style suited to the task. Or does it? Is James' terse, narrative style of this journal the same type of writing in which a letter to grieving parents would be written? Can such a letter celebrate a life, without glorifying the hell which ended it? Author Jim Murphy provides some answers to all of these questions by book's end.
10. Metaphors
Opener: Divide the team into small groups of 4 to 6 people. Have each group discuss and identify an analogy for a topic being discussed. It can be a metaphor or a simile. For example: “Eighth grade is like a three-ring circus. We have so many things going on at once that it’s both frightening and exciting.” Allow five minutes to discuss; then have teams share. My students enjoyed taking novels with large casts of characters and identifying each character with an animal.
Closer: Sharing is a must. You might also provide students with a metaphor of your choosing, such as a metaphor for learning. Explain how that metaphor should be extended throughout the school year.
11. A Picture is Worth...
Opener: Have each small group draw a diagram, picture, map, etc., depicting how they view a recent topic. Have groups post their pictures, but then have a member of a different group interpret a group’s drawing for the audience (without any help from that group beforehand). The group which created the picture is not allowed to speak during the presentation. Some students like the idea of trying to represent complex story relationships with mathematical symbols and imagery (some modeling might be needed here).
Closer: Time allowing, groups can compare/contrast their true “visions” with the interpretations offered previously.
12. Review through Competition
Opener: Upon completion of the content portion of a lesson (whether the content was presented by the teacher, through a reading, or other means), challenge each group to list, within five minutes, all they learned from the lesson.
Closer: Give a follow-up quiz, and allow groups to share notes to complete the quiz.
13. Sandwich Boards
Opener: Each person in the group writes on newsprint, “Things I Know” (about the content of the lesson, areas of personal expertise, etc.).
Closer: On a second newsprint sheet, students write, “Things I Learned.” The sheets are joined with tape, sandwich board style, and one member of the team wears the completed piece. All students mill around, non-verbally, reading the contents of other groups’ sandwich boards.
Other Opening Methods
Other short lesson openers include sharing:
• an unusual fact,
• a personal experience,
• a quotation,
• a statistic,
• an amusing or thought-provoking anecdote,
• a rhetorical question,
• a relevant joke,
• a story, or
• a reference to a current event.
Other Closing Methods
The following closure activities can be used regardless of the lesson’s anticipatory set. Some require more time than might be permissible in the classroom; they can either be truncated or assigned as homework
Got You Covered
Google image search reveals an incredible assortment of book cover art for many novels. A book like A Tale of Two Cities has been represented in countless ways via cover art, especially if you consider foreign editions. In the case of Linda Urban's Hound Dog True, the cover art was changed from a simple, "pretty princess" type design to a photograph. How does this change a reader's approach to the book? Does it change the potential readership of a book? One of my sixth graders recently read this book, loved it, and recommended it to me. I can say with some certainty, based upon other books she read, that she wouldn't have chosen this same book given its original cover.
To get the most bang out of this method, make predictions based upon the cover art (as you'd usually do). Then, at some point in the middle of a novel, show students several cover art versions and allow them to pick their favorite and describe why. Repeat the exercise at book's end and see if any opinions have changed. Your students may even be up to the challenge of designing their own covers! Another interesting discussion begins, "If a book was made into a movie, should an image from the film version be used as cover art?"
Group Question
It is usually fruitless to ask, “Are there any questions?” after intensive learning of a new topic. Instead, upon completion of a session’s content portion, separate participants into groups and ask each group to form the “two best questions” they can. Only one is asked; the other is generated in case someone “takes” the group’s first question.
Quick Toss
Use a small stuffed animal, bean bag, or Nerf toy to toss to students. Each person shares one thing he or she learned, and then tosses the object to another student. Greater control can be exercised (particularly if this is adapted for use by younger students) if the speaker tosses the object back to the teacher, rather than another participant.
What Now?
Each student jots down (or could share) one specific strategy or skill he/ she learned and how it will be used in the immediate future.
So What?
After reading a select text excerpt, students write a “So What?” statement, explaining in their own words the importance of the passage to plot, character development, problem resolution, etc.
New Knowledge
When designing the lesson, jot down 4 to 6 key questions that each student should be able to answer by lesson’s end. Pass out one of these questions to each student at session’s end, and have them answer the questions aloud in small groups. You can also use students’ questions which were gathered at lesson’s start.
Learning Map
Have each individual, or group of 3to 4, draw a diagram, picture, map, etc. symbolically representing the concepts just covered. These can be shared with the group or posted for all to view.
Game It
Use an online word search or crossword puzzle creator (such as www.puzzlemaker.com) to create a puzzle containing relevant information from the lesson. In order to make this a group-oriented activity, puzzles can be enlarged into posters.
Some Final Thoughts on Lesson Openers
• Don’t confuse your opener with the content or skills of your lesson. The opener is meant to assess prior knowledge, engage the learner, and raise energy levels. Once the lesson is successfully “kicked off,” more substantial content must be introduced.
• Reward risk-takers. Enthusiastically welcome and thank the first student who volunteers or asks a question. This will encourage others to participate. Too many teachers act as though student questions and comments are an intrusion upon their time.
• Keep the openers short. Do this by being prepared. If note cards are required, hand them out as students enter. If charts are required, set them up ahead of time. The one exception here would be hand-outs, which will only distract students if they are handed out too soon.
I'm not a teacher, but if I was, I would totally use some of your suggestions. It's so important that kids learn to love reading! I'm glad you and other teachers put so much thought into getting students engaged in books. Awesome!
Thanks for stopping by! I'm totally glad you did, because I'm actually seeking my license in secondary English. :) And I've been meaning to read Okay for Now for about forever. :)
Thanks for visiting me on No Water River! I am loving your blog(s)! I used to teach high school English, and your suggestions are just wonderful. I'm a kidlit writer now, so I'll be hopping over to your PB blog and following all of them.
How in the world do you find time to keep up with THREE blogs?? I only do one post a week, and it takes me hours! :)
Perhaps your experience differs from mine, but a lot of personal narrative I've witnessed students write has been either too formulaic or too pointless in its wanderings. How can we help students write personal narratives that are detailed yet focused in purpose?
A terrific scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles depicts Steve Martin at wit's end. Martin has lost all patience with John Candy, who plays an eternally optimistic and kind-hearted teddy bear of a guy who will strike up a conversation with anyone. That simply rubs the more pragmatic Martin the wrong way. While hilarious, Martin's rant reflects my own feeling about too much student writing.
