How Poems Work (Pytash)

I entirely agree, with my whole being, that students need poetry. Jago writes, "teenagers spend hours every day listening to song lyrics in search of language that reflects their feelings" (Jago 75). Unfortunately the music that fills air space in the radio is far too empty. Most lyrics in pop songs are, in my opinion, detestable and a sad excuse for art. I've read far too much good poetry to be satisfied by cheap lyrics. This is why I think that teachers should introduce good poetry into the classroom. There is so much power in poetry! Not only will students come face-to-face with challenging thoughts, emotions, situations, etc. but since poetry will be effectively modeled to them they will be able to create their own art. Poetry can explain personal reactions to major historical events. In order for teachers to include challenging poetry into the classroom they should model how to read poetry. Jago suggests on page 78 to:

pose questions
identify unfamiliar vocabulary of allusions,
make connections to their own experience,
rephrase inverted lines, and
comment on the poem

This reminds me of 'thinking aloud'. Reading poetry in class can help students understand how to read something in context and with deep reflection. I think that including poetry in the class is crucial.

The Art of the Fiction Film (Kist)

I am incredibly interested in using film in the classroom. However, I do not want to use film like it was used when I was in school. The predictable pattern some teachers use is to have students read a material, watch a movie on the work and then take a test over the material. During the film most students would absentmindedly stare at the screen and daydream. This method of 'teaching' does not teach anything. What if film in the classroom raised ideas about "deeper issues about literacy, contrasting media, and the purposes of art" (Costanzo 3)? Films are appealing to students. Films may even be more appealing than books to students. Teachers should use that in their favor. I like the activity we did in class. Students can take note of lighting, color, framing, motion, sound, transitions, acting and other things. It was interesting to me when Costanzo noted that movies are a "new rendering of a story, to be appreciated on its own terms" (Costanzo 15). I often don't think of books turned into movies in that way. I usually compare and contrast the two and decide which one I like better. Doing this subtracts from the art of film!


Recently I saw a film by Sufjan Stevens called The BQE. Stevens displays the Brooklyn Queens Expressway as art in the film. He records footage of driving the BQE as well as what one might see around the expressway. He then artfully edited it together. He also composed an album that serves as the background music to the video footage.

 

Above is a photo of Sufjan Stevens filming The BQE.

The film was then projected above an orchestra as they played the music that Stevens composed. Below are a couple photos of the live performance.

Viewing this film deepened how I feel about film as art. Stevens included his notes during filming in the CD sleeve. Seeing music, film, and writing come together to form one piece helped me understand how different each art form is. The profound writing about the concept of hula hoops and the automobile deepened my experience while watching the film. It made me dig deeper than I would have had I not read his notes. The images in the film displayed the limitations that writing has and evoked deep thoughts and emotions. The music also invaded my senses and evoked emotion. I think it was important for me to experience this because it showed me what film can do in the classroom. Students can use the actual writing to understand the text but if he or she connects the writing to images and music his or her understanding of the work deepens. I'd like to have a classroom that dives deep into material and I think film can help me achieve that goal.

Choosing Which Books to Teach (Pytash)

I was surprised to see how many books she has her students read during the year. She states, "I require a lot from students, and by and large they live up to these expectations," (Jago 45). I want to teach like that! I DO NOT want to teach to the 'Zone of Minimal Effort' (Jago 45). It is discouraging to sit in a classroom and see what expectations too many teachers place on his or her students. It's like they don't think the students are capable of reading anything. She says she's "always on the lookout for compelling novels that encourage thinking about big ideas," (Jago 45). I think this is an important idea because sometimes I feel as though some young adult literature may lack complexity and depth. She lets students read five books outside of class per semester and she states that she "give(s) them a list of twelve novels I believe educated teenagers should have read" (Jago 42-43). I like this idea because it allows students to have choice but also encourages reading complex reads. I think it is great to have students reading outside of class. I read more outside of class in high school than I read in class. I was actually able to get by without reading the novels until after we covered them in class. I would get A's or B's on tests over basic plot elements or characters and then I would go home and read the book after we were done with it in class. Why? I think I did this because my teachers did not set books up properly in class. This may be why I really like the idea of choice in the classroom as well as anticipation guides.

All About Words (Pytash)

One thing that I noticed tutoring at Firestone last semester is that students lack a solid vocabulary. In the beginning of the chapter Jago explains that students that struggle with reading will avoid reading books (Jago 22). She also states that reading increases vocabulary knowledge (Jago 21). How can one explain unknown words to students? I think that it is impossible (and impractical) for teachers to supply the meaning for every word that students do not know. Students may remember the word momentarily but I believe that they will forget the meaning shortly after. A powerful statement that Jago wrote about this subject is that teachers "help students develop habits of mind for approaching unfamiliar vocabulary" (Jago 22.) If we teach students the tools like thinking about root words and thinking about what the word means in context we can teach students how to figure out what words mean on their own-- without having them regurgitate Webster's definition for 20 words at once. Jago states that a goal would be, "teaching prefixes, suffixes, and roots; teaching students to derive meaning from context; and teaching words as part of semantic groupings" (Jago 23).

