The Critical Teacher

NYC Summer 2012

On the syllabus, it states: Choose 4 of 6: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis, The Paris Wife  by Paula McLain. What if we add The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka? I think it should have been there in the first place. It is brilliant, extreemly important in literature, Modernism, and PoMo (Post Modernism) and most importantly (when dealing with tight deadlines) less than 100 pages. So your project options:

Lit Wheels (you will do 2): one is on either the Kite Runner or the novel you read for summer reading (if that is easier to finish). The second lit wheel will be a 3-D model that the model itself is theme. I will show you examples next week.

Create a soundtrack for the novel. Six songs. Each song will have a paragraph explaining the rationale for that song being included in the soundtrack, along with textual support from the novel, matched up to lyrical support in the song chosen. Each paragraph explanation will be 50-100 words in length. In the Kite Runner, for instance, I might put the song "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel, and my rationale would be in the Kite Runner, the quote "'because I don't want them to see me...I'm so dirty...I'm so dirty and full of sin.' 'You're not dirty, Sohrab,' I said." (Hosseini ) and pair it with the lyrics "I was feeling part of the scenery/I walked right out of the machinery /My heart going boom boom boom /"Hey" he said "Grab your things /I've come to take you home."  With the understanding that the machinery could represent the religious and cultural values that Sohrab uses to situate himself. And Amir is the "father" come to rescue Sohrab. Indeed, Sohrab walks out of the machinery when he later attempts suicide when he cannot reconcile his own "dirtiness." So, that is a taste of what I want you to do...In addition, discuss your rationale for one of the songs in front of the class for 2-3 minutes.

Create a 2-3 minute movie based on the book. No, not a movie trailer, and no, not a moving power point, but a "film" that explores an issue in the text. Think of it in terms of some of the fan fiction out there, for say, Star Wars, where people have made movies of what storm troopers do in their down time or how there is a Harry Potter musical. So, yes film it, but also edit it on a computer with captions, music, effects, etc. You will also conduct a 3-5 minute commentary of your movie in the spirit of "Inside the Actor's Studio" Google it if you are unfamiliar.

Tomorrow, DP 1A are like those brave monkeys shot into space for the first time...interactive orals!  I am eager to see how it plays out.  Here are my impressions of the interactive oral process and purpose.

The process:

The leaders of the oral (in this case the groups that created the scaffolds to articulate the deeper strategies necessary for comprehension and analysis of Chronicle of a Death Foretold) will lead in to the discussion discussing: A. the process by which they created the product of their reading of the text (maps, family trees, timelines, etc.) and how they utilized the text to support their thinking.  Then, they will invite the group to consider the ramifications of their creation.

The rest of the group will take notes and brainstorm questions to ask about their process and challenges or agreements to the process.  When the discussion leaders finish their talk, the rest of the class will engage the leaders in to discussion.

I then envision a productive back and forth, with the aim of meaning-making and a deeper understanding of the text.  Ground your thinking in the text!

So...I am thinking about our hub and internet home for my classes.  I have narrowed it down to three candidates.

Tumblr: I like the simplicity of setting up this blog. I also like the ease with which it integrates with Facebook and Twitter.  I am crossing my fingers that my ubiquitous and authoritarian school district does not block it.

Edublogs: feature rich, but would need the premium.  Harder to follow blogs.  $100 to get other colleagues to take the plunge with me.

In part one of the new IB Language A: Literature course, students participate in interactive orals as an essential component of the learning process.  It is a constructivist approach that supports individual thought and reflection.  However, this being my first time implementing this strategy, I feel a bit daunted.

After further consideration, I decided that I can combine the Interactive Oral with the stimulus we are currently testing out with Chronicle of a Death Foretold.  I have three separate groups working on the following tasks:

Construct a map of the town.

Record family trees.  Find a way to link the individuals not identified by family in terms of their relationships to others.

Retrace the events and represent them in a timeline.