ENG 4800 Reflection

I was a little unsure about this class and how it would be. I was pleasantly surprised about how much I actually learned. I wasn't used to a paperless class and wasn't suer how much I liked it. I turns out that I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the blogs. I think this is a great tool and can't wait to incorporate it into my classroom. Another aspect that I was ended up enjoying was the books. Webb's Literature and Lives was an amazing book that I will keep and definitely use in the future. Especially, after this class, I realized how important incorporating technology into the classroom is. It was very interesting to see how much I learned about literary theories as well. Not only did I learn a lot about them but I am happy about how much I learned to incorporate them into the classroom. It was good to actually get something out of a class, because I feel that everything that we learned is extremely applicable to our future in teaching, which is a pleasant surprise. Something else that I throughouly enjoyed were the discussions that we got into. I felt that they were very beneficial and talked about great analytical themes and things that will definitely benefit me in the future. Thanks Todd for a great class!

Deconstruction

My Papa's Waltz

By:Theodore Roethke

The whiskey on your breath

Could make a small boy dizzy;

But I hung on like death:

Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans

Slid from the kitchen shelf;

My mother’s countenance

Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist

Was battered on one knuckle;

At every step you missed

My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head

With a palm caked hard by dirt,

Then waltzed me off to bed

Still clinging to your shirt

Starting to deconstruct this poem, the first thing that I feel I need to express is the fact of the title. Regarding the waltz, a graceful and beautiful dance. Relating it to a drunken battle between a father and child adds a certain edge and impact to the poem. Through this poem, it is inherihant that men are aggressive. This stereotype of men being a drunk and violent is very apparent. There is a distinction between man vs child and man vs wife in this poem. Man always ends up on top, and in control. This distinction is seen throughout society. By reversing the opposition, one could say that without having background knowledge of the waltz, this drunken play of events would not have been described the same. Without women being known as submissive and weak in society, the man would not have been the violent typical drunk man. A violent drunken father cannot exist with out a peaceful sober one. I realize now, that maybe I did not pick the best poem to deconstruct but I feel like I made some progress on the understanding of deconstrution.

The Giver Review

I surprisingly enjoyed this lesson. I remembered learning this in about book in I believe it was eighth grade. I just remember learning about basic plot and character development. The initial activity about the definition of perfect and exploring what a perfect society would look like was very good way to look at theme at it deductively. Another part that I really enjoyed about the lesson was when we got to act out a certain scene. That really helps the student visualize what exactly is going on. This is especially true in the scene when Jonah received his first memory. It was very interesting to actually see it played out and see the giver press his hands up again Jonah's back. I also enjoyed the different discussions that played out through the lesson, especially the ones including comparing Jonah to Jesus, the feminism lens applied to the text as well as talking about why the book is sometimes banned and if we ourselves would teach it. The culminating activity has always been an activity that I'm a fan of. It was also interesting to see an actual ending that someone made on YouTube. I definitely enjoyed reading this a lot more than I did in middle school. I got so much more out of it this time.

Text Overviews

You Gotta BE the Book- Jeffery D Wilhelm

I believe that this is a good introductory text for ENG 4800. Although, I don’t think that it is needed to read every chapter. There are some very helpful parts while others weren’t as important. Some chapters could have been taken out. Some of these include chapter one and two. Each chapter is very long and although some parts of the chapter are much needed, several pages are not needed and boring. There will definitely be parts of the book that I will be able to use when I become a teacher. Most of the parts would be some of the activities mentioned. This book would come second out of three in my opinion.

Critical Encounters in High School English- Arthur N Applebee

This is a good text for ENG 4800. Although I found it impersonal and at times dry, it did have very important examples and themes. Mostly every chapter has its important parts although some of the details are unnecessary. There are some activities that I will be able to use in the classroom. The only real complaint I have is that it can become very dry. I liked when we took some of the activities from the book and did them in class. I would say to do more book-to-classroom activities. Although it isn’t the same exact thing, it gives the students a look into how the activities would play out.