So I was pretty excited to find Rope Burn, a compact middle-grade novel that immediately struck me as the perfect mentor text for showing students how to write narratives with purpose. Author Jan Siebold writes smooth yet eloquent passages that I think students could easily see themselves writing. Her paragraph and chapter structures are perfect models of the way in which exposition, narrative, and dialogue should combine to create storytelling.
The premise of Rope Burn is that Mr. Best, Richard's English teacher, has assigned his students the task of writing a composition about a proverb that illustrates something that happened in their lives. While some of Richard's friends choose easier proverbs, applying them to family members rather than themselves, Richard feels challenged to make a real effort at it, especially when his teacher insists that Richard find his "writing voice."
The book begins:
I hate writing. At least, I hate the kind of writing that most teachers expect. Where do they come up with these ideas for assignments, anyway? I swear, all teachers must have been required to take a college course called "Student Torture 101." Mr. Best, my English teacher, must have gotten an "A."
Wow. That beginning just won over some of my more reluctant kids! They're thinking, "All right! I totally agree with this kid!" And they keep reading. In addition to noticing that fabulous hook, I made note that Siebold models some wonderful elaboration, building from one idea to the next, slowly drawing the reader in. The fact is, she artfully pulls off quite a few technical writing feats. Throughout the novel, I marked several passages which I felt would either make excellent mini-lessons, or provide students with how-to models for getting past bits of sticky composition. In case you're wondering, Richard writes nine pieces, finding both his "writing voice" and his real voice, as the exercise allows him to commit his emotions to the page, and finally wrestle with some pretty heavy issues. Oh, yeah. Writing can do that as well.
And I dig how Richard links the proverb to his experience through the use of a subtitle; Proverb Five, for example, is titled "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, or The First Time I Saw a Dead Body." While the proverb chapters can somewhat stand alone, the reader discovers wonderful narrative threads which flow through and unite them all. In case you're wondering about the title, it acts as a type of frame story (think Canterbury Tales). Mr. Reynolds, the gym teacher, announces that the basic physical education test includes rope-climbing. Most students, Richard included, don't succeed on the first try. For our protagonist, it's not even close. But a new friend, recognizing Richard's struggles, explains that the secret is to "just keep going, no matter what." With some practice and his friend's encouragement, Richard is able to make progress.
Extensions:
Remember how the book started? Have students write a narrative on something they hate. They can start as simply as Robert did, with "I hate ________." Rather than elaborated descriptions of this hatred, however, students will need to relate at least one anecdote which supports their abhorrence of the chosen topic.
Provide students with a list of proverbs ala Mr. Best's assignment. You can find a great starter list at American English Proverbs or Idiom Site (which includes literal interpretations). Quotations Page and Creative Proverbs both feature proverbs from other countries. Students can either scour these sites for phrases which inspire them, or you could ask that students choose from a limited pool of proverbs. Students might be interested to see how one proverb might receive different treatments and interpretations.
ManyThings.org features some interactive practice with proverbs, should you wish to focus on that aspect of language before the above writing activities.
And finally, check out the discussion questions and activities provided at the book's end. Some good ideas for shorter assignments and responses.
0 Comments on Narrative Writing that Makes a Point as of 1/1/1990
So often student writing efforts are what I call "bare bones." Student writing lacks muscle and flesh and features, due to a paucity of specific verbs, adverbs, and adjectives, as well as a lack of complex sentence structure. Students often have not received instruction in showing versus telling.
How can we increase elaboration in writing?
The best remedy for this is for students to examine excellent writing. As students read exemplary passages, they need to ask:
What's happening here that's not happening in my own writing?
What choices has the author made in terms of individual words, sentence grammar, and paragraph construction?
What did the author include to paint a picture of what's happening?
What has the author deliberately left out for the reader to piece together?
Sometimes the missing piece of the puzzle is simply word choice. When teaching my students the importance of using alternatives to said, for example, I assigned pairs of students two chapters from Gordon Korman's Swindle. Korman is a master at crafting realistic dialogue, and in one chapter alone a student found thirty speaking words other than said, and the word said itself was used just five times (and most often with an adverb). (Using just a portion of a novel like this to examine craft absolutely works! You can use online book trailers to fill in the missing information or to give a complete picture of the story line).
More often, however, multiple variables are at work, making some texts difficult to dissect; this, in turn, causes some students to simply decode words, and other students to give up entirely. If students aren't struggling with complex texts, then they're likely to lack experience with excellent exemplars upon which to model their own writing. One way to address this in the classroom is through close reading of select portions of text (see my previous post on Close Readings).
Another way to address elaboration, however, is through close readings of simpler, rather than more complex, mentor texts. In much of our students' writing, the details which are important and of interest to the reader simply aren't fleshed out. But in picture books, of all places, authors often take the simplest kernel of an idea and expand it broadly and creatively. To see such an example of elaboration, I recommend Daniel Boone's Great Escape, written by Michael P. Spradlin and illustrated by Ard Hoyt. This suspense filled book, bursting with strong verbs and vivid details, is inspired by just a single line in Boone's diary!
A great extension would have students choose historical events from their typically brief descriptions in textbooks and "blow them up." Will some imagination be involved? Yes. Will some "liberties be taken"? Yes. But I think if we resign ourselves to those concessions, and rightfully call our pieces historical fiction, we can then focus on this craft of elaboration.
I'd also recommend using students' own writing as exemplars. Following our Boone reading and discussion, my sixth grade class turned to a formal lesson on Six Ways to Increase Elaboration in Writing. Students were pleased and proud to see their own writing selected to illustrate each point (see below). They also felt encouraged, knowing that their existing writing was already beginning to improve since earlier sessions.
Need a more picture books for ideas? Check out the extremely descriptive language of The Scarlet Stockings Spy, written by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Robert Papp, or the humorous, fictional retellings of great lives in Lane Smith's John, Paul, George and Ben. Both books are described in a previous post on The American Revolution.
0 Comments on Six Ways to Increase Elaboration in Writing as of 1/1/1990
If you're like me, you've read tons of student essays where you've found it hard to follow the train of thought, due to the fact that it's already derailed in the student's own mind. So the the question is, "How can we improve the flow of ideas in students' writing?" Certainly outlining and organizers and transitions play a role, but once the words hit the page, they tend to form sentences which stand shoulder to shoulder, rather than arm in arm, with one another, failing to effectively carry the reader from one point to the next.