I also supported Jago's view teaching vocabulary words that are important and useful (28). I remember memorizing the definition to words that I never saw/heard again. I think that when I teach I will choose literature that is rich in vocabulary (Jago 32). I will also use the words when I am teaching so that students will come in contact with the words not only in the text but in spoken language.

The Oral History of the Internet

It's interesting to read about the origin of the Internet. There are so many people and ideas that helped shape the Internet. It was funny to read about how people didn't know what e-mail was. It just makes me wonder what will be created in my lifetime that will be funny to my students that I didn't know about. I never really thought about the fact that the Internet is a baby. It was only in 1995 that Netscape was up and Internet Explorer was just being worked on! The public Internet isn't even 20 years old. I think about how cars change over 20 years and I have no clue what Internet will be like in another 20. It seems to me that teachers cannot escape the ever-growing use of the Internet and technology.

The Battle For Facebook/ History of Facebook (Kist)

I found this article pretty interesting. I saw the film "The Social Network" and it told this story surprisingly accurately. I guess I can take away the idea of how important and revolutionary technology is. Social media is incredibly popular and growing exponentially. I have a friend in Zambia and another in Malawi and through Facebook I am able to keep in contact with them-- and even see pictures. I mailed a package to Malawi and it took three weeks to get there. I can't imagine what it used to be like to communicate in only that way! Mark Zuckerberg may not have entirely thought of Facebook on his own but he put the time and effort into building the site into what it is today. I am not particularly interested in the battle surrounding the origin of Facebook but rather what it did to society and how society will respond to new future advances in social media.

Classics in the Classroom (Pytash)

My initial reaction to this text was not great. I didn't like when Jago wrote, "earning suffers when teachers squander it by taking a full class period for seventeen-year-olds to play with markers and poster board," (Jago 2). But the more that I think about it, I think that she was talking about when teachers abuse activities like drawing storyboards in the classroom. I know that students are capable of thinking and learning better than some teachers expect.
Jago wrote, "The texts chosen for classroom study should be ones that students are unable to read without you" (Jago 2). I do not think that most teachers put this thought to practice. I couldn't agree more with Jago's ideas about having students analyze literature not just answer "who, what, where, when" questions (Jago 3). I also found her "mirror" and "window" metaphor for reading quite insightful. I agree that students need to read texts that 'mirror' his or her life but they also need to read 'window' texts that "offer readers access to other worlds, other times, other cultures," (Jago 5). I am enjoying reading this text so far because I think that teachers should push students to learn deeper than what most teachers do.

The Socially Networked Classroom (Kist)

While reading this text I came across the "This is an Apple" activity " (pages 40-41). I think that using this activity in the classroom would spark debate. Students are thrown into a game where they are supposed to multitask. It is inevitable that chaos will break out as students scramble with words and thought. My opinion is that some people are able to multitask effectively and some are unable to be productive while trying to multitask. Technology has played a huge role in multitasking. People drive while talking on the phone. Students study with the T.V. on as background noise. People walk and text as the same time. Even as I type this blog entry I am listening to music. I think technology has changed society in that we try to do so many things at once. I would be interested in hearing what students think about this idea. Do students feel like technology has shaped how they multitask? Do students feel like they can multitask with technology? I'd also like to hear if students ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of multitasking that takes place. I know that if I open my e-mail and I have a lot of new messages-- it overwhelms me and sometimes I just sign out. The same is if I get a lot of text messages. I tend to let text messages go unanswered for a period of time because I don't want to go through them. I don't know if students think in this way or if they are just so accustomed to technology and all that it requires that they don't really think much about these things.

Multigenre Literacy Autobiography (Kist)

I'm enjoying working on my Multigenre Autobiography. I've had a lot of influence in who I am that came from what I've read. I've noticed that pictures were important to me until I was able to visualize the words on the page. It is interesting to see how my interests in reading material have taken shape and how important reading is to people of all ages. I'm learning more about myself as I put this collection together. I think this would be a great project to include in my future classroom because it would get students working on sequencing as well as getting them to use technology. This project would also give students the opportunity to get in front of the class and any project that does that is good in my eyes!

Creative Writing (Kist)

I've been reading short stories by Raymond Carver and J.D. Salinger recently. I think that these works would enhance the classroom. I'd like to incorporate a creative writing unit into my future classroom. Students have a lot of valuable thoughts and life experiences bouncing around in their heads-- just waiting to be written. I hope to create a classroom environment that encourages creative thought and expression. I took a creative writing course when I was in high school (and creative writing as well as fiction writing I and II in college) and I would be open to teaching a similar course in the future. If that isn't an option I'd be willing to start a creative writing club that would meet after school. Works by Raymond Carver allow me to view life with a more attentive gaze and I hope that I can transfer that concept down to my students.