For this week's blog assignment, please pick a grade level and a theme and then list at least one book, one play, one poem, and one film (yes, it can be a movie adaptation of a novel or play) that would fulfill those parameters and explain your choices. Please do not repeat grade levels or themes (books and other literature may be repeated). Finally, respond to at least one other response with a questions, suggestions, constructive criticism, or any other comments that come to mind.
Check out this resource. It might help with your responses.
Following a theme of "resilience" (especially through tough situations), some books I might use for a 7-8th grade classroom might include:
ReplyDelete- I Am Malala by Malala Yousefzai,
- The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, or
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
A poem I might use - especially alongside The Poet Slave - might be some of Juan Francisco Manzano's poems, which can be found here: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/manzano/manzano.html
In particular, the poem "The Dream" (or parts of it) could fit quite nicely into the unit. Together, Manzano's autobiography, poems, and biography could spur some really complex thinking from students.
Another good poem for a 7th or 8th grade class might come from Maya Angelou ("I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings")....
As for plays, I believe The Diary of Anne Frank has been adapted to a play... It would be interesting to cover both the diary itself and the adaptation. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to start - I've heard that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a good play, and it involves a character with Asperger's who would be around my students' ages?
There are so many films that I don't know where to start looking. I like the idea of using film to encourage students to compare and contrast between multiple genres - so maybe the adaptations of books we cover in class. The Book Thief just recently had an adaptation that was very good, and could prompt the class to think about what was left out (major aspects of voice) and how that affected the story.
I like your choices. I think in middle school it is important to stress equality and tolerance among the children. Middle school is the time where the students are at an age where they need guidance and form their own opinions about life. The students are becoming more independent and actually becoming young adults.
DeleteFor a 10th grade class studying the theme of "Loss of Innocence", here are my choices:
ReplyDelete-For a book, I would probably either pick Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or possibly Lord of the Flies or even Divergent. I think Harry Potter works well, particularly that specific book in the series, because it is the first real time he's seen someone die, and had it be his fault, and Voldemort. Lord of the Flies is an obvious choice, so I don't know if I would really choose it if I had the option just because it's overdone in schools, but as all the boys turn more into animals, particularly the scene where the kill Piggy (I think that was his name), they lose that boyhood innocence they once had. Divergent could also work as there are several scenes within in that would work well.
-Poetry... I think I would have to pick two poems by William Blake that go together. They are both called "The Chimney Sweeper" and the second one is a sequel to the first. I read this just this week for my World Lit III class and, in my personal opinion, the second poem is being told by the same boy from the first poem, but older and after he's had time to experience the torture of being a chimney sweeper and has become more cynical.
-Not to steal what Melanie said, but the Diary of Anne Frank could also work well here as a play. Romeo and Juliet, although typical, could work for when Romeo kills Tibalt. I'm not really sure here else to start with plays, though. I tend to watch more musicals than plays. Although I think "A Doll's House" by Ibsen could work well.
-I think if I showed the movie of the "Doll's House" play (because the film of it is literally the stage production of it pretty much) I could kill two birds with one stone so that's an idea. If I did Harry Potter for the book, I could show the movie that goes along with it as well. Bridge to Terabithia could also work. Otherwise, I'm not really sure.
I was trying to find things that Melanie had not already used, but The Book Thief could work really well for Loss of Innocence, too, the book and the movie. I haven't read the book but the teacher I observed for my field experience this winter was using it in her class and from what I gathered, it has aspects of the Loss of Innocence theme in it so it could work.
The grade that i would choose is sixth grade
ReplyDeleteI think a novel i would recommend would be "The Giver". I think that this book is very interesting as it pertains to teens that have no choice in what they are to do with their lives. This could be linked to life management and students forming an idea of what they want to do. A play that i would do is maybe Hamlet. I feel like it is not a hard play to read, and the concepts that it teaches are not hard to understand. A poem is "Ain't I A Woman?" by Sojourner Truth. I think it could be a challenge to read, but it stresses equality which is always important to spread throughout the class. A film that I would recommend is "The Princess Bride" I think that it is a good story for the kids, and the film would give the students an added perspective to the work.