Comparing My Brother Sam is Dead with Number the Stars

Warning:  CONTAINS SPOILERS (sorry!)

For the homework assignment this week, I chose to compare My Brother Sam is Dead by James L. Collier and Christopher Collier with Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  I have read both of this books for school AND they are both Newbery Winners.  I found a lot of similar things between the two books but here are a few that I want to talk about

1) How the war leads to the demise of the protagonist's siblings
Both Tim (MBSiD) and Annemarie (NtS) lose their older siblings due to the war.  Tim's brother become a Patriot in the American Revoluntionary War and gets shot by a solider.  Where Annemarie's sister is a part of the Dannish Resistance in WWII and is hit while fleeing from the Gestapo.  This has a major impact on each of the protagonist's life because each character had a close bond with their sibling.  However, Annemarie's sibling dies prior to the beginning of the book, so her death is present throughout the novel.  Sam dies at the climax of the novel and his death is felt by Tim in the denouement.

2) Unity within the family
In MBSiD, Tim and his father are on different political sides.  Tim is a radical Patriot and the father is a Loyalist.  This causes Tim to run away from home and join the Army.  This tension plays out throughout the entire plot.  Things are different in NtS where the Johansen family all seem to recoginze the importance in standing up to the Germans.  They shelter Ellen from Nazi forces and help maintain the Rosen's apartment because "that's what neighbors do."  The Johansen family doesn't display the arguements the Meeker family has about the war.

3)  The action of war affects the character and plot
The novels are both about wars, but they way that they are fought in different manners.  The American Colonies are a part of the British Empire and they rebel.  The British "invade" American colonies as more of a "policing" front where they want the unruly colonists to obey again.  This causes Tim to have conflict within himself because he is torn between being a good British citizen and being a free Patriot.  What is different in NtS is that Denmark is not a part of the German nation.  They are purely being invaded so that the Nazi can gain more land.  This is why the Dannish people, like Annemarie and her family, highly resist the Germans.  They are not Germans at all and they do not believe in their policies.  No one in the country wants them to be there so they do everything in their power to fight back.

Final Blog!

I can’t believe that this is my last blog!  I have learned so much during this course that I’m excited to use in my future classroom.   Even through I’m not an English major, I feel that a lot of the concepts are things I can incorporate into any classroom.  I’m really glad that Dr. Baynum recommended me to this class because I would have never thought about taking it.

This class makes me passionate and excited to teach!  I remember when my high guidance counselor said to me, "Katie, you're ranked in the top 1% of your class.  You could be in any major in any college, become successful and make a lot of money.  Why would a smart person like you waste it on teaching?  They are a dime a dozen!"  I disagree with his comments.  I may never make any money, but I'm definately not wasting away in education.  Often during our class discussion, I thought about how teachers could either make me hate or love a subject.  I want to be that teacher that makes a difference on how a student views a subject.  If they really hate language arts, I want to be the teacher where they recosider their opinions about a suject.

One of the most important things I learned about is the amount of time that goes into lesson preparation for it to be engaging.  It is easy to assign a few chapters for reading and give out a worksheet with basic plot questions.  Is this teaching style a form of best practice?  Based on what I learned in this class, I would have to answer no.  Yes, it does take a lot of effort and time to truly create unique and interesting lesson plans.  However, I noticed that I have enjoyed this class more than other English classes because of the time spent planning.  I love use of media, technology and modern day text.  Usually I leave class with a deeper understanding about literature and excitement for the next class.  This is a feeling that I want my students to experience.  I desire my classroom to be a place where education is viewed as beyond answering surface questions, but engaging in discussions and analyzing literature.

My favorite strategies that were employed in class were small group discussion.  If I didn’t understand a concept or wanted to hear an opinion, it was a great opportunity for to ask my fellow students.   I can easily see this strategy working in my future classroom.   This is great strategy for students to share their ideas and beliefs with other students.  Students who tend to be shyer might have an easier time sharing their thoughts with one or two people instead of an entire group. 