Literature and Lives- Allen Webb

I believe that this is a great text for ENG 4800. I would not change how the text was used in class. I believe that all the chapters were needed. I will DEFINITELY be able to use this book as a resource for my future classroom. This was my favorite book out of three used in class. The stories that were used to open each chapter were very personal and important. The best thing about the book, which I believe are the different texts that he gives at the end of each chapter. I will definitely use this book, over and over I think. Webb made this my favorite book because he was very concise and I felt as if he was directly talking to me. Also, a part of the book that I admire is how there was no part of the book that seemed to be a page filler. Before reading the book, I thought that we were reading it only because of the fact that he was a professor at Western, but I know understand how great and useful of a book it really is.

Webb, Chapter 7

When regarding the book I, Rigoberta Menchu, I believe that books like this are what really connects and intrigues students. Unknown cultures and lifestyles are very interesting and peculiar. I like the idea of this piece of literature being a "testimonial". I immediately thought of the tesimonial of Olaudah Equiano. I believe that testimonials are great pieces of literature to use in classrooms. Webb does make a good point when he says that sometimes testimonials, such as the ones he discusses can be complicated due to making it seem that that testimonial is the only view of a certain situation or culture, but I believe that its the teachers responsibility to not make it this way. To take a culture or certain situation and present many different views and testimonials to present the students with various views. Let the students soak in what they have read and let them come up with their own opinions. Poststructuralism seems to be a very interesting theory that I do not have much experience with. I like how it steps out of the normal closed system and uses comparisons in order to find different patterns or "discourses" as Webb explains. Postmodernism seems to be a good thing to explore. It is good to "invite different voices" when analyzing testimonials. Although this seems like a good theory to play with, I might lean towards the fact that other theories are more important to teach. I would also have to say the same thing of deconstructionism. It seems a little to complex. Maybe if more light was shed on it, it could be made more vital.

Group Reflection- The Bell Jar

Overall I think our presentation went great. Lauren started off with a good introduction. Although there were some minor technical difficulties, the video was a great way to give some background on Sylvia Plath. This video and introduction was also a great sedge way into my biography of Sylvia. I believe my section went pretty well. I could have had better question prompts regarding the discussion on "Daddy". Also, if I were to have done this activity in a real classroom, I would have had the student's write down their reactions and responses to the poem and to some questions I would have prompted them with earlier. Tia's segment on the theories went very well. I thought the activity she did on the board to get the students thinking about stereotypes in the 50's regarding each gender was very inspiring. I would definitely steal her "lens" idea when analyzing different texts. I believe that literary theory was a vital part of studying the book. The two she taught about were very suitable. Sara's activity was well taught and I could definitely see myself using it in my classroom. It is very hands on and fun. Symbolism was a great element to dissect in regards to the book. This is also a good activity to use in the classroom because of the fact that it can be made into classroom decorations as well. Rachel's lesson was a great way to conclude the book. It gave the students a chance to take what they've learned and merge it with their imagination when regarding the make your own ending aspect. This also incorporates best practice writing by having a real audience to write for. A real audience is a very important element when writing about literature. Overall, it went well and I learned an immense amount.

Webb, Chapter 4

Literature and Lives, this book just seems more down to earth and applicable. I enjoy how Webb starts off each chapter with a very interesting story. Multicultural studies is a big part of what I believe in when it comes to successful curriculum. Although, I do believe that it is good to still have some of the "old dead white men" apart of the curriculum, it is a necessity, especially in today's society to have several differnt cultures and races incorporated into today's education. I take in strongly what Joseph Bruchac says about teachers needing to know when to treat literature with a certain respect. Last year, I met Bruchac and could'nt agree more with not only his views when it comes to Native American literature, but his view applies to all multicultural literature.
I believe that this is why so many teachers stray away from multicultural studies. This is because of the fact that they do not feel comfortable teaching something that they do not know enough about. Media studies is also something that I wish I would have studied a lot more in high school. Media plays such a large role in society, students need to be exposed to this study. Once again, I believe that the readings that Webb gives in the back are such a great help.