Classics in the Classroom - Chapter Seven

When I was in Jr. High and High school I loved to read, but when I was in a particularly ornery mood and I just didn't feel like doing work, my favorite complaint was, "Why do I have to read this? It doesn't apply to my life at all!" Jago also encounters this problem and offers a lesson from Julius Caesar in which she tells students to consider who would be a better president: Brutus, Antony, Caesar, or Cassius. I love this activity because she asks to students to back up their choices with examples from the book by looking at rhetoric, character, and the various lives of the characters. This allows these students to choose real world leaders in their own lives. And in a time when so many politicians can talk around an issue, manipulate the words, and spin rhetoric as easily as a spider spinning a web, students need to be as savvy as possible.


Jago lists skills students need to know for the standardized tests:

• Close reading of the text
• Character analysis
• Drawing inferences
• Application
  
• Evaluation

These skills are obviously useful and necessary for everyday life, and providing tests and activities in the classroom that push students to learn them is vital. Jago suggests one type of test that involves answering questions with a well developed paragraph. She then goes quickly through the answers, grading on content. Then she does something I really love, she picks out exemplary answers and then she has stuesnt read the model responses in aloud in class, so students whose answers were sub-par can review their answers and learn what's missing. One of my professors did this and I loved it; peer review and learning from other peers is a really great tool.

I want to end this blog entry with a quote from Jago that I believe ties in well with students wondering how the text is applicable to their lives, "...students discover the heroic dimension of their own lives." How great and wonderful is it that a text written years and years ago can still be applied to a students life and can show that student something about themselves? I guess that's one of the amazing things about classics; they hold a mirror up to our lives and help us discover the "heroic dimensions" of our lives.

Classics in the Classroom-Chapter Five

Jago opens this chapter on poetry reading with a reference to the fact that music/songs are very similar to poems. I love this! Close reading of a poetry can be practiced and compared to close reading of lyrics and close listening to of a song. Songs have many of the same elements as a poem: rhyme, rhythm, imagery, etc.; and close "reading" of a song can help a student understand and enjoy a difficult poem.

I decided to close read the song Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap to demonstrate how easy it is to practice for poetry reading. (I"ll put the lyrics down and then my interpretation next to or below them).

Where are we?
What the hell is going on?

--This confusion to me, represents confusion between two people, as in confusion over a relationship.

The dust has only just begun to fall - The relationship hasn't been over very long
crop circles in the carpet - Pacing
Sinking feeling

Spin me round again - The relationship has done a 360 from good to bad
And rub my eyes - It's over and like a child waking up and rubbing their eyes to see more clearly, this person is trying to clearly understand what's happening.

This can't be happening

When busy streets a mess with people - Could be referring to "this can't be happening" busy people in a street are always busy and going somewhere in hurry;
Would stop to hold their heads heavy - And to stop and hang their heads is silly and impossible..just like the end of the relationship.

Hide and Seek - One is hiding their emotions and the other is seeking them and understanding
Trains and sewing machines (Oh you can't catch me around here) - Trains are connected in our minds to movement and traveling/escape whereas sewing machines are for putting things together and keeping them that way and so trains and sewing machines over a contradiction.
(Blood, tears, hearts) - Blood and tears and always running and moving, and this person's heart is broken and needs to mended and sewn.
All those years
They were here first

Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before the takeover - Oily marks are left where pictures of pleasurable moments the couple had used to hang before the breakup or "takeover".

The sweeping insensitivity of this still life - The still life is the frozen images of the pictures and the happy times and frozen images are indifferent and insensitive to the present situation and heart ache of the break up.

Mmmm, whatcha you say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
Well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say?
Mmm that it's just what we need (You decided this)
Whatcha say?
Mmmm what did you say?

All of these are common things to say in a break up: "I meant well", "this is for the best", "this is what we need to do", all of these are meant to make a person feel better, but really they just make you feel worse.

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth - What's being held ransom? Perhaps the person saying all the above things is holding the other persons heart ransom.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs - Newspapers are often very cold and emotionless stories, just reporting the facts; the words the one person is saying are cold and emotionless like a newspaper story.

Speak no feeling no I don't believe you
You don't care a bit
You don't care a bit

In a previous chapter Jago quotes form an article that says what end up in a students memory is what they were thinking of when the read/heard something. So if a student attaches a feeling, emotion, or memory with a song they can do the same thing with poetry, making it all the more manageable and memorable. This son means something specific and special to me and I interpreted it this way because I connect it to a certain event in my life. Poetry is the same way and by seeing how they can connect to a poem the same way they connect to a song, students can become more comfortable about poetry.

The literary devices found in this song are:

Rhyme: The beat of the song.

Imagery: The lyrics paint the picture of oily stands on the walls where picutres used to hang and this image is so sad and depressing. Ultimately the lyrics create a mood of sadness, loss, and confusion.