Also, I really loved during the blogs.  I spend a lot of time on the computer already so it was really easy and simple to do.   I enjoyed reading what my fellow students thought about different ideas we were learning in class.   Each of the blog topics allowed me to have a lot of creative freedom in what I chose to write about.  In my class, I will definitely keep a teacher blog to be used as a resource for parents and guardians.  I can update parents on what we are learning in the classroom and any important information they need to know.  Depending on the grade level that I teach, I would do a blogging activity with my students where they can create their own blogs.  I have reservations about students who are younger then 4^th grade blogging, but I will keep an open mind to it if I am teaching that grade level.    

In all, I have a clearer image of myself being a teacher of English/Language Arts after this class.  I fill more prepare to enter a classroom and being able to engage students with Language Arts. 

Three Songs

I picked a song to represent my experiences in middle school, high school and college.

Middle School:  "For The Moments I Feel Faint" by Relient K
Am I at the point of no improvement?
What of the death I still dwell in?
I try to excel, but I feel no movement.
Can I be free of this unreleasable sin?

[Chorus:]
Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you you're wrong.

Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong

I throw up my hands
"Oh, the impossibilities"
Frustrated and tired
Where do I go from here?
Now I'm searching for the confidence I've lost so willingly
Overcoming these obstacles is overcoming my fear

[Chorus]

I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
Gather my insufficiencies and
place them in your hands, place them in your hands, place them in your hands

High School:  "Brat Pack" by The Rocket Summer

For about four years I've hated this town
There's so much I just want to get out
Since graduation was long ago
Please somebody get me out of this hole
Cause I don't want to get stuck in here
When I am thirty-four just talking about high school years
No I don't want to be there an I feel so stuck right here
Back and forth side to side oh my dear
My foot to the floor I will drive to the place
Where I can kick it with friends through the night
A place well talk about now and the past what the future holds
Hanging out with not much to do
Just aimless with each other is what we do

Cause this ain't where it's at
My friends will second that
And I gotta admit sometimes it's pretty sad
But it's like were our own brat pack
Were always kicking back nobody can take that
That is that it's like it's all we have

Whooo whooo ya oh come on

Say oh oh get on the floor
Dance till you got no more
I know it's there somewhere
Don't worry I'll be there to rock the party all night
To rock you till there's light, our fists in the air
Fighting a good fight
Cause we were singing along to Peter Gabriel sledge hammer song
You know it's clear that tonight we belong in this place
So I stand back to reflect in this town I hate
At least just for a second I think I might stay

This ain't where it's at
My friends will second that
And I gotta admit sometimes it's pretty sad
But its like were our own brat pack
Were always kicking back nobody can take that
And that is that

So ill run away to the hopes that I have
That still I fall asleep in the arms of my past
And when I wake so helpless and thinking of that just lay back down

Again

Everyday

So maybe later today I'll know
What I will do with my life as I know it
Maybe for now ill drive back to that place where I belong
And hope to God it hasn't changed

This ain't where it's at
My friends will second that
And I gotta admit sometimes it's pretty sad
But its like were our own brat pack were always kicking back
Nobody can take that no no no

This ain't where it's at
My friends will second that
And I gotta admit sometimes it's pretty sad
But its like were our own brat pack were always kicking back
Nobody can take that
That is that it's like its all we have

College:  "Dear Prudence" by The Beatles

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

Dear Prudence open up your eyes
Dear Prudence see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence won't you open up your eyes?

Look around round round
Look around round round
Oh look around

Dear Prudence let me see you smile
Dear Prudence like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence won't you let me see you smile?

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

Romeo + Juliet + Films

For this week's reading, I looked into Hirsh's "Picturing Shakespeare:  Using Film in the Classroom to Turn Text into Theater."  Surprisingly, I found the material and the author's ideas to be interesting and something I could carry into my language arts classroom.