I stumbled upon a piece of the puzzle recently while reading a pdf on Paragraph Writing from The University of Adelaide Writing Centre. What that guide calls following "the natural order of information in English – i.e. the position of the ‘theme’ of a sentence and the ‘new’ information that follows" is illustrated in the excerpt below from the Learning Guide:
As you can see, the new idea introduced at the end of each sentence becomes the "theme" of the next. It's a simple way to keep the reader (and the writer!) on topic.
I pulled a similar example from our sixth grade social studies textbook, which I've paraphrased here:
Sumerians found a way to use symbols instead of picture to stand for words. These symbols came to be known as cuneiform. Cuneiform, or wedge shaped writing, could be combined to stand for words or sounds.
Once I pointed out this "natural order of information" to students, they began to see it in many of their academic texts, and in fiction as well. In Cynthia Lord's Rules, for example, the author begins the second chapter with this passage:
When David was three and starting to come to the clinic for occupational therapy, I tagged along because I was too little to stay home alone. Now I'm twelve and I can stay home if I want, but I still like to come. I like talking to Mom on the ride over and back and shopping in the stores across the street, and I love the road between our house and clinic.
When I asked students if the author had written this way on purpose, their answers revealed that they were beginning to understand the purpose of this structure:
"She might have done it on purpose, but only because it sounded right."
"I think she wanted the reader to follow her thoughts."
"It keeps you reading because you see that for each new idea she mentions, she'll explain it more in the next sentence."
"Since she's the narrator, we can't ask her questions, so she needs to tell us what we need to know. And the more she tells us, the more we might get confused if we can't follow what she's thinking." So? "So it's important that she writes like this so she doesn't let us get confused."
This same classroom conversation led a students to ask, "Can't you create flow in other ways?" This in turn led us to a discussion of parallel structures, as well as simple repetition within writing.
In The Palace Thief (the story which inspired The Emperor's Club), author Ethan Canin describes how a young Sedgewick Bell arrives at a new school to discover his new classmates "wearing the togas they had made from sheets and safety pins the day before, spreading their knees like magistrates in the wooden desk chairs." When Bell unhesitatingly treats the boys and the lesson with disdain, he is rebuked by his new master:
"Young man," I said, "this is a serious class, and I expect that you will take it seriously."
"If it's such a serious class, then why're they all wearing dresses?" he responded, again to laughter...
Students liked this example, since the repetition of ideas in this instance was very true to life in how such a conversation might take place.
They also enjoyed hearing the very short chapter "A House of My Own" from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The combination of simile, personification, repetition, and rhyme make the prose so rhythmic that students couldn't believe it wasn't a poem until I showed them the words on the page.
Public domain speeches are another terrific source for finding examples of flow, and many of these documents have been identified as exemplary texts for study in the Common Core Standards. One such text is Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" speech of 1851, which like the Cisneros text incorporates repetition to build a flow:
I think that ‘twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have plowed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man-when I could get it-and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman? Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, “intellect”] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or Negroes’ rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech is another beautiful example of flow created through repetition, alliteration, metaphors, and familiar literary sources.
Putting It Into Practice
For one of our first attempts at creating flow, I asked students to respond to a question based upon Island of the Blue Dolphins, our current classroom novel. The prompt read, "Why would the dogs, which were previously owned by the villagers, attack and kill Ramo?" A class-sourced response read:
When the men of the tribe were killed by the Aleuts, the village dogs lost their alphas, or leaders. Without leaders, the dogs ran off to join the wild pack that already lived on the island. Because this wild pack didn't fear Ramo, who was just a boy, they killed him. They most likely killed him to show dominance, and not because they were hungry. The reason didn't matter to Karana, however, who took her brother's death as a huge blow.
Later that same evening, in responding to an article about Facebook on Tween Tribune, one student attempted to create flow between nearly all of her sentences:
In response to "Is the Problem Facebook or You?" I definitely agree that people shouldn't be blaming their problems on Facebook. Facebook wasn't made for you to blab your whole life story. Your life should be private and only shared with friends. But even your so called "friends" on Facebook might not be your friends, and they'll tell someone you're going away Friday night. You shouldn't tell anyone online that you were going away and your house was empty! If you tell someone your house is empty, your house could be robbed! Finally, Facebook shouldn't be blamed for your addiction to be on 24/7. It's your choice to post everything you do on the web. Even though some people might disagree with me, I think that it's not Facebook's problem that you "ruined your life!"
It's a start.
Lessons on transitions, sentence variety, and opposing viewpoints are in order, but this writer was certainly able to help the reader follow her train of thought.
In Conclusion
This idea of flow holds a lot of promise for helping students develop and elaborate upon ideas in their writing. What they need to get started is just a few good examples and some practice with controlled, familiar topics. As they experiment further, the concepts of transitions and the need for greater sentence variety will likely become self-apparent, and the time will then be ripe for teaching them.
Recommended Reading
For some time now, readers have asked that I begin recommending books in addition to simply mentioning them in passing in my posts. I'm happy to oblige
In a bold experiment, homeschooled Evensong Sparkling Morningdew chooses to spend senior year in a public high school. Book smart yet naive to the "social minefield" of high school, Evie soon finds herself increasingly ensnared in a struggle for power and freedoms which she, herself, initiated. Her attempt to give students a voice backfires as the voices become cruel and out of control. In no time at all, Evie has endangered not only her college future, but also the new and fragile friendships she has forged. Someone else might give up under these trying circumstances, but this girl is different.
In a style of writing which is John Green meets John Hughes, JJ Johnson crafts a funny and engaging battle of wits and wills which keeps the reader engaged until the very end, which in my opinion came too soon. For ages 14 and up, I recommend this title for book groups or as a welcome addition to any classroom library.
You might also want to check out this author's most recent book, The Theory of Everything, which explores one teen's struggle to deal with the loss of a friend. While everyone else is ready to move on with their lives, Sarah still needs to find some meaning to it all. From the publisher: "But Sarah's not ready to move on... Her grades are plummeting, her relationships are falling apart, and her normal voice seems to have been replaced with a snark box. Life just seems random: no pattern, no meaning, no rules - and no reason to bother." A last ditch effort might just rescue Sarah from sadness, and from herself.
