The House You Pass on the Way

The House You Pass On The Way

            The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson was very different than what was expected based on the cover of the book. When you look at the book and think about the trend of topics we have been reading about lately, I expected that this book would be about the mis-treatment of this black girl based on her race and appearance. I mean not simply based on the cover of the book but think about what we have talked about in recent weeks:

-mistreatment of people based on sexual identity

-mis-treatment of people based on culture (Native American/Immigrants)

It really only made sense to me that the next topic we would discuss would be the mistreatment of African Americans to continue trending with our culturally diverse topics.

            With all this being said, reading a book about a girl who struggled with her sexual identity was the farthest thing from my mind before beginning to read. I mean we had already kind of hit on this topic previously. However, this book gave a different viewpoint, as it was about a girl instead of a boy and that girl was culturally different than “the normal white person” (even though we know there isn’t such a thing).

            Staggerlee is struggling to find herself, as most middle grades students do during this time. She has basically no friends because it is out in the open that she has feelings for girls and not guys. This is a tough situation to face in middle school when everything is so tough. Kids are always trying to fit in and be “cool.”

I feel like for the most part, with the right mind set, students in the middle grades could learn a lot and relate to almost all the books we have read this semester in this class. I don’t know that I would use this in a whole class but as a literacy circle book, I think it would work well for discussion.

My favorite article from this week was Patterson’s “Cultural Politics from a Writer’s Point of View.” In this, he talks about addressing what I would refer to as the uncomfortable topics in a classroom. Because most of the things we have talked about this semester have been the “uncomfortable” issues in middle grades, I thought this article was very appropriate. I know that in one of our previous classes, we talked about being the kind of teacher that takes the uncomfortable issues for students to discuss and creates an environment in which they can all be comfortable talking about them. I think this is a great point and a teacher who has created that type of environment is going to be a successful teacher.

 Lester, J. (1971).  Ben.  The long journey home: Stories from black history. (pp. 60-88).  New York, NY:  Dial. 

Paterson, K. (1994). Cultural politics for a writer's point of view.  New Advocate, 7(2), 85-91.

Woodson, J. (1997). The house you pass on the way. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Woodson, J. (2003). Who Can Tell My Story?  In D. L. Fox & K. G. Short (Eds.), Stories matter: the complexity of cultural authenticity in children's literature (pp. 41-45).  Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising Blog Response

Before reading Esperanza Rising, I really didn’t know what the book was going to be about other than being a multicultural book. I was pleasantly surprised at how good of a read this book really was. The story consisted of several tough situations that all middle grades students may not be aware of but could probably relate to in that most people by this age have encountered their own “tough” situation.

I loved the story of Esperanza and how she was constantly faced with very tough situations that no person her age should have to face. First, she lost her father in a tragic way. She was then forced to flee with her family to California to basically a Hispanic work camp and leave her grandmother behind in Mexico. Then, Esperanza was thrown into the tough working situation with the task of surviving herself and helping her mother who had been hospitalized. While doing all of this, she was saving money to try to bring her grandmother to California to be with her family. This is a tough situation that reminds me of my favorite lesson I have ever been taught. I have always been told, “no matter how bad you may think you have it, someone always has it worse.” Esperanza clearly had a bad situation but instead of feeling sorry for herself, she continued to work hard because that was necessary for survival. Middle grades students can take a lot out of this lesson and is very important.

With everything that has been mentioned thus far, I haven’t even brought up the idea of the treatment of Hispanics or Hispanic Americans. Instead of having a good opportunity in America, Esperanza and her mom were forced into a Hispanic working camp in order to make a living. This is a tough life to live and a situation that Esperanza had to face at a very young age. In case it hasn’t been clear, I really liked this book and feel that it could be useful in so many ways to teach several lessons in a middle grades classroom. I would use it in a heartbeat.

As far as the articles for this week are concerned, the first two articles on Mexican American and Native American literature focused on a key theme that both groups face stereotypes in the country and in the literature that is written on the topics. While these stereotypes are negative, I think students in middle grades can still read the material while noticing and understanding that stereotypical information is included in the literature.

The final article talking about names that are offensive for certain groups was something that I have read a lot on. Many people simply talk about names for African Americans as the main offensive race but these offensive names exist for all races and especially Hispanic and Native American races. Students in middle grades should be aware of these offensive names but unless they are exposed to them in some way, they may not recognize the extent of it.

Harris, V. J., & Reese, D. (1997). Native Americans in Children's Literature. Using multiethnic literature in the K-8 classroom (pp. 155-185). Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon.

Harris, V. J., Barrera, R. B., & de Cortez, O. G. (1997). Mexican Americans       Children's Literature in the 1990s: Toward Authenticity. Using multiethnic literature in the K-8 classroom (pp. 129-153). Norwood, Mass.: Christopher-Gordon.

Price, S. (2002, March 4). The Indian Wars. Sports Illustrated, 96, 66-72.

Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza rising. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.