Hirsh stated that we need to remember that Shakespeare intended for his work to be a play performed by actors and not just analyzed in classrooms (140).  One of the best ways to do this is to have the students see a live action play.  However, it could be very difficult to find the money, time and resources to do this during school time.  It might be even harder to require students to go after school or on weekends.  One of the common solutions to this problem is to watch recording of a play or a movie adaption.  By using these resources, it becomes easier for students to visualize the play and understand the meaning. 

I like the idea of having a video tape performance of a play.  Since there could be a number of obstacles in seeing a play, this is a great idea to do.  I remember when I was studying Macbeth in high school and our teacher showed us a couple of important scenes from a well-known acting troupe.  Before my teacher showed us the scene, we would read it out loud in different parts.  The combination of reading and watching it on the television made the play easier to understand.  One of the benefits of having a video recorded play is that a teacher can pause the video to discuss parts of the play. 

Another important resource to use in the classroom when teaching Shakespeare is using movie adaptations.  Unlike the video recorded play, the movie might not be exactly like how Shakespeare had intended.  One example of this is Romeo + Juliet.  This movie was made in the 1990s and was set in modern day Los Angeles.  However, the play still uses the basic plotline and the original Shakespearean language.  Another popular adaption of Romeo and Juliet is West Side Story.  This story is set in the 1950s in a New York neighborhood where Hispanic and Caucasian gangs come between two star-crossed lovers. One of the dangers of using film adaption is that students might not understand the connections at first.  I saw West Side Story when I was eight years old and I did not know it was an adaption of Romeo and Juliet until I was in high school.  I feel the best way to approach a movie adaption is to spend time discussing the play first and then watch the film.  This allows students to engage prior knowledge while watching the film/play and expand their understanding of the play.

Reality TV and The Hunger Games

I LOVE the Hunger Games. Seriously, it was one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I love to root for the underdog to overcome his or her challenge.  Katniss, the protagonist, has to overcome a lot of difficult situations. Katniss lives in a futuristic America where there are 12 districts instead of 50 states.  Katniss is from District 12 where she has to secretly hunt in order to put food on the table for her family.  She is lives in the region known as Applachia [southern PA, WV, TN, KY and northern GA]. My dad's family lives in this region and Katniss's attitude reminds me a lot of my Grandmother.  My father grow up really poor in a trailer where both of his parents barely scraped by. 

Anyways, back to the book.  The Hunger Games is a competition with 24 teenagers (two from each district).  24 enter, 23 are killed in the process, 1 is the winner.  Katniss's sister is selected to play so Katniss makes the ultimate sacrifire in taking her spot.  The Applachia philosophy of clan roots, where you sacrifire everything for family, comes out in Katniss. In order to win the games, you have to be able to outsmart and look better than other players. Katniss receives sponsors by appealing to voters.  She has to go through lots of stylists to dolly her up.  She has trainers to tell her how to behave and how to talk.  During the game, she is forced to form an alliance with Peetra.  He claims that he is in love with her and there are many points of the book where it is confusing if this is true or strategy.

I think that this book would be excellent to use in the classroom.  An activity I would use is having students read the book and study reality tv shows.  I noticed that as I was reading, this book reminded me of the reality tv shows like Amazing Race and Survivor.  I would have my students pick from a selection of reality tv shows that they are required to watch each week.  As they are watching, I would have them jot down notes on characteristics that match up with the Hunger Games.  After gathering this information, I would have the students write a short paper on comparing the reality shows with The Hunger Games.  Another activity would be to research about stereotypes.  The 12 different regions are based upon the economy of the region (District 12=coal mining). It would be interesting to explain to the students the history of each of the regions and why they are known for a particular resource. 