0 Comments on Finding Flow in Writing as of 1/1/1990
"How do you effectively structure and guide classroom discussions about novels?"
"What's the best way to get students to engage with texts?"
"How can you ensure that students read the required chapters for homework? Mine never seem to do it."
I receive questions like these often, and although each deserves a separate answer, as a whole they seem to originate from the same desire: to engage students with texts through close readings.
Close Reading of text involves an investigation of a short piece of text, with multiple readings done over multiple instructional lessons. Through text-based questions and discussion, students are guided to deeply analyze and appreciate various aspects of the text, such as key vocabulary and how its meaning is shaped by context; attention to form, tone, imagery and/or rhetorical devices; the significance of word choice and syntax; and the discovery of different levels of meaning as passages are read multiple times.
Timothy Shanahan defined the practice of close reading more succinctly, explaining that close reading "is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means."
So is it a rereading of text? Yes, but with a clearly defined purpose. Those of us who teach novels in the classroom know it can't be a rereading of the entire text; instead, it's a concentrated look at a selected excerpt in order to study a limited number of text attributes such as organization, sentence structure, vocabulary, symbolism, character development, plot advancement, etc. The purpose and focus of each close reading depends upon the text itself, thus leading to the CCSS push for more complex selections.
Below I've provided six suggestions for making the most of close reading experiences with students.
1. Read the Text Yourself
This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many teachers skip this step. They either rely upon teaching guides or margin notes, or their perceived understanding of the topic, regardless of its treatment in a particular text..
I recall a conversation with a teacher who was reading Stone Fox with her third grade class. I casually remarked, "Have the tissues ready when the dog dies," and with a look of horror she gasped, "The dog dies?"
When I pressed her why she hadn't read the entire novel in advance, she replied, "I wanted to be surprised along with my students." In my opinion, she was vastly unprepared to discuss the intricacies of even this simple text. A teacher who likewise relies upon a third-party teaching guide rather than the source text neglects the very literature immersion which we desire for students.
Bonus: When you've read the entire book, you're prepared for those students who will read ahead. You know who they are: those students who attempt to engage you between periods or during homeroom, asking questions about what's to come, or pointing out connections based on previous close readings. Read the whole book, and you'll be ready to respond appropriately. I rarely dissuade these students from reading ahead, but I do discourage them from providing spoilers for the rest of the class.
2. Ensure that Students Read the Text
In order to engage in a productive close reading, all students must have read the text a first time. As Nicholas Provenzano at Nerdy Teacher explains in a recent post on the importance of homework to the Reading/LA class:
Students need to read at home and come to class ready to discuss what they have learned. At the high school level, English teachers do not have the time to let kids read all they need to read in class.... Learning to read at home and annotate is an important skill that needs to be practiced at home after the skill is taught in class. So this work that is assigned to be done at home is homework, but it is valuable and important.
So how do we make this happen? I've used a number of methods, including reflection sheets (having students respond to one theme-oriented question in context of a chapter), online quizzes such as Testmoz or those included in Edmodo or Schoology (completed either at home open-book or in class the following day), and polls seeking student input on a particular character's actions. I've also indicated that we would stage a debate the following day, and that they should be prepared to argue either side of the issue with text-based facts (the issue of contention itself is only revealed ti students after they read the required selection).
Perhaps the most effective method, however, has been to regularly schedule close readings for the next day. When students learn that they will be put on the spot to "pull a text apart," they're more likely to come prepared. Especially if the close readings are constructed in such a way that encourages lively, if not heated, dialogues. Middle and high schoolers are extremely social by nature, and most enjoy engaging in a lively exchange over a good text. Even the most reluctant contributors to classroom discussions will interact if we, as teachers, are prepared to discuss the intricacies of writing.
When discussing just the first two chapters of The Outsiders, for example, I share a chart which requires students to select which of the Greasers they would choose to take on a double date, back them up in a fight, teach them to drive, and so on. While at first glance it seem to be opinion based, students soon discover that they need to identify text-based reasons for their choices. (The chart is embedded below, and can be increased to full size using the fullscreen button in the lower right corner).
The students who neglected to read the assigned chapters for homework is ill-prepared to defend their choices in the discourse that ensues. See more on this lesson here.
Bonus:When students are expected to complete first readings on their own, they begin to welcome short assessments for each chapter. In their minds, their time spent reading assigned chapters is now serving "double duty" as it prepares them for class assessments as well as close reading and discussion sessions.
3. Choose Close Reading Excerpts in Advance
This can only happen, of course, if you followed step one and read the book for yourself. Having done this, you're ready to judiciously select those pages or paragraphs which warrant analysis and discussion.
How to best manage this? Keep your mind in the gutter. In other words, liberally annotate the pages of your own text, making liberal use of the margins and the gutter, that no-man's land formed by the inner margins of two facing pages. I prefer to do this only upon my second reading of a book, in a process I call Deconstructing the Novel.
As you reread the novel,
Assign each page a title. This will allow you to reference specific events more quickly. Critical quotes make excellent titles, as well as excellent discussion points.
Form anticipatory questions for each chapter. These are for your own reference, as they will cue you to what you felt was most important in this chapter.
Jot down questions throughout the chapter. Some questions may review information which is critical to unfolding events, while others may ask students to predict what will occur next, based upon the information that author has provided. It’s important to write STOP at those points where you would like students to predict or reflect; often in the “heat of the moment” we have flown past a point in the story where I had meant for students to stop and share their thoughts, or to predict what action the character might next take.
Underline vocabulary which is critical to understanding the story. Since close reading is text dependent, can students define these words using context clues? Or, is the term introduced here and then later defined using the “read on” strategy? Which words are unfamiliar, yet not critical in understanding the text?
Mark any literary devices. Which are employed by this author often? Which are central to the story’s theme or plot?
Continually ask yourself: What’s worth knowing here? How can students take what is worth knowing and make it their own? How can they organize their own thinking about this novel’s contents in order to comprehend it better? In what ways does this excerpt rely upon, relate to, or affect other portions of the text? In what ways does this excerpt relate to the book's theme and essential questions about that theme? What has the author explicitly stated? What has the author hinted at? What has the author omitted?
