Rationale
My thoughts surrounding this inquiry began to formalize on a field trip I chaperoned to Washington, D.C. On the bus ride back to Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to talk to some juniors who had been in my classroom mentor’s English class last year and read the same books my sophomores are reading this year. Asked which book was their favorite, the students answered unanimously: Speak, a 1999 young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. The other texts in the curriculum include Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and Golding’s The Lord of the Flies - all widely considered timeless classics. So, what made Speak stand out? The students felt they could “relate to it.”
Speak tells the story of a rape victim who, due to misunderstandings surrounding the night of her assault, starts high school abandoned by all her friends. The fact that she spends most of the book in literal silence adds to the isolation she feels. Since being published in 1999, Speak has become something of an instant classic in its own right (despite ongoing censorship threats), and I agree with Alsup’s assessment of the book’s valuable potential in the classroom: By helping students navigate the pressures, pain, and confusion of adolescence, Speak may equip students with the tools necessary to be “critical feelers,” as well as critical thinkers (2003, p. 159). According to research on using young adult fiction to develop critical literacy skills in the classroom, much of the appeal of young adult literature “rests on the immediacy of first-person narration and the unique point of view offered by an adolescent main character” (Herz & Gallo, 1996, as referenced in Bean & Moni, 2003, p. 638). This and findings that “adolescent readers view characters in young adult novels as living and wrestling with real problems close to their own life experiences as teens” (Bean & Rigoni, 2001, as referenced in Bean & Moni, 2003, p. 638) correlate to the reasoning provided by the students I spoke with. In particular, I am interested in the ways in which having students read young adult literature from an aesthetic stance be might used as a scaffold toward having them take an aesthetic stance toward fiction that is less directly “relevant” to their personal experiences of the world.
Speak tells the story of a rape victim who, due to misunderstandings surrounding the night of her assault, starts high school abandoned by all her friends. The fact that she spends most of the book in literal silence adds to the isolation she feels. Since being published in 1999, Speak has become something of an instant classic in its own right (despite ongoing censorship threats), and I agree with Alsup’s assessment of the book’s valuable potential in the classroom: By helping students navigate the pressures, pain, and confusion of adolescence, Speak may equip students with the tools necessary to be “critical feelers,” as well as critical thinkers (2003, p. 159). According to research on using young adult fiction to develop critical literacy skills in the classroom, much of the appeal of young adult literature “rests on the immediacy of first-person narration and the unique point of view offered by an adolescent main character” (Herz & Gallo, 1996, as referenced in Bean & Moni, 2003, p. 638). This and findings that “adolescent readers view characters in young adult novels as living and wrestling with real problems close to their own life experiences as teens” (Bean & Rigoni, 2001, as referenced in Bean & Moni, 2003, p. 638) correlate to the reasoning provided by the students I spoke with. In particular, I am interested in the ways in which having students read young adult literature from an aesthetic stance be might used as a scaffold toward having them take an aesthetic stance toward fiction that is less directly “relevant” to their personal experiences of the world.
ThemeFinding your voice.
Essential Questions
Termsfigurative language, imagery, metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, hyperbole, personification
Assignments
MaterialsSupplemental Texts:
Mean Girls (film clip) "Not from Where You're Standing" (article) "Christina's World" (painting) "Rape is Like a Football Game" (article) "Judgments" (photograph) "Don't tell me how to dress…" (photograph) "Listen" (poem and video) Speak (film clip) Graphic Organizers and Handouts: anticipation guide, symbol tracking, dialogue worksheet, discussion tracker, outline, integrating quotes Assessments: assignment descriptions, rubrics, quizzes Technology: SmartBoard |
Objectives
StandardsCommon Core:
Reading Informational Text 1.2.10.A-F,K-L Reading Literature 1.3.10.A-K Writing 1.4.10.M-R,S-T,X Speaking and Listening 1.5.10.A-C,G ScheduleMon. 1/27/14 - 1st MP*
Wed. 1/29/14 - 2nd MP, part 1 (through p. 70) Wed. 1/30/14 - Circle Discussion 1 Fri. 1/31/14 - 2nd MP, part 2 Mon. 2/3/14 - 3rd MP, part 1 (through p. 116) Wed. 2/5/14 - 3rd MP, part 2 Thurs. 2/6/14 - Personal Narrative due Fri. 2/7/14 - Circle Discussion 2 Mon. 2/10/14 - 4th MP, part 1 (through p. 172) Tues. 2/11/14 - 4th MP, part 2 Wed. 2/12/14 - Circle Discussion 3 Fri. 2/14/14 - Reading Response Journal due Fri. 2/21/14 - Literary Analysis Essay due *The novel is divided into "Marking Periods" (MPs) instead of chapters. |