Symbol: "Crop circles in the carpet" and "ransom notes keep falling out your mouth" are obviously symbolizing something else because an alien is not drawing crop circles in the carpet and ransom notes most likely are not falling out of a persons mouth.

Theme: Where are we? What's going on? Are the songs base for a theme of confusion and disbelief.

Tone: Words like sinking feeling, whatcha say?, and hide and seek all convey a sense of sadness and confusion.

What's great about his song is that, like poetry, there are many different interpretations of it. A quick search on Youtube reveals that some people think it's about the Holocaust, animal abuse, or even the 9/11 attacks.

I realize Jago only mentioned the song poetry reference in the beginning of the chapter, but I just felt like it's such a wonderful tool and I really want to use it with my students. The whole chapter has great incites and I'll definitely come back to it when I need a reference or ideas in the future.

Classics in the Classroom - Chapter Four

Being a teenager is rough - your going through all sorts of strange new emotions and new experiences, and often times you end up feeling powerless. Well, Jago suggests a way to give students back some of the power that they seem to be lacking: "I believe it is out job not simply to drag students through a series of books but rather to show them how stories work. By succeeding in this endeavor, we help students acquire power over text."

The tools to gaining power over a text include understanding the elements of literature: plot and structure, character, setting, point of view, style and language, symbol, and theme. I loved how Jago says just because a novel is difficult or the elements of the novel are unfamiliar we should not shortchange our students - they can use the above tools to navigate through a novel. like Jago provides the example of Jack London's Call of the Wild, student use of literary elements will allow them to interpret the text and understand the deeper meaning of the story.

I've been a student for most of my life, and so when in an English class of either high school or college, I usually dread hearing the words literary devices. Immediately my mind frantically searches for the meanings of each device, all of which are at the tip of my tongue/mind, and then I frantically scribble in notes each definition so I'll pass the test. I don't want this to be the case with my students. Jago explains that these devices shouldn't be used to punish students on a test, but instead they should be seen as just another building block of success and power over a novel. I do believe these devices need to be taught, but as a new teacher, I don't want to be boring either, and if taught in the wrong way these devices can be quite dry. But on the other hand, not everything worth learning is fun and games. How do I find a nice balance? Is learning about literary devices comparable to swallowing your medicine....it tastes awful going down, but in the end it's good for you? Or maybe I can take a Mary Poppin's approach and give a "spoon full of sugar" to help the medicine go down? Lot's of questions any responses would be appreciated.

I mentioned in the fist paragraph that teaching students the tools to understanding literature will empower them to conquer a text and this victory over the text will lead to new understandings and new ideas - despite my questions and concerns about teaching the tools, I can't wait to help empower students.

Classics in the Classroom-Chapter Two

Student's don't read because they don't have enough of a well-developed vocabulary to understand the text, but they can't develop a vocabulary unless they read the text - this dilemma presents a vicious cycle. As a teacher, I can break this cycle by providing vocabulary enriching texts, which may be challenging, but accompanied with the right teaching methods, will provide my students with better, more developed vocabularies.

On page 26 of Classics in the Classroom, Jago offers some examples of vocabulary lessons that work. She has her tenth-grade students reading The Fall of the House of Usher (Yeah Edgar Allan Poe =), and the students pick out tricky or unknown words. She then follows the steps set down by Stahl and Shiel (1992): she and her students find the prefix and the suffix in the word entombment (en-prefix, ment-suffix), and then she has the students look at the context of the word miasma (which I didn't know, but now I do), and last she had students discuss Poe's vocabulary choice and how it makes them feel. I was a little confused about this last step of semantic groupings...is it grouping words according to emotion they evoke or should they be grouped by parts of speech? Whatever the correct answer, I think grouping words by the emotions they evoke is a much easier way of remembering the word.

"Some look at the language gap between high-performing students and low-performing students and give up hope." Well I don't want to give up hope, and so the next section gives great tips on successful/unsuccessful lesson plans. I really liked the point she made on page 32 about admitting when you don't know something and being willing to learn along with the students. One of the things I, and I'm sure anyone who has ever wanted to be a teacher, fear is not knowing the answer. But, if I just admit it and try and figure it out with my students, I'm sure I'll earn their respect and hopefully cover my lack of information in the process :)

I actually did the activity presented on pages 33-37 and I thought it was great! I've never read "Julius Caesar" (something I will totally remedy in the near future) and I was able to establish a really cool character sketch using the key words Jago suggested to her students.

I think the most important thing to remember about vocabulary is that I want to present words that are challenging, but also practical. I want my students to be able to use their vocabulary, not only in their reading, but also in conversations for the rest of their lives.

Classics in the Classroom-Chapter Three

"The most important decision English teachers make in terms of curriculum is choosing which books to teach."