Bonus: Students can learn to annotate texts in a similar manner following your model. Using copies of public domain documents is one excellent way to do this with pen and paper, and the Internet provides many sites and apps for practicing this skill digitally. Both Google Docs and WikiSpaces allow students to highlight and comment upon text selections, or Thinkport's Annotator provides an easy, registration-free stand-alone option.
4. Allow Students to Choose Close Reading Excerpts
This seems like odd advice, since it's the antithesis of what is suggested above. However, if we are to give students ownership over reading, and eventually "release them to the wild" to practice close reading on their own, then we should be willing to entertain examinations of those passages they find most troubling. challenging, important, and or entertaining.
Students may also begin to share writing from other sources which they come across in their own reading experiences. While not all of it may be suitable for classroom reading or discussion, you might be surprised by a rare gem.
Bonus: Ownership. And a pretty good reason to get the reading done at home. Moist importantly, however, we're encouraging students to read critically, with an eye and ear toward what the author is doing.
5. Ask "So What?"
Once students have dissected the chosen text passage, they need to ask, "So what?"
By "so what?" we're asking:
What does this text mean in context of the whole work?
What has the author explicitly said, and what has the author perhaps implied?
How does the new content affect we already know, and how does it shape our expectations for what is still to be encountered in the text?
How does what we've read fit into historical contexts?
Does what we've read have something to say about our theme?
Does it answer essential questions we might have formulated?
What questions remain unanswered?
What information am I lacking to fully understand what I've read?
What new questions emerged?
Too many students take on reading as a decoding practice: reading one word after another, rather than putting them together into a meaningful context. Like a bingo caller reading random, singularly meaningless balls plucked from a spinning cage, these students fail to see how these isolated bits of information form patterns of meaning.
By studying the structure of sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters, and then analyzing the ideas within those constructs, we lead students to construct meaning from the texts. This process was somewhat simpler, I suppose, in the lower grades when picture books gave students a fighting chance to figure out what was going in; in the higher grades, however, these same students need modeled strategies and plentiful practice to make those same connections with text.
Simply asking, "So what?" and then waiting for answers, and thoughts, and epiphanies to happen is key. My most difficult challenge at this point is to shut up and listen and nod and listen some more, and let students piggyback on the ideas of their peers.
The "So what?" stage might be accompanied with written reflections or extensions on the close reading, but not as a matter of course.
Bonus: The answers to this simple question may yield indicators to what students will need to tackle next.
6. Reflect on the Experience
This step is all on you, teacher.
Based upon the results of your close reading experience, where do you go next? With what concept or skill do students need additional practice? Based upon unanswered questions and confusions, which text excerpt would be best for the next close reading?
In my experience, what worked well one year didn't the next, so this is the stage where our professional knowledge, judgement, and sensitivity to the text and the students themselves must guide us to make the appropriate instructional decisions.
Bonus: The ability to do this is what makes the best teachers irreplaceable.
In Conclusion
Students who weren't expected to approach texts with such intensity and laser focus might need several opportunities to "get into it." Some students will be suspicious of your motives, others will be too shy to share ideas, and others, of course, will be content to ride on the coattails of the few who initially carry the conversation.
But by approaching close readings in a purposeful way, and demanding more intensive interpretation of what the texts have to say, we can bring about a change in students' default approaches to reading.
Need more ideas on building those skills that students need for reading texts with greater complexity? I recommendThe Challenge of Challenging Text by Timothy Shanahan, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, from the most March, 2012 issue of Educational Leadership.
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If you've ever used Wallwisher, you know how powerful such a tool can be in creating collaboration and on-line dialogue between students.
Lino It is an online bulletin board, allowing anonymous and instant posting, permitting only the posters (and the administrator) to move or peel off the stickies that have been added. It's super easy with few frills to distract students. It's easily embeddable to most web sites and wikis, retaining full functionality.
Check out the example of students responding to Paul Laurence Dunbar's "The Sparrow" which was read in juxtaposition to Poe's "The Raven." You can see that this group of four students generated a bunch of questions they wanted to discuss, and even posted a picture, the poem, and a related video to the wall.
Interestingly, some groups assigned stickies by color to each member, while others decided that "blue is vocabulary, and pink is questions," and so on.
One neat feature of Lino It is History, which highlights the ten most recent additions, allowing users to quickly see what was added since their last visit (when you view the example, click on Highlight New, and then keep clicking the arrow beside it to view the ten latest additions).
Applications for the Reading/Language Arts Classroom:
Demand Exit Tickets: all students respond to an open ended question based on the day's lesson.
Collect Ten Word Stories, ala Sparky Teaching's Ten Word Stories page. This ten word story might be a reflection on a day's lit piece.
Ask students to list running questions or observations about a challenging text piece.
Encourage students to collect colorful figurative language and "cool sentences" from their reading that they would like to discuss during later close reading sessions. Some of these sentences can later be submitted to Notable Sentences... for Imitation and Creation (see my write-up here).
Add a "What's New and Notable" bulletin board to your teacher's page. Include assignment updates, links to current events, etc. See mine at the bottom of my main site.
Share files and videos related to classroom discussion topics.
Get instant student responses to poems, song lyrics, facts, and quotations, perhaps as a warm-up to each day's lesson.
Allow students to record thoughts and questions as they watch a video or read a chapter.
Limit the number of users on a single board to five or less. Otherwise, you'll have too much traffic and many redundant responses.
If you care to know who posted which items, instruct students to include their initials on posts. As mentioned above, some students chose to assign a different color to each member to differentiate responses.
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New blog follower Maddie recently contacted me to say this:
You need another blog. I enjoy Teach with Picture Books and also your novel blog, but I've got a number of students who fall between these two categories. They want to read novels (always the ones being made into movies) but their skills aren't equal to the task. What would you recommend?
To begin with, I recommended that Maddie write that blog! She seems to know a niche group that needs to be reached. But my other recommendation to her was to get a hold of some transitional novels.
It's not a bad place to be: stuck between the vast and varied worlds of the picture books and the worlds of the novel. That's where many children find themselves at age eight (give or take), when they're trying to make the independent reading leap from picture books to more difficult chapter books. Is the language in chapter books that much more complex? Not necessarily. But gone are the beautiful contextual clues provided by picture books' illustrations. Fortunately for these readers, we have what can be called transitional books.
Let me now share a few more books that I highly recommend for getting this group of students excited about reading, and moving toward more full-length, sophisticated novels.
