Words as Art

Words can be really powerful.  Asking students to provide just a few words that define a piece of literature gives teachers a great insight into the students’ perspectives and understanding.  A great tool that uses words is Wordle (www.wordle.net).  This awesome website allows students to input words and then create a piece of artwork displaying those words in a visually appealing manner.  I've used these with my students in many different ways:

·         I've asked every student to provide a word (or a few words) that they feel best captures the main idea or essence of a particular piece of literature.  This works for novels, poetry, plays, short stories, or any text, really.  I suppose it would even work for a chapter in a science or history book as well.  Once I've compiled all words, I enter them into Wordle, and I’m able to create this amazing word cloud that I can edit by changing fonts, colors, and word arrangement.  One cool feature is that the higher frequency of a word, the larger it appears on the word cloud, so words the most popular words students provide are emphasized in the word cloud.

·         Wordles can also be assessment tools.  For example, students can make a word cloud using words that describe the main character and then present the Wordle, explaining why each word was included.

·         Students can choose especially captivating or enticing words that describe their novel to persuade fellow classmates to read it.

·         As a beginning-of-the-year ice-breaker activity, I’ve had students introduce themselves to the class by creating a Wordle in which they emphasize their most important characteristics or qualities by making those words appear larger in the word cloud.

·         I've also used Wordle for classroom decorations.  Just copy and paste the text or excerpts of a text into Wordle, and it creates a beautiful poster that you can get enlarged at a copy and print store.

There are really endless uses for this program, and I find that students really enjoy creating Wordles!  Any way I can assess my students without their knowledge is a plus!  Here is a Wordle I made that describes me.  I use this as a sample for my students:

Should we censor what our students read?

Books have been banned since their inception.  There will always be content that is considered offensive or inappropriate by somebody.  Two of the most common reasons to censor a novel are because of sexual content and references to drugs.  Students don’t usually mind reading about these topics, but parents feel that content of that sort is too mature for their children, and sometimes, I agree.  However, after reading a letter written by Laurie Halse Anderson in defense of her book TWISTED, I gained a completely different perspective.  Anderson raises valid points, and maybe it’s time we give teenagers a bit more credit.  Do we really want them to be completely sheltered from this type of content?  It may be difficult or uncomfortable for adults to talk about these types of issues with kids, but perhaps it is necessary.  Below are a few excerpts from Anderson’s letter:

“Here is the root – I suspect – of the parental concern about my book. TWISTED has scenes in which teenagers make stupid, dangerous, and occasionally horrifying decisions.

Why on earth would someone like me put things like that in a book?

Because readers who can experience those decisions – by reading about them – and appreciate the consequences of those actions – by seeing those consequences affect the lives of a book’s characters – are less likely to do the stupid, dangerous and occasionally horrifying things themselves.”

…

“The scenes in TWISTED that some parents might find offensive are reflections of the reality of our nation.  Many of our children are living it.  They are all surrounded by peers who are living it.  They watch Law & Order reruns after school, they read newspapers, they are aware of the latest scandals involving sex and violence.”

…

“Banning books does not protect teenagers.  It condemns them to ignorance and puts them in danger.”

Should school districts have the power to ban books?  If not, who should decide?

To read the entire letter, visit Anderson’s website: http://madwomanintheforest.com/teachers/censorship-book-banning/

Then, click on “Challenges to TWISTED.”

“You mean I have to read and write??”

It’s not always enough for students to just read.  The writing component is equally as important, since reading and writing go hand in hand.  Good readers are often good writers, and good writers have often become good writers because they read.  A lot.  But, readers who don’t practice writing won’t improve their writing skills, and let’s face it: someone who cannot communicate well in writing is at a huge disadvantage.  So, when my students whine, “Why can’t we just read?  Why do we have to write something too?”, I try to explain the connection between reading and writing.  They may not buy it now, but hopefully they will thank me later.

So, for this reason, I think it is important that students not only write about what they read, but also reflect on it.  Anyone can summarize a chapter, but it requires deeper thinking to be able to evaluate the text and think critically about it.  I face a good deal of resistance from many students when I ask them to write reflections.  Perhaps they don’t like to write about their opinions, or perhaps it is easier to just write what happened in the story.  Nevertheless, reflecting, predicting, evaluating, analyzing and making connections are skills that students need to learn, and it also helps me to get a better understanding of their background knowledge and past experiences so I can help guide them. 

In keeping with this idea, part of the students’ literature circles assignment is to reflect on the section of the novel they read after their group discussion.  This way, they can reflect upon something interesting their group talked about, explore an idea they thought was intriguing or confusing, and make further connections with characters, ideas, or situations in the novel. Hopefully, this will help the students hone their writing, thinking, and reading skills while reading something of their choice.  

Metacognition

Sometimes it is a challenge to get students to read, even if they are given an opportunity to choose their own novel.  Some kids just dislike reading.  It is an even bigger challenge to get those students to think about what they are reading and to engage in the text.  I’ve often asked myself: what is the best way to get students to think critically about what they read and to make connections?  How does an educator go about teaching students this skill?  Good readers are active readers, so how do we make our kids read actively?