The Misfits and Totally Joe

The Misfits and Totally Joe

Like most of the books we’ve read so far for this class, I felt like the Misfits was something that most middle grade students could relate to in some aspect or another. As is shown in the Misfits, middle grades students are generally trying to find out who they are at this age and trying to determine what group they belong to. I felt like this book addressed the major points of struggle for middle grades students. Student’s popularity is always a major struggle in middle school because students always want to feel like they are in the “cool” group. The Misfits addresses this popularity struggle through the election process with the no-name party coming in a close second in the end. Family problems and teacher interactions were shown in the story with the father having to overcome an addiction to alcohol. This portrayed how students in middle school and any age have to face struggles at home that can cause their attention in school to sometimes not be as sharp. Lastly, the Misfits shows how this age level is the start of hormones kicking in for students as the guys and girls begin to develop feelings for one another. I really liked reading this book because of all the real life issues that it shows and felt that it would be a good read for middle grades students. Because the book was told from a middle schooler’s point of view, it was a very easy read and something I feel that could be enjoyed by a middle school class.

Totally Joe was a little different than the Misfits. By doing an assignment for school as honestly as possible, Joe leaks out to his teacher and eventually to his classmates that he is homosexual. What I really liked about this book was that it showed the different perspectives of the world to homosexuality. Joe’s close friends and family accepted him and were happy to support his feelings because he was being himself instead of trying to be who he really wasn’t. This showed that some people can be accepting of feelings and beliefs even if they are different than their own. Then, the other side and more often seen side was shown by some of the other students in the school. They were not as accepting and refused to accept Joe’s feelings as normal or atleast ok for him to have.

In the Blackburn and Smith article, they discuss the idea of heteronormality, or the idea that being heterosexual is the norm for people and homosexuality is something other than normal. This idea is troublesome to me because of everything we have studied in previous classes about accepting other peoples norms and understanding that there is not one single normal. Everyone creates their own normal and for Joe, he felt that being homosexual was normal for him and he was fine with this.

Stewig’s article discussed censoring books that are available to students in school library’s and resources that the school provides. I know this topic is very controversial in the school systems today but personally I am against the whole idea of censoring books especially once you get to the middle school level. All that does is create some fantasy world for the students instead of allowing them to personally choose their books and content.

Blackburn, M., & Smith, J. (2010). Moving beyond the inclusion of lgbt-themed literature in english language arts classrooms: Interrogating hereonomalitivity and exploring intersectionality. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(8), 625-634.

Howe, J. (2001). The misfits. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Howe, J. (2005). Totally joe. New York: Aladdin Mix

Jenkins, C. (1998) From queer to gay and back again: Young adult novels with gay/lesbian/queer content. Library Quarterly, 68(3), 298-334.

Stewig, J. (1994). Self-censorship of picture books about gay and lesbian families. Concepts and Themes, 7(3), 184-193.

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

Blog post #7 March 5, 2012

A Wrinkle in Time was a pretty good book overall in my opinion. I thought that it would be good to use in a classroom because of how students, especially in middle school can relate to the insecurities that Meg faces as a character. Because middle school is a time when so many people are in an awkward stage or at least they feel this way, I feel like middle grades students would enjoy reading about someone that is experiencing the same type of struggle that they can relate to.

The story line of this book was similar but also different to the previous adventurous books that we have read the past few weeks. Meg was on an adventure through different un-familiar lands, which was much like the previous books. However, instead of just adventure from the boredom of life itself, Meg is on an adventure to search for her father who has been missing. Meg faces many obstacles and uncertainties including having to discover on her own what her weapon against evil would be. After discovering that it is her ability to love, Meg is able to be successful and her journey ends with her in the garden with her brother and father.

I liked this book for the use in schools because it has the theme of hope. For so many students in the school systems today, there is little hope in their minds that they will ever either better their lifestyle or succeed in something that they wish to accomplish. This story shows that Meg was determined to find her father and when she put her mind to it, she was able to make it happen. With that theme being brought up in the middle grades to students, you never know who you might influence, just by having them read the book and see the story of someone else who was faced with poor odds of accomplishing what they wanted but found a way to succeed. I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely use it in a classroom for students as it provides good themes that can relate to the curriculum and is an easy read with an interesting story.

L'Engle, M. (2007). A wrinkle in time. New York, NY: Square Fish.

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth

Juster, N. (1961). The phantom tollbooth. New York: Yearling.

            Like our previous weeks reading with Alice’s adventures and A Tangled Tale, The Phantom Tollbooth was another fantasy tale with a child using his imagination to form something fun out of his “boring” life. Unlike the previous week’s reading, The Phantom Tollbooth was much more interesting and engaging from a reader’s point of view. It was less difficult to follow the plot and the constant change of scenery and locations kept me interested into what place Milo and his companions would be at next.

            The obstacles that Milo faced while trying to reach his goal of freeing the princesses represented in my mind, obstacles that any child or person would face when trying to make a dream into a reality. The idea of overcoming those obstacles and persevering to your goal is something that students can take from this book. Each time Milo was faced with a new obstacle such as the senses taker or the valley of sound, it seems hopeless that he could overcome this and continue down the path to the release of the princesses. However, with each obstacle presented to Milo, he finds a way around it and eventually is able to reach the princesses.