The Memory Bank by Carolyn Coman and Rob Shepperson is a cool hybrid for the age 8 and up group; like The Invention of Hugo Cabret, it's equal parts text and illustration. Note that I didn't say it's illustrated. That's because a good deal of the story is told only through pictures, and it's up to the reader to make sense of what those images tell.
Inside spread from The Memory Bank.
The narration follows Hope, whose mother and father have abandoned Honey, Hope's little sister, on the side of the road. "I've told you a thousand times," Father said, "No laughing." And as the tires squeal, leaving Honey in a cyclone of dust, Father warns Hope, "Forget her." But of course Hope can't, and when a mysterious visitor invites her to leave home, Hope feels that somehow this new adventure might lead her back to her sister.
Meanwhile, Honey's story is told entirely through pictures. We're given quite detailed events, but still... What's going on? The fact is, the World Wide Memory Bank and the Clean Slate Gang are at war, and somehow Honey and Hope are stuck in the middle! The two surreal, parallel stories eventually collide in a surprising and satisfying turn of events.
Me and Rolly Maloo is at first glance just another easy-reader novel, but author Janet S. Wong and illustrator Elizabeth Butler combine traditional chapters and paragraphs with graphic-novel conventions such as frames and speech bubbles, which place the reader more immediately into the action.
What's the action? A moral dilemma, really. When popular Rolly Maloo asks Jenna's help to cheat on a math test, what is Jenna to do? This book provides students with a multiple-perspective look at a common problem, while introducing them to internal and external conflicts. What should you do when the act itself is so simple, yet goes against everything in which you believe? Me and Rolly Maloo provides several wonderful models for writing which students could try out for themselves. Identify a character in another novel who is also facing a difficult situation. Then, choose one of the portions of Me and Rolly Maloo to read aloud, pointing out that Jenna (or another character) is always careful to weigh all options before choosing a plan of action. That being said, however, is she always honest with herself? How does she sometimes twist facts to choose one option over another? Or, show one of the novel's many interactions between characters via a series of emails, phone calls, letters, or texts.
For those interested in transitional nonfiction chapter books, Usborne publishes a series of Books for Young Readers, which are written at Lexile ranges ranging from 800 to 1000. I'm in no way an expert on this, but by identifying the levels of some books I know, it gives me an idea of the reading difficulty. Ramona Quimby, Age 8, for example, is Lexile Level 860; the slightly higher levels of nonfiction titles are due to the inclusion of proper nouns of places, people, and historical events.
The books are perfect for this group of readers, since they're in a smaller (6 x 8 inches) hardcover format. The text is reader appropriate, not just in skill level but in approach to topic as well. The Holocaust by Susanna Davidson, for example, is one of the most complete, yet age-suitable, titles I've seen on the topic, and I've even made plans to incorporate it into my curriculum when reading The Devil's Arithmetic with my sixth graders. It not only provides much-needed background knowledge to read about this horrific time, but it also leads readers to want to learn more.
Other nonfiction titles in that series include The Story of Spying, Gladiators, The Story of Pirates, The Story of Slavery, and Vietnam. Another terrific title for hard-to-teach topics is The Story of Islam, which provides key understandings into a religion which is making history even today. Every volume contains full color pictures on every page, plus important nonfiction conventions such as captions, table of contents, index, and Internet links. At about seven or eight bucks a book (hardcover!), these can easily supplement any fourth through seventh grade curriculum.
Readers will also enjoy Usborne's Young Readers library of biographies. As a teacher and parent, I've always noticed a pretty huge void between biographies for young readers and those for middle and high schoolers. Students would typically need to make a big leap, of a couple grade level equivalents, to "read up." But titles such as Anne Frank, Florence Nightingale, Marie Antoinette, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, and Martin Luther King, Jr. bridge this gap, offering readers enticing anecdotes and facts at an independent reading level of Lexile 700-900.
I'm really impressed with the quality and readability of Usborne Books, but until just recently I mistakenly thought that they could only be purchased through the random Tupperware-like parties. But you can purchase them through Amazon and many independent Internet sellers. Scholastic Book Clubs have also begin carrying some titles in their monthly offerings. If you're an online seller of Usborne books, feel free to make a comment below and leave us your link.
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If you teach The Outsiders as a class novel, here's an activity guaranteed to spark discussion, while focusing students on a deeper understanding of character traits through close reading.
The resource I'm providing is a Whom Would You Choose? chart which requires students to select which of the Greasers they would choose to take on a double date, back them up in a fight, teach them to drive, and so on. While at first glance it seem to be opinion based, students soon discover that they need to identify text-based reasons for their choices. (The chart is embedded below, and can be increased to full size using the fullscreen button in the lower right corner).
The chart relies heavily upon Chapters One and the beginning of Chapter Two of the novel, and accomplishes three goals at once. The chart
forces students to truly understand and differentiate between the traits of the seven boys,
requires students to reread the chapter in order to supply supporting evidence for their choices, and
illustrates to students that the boys, while experiencing a collective identity through their affiliation with each other as Greasers, are in truth individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses.
Before handing students the chart, I have them create a simple quadrant charts in their notebooks for each of the seven boys. Under the headings Looks Like, Sounds Like, Acts Like, and People Say, students created bulleted lists from the information provided in Chapter 1.
As students began to fill out the Whom Would You Choose Chart, they used both the book and their notes to make selections. (The blank line on the chart, by the way, was for students to ad a category of their own). When sharing time came, I read each category, named the boys in turn, and had students vote by a show of hands. The real learning experience (and the fun!) came as students tried to explain their choices.
A similar chart could be created for any novel containing a large number of characters which could be easily confused.
How can studying an author create a better understanding and enjoyment of a novel?
In a previous post on Gary Paulsen: Living Literary Legend, I mentioned how that author's life experiences brought real authenticity to his earlier work, and how relentless research habits informed his later historical novels such as Woods Runner. Likewise, in The Most Misunderstood Advice for Young Writers, I passed along an interview with Laurie Halse Anderson in which she discussed her hands-on research for Forge. Both of these discussions make a solid argument for investigating authors and the ways in which they work.
Additionally, literacy coach Laura Kump (aka The Reading Lady) has this to say:
Author Studies are a powerful teaching tool. There is no better way to turn kids on to reading than to build a community joined by a great book. The goal of an author study is to make a connection between a book and an author's life. This shows children that authors are real people, develops motivation to seek out other work by the same author, and hopefully inspires children to write.
