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