Learning Letter

Dear Dr. Agriss,

I have been able to learn so many things from taking your class this quarter. Because of the book talks, unit plans, class discussions, and the readings, I feel more confident in my journey to becoming a teacher. At first, I was a little skeptical on this class and what it would entail but I am glad it is a requirement because this class was quite impactful.

The work I have completed in this class was quite tedious. The book talks were not as bad workwise, but they still took a lot of time and consideration when creating them. Although I got good grades on both book talks, the part that I struggled with was the teaching ideas. I never quite got the hang of what was actually needed in that section and was always docked a point or two from it. Altogether though the book talks were really helpful because it forced me to get into that mindset of a teacher and to explain why a book is worth reading and having in the classroom which was incredibly useful. The unit plans, although incredibly helpful, were the hardest things I have ever done. Probably not the hardest, but for sure the most tedious. I have never had to turn in so many drafts before finally getting one approved before. Although these were a ton of work, I do feel a little more confident in completing a lesson plan. I am not sure what my grade will be for this unit plan, but I feel as though I have improved a ton since the beginning of the quarter when a first draft of one was due. I had gone from having eleven pages for one lesson plan and down to four for all of them, and I was really excited about this.

As for the theories and concepts that were explored in class, I definitely learned a ton from the readings. There were so many new ideas about teaching and how to teach that I would never have even thought of had it not been for this class. There was one article however that I did not understand when I read it and am still confused about. It was the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” and I just never got the hang of what was being said, even through the discussions. My favorite readings were the reading that talked about ways of assessing students other than through taking tests or the “I Read It, But I Don’t Get It.” These texts I found to be very helpful and I plan on implementing a lot of things that were discussed in these readings into my own classroom.

I really enjoyed this class. Especially the discussions. Through the discussions, I learned that although I may not participate in much of the discussions, I was constantly listening and learning from my classmates. This has ultimately helped me to become aware that I really want my classes to be discussion and journal heavy so I can really listen to my students and hear/read what they have to say about a reading or a lesson. I realized that even though I could have/should have joined in the discussion because I did have thoughts, perhaps it was not always necessary for me to talk. I learned way more through listening than I would have through talking just to say that I participated.

Overall I really enjoyed your class. It has ultimately made me even more excited for becoming a teacher. Even though I would have to say that the unit plan is the worst thing about your class, it is still the most beneficial part of it. Your class has not only prepared me for furthering my journey into becoming a teacher, but also prepared me for the EdTPA that must be completed to receive a teaching certificate. I truly have your class to thank for helping me to become more confident in how to teach literature and how to create a unit plan (or at least attempt to create a good one). So thank you.

Sincerely,

Sade Aribibola

Night

Night by Elie Wiesel was a great read. My youngest brother actually had just read it last year in his eighth grade english class and told me to read it with him so I did. I think that this book is perfect for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Especially eighth grade through tenth grade. I would stop the book at the tenth grade level just because the book was such an easy read. However, if the book was to be used for discussion topics, then I think that older ages would put this book to great use.

Some challenges that can be foreseen with this book is that it has a lot of derogatory terms, it talks a lot about the bible, and it touches on a lot of extremely sensitive topics. Although the things that I just listed were used as challenges, I think that they could also be the books strengths. I think that it is important to open students up to reading about the struggles that many people had to face. I think that it is important to discuss such sensitive topics in order to enlighten students and to make students more sensitive to not only their peers but to the world around them. Some teaching ideas that could be used with this book is something I previously mentioned which are discussions. I think that this book offers a lot of great discussion topics, however every discussion would have to be very intensely and carefully monitored. Another thing that could be done with this book is an essay. My brother had to write an essay on this book and I think that writing about what was just read is an excellent way to sort of vent. Because of this, I would also probably include journals with this reading.

I really enjoyed reading this text and think that a lot of people could benefit from reading this text. Honestly, this book was my favorite read even though I have read it before I had sort of forgotten about it and its content. I really enjoyed this book.