Madeleine L'Engle, for example, experienced frustration and failure in school as a child. She did poorly in academics, and a physical condition which caused one leg to be shorter than another caused the other girls to call her "cripple" during gym class.
As shared in Born to Write, her one escape was through the pages of her own stories:
At the top of the page was the title of the story she was writing: "The Strange Adventures of Annabelle Rose." Last night she had left Annabelle in a dreadful fix, tied up to a tree in the middle of a forest, surrounded by desperate bandits. Today she had to find a way for Annabelle to get loose, defeat the bandits, and release the king from their terrible clutches. Her fearless heroine had long, curly, dark hair and flashing black eyes. She was strong and smart and there was no bandit on earth who could keep Annabelle Rose tied up for long.
A small smile turned up the corners of Madeleine's mouth as she began to write. School, Miss Hathaway, her distant parents, and even New York City all vanished as she entered her secret world. Day after day she sat at her desk, writing stories and drawing pictures. Her heroines moved gracefully through their adventures, their two legs the same so they didn't limp. They conquered all obstacles and gathered loving friends and admirers around them. This was the real world. School and Miss Hathaway and the silent apartment were just shadows of an unpleasant dream.
The other author biographies are equal parts tragedy and triumph, and definitely worth the read. If it sounds like a book you'd enjoy sharing with your own students, be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.
Writing Fix Author Studies features lesson plans on individual picture books by popular authors. If you're seeking inspiration for choice of an author, this would be the first place to look.
Author Alma Flor Ada describes how an author's study can be turned into an interactive, virtual event, utilizing the author's interviews and tapes.
Teaching Books.Net is a must-see site that requires a paid subscription, but can be previewed for free on a trial basis. I absolutely recommend it if you're serious about author studies!
Random House Children's Books also has a regularly-updated listing at their Teachers at Random site. Also at that site, ClassroomCast, which features well-produced video segments with authors such as Eileen and Jerry Spinelli, Louis Sachar, Jennifer and Matt Holme (of Babymouse fame), and Mary Pope Osborne. Why would you not check out this site?
Interested in winning a copy of Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors? Simply become a follower of this blog (see the two simple methods in the upper left corner) and then fill in the short form below. Contest closes Wednesday 4/13 at 12 midnight EST. Good luck!
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In the following video segment, for example, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass shares a translation of haiku by the 18th century Japanese poet, Kubayashi Issa. These "vivid, specific, and often funny perceptions of everyday experiences" provide students with concrete examples of how poetry can be both simple and entertaining. The Teachers' Domain site includes a background essay and content-aligned lesson plans.
If you're seeking additional poetry resources for middle grades and above, here are a few I'd recommend:
Favorite Poem Project This site, subtitled "Americans Reading Poems They Love," is built upon the pretty cool idea of allowing average Americans to share their favorite poems. You'll need to visit the site to see how it came about, but I like the idea a lot since it can be implemented so easily in the classroom using the lesson plans and suggestions provided at the site.
One of my personal favorite poems is shared by this guy:
Poetry 180 Subtitled "A Poem a Day for American High Schools," this site shares 180 full-length poems and sharing suggestions, but it seems that you'll need to do the legwork to make them work in your classroom.
Elements of Literature This collection of free teaching materials provided by Holt, Rinehart and Winston includes a number of writing response ideas in printable pdf format. While the poems themselves do not appear on the resources, they're mostly in the public domain and freely available on the Internet or in printed collections. I would never suggest you break any laws.
Poet's Paradise In this "Collection of Helpful Resources" you'll find web sites of poets, poetry forms, poetry collections, poetic terms glossaries, and more.
Fooling with Words with Bill Moyers If you're counting, yes, this makes it six sites, not five. But I snuck this one in after posting since I like it so much. Lesson plans focus on understanding modern poets and how they "fool with words," in order to encourage students to do the same.
But Keith, what does have poetry have to do with teaching a novel?
A whole lot, but most importantly: poetry can introduce, reinforce, and extend a novel's theme.
When introducing The Outsiders recently, I wanted to engage my students in a discussion of affiliation, one of the many themes at the heart of that novel.
After discussing some overt ways that one might show affiliation with a particular group, we read aloud and discussed a poem together. Some of the lines from that poem included:
I was confused And I let it all out to find That I'm not the only person with these things in mind...
I wanna heal, I wanna feel Like I'm close to something real I wanna find something I've wanted all along Somewhere I belong.
What did the poet discover when he finally let his thoughts out? (He wasn't the only one who was confused, or hollow, or alone). Was it really a somewhere, a place, that the poet sought? (No, he was looking for a group of people who would accept him).
By now one or two students realized that the "poem" was in fact a Linkin Park song titled Somewhere I Belong (lyrics here, and a million other places as well). We decided that if these guys were truly wrestling with their feelings of loneliness and confusion, they probably weren't working it out with a school guidance counselor. They were more likely jamming in their garage after school, finding affiliation with a bunch of other guys who also felt misunderstood and alone.
The cool thing is, the back cover of the novel used many of the same words as the song itself, and these same ideas were voiced by the novel's narrator, Ponyboy, in the very first chapter.
The official video appears below, and is safe for school, as are the song's lyrics.
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Fans of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy are all abuzz with some recent announcements regarding casting the leading roles for the movie. Bu while we wait for the real thing, here's a pretty cool Hunger Games excerpt made by some die-hard fans.
There's a bunch of guys at this Utah-based production company that are fans of Suzanne Collins’ humongously popular Hunger Games book series and took it upon themselves to create this short, mainly as a way to give some actors they know some attention.
This is not a bunch of kids (or certain adults) who take a camera into the backwoods. These guys, led by director John Lyde, have made a very impressive and, not to get all pansy on you, moving fan film.
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While I'm not a fan of formulaic writing, I'd argue that many students need simple, easy-to-recall structures to assist them with the writing process. One of the simplest, yet most effective, Mnemonic devices I'd recommend is FLIRT.
FLIRT is an acronym which reminds students to create sentence variety:
First Word of each sentence is different.
Lengths of sentences vary.
Inversion is used for variety.
Repetition is either avoided, or used for a purpose.
Types of Sentences vary.