When I think about what curriculum I will choose for my classroom my mind runs through the list of usual suspects; a list conveniently given on page 40 of Classics in the Classroom

• "Romeo and Juliet" (Check)
  
• Macbeth (Check)
  
• Huckleberry Finn (Check..and maybe Tom Sawyer too?)
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Check)
  
• "Julius Caesar" (Didn't think of this one, probably because I've never read it. Note to self: Things to do before I become a teacher, read Julius Caesar)
  
• The Pearl (Didn't immediately think of this, but it's only because Of Mice and Men had taken the Steinbeck slot)
  
• The Scarlet Letter (Check)
  
• Of Mice and Men (See above)
  
• Lord of the Flies (I hate this book...do I still have to teach it?)
  
• Diary of a Young Girl (Check)
  
• "Hamlet" (Check)
  
• The Great Gatsby (Check)

So, I've got the general ones down, but I only chose them because that's what I read in high school and I also know that they are wonderful titles and absolutely must be read at some point in my students lives. Jago gives a criteria on how to choose other titles besides the tried and true.

Three that stood out to me were:

• explore universal themes that combine different periods and cultures;
• challenge readers to reexamine their beliefs; and
• tell a good story with places for laughing and places for crying.

Classics are considered classics for several reasons, but one of the most important is that they contain themes that never go out of style and are always applicable to the lives of our students. For example, Ayn Rand's short novel Anthem explores the theme of the extreme importance of individualism. This theme will never become pointless or useless, it will always hold a universal truth that my students will need to learn from, explore, and apply to their lives. Another reason classics stick around is that they challenge students. Seems pretty logical that a book, especially one assigned in school, should challenge a student. But so many books simply entertain, which isn't a bad thing, but all of us, teachers and students alike, need to read books that challenge our minds to think, our hearts to feel, our assumptions questioned, and our beliefs to be challenged. And last, these books contain great stories! These stories make us cry, they make us laugh, they make us turn from one page to the next until that story has become a part of our lives, effecting us one way or another.

One of the the bullet points of the criteria on how to choose a book I did not understand at first was the first one: are written in language that is perfectly suited to the author's purpose. I marked the section and moved on planning to come back to it later, but alas later on in the reading it was all explained and I, the future teacher, was taught something. (Which goes to show, we never really stop being students...we can and should always be learning). Jago explained that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein is a Gothic novel and the language chosen by the author is meant to be mysterious, horrifying, and supernatural and Shelley artfully chooses her words to fit perfect with her purpose.

"The huge investment of time required to teach a new novel..." this sentence, especially the "huge investment of time" part voices another of my fears: how will I find the time to be prepared to teach the best lesson I possibly can? When I'm a teacher I'll also be married, starting a family, taking care of that husband and family, just to name a few of the demands on my life. So, how can ensure that I make time for reading and adequately preparing for each lesson? I know I'll have to carefully plan and manage my time wisely in order to do all the things necessary in my life. I'll have to prioritize (No, I can not watch an hour of CSI: New York tonight) and I'll have to make this preparation something that's really important. Jago explains that she is only human and doesn't always get all the reading done, but when she does she can see a difference in her lessons. This, I'm sure like many of my fears, will be worked out as I start teaching and become familiar with how to actually be a teacher, but until then, does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

I'll close with this quote: "Selecting literature for you class isn't a matter of finding books that students like. It's about teaching stories that make them think." -- I'm really excited to choose my literature for my classroom and start the journey through the classics with my students. A journey that will change their lives as well as mine.

Classics in the Classroom-Chapter One

The first section of chapter one is chocked full of great advice and eye opening thoughts. One concern of mine is that I will do "fun" activities in my classroom that, though useful, will be inappropriate for the age I'm teaching--Jago says these should be used "sparingly". Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and the Zone of Minimal Effort both addressed this concern. One of the eye opening things was that in one day researchers at a Chicago school found that the third and eighth grade classes were sharing very similar lessons. My first reaction was, "What!" but the more I thought about it the more I realized most teachers simple regurgitate the same simple lessons over and over again. One of the reasons for this is that most teachers have very low expectations for their students, and they believe that simply re-teaching these lessons they will maybe get it through to their students. But imagine what it would be like if teachers started actually expecting amazing things from their students...treat a student like they are an intelligent individual able to experience literature like an intelligent individual and you will get intelligent individuals.