I went to a conference over the weekend, and one of the speakers I saw had also considered these questions, and has employed the “Questioning as Thinking” (QaT)framework as a solution.  If students become aware of their thoughts while reading, they will become more active, and hopefully, better readers.  Using a framework such as this one, students can virtually read anything – magazines, newspapers, fiction, or non-fiction – and still benefit from the exercise in metacognition.    

Most reading teachers have heard of and have likely employed metacognition strategies such as this and  QAR (Question-Answer Relationships), so it really isn’t anything new or innovative, but hearing the speaker reveal how she uses QAR and QaT to motivate her 11^th and 12^th grade Intensive Reading students was inspiring and gave me many ideas on how I can continue to incorporate strategies to engage students, get them to really think while they read, and ultimately become better readers as a result.

What other strategies can teachers use to engage their students and guide them to think critically about the texts they read?

Looking for Alaska...Searching for Identity

I recently finished reading Looking for Alaska, and before selecting it, I read reviews that claimed that this book was life-changing, which made it a compelling choice.  This is a coming-of-age story, complete with a teenager’s search for identity and a tragic event that helps to solidify that quest.  The relationship between the group of friends in the story seems to be nothing remarkable, but this, I think, is what makes these characters so appealing.  They are so very ordinary that it is easy for teenagers to identify with them.  Pudge, the protagonist, and his friends the Colonel and Alaska, are just normal teenagers with normal teenage problems and experiences, which makes the tragedy that occurs toward the end of the novel so tragic and upsetting.  This story is definitely a tear-jerker, and the author uses just enough foreshadowing for the reader to know something upsetting is coming, but is subtle enough that the event is completely shocking.  The book is separated into two sections: “before” and “after,” and the chapters count down to this tragic event that changes Pudge’s life, a tactic that adds to the suspense of the story.

Additionally, the characters are real, another element of the story that makes it so appealing to teenagers.  They break the rules, they curse, they push the boundaries and try to get away with as much as they possibly can.  They aren't 100% wholesome and pure, just like most teenagers.  Alaska's character is carefree, laid-back and doesn't seem to worry about anything on the outside, but it's clear that she is troubled, and I can see a lot of teenage girls being able to relate to her.  

Pudge, the main character, has an obsession with last words, and researching the last words of famous people would be an interesting activity for students.  This novel would work well as a selection in literature circles, and I would likely recommend it for older students as it does contain profanity, drug and alcohol use, and sexual content.

Greek Mythology

In my last post, I mentioned that we read The Odyssey in ninth grade English, and it's difficult to engage the kids.  They like the short myths and the drama, jealousy, and promiscuity that the gods and goddesses engage in, so I try to hook them by reading myths first so they get a better sense of the gods, goddesses, and other mythological creatures that appear in Odysseus' travels.  I recently read Everneath by Brodi Ashton.  This story is a modern-day Persephone story, and it includes many allusions and references to Greek mythology.  

In Everneath, Nikki, the protagonist, made a choice that would make all of the pain disappear: her mother’s death that continued to haunt her, her absent father, and insecurities about her boyfriend’s faithfulness.  Cole gave her the gift of numbness—at a price.  He brought her to Everneath, the underworld, and fed on her feelings.  It felt like 100 years passed, but when Nikki chose to escape, only six months had passed.  Nikki returns to “the real world,” and her old friends and family believe that she was addicted to drugs and had run away.  She knows she has to return to the underworld, but she just wants six months to try and say goodbye to her friends, family, and Jack, her love, before spending eternity suffering in the Tunnels.  That is, unless she finds a way to change her fate. 

I enjoyed the story because it was more than just teen fiction “fluff.”  In one of her teachers, Nikki finds guidance, and learns a valuable lesson about heroes and choices.  The pages of the book contain “quotable quotes,” lines that would spark classroom discussion and reflection on the parts of students.  Those are the types of stories I enjoy sharing with my students because I feel they gain not only an entertaining plot, but also some deeper insight that may teach them about themselves and the world around them.

An Odyssey....

This week, my freshmen English students began reading Homer's The Odyssey, the story of Odysseus' long journey home after fighting in the Trojan War.  Many students are really engaged with the story; it has a hero, monsters, and plenty of action.  Other students are turned off by the elevated style and language and the fact that it was written a few thousand years ago.  It just isn't relevant to their lives.  When teaching the epic poem, I try to get them thinking about journeys, both literal and metaphorical, in their own lives, and it's effective in engaging them, but it only goes so far, especially with reluctant readers.

This year, in order to battle the disengagement, I thought I would have my Intensive Reading students (who I also have for English) read a novel called Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.  It is the story of two teenage boys who decide to go on a literal journey -- a bicycle trip across the country -- the summer after graduating high school.  During the course of the trip, they learn about themselves, their relationship with each other, and what it is they really want out of life.  In essence, they also go on a journey of self-discovery.  However, one of the boys disappears, and the other is questioned by authorities and is blamed for his disappearance.

Shift is engaging for students because it has action and mystery, and I think that kids can really relate to it, because they are all trying to find themselves and decide what path they want their lives to take.  The characters and situations are realistic, and I think that some students really appreciate being able to read realistic fiction.  I highly recommend the novel to anyone -- kids and adults -- looking for a story about adventure and self-discovery, especially those who would rather not read a 3,000-year-old epic poem!