Check out the following excerpt from I See London, an opinion piece written by Tracey Lloyd for the NY Times Complaint Box Series (a treasure trove of persuasive writing pieces!). Note that the author skillfully employs all five of the above tips while expressing her disdain for the recent fad of wearing sagging pants (be sure to click on the link above to read it all):
Flint, Michigan has defined not only what's decent, but also what's disorderly and downright indecent.
And you think high heels are impractical? Try walking in some low-slung slacks. You must adopt a waddle to keep the pants from dropping completely and must always keep a hand free to hike them up. Then there is the need to buy ever-longer shirts to cover your rear end — shirts that apparently don’t exist, since I can see your underpants!
Nor are sagging pants the only sartorial choice that makes me cringe. Take rompers, or shortalls. They offer the ease of a dress with the comfort of shorts, and I’m for convenience. But when adults start wearing clothes that I’ve been buying for people’s babies, something is wrong. As for wearing a very adult thong with a short skirt: Do you really want to sit your bare derrière on a subway seat? Granny panties may not be that sexy, but neither is a visit to the urologist.
Did Tracey Lloyd consult my checklist? No. She most likely is an experienced writer with an ear for good writing and a willingness to revise.
So to give my students a fighting chance, I emphasize FLIRT and provide them with plenty of excellent writing models (although perhaps not the one cited above!).
First Word of Each Sentence is Different
It's not uncommon for egocentric students to write about their own experiences with "I" leading every sentence. Students fixated upon a topic, such as snakes, may similarly begin every sentence with that word.
The Fix: Require students to read aloud or list the first word of every sentence. Teach ways to restate ideas by using synonyms, additional phrases or clauses, or inversion of existing words.
Before: The great horned owl hunts small animals that live on the forest floor. The great horned owl uses its talons to catch them.
After: Strong, sharp talons allow the great horned owl to capture small animals that live on the forest floor.
Lengths of Sentences Vary
Sentences of the same length, appearing over and over, give writing a sing-song rhythm which is apt to lull the reader to sleep.
The Fix: Use coordinate conjunctions and subordinate clauses to combine short sentences.
Before: The park is used by many people in the community. Some people just don't clean up when they're done.
After: The park is used by many people in the community; however, some users neglect to clean up when they leave. Is that fair to everyone?
Inversion is Used for Variety
Beginning writers tend to place the sentence stem first, adding details later:
We heard a loud crash sometime after midnight. Lenny waited in the outfield eagerly with his feet spread apart and his hands on his knees. Susette had no interest in the suitors like her sisters.
The Fix: Phrases and clauses within sentences can be moved to increase sentence variety and interest.
Sometime after midnight, a loud crash knocked us from our beds. Feet spread apart, hands on his knees, Lenny eagerly waited in the outfield. Unlike her sisters, Susette had no interest in the suitors.
Repetition is Either Avoided, or Used for a Purpose
Students need to see examples of writing that avoids repetition, and writing that purposely employs it. For the most part, Tracey Llloyd's opinion piece avoided repetition. Not here how it's used for effect:
Unlike the homes of readers, the homes of these students had no literary materials in sight. No magazines. No books. No newspapers. Without exception, however, every one of these homes contained a television.
The Fix: Help students discern between repetition and redundancy.
Types of Sentences Vary
Check out Tracey Lloyd's first paragraph again, and note that she employs four sentence types; in the second paragraph, she employs three.
Another place to find excellent examples of variety in sentence types is advertising. In a legendary Charles Atlas bodybuilding ad, for example, we read:
Take a good honest look at yourself! Are you proud of your body - or are you just satisfied to go through life being just "half the man" you could be? No matter how ashamed you are of your present physical condition - or how old or young you are - the "sleeping" muscles already present in your body can turn you into a real HE-MAN. I know - because I was once a skinny, scrawny 97-pound half-alive weakling.
Was this ad copy successful in selling a product? Yes, to the tune of millions! Good writing sells products as well as ideas.
The Fix: Provide students with boring paragraphs containing only statements, and challenge them to rewrite those paragraphs using the four sentence types.
So is FLIRT complete? No. Word choice is noticebly absent. But for beginning writers, this is a fine list for self-checking writing at a very basic level.
Do you have a repertoire of similar acronyms or Mnemonic devices to help your students with writing or reading? We'd love to hear them!
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by Rosemary Wells as an example; 
by Christy Jordan-Fenton (
by Carolyn Coman and Rob Shepperson is a cool hybrid for the age 8 and up group; like 
, it's equal parts text and illustration. Note that I didn't say it's illustrated. That's because a good deal of the story is told only through pictures, and it's up to the reader to make sense of what those images tell. 
is at first glance just another easy-reader novel, but author Janet S. Wong and illustrator Elizabeth Butler combine traditional chapters and paragraphs with graphic-novel conventions such as frames and speech bubbles, which place the reader more immediately into the action.
, for example, is Lexile Level 860; the slightly higher levels of nonfiction titles are due to the inclusion of proper nouns of places, people, and historical events. 
by Susanna Davidson, for example, is one of the most complete, yet age-suitable, titles I've seen on the topic, and I've even made plans to incorporate it into 
with my sixth graders. It not only provides much-needed background knowledge to read about this horrific time, but it also leads readers to want to learn more.
, 
, 
, 
, and 
. Another terrific title for hard-to-teach topics is 
, which provides key understandings into a religion which is making history even today. Every volume contains full color pictures on every page, plus important nonfiction conventions such as captions, table of contents, index, and Internet links. At about seven or eight bucks a book (hardcover!), these can easily supplement any fourth through seventh grade curriculum.
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
bridge this gap, offering readers enticing anecdotes and facts at an independent reading level of Lexile 700-900. 
as a class novel, here's an activity guaranteed to spark discussion, while focusing students on a deeper understanding of character traits through close reading.
. Likewise, in 
. Both of these discussions make a solid argument for investigating authors and the ways in which they work.
by Charis Cotter. Through this book, the reader is given a glimpse into the formative years of writers Lucy Maud Montgomery (
), Clive Staples Lewis (
), Elwyn Brooks White (
), Madeleine L'Engle (
), Philip Pullman (
), and Christopher Paul Curtis (
).
).
are all abuzz with some recent announcements regarding casting the leading roles for the movie. Bu while we wait for the real thing, here's a pretty cool Hunger Games excerpt made by some die-hard fans.
Thanks for linking up your review on Nonfiction Wednesday over at Kid Lit Frenzy.