           

            I think this book provides an important lesson to any students who read it about making your goals come true. It shows that with any worthwhile goal, there are going to be very difficult obstacles that lay in your path. No difficult goal is going to just be given to you because you want it but with determination and the will to make it happen, you can make any dream or goal into a reality. This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes that was said by a coach that I once had:

“In order to achieve your goal, you can’t want it to happen, you can’t wish it to happen, you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

            I think this book would be a better choice to use in a classroom than either of the two previous books we read. I thought it was easier to follow along with the plot and would be easier for the students to relate to and make connections with than the other two books. I think it teaches a good lesson with dreaming and overcoming whatever is put in your path for your goal. 

Alice's Adventures and A Tangled Tale

Alice’s Adventures and A Tangled Tale

A Tangled Tale:

Just to be honest, I didn’t like this series of stories at all. I had a hard time understanding the information because it was written in such a strange way. I felt like I was constantly re-reading paragraphs because I wasn’t comprehending what I was reading and was forced to re-read sometimes full stories. While some of the stories were easier to comprehend than others such as Knot 2 “Eligible Apartments,” I don’t think the message portrays much to a middle school student. I know I didn’t get much out of it and except for some of the more highly advanced students in middle school, they wont either. I don’t think I could use this in a classroom because my belief is that part of getting students interested in reading is showing them books that they can not only relate to but enjoy. Having stories that students have to struggle to understand what is going on and the point of the story is not doing the teachers any favors in accomplishing their goal. I think students who don’t really like to read would be turned away and discouraged even more if given something like this that takes a lot of effort to understand.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:

Like most people I would guess, I have seen the movie when I was little but not since then. I couldn’t really remember the story prior to reading this. Overall, I liked this book a lot better than the stories from “A Tangled Tale.” I thought that it was more interesting from a readers point of view because while Carroll did skip around a lot in his writing of the story, there was a connection that could be made from scene to scene. I still didn’t love this book because the writing was sometimes hard to understand but I think even a middle school student would be able to make sense of the story. It had some very similar themes as last weeks reading with “Rocket Boys.” For example, Alice’s determination to find the necessary items towards the beginning that would allow her to enter through the small door and into the garden. She was turned away several times for different reasons such as not having a key, then being to big to fit, then being too small to reach the key on the table. However, through all her struggles and disappointment, she never gave up hope of getting into the garden that she believed might help lead her back to her home. While I’m sure there was one, I never quite picked up on the connection you could make to a math classroom with the book but nevertheless, I thought this book could be used in a classroom. As I mentioned before with a Tangled Tale, books need to be interesting to students in order to capture their attention and get them hooked on reading. I thought this book was one that accomplished that goal because it used a story they would be familiar with, since most would have seen the movie growing up, and would allow them to read the text with an interest. At least that is how I was when reading it. I thought once you realize that the story is a dream, which for me was about half way through the book, the skipping around and changing scenes quickly made more sense and I was able to make more sense of the book.

References:

Carroll, L. The best of lewis carrol. New York, NY: Castle Books.

Rocket Boys

Rocket Boys

When I started to read this book, I didn’t really know anything about it and wondered what to expect. As I have stated previously, I have never really enjoyed reading as a hobby and have found most books that have been assigned in schools to be rather dry and boring. This book started out the same way for me. It was very difficult because it seemed to take a while to really get into the story.

However, once the book really got going, it was very interesting and inspiring how Homer, who was never really into school prior to building the rockets, found a subject that interested him and really put his mind to it. By working hard and not letting anyone tell him he couldn’t succeed at building a successful rocket, and with the help of his friends and the community of Coalwood, he was able to use this passion he had for rockets to get him into a better situation than mining.

I thought the fact that he stood up to everyone who didn’t believe in him, including his parents, principal, and classmates and kept his ambition to eventually create something as successful as he did and win the science fair proves a valuable lesson to both students in school who might read this but also teachers in the classroom as well. Homer’s story of success proves that just because you are dealt one hand in life, doesn’t require you to go down that road. With the ambition to succeed and do something else with your life, you can become anything you want in life through hard work. For many students in schools today, this is a very important lesson for them to learn. Many students come from poverty or bad situations at home. The idea that they can escape these conditions and make a better life for themselves if they really want it is a far greater lesson than anything from a textbook.

I thought Rocket Boys provided a great lesson for teachers in schools as well. Without the encouragement and dedication that Homer’s teacher had for him and her students, Homer may have never felt it possible for him to earn a scholarship to college and might have settled for working in the coalmines his whole life. She encouraged him to find something of interest to him. While he wasn’t a great student before he got interested in rockets, understanding the math that went along with building and launching the rockets encouraged him to learn and he became able to understand the formulas even more complex than what they were studying in school. This shows teachers that using example problems and real world applications that students are interested in is truly important for the students abilities to learn information and even be willing to learn.

Rocket Boys inspired me as a teacher to really understand my students and their interests and try to make learning as fun for them as possible. You never know whose life path you may change with kind words and encouragement that they have a shot to succeed and change the life path they were dealt.

Hickam Jr., H. (1998). Rocket boys. New York, NY: Dell Publishing.