I am still entirely conflicted on how I feel about the way things are done in the classroom; I know the value of reading aloud, but I hate that circumstances such as a lack of classroom books leads to a decision to read an entire work aloud. In some of the inclusion classes, it makes sense, but even then, it is frustrating that I can't assign ten pages and then have some room for discussion. Granted, I want to break up the reading and have time for things that are actually engaging to students, but it is frustrating when there is so much to "cover". How do I cover an important work in a limited time without sacrificing the stuff students can actually tolerate? Multiply this anxiety by 50x when we start reading To Kill a Mockingbird aloud in its entirety; a 300+ page book (that I personally despise more than any other book.)
This past week, I incorporated a tableau at the end of Trifles to what I feel are sub-par results. THIS was what I expected to happen when I with the ninth graders; the students found it to be "lame" or (insert homophobic slur of your choice here). Very few students actually wanted to participate (although it varied from class to class.) I was surprised that it was actually in the class full of good readers where the extended alternate ending went off the best. The lower-level courses were the ones from which the most opposition came.
In other news, I also did a guided imagery with the classes that went very well and did a good job making the students infer; it set up Trifles perfectly, with students noting that "the women look unhappy", "there is a man with a notebook, so he's probably a detective", "everyone is bundled up, so it is cold", and "the mood is serious". It is not all complaints but this week was definitely one of the bumps I have hit in the road. I am hoping to learn from the mistakes of the past week and try to have a smoother week with Raisin in the Sun, which might be possible since it is a much more contemporary and engaging play. Here goes.
Nick, one of the things that might help is something I remember doing in my high school lit class. We acted out Raisin in the Sun and were allowed to focus our productions on any Act or Scene we wanted, pull dialogue, make simplified costumes, assign roles, and act out the scenes. We could make our rendition into a rap, musical, regular rendition of the play, spoof/ satire, comedy, or extra-tragic Shakespearean version. Our teacher videotaped them and then we watched them the next day for fun. Using culturally-relevant and historical connections through music, and dramatic play in the classroom might help keep your students interested in the play.
ReplyDeleteI think TKAM could be broken up into specific parts and then read aloud or in groups like we did with Things Fall Apart. That was written for a 10th grade class. Of course, the might miss some things, and I know it's a classic, but you also want them to enjoy it as much as possible. Then you get to highlight what you think is important and have more time for activities, such as tableaux or guided imagery. So you aren't reading all of TKAM, but you aren't sucking the joy of it out either. It sounds kind of painful to read it all aloud and in such small segments. You could survey them to see what they would prefer the most for activities as well since they did not like tableaux...
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration about the class sets and only reading aloud. The only time we can actually check out books is when we are only teaching one section. In 9th grade lit last semester, both sections read the entire novel of The Hunger Games aloud...imagine how long that took. I've learned that guided imagery works very well because even though students may act like they know what the setting is like and what the characters are like, they really don't. I did some guided imagery with Of Mice and Men, but instead of using it as a frontloading strategy, I used it in the midst of our reading. That novel takes place in the Great Depression, so I found some pictures of farm workers that mimic scenes I picture while reading the novel and students seemed to connect more with the situation of the characters after they saw pictures. I felt they needed some kind of grounding when they snickered every time they read the word "Weed" aloud and weren't making the connection using context clues that Weed is actually a city in California.
ReplyDeleteNick I totally understand how you feel about To Kill a Mockingbird. I cannot stand the book! I know that it is an important piece of literature, and I’m glad I have read it, but I would not enjoy having to teach it, especially if I had to read the majority of it out loud. I feel like it is better to give students a choice when it comes to reading aloud. I want to model the appropriate way to read, but I also want them to practice silent reading. Not everyone is an auditory learner, so I think that it is only fair to split up the books between silent reading and aloud. I also understand that it isn’t good to let students “opt out,” but I can’t help but feel really sorry for the students how hate reading aloud in front of everyone. Even I still get a little nervous when I have to read in front of the class.
ReplyDeleteI feel you on the reading aloud conflict. I know the reasons and what all the research says, but at the same time, I know myself and I do not do well with bring read to. I don't remember the information as well and I surely do not keep up while the reading is happening. I know even when I read aloud in class little pieces, I have a hard time then immediately talking about it. I don't know why. So, I don't even know how well I will be able to read out loud and then discuss whenever I have my own students!
ReplyDelete