Into the Wild

I really enjoyed reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I have read it before while I was in middle school for an assignment. The book was not part of the curriculum but it was on a list of choices that my teacher had allowed us to pick from and I had recently watched the movie. I think that this book is a great book to use in the classroom. I especially liked that this is a true story. I think that this text could be best used in both middle school and high school. There is references to drugs, some sexual content, and some strong language which is why I think that it should be used in the high school due to the mature content and although those are some challenges that could be foreseen with parents and administrators, but I think that it could easily be explained the importance of the use of it.

Some teaching ideas that could be done with this text is to analyze how the relationship between father and son influence choices. There could be a discussion on the use of symbolism with the scenery used and described in this text. Something else that could be discussed is the allure of wilderness within this text. I think that this text could be used greatly within this text. There is a ton of literary elements that could be used as a lesson for students and how those literary elements contribute greatly to the text as a whole.

Overall, I think that this book is a great book to use within the classroom, not only because of the story itself, but also the book as a whole. There are just so many things that could be done with this text and it is a very enjoyable and easy read.

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe Complete Tales and Poems was very fascinating. I know for a fact that I have read some of his works before, however when going through the book, only “The Masque of the Red Death” was recognizable for me. For this 20 page assignment I decided to read one story and a bunch of different poems. The one story I read was “ The Oval Portrait” which I actually really liked. With the stories and the poems in this text, I think that this book would be a great thing to have and use in the classroom. Edgar Allen Poe is a fantastic tool to use for the practice of analyzing.

This text could be used in all grade levels. I remember reading a poem by Edgar Allen Poe in elementary school and trying to figure out what it was about and then I just read “The Masque of the Red Death” in college just last quarter. I think that reading this in the high school and middle school grade level would be a great way to work on coming up with different interpretations. Honestly, I could not really come up with any challenges that may arise with using this text in the classroom when it comes to parents, administrators, or even students. Perhaps some parents may think that reading such dark and dreary texts could be problematic for some people, but that is pushing it a bit. I just cannot think of any other reason why this would be a challenge to have in the classroom. Poe has great pieces of work that are just great for analyzing and writing papers on.

I really did find this book to be intriguing. Even the poem section, which typically I hate reading poems but I know that poems are what he is mostly known for so I thought I’d focus on them and see why. One that I really liked was “Annabel Lee.” Although I do not remember ever reading it, it just sounded so familiar. I think that for students it would be a great poem to come up with different interpretations. As I was reading it I had a few just from the title. Overall, this text was quite enjoyable.

Book Talk - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Book Talk – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

1.    Detailed Description of Text:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a firefighter named Guy Montag. Unlike the real-world firefighters, in this book ironically, they are not the ones who put the fires out but actually start them instead. They are the ones who are in charge of not only burning illegally owned books but also the homes of those who were hiding them. Books in this novel are seen as a threat to society people are not supposed to be thinking about things. Rather than thinking, they are expected to give up their own individuality and spend their time watching tv and listening to the radio. As the story progresses, Guy Montag begins to question his entire life when he meets Clarisse. Clarisse is his neighbor who is a young girl that loves to ask deep, thought-provoking questions. Although Clarisse has made a rather large impact on Guy Montag and his life, things did not begin to change with Montag until he had a run-in with a woman who ended up burning in her house along with her books because she could not bare to live without them. This moment was when we begin to see a real change in Guy Montag. This woman burning with her books really got to him and he realized that perhaps it is through reading that he can find true happiness. Guy Montag begins to read any book he can get his hands on and begins to grow as an individual. Although his reading is great for him, very quickly the people who are close to him soon find out and he is quickly outcasted. As the book progresses Guy Montag joins a rebellion full of people who have memorized books before they are burned in order to preserve them and this is where I will end this summary due to spoilers for those of you who have not read it.

 2.    Why I Chose This Text and who Would Read it:

I think that today especially, this book can have a huge impact on everyone of all ages. This book describes the world we live in now, where individuals are constantly being lured in by social media and television. I think that this book really highlights the impact both books and the media can have on our lives. Although I am one to constantly be on my phone or watching tv, I think that this book was a good reminder that books can be just as important and just as alluring. This book is truly great for all ages. I think that this could even be an easy read for middle schoolers. This book is filled with messages that are affecting everyone in todays society and so both high schoolers and middle schoolers would be able to benefit and read this book with ease. 