Censorship

Wow!  I was deeply challenged by the reading material for class this week.  It reminded me of a story one of my education professors told me when she was a 6^th reading teacher.  For a period of 12 years, her school district taught a unit using Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson.  This book is one of my favorite books I read during middle school.  I thought it would be great to create a secret world with my best friend and escape from all of my problems.  Well, I was shocked to learn that my professor’s school district suddenly banned the book.  A SINGLE parent made a complaint about the book.  The basis of the complaint was that Patterson is a Christian (her husband is a well known preacher) and her philosophies were promoting an afterlife (i.e. “escaping into a fantasy world”).  After class that day, I went straight to my dorm room and re-read Bridge to Terabithia.  My opinion is this parent has not read the actual novel because Terabithia never mentions or applies any Christian philosophies.  I have a hard time understanding how one person can stop a whole body of people from learning.

I was surprised about the different opinions expressed by the educators in the “Ripple Effect of Censorship.”  Anne struck a chord with me because I can understand her viewpoint.  My parents made the decision to put me in public schools because it is unrealistic in the real world to everyone have the same beliefs.  When I graduated from high school, I turned down a scholarship to a prestigious Christian college because I wanted understand how to interact with students and colleagues that are different from me.  Unlike Anne, I could NEVER censor books based on my religious convictions.  I know that not every student will have the same morals and beliefs that I have.  I have a very open mind to what I like to read and I hope I can be a model for my students to push themselves.

Another teacher featured in the article that made an impact on me was Ellen.  I thought it was interesting how she involved students and their parents.  It is a great way for students to involve their families in what they are learning in school.  I love how if there is some sort of problem arises, she allows the student to pick another book.  By permitting students to do this, it creates an open discussion instead of creating a divide between parents and educators.  I could see how this model could successfully work in my classroom.

My conclusion is that there is not a single way that you can look at censorship. As I read, I struggled with the questions like “How would I have approached this subject” or “Would I fight to teach this book or would I quietly obey the rules?”  Actually, these questions made me think about The Chocolate War with the poster that said “Do I dare disturb the universe?” Pardon a country song reference, but you have know when to hold them and when to fold them.  If you fight for every single book that is challenged, you could come off as a “difficult” person and no one will listen.  If you are passive and allow everything to be dictated to you, no one will take you seriously.  I think if an educator believes that a certain book must be taught because it will benefit the students, then they should pursue defending it.  I think that we owe it to our students to model behavior where we can stand up for ourselves.

Beyond Just Being Receivers

In all honesty, I think that "Beyond Tolerance" was my favorite article that we have read so far.  I admired Rachel Cook's ideas and viewpoints about taking a personal tragedy and usinng in education of others.  I loved how she defined education as "learning to live in a world community, about communicating and questioning and listening" (19).  I actually wrote this quote on a sticky note and placed next to my six points to be an exceptional teacher from my ELL class.

One of the teaching strageties that I liked was the photographs where she gave them pictures and had students write up responses.  I think that giving students the ability to think for themselves with guidelines makes students into learners instead of receivers.  I found it almost amusing that the students were upset with their teacher about how governments can lie through the media. These students have began to analyze and critique the written accounts with the pictures. The trasformation from being receivers to learners allows students to make these connections.

A book that I would be interested in using this specific method would be Persepolis.  I think it would be interesting to look at the novel and also read Iranian news reports from the time.  By seeing the difference between what the Iranian government was saying versus Marjane's experience would be interesting.  In addition, a teacher could also use parts of the film as another media outlet to examine. 

Also, I love how she included history with English.  The only thing I liked about my freshman English class in high school was that we did a brief Russian history unit before reading Animal Farm.  It made it more interesting to read book because I understood the references.  One of the factors on why I am an elementary education major is because I could not specialize in one subject.  I enjoy learning, discussing and teaching a variety of material.  According to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory, people natuarly have different ways of learning and processing.  As educators, we need to make sure that students are able to function in our classes by including other subjects to play into students' abilities.  I liked how Cook was able to have her students discuss everything from economics to gay rights in her English class.

If you are unfamilar with Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory, here is a link to read more about it and how it affects education
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm