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.