 3.    Teaching Ideas:

Something that could be done with this book are journal entries. Having students write on each of the sections each time they read a part of the book can really allow them to think more about the book in the context of their own lives. Some questions that could be used as prompts for their journal entries would be: “Is social media making us less social?” “Have you ever been impacted negatively by social media?” or “Has social media replaced boredom? If so is that good or bad?” I think that getting students to think about these types of things would allow for a more in-depth look at the book and would open them up to being able to relate to the book more and compare the book to their own lives. Another thing that could be done with this book with students is to have a class discussion and to guide them into taking a look at the symbolism that the author presents within this text. Some things that could be discussed as a class is the way the author describes and uses Clarisse, fire, and books. Another thing that could be done with this book and a way to allow students to connect more to the book would to have them pick a quote, as they are reading, from the book that describes how they feel towards reading and to share the quote and their reasoning behind it with the class.

4.    Challenges:

Quite honestly, I could not think of very many challenges with reading this book. So many schools have it as a part of their curriculum already and so many students are already being expected to read it. Something that may be troubling for some administrators and parents is that there is talk about the Bible in this books and perhaps it may offend some people. Another thing could be that there is the usage of drugs in this book. One challenge that may arise with students is that they may disagree entirely with the book either because they are not a fan of reading in general and this book is all about the importance of reading or that it sort of makes fun of those who are enthralled in technology and this may offend them or make them feel called out.

5.    Importance:

I really think that this book is important to have in the classroom because of the fact that besides the technology that is being used (it is very futuristic), this book is truly describing todays use of technology and I think that especially as English teachers, it is important to remind students the importance of reading and the affect that it can have on all of us. 

The Round House

The Round House by Louise Erdrich was a very good, yet sad book. I think that this book would be more suited for those who are in high school, preferably 10-12th graders, although in some cases I think that this book could even be used for the middle school ages since they are around the same age as the main character. This book is a very easy read. I did find it interesting that there were never quotation marks when someone was speaking within this book which I have never seen before. The books lack of quotation marks could possibly confuse students, but I highly doubt it. Once you realize the stylistic choice, you kind of just get used to it. I believe that this book is mostly suited for high schoolers because of the content. I think that, although not always, high schoolers tend to be able to handle more mature content and this book definitely has a lot of content that should be discussed very carefully and intently.

I think that this book comes with a lot of challenges, though they are worthwhile. One big challenge would be that this book includes sexual assault and an attempted murder. With these things, especially the sexual assault, maturity must follow. Some students in high school may not be able to handle reading this due to it hitting too close to home or even just because they lack maturity in general. I think that this book should be used in the classroom though because it could be great for opening up discussions. A lot of injustice occurs within this novel and that could be a great topic for discussion. It is also a great book to use in the classroom because a lot of the times students hear about the injustice that occurs with African-Americans, which is great however, it is also important to open students up to realizing that there are also other cultures who face different types of injustice as well.

I Read It, But I Don't Get It

I really enjoyed this reading! I thought that this book was chock-full of useful information. I especially enjoyed the fact that this book had stories that are easily relatable and can be seen in real life scenarios. One section that really stuck out to me was the section called “Strategies to ‘Fix Up’ Confusion” which provided a list of ways to help one get out of being stuck while reading. I have found myself getting stuck constantly while reading, especially texts that just do not interest me at all. I feel that if I had thought about the things on the list I might have better understood the text or have been able to read it more fluently.

Additionally, I have to say that my favorite part of this book was “What Do You Wonder?.” I really loved that the author is encouraging students to think more and to question things. I often think about what she wrote about in her book how when students were in elementary school they were constantly asking questions, but as we grow older for some reason, the older we get the less questions we ask. I just think that asking the students what they wonder is a great way to get them to start questioning things without worrying about whether or not it relates to anything.

Overall, I thought that this text was great. This book will remain with me as I begin teaching and I will be using this book without a doubt. Each section of this book had useful information that could help anyone, even students. Although I have always enjoyed reading, I think there have been many books that I just could not understand and made me think that reading was just a task rather than something for enjoyment (mostly books I have had to read in college), and I think that this book will help me with those books and books I will have in the very near future.