Jago says that, "the texts chosen for classroom study should be ones that students are unable to read without you". And so, though it may be highly tempting to choose text that is easier, yet relate-able, I should choose the classics, because by reading these more difficult texts the students will be expanding their knowledge. She also explains that classic literature is like a window into other worlds, cultures, and experiences than that of our students, and it is our job as teachers to clear that window that can so often appear murky and dark due to lack of experience with the language, vocabulary, and writing style. Tying into this is the point made in number 5, Reading Literature Builds Background Knowledge. Even if the students are unfamiliar with the text, many of the words used in the text are familiar and so being exposed to these words will "deepen their understanding of specialized vocabulary". Just for kicks and giggles I thought I'd list all the words I was familiar with in the example she gave using the business page but was confused about because of the context:

• fund
• index
• portfolio
• S. & P's
• bull-market

I've read Native Son and it is indeed disturbing and disheartening and just plain sad; but according to Jago that doesn't mean this novel should not be taught to my class. In fact she says, "As long as I wield power over a course syllabus, I intend to insist that all my students read disturbing books." Why bother with a book if it's so disturbing? Well, reading literature that knocks us out of our comfort zone is great because it presents us with situations that we may never encounter, and reading about them creates empathy. This section tells about the University of Chicago's law program that has future attorneys and judges read Native Son, Hard Times, and Maurice in order to produce empathetic and socially just workers in the justice system.

The last section talks about the relevance and importance of learning about metaphors and symbols. We are presented with them every day of our lives and learning how to properly use them and learning the power of literary devices will improve our student's abilities as readers and communicators.

Classics in the Classroom-Chapter Six

"If you want to improve teaching, the most effective place to do so is in the context of a classroom lesson."

In the fall of 2011, I will be starting my students teaching, and one of my biggest fears, besides being mistaken for a student, is that my lesson plans will fail dismally or worst of all I won't be able to think of one to fail with in the first place. This chapter in Jago's Classics in the Classroom was titled "Lesson Design for Classical Literature" and it dealt with my lesson planning fear head on.

One of Jago's peers stated that teachers should be teaching teachers how to teach. Seems pretty simple, but in the beginning of this chapter, Jago discusses how teaching is the only profession that eats its young. If teachers are supposed to be teaching teachers how to teach, how can this statement be true? Unfortunately, many teachers are too busy to help out the newbies in the school and so many teachers are left on there own. One idea that I really like and could help with me learning from other more experienced teachers is the Writing Project institutes. I can definitely see myself attending one at some point in my career. (I think there might be a project at Kent State).

Another big problem with being a first year teaching is the lesson plan. Jago talks about Japan's lesson studies and how the step by step process is very effective. If we used this program in the States teachers wouldn't be on there own for lesson plan. Jago quotes from James Stigler who explains that many new teachers believe they must come up with something entirely new and different when it come to lesson plans, but he believes that, "There's nothing wrong with going out and doing the standard practice, providing that you have a means of improving it over time". I find this statement not only reassuring and comforting, but also very practical.

Another reassuring statement was that, "teaching is an organic process, deeply dependent upon relationships between students and their teachers, students and the content, students and one another". This is reassuring because if when I first start out teaching I don't get a lesson plan perfect the first time, I can remember that teaching is an "organic" experience and over time with lots of practice and learning from my mistakes I can make something really useful and wonderful for my students.

Lesson plan for Homer's Odyssey - "I always find that the more I know, the better able I am to make the reading comprehensible for my students". so true, I mean how can we expect to teach that which we don't know. I love to read and so it's not too big of a deal to read and re-read the great books I'll be teaching in my class, but reading is also time consuming....thank goodness for audio books :) The bullet point I thought was really useful was:

• An epic poem is a ceremonial performance, and is narrated in a ceremonial style which is deliberately distanced from ordinary speech and proportioned to the grandeur and formality of the heroic subject and architecture.

I think this will be great to explain to students when they ask why they must read books/stories that are written in such outdated styles of language.

The concept of always having students take notes as opposed to just handing out papers with the information on it, is a great idea. These students will need to take notes in college anyway, and so it's good to learn it early and learn it well. The various charts of names and maps are cool too.

Jago often mentions the state standards. I know these are vitally important and totally necessary, but sometimes I'm nervous I won't do something quite right to meet the standards. Her suggestion to hand up a particular standard by a project to show that it matches is not only good for the students and those who happen to see it, but also for the teacher him/herself.

Reading and relying only on Sparknotes or the like for knowledge of the text is like "having someone else chew your food" that mental picture is disgusting and effective. I love how she doesn't ignore the existence or use of Sparknotes, she faces it head on and in doing so gives the impression she's read all of the available shortcuts to reading.

I had a question that someone might be able to shed some light on, why is it so important for students to hear the translated texts in the original language they were written? Jago talks about this on pages 134-138 and I wasn't quite sure of the significance.

To end this blog I have a quote from the chapter, "More important than ensuring that every student read every word is ensuring that every student knows how to read an epic". The classroom and the reading of classics is just a stepping stone for students...a foundation that will set them up for a lifetime of personal reading and growth in the continuance of their education even outside of the classroom.