This is the continuation of my first message and focuses on what we can do instead
of
one-size-fits-all.
If we (and the English dept) were to take a different approach to planning which
was along these
lines ...
Identifying in advance ...
What do I expect the students to know, understand and do because of this reading
this book?
What are the lifelong learnings that it contributes to?
What specific concepts/ knowledge/ attitudes/values/skills do I want the students
to develop/
practice/ consolidate/ understand/ appreciate/ achieve by the end of this novel
study so they can
continue to learn?
Then, when the purpose for the study has been clearly identified, develop a series
of open-ended
questions that can be applied to any book that the student chooses such as.
. How did the title prepare you for what the story was about?
. How did the main character change and develop throughout the story?
. If you were the main character, how would you have resolved the problem?
. What is the between-the-lines message of the story?
. Whose voice is not heard, but should be?
. What is this text really about and what tells me this?
. What do I need to know already to understand this text?
. What does the writer want me to know?
. How does that fit with what I already know and believe?
. Does the author see the world in the same way I do?
. What are the key similarities and differences?
. What view of the world and values does the author assume that I hold? How
do I know?
. Is the author trying to change that perception?
. Has the author been successful in making me reflect on what I know and
believe?
. How have my knowledge and understandings been challenged by this text?
. Where does the author place me in relation to the text and its message?
. How does the structure of this text match its purpose and intended audience?
. What mechanisms has the author used to introduce and reinforce the message?
. How do the language and illustrations influence the message and purpose?
. How are the personalities of the various characters developed?
. How are age, gender, and cultural groupings portrayed?
. How are the relationships between adults and children portrayed?
. Which characters are empowered and which are not?
. Does one character expressing a particular point of view have a prominent
or privileged
position in the story?
. How do these relationships influence the perspective of the story?
. Who is not in the story but should be?
. Whose story is not told?
. Why did the author leave that character out?
. How does that influence our response to the story?
. Is the world that the author portrays real or feasible?
. Has the author created a fantasy world and characters to present a
real-world issue in a
less-threatening way?
. How would the text be different if it were told in another time, place or
culture?
. Is my interpretation of the text the only one?
. What kind of person composed the text?
. Are their personal interests, beliefs and values evident?
. What would I ask the author about those beliefs if I had the opportunity?
These sorts of questions help the student connect the book to their lives and thus
they are engaged
(see Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk blog
http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2008/1/24/engage-or-entertain.html)
and
encourage them to read between and beyond the lines, not just along them because
they have a test in
a week.
I believe this sort of approach has been labelled "Critical Literacy" by the
labellers and there is
more at http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/critlit.htm
I'm not trying to denigrate what many of you are required to do, just offering a
different
perspective .
Barbara
Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA
E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together we learn from each other
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