Esperanza

"In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Brooke- Post 1 for NTCE book

Chapter 1

In chapter 1, I was most impressed with the writing activity based on photographs that students bring from home. I think this was a really interesting idea because not only did the photograph serve as a type of inspiration for the students, but it also asked the students to write about their own lives, so the writing became personally meaningful to them. I thought it was an interesting idea to have the students write a letter to their younger selves to help students to generate some emotions about what they feel now about the photograph. I think students would have fun with this activity and I think it is a good preparation for the final result: the THOMS style vigniette. It would be really neat to compile all of these vignettes from each class so you could make your own sort of THOMS book together as a class. This could also help with team-building because it would allow each member of the class to get to know one another more intimately.

I hadn't heard of Woman Hollering Creek before reading this chapter, but I think this text is something worth investigating. Jago says it is "a collection of stories focusing on the lives of girls and women in the Lation community, strong females who struggle with the daily business of living in the barrio." I think this text could be used in several ways in the classroom. 1) Jago says that each story could stand alone as a short story, so it might be interesting to take a story to compare to Esperanza's experience in THOMS, since she is a strong female character also. 2) It could be a part of an inquiry unit focusing on the role of women in society, or what it means to be female in society. 3) You could use this text to have students become familiar with critical theory- they could read the story through a feminist lens. Either way, I think this text could be very useful in the classroom.

Chapter 2

I liked the idea of writing from models in chapter 2.I think that providing the students with a model can help to encourage reluctant writers to feel more comfortable expressing themselves, because they can use this as a sort of formula to write their first poem if they are feeling unsure. This activity could also work well for more experienced or for writers that feel more comfortable experimenting because these writers can take what they know about the model poem and play with the form in their own poem to try and create  a stronger meaning in their work. I really liked Cisnero's poem "Abuelito who" for this activity because it allows the students to write about their own lives, someone who is important to them. I feel like every student has at least one person that they care deeply about and this activity can be a good one to help students to feel comfortable talking about their own lives.

Although I thought Jago makes an important point when she says that she wants to make sure that "every student who has written a poem has a chance to share that poem out loud to at least one other listener", I don't think I would have students share these as a Think-Pair-Share activity. I would rather see students working in writing groups, where they have been developing a community all year (or for the semester) and are thus more comfortable sharing with this group of students. This seems better to me because not only are students more comfortable with a writing group, but they will also receive more feedback this way than by just sharing with one other person. This eliminates the issue of having to share in front of the entire class, but makes it so that more than just one other person has heard their work. I mean, the students work hard on these poems, there should be more than just one person to listen to the finished product.

Jago has an interesting take on homework in this chapter. I am still unsure how I feel about homework. I really don't like the idea of just sending students home with homework just to make sure that they are "developing responsibility." I think that Jago has a point, though, when she says if she DOES assign homework, it has to be meaningful/ I just worry though that if we are assigning the most meaningful work outside of class, what happens when students don't do it? I think the most important work should be done with the class in a learning community so that all students are doing the most important work and discussing the most important issues together. After all- Vygotsky would argue that learning is social and we learn the most when working with others. How can that happen if we are sending students home to do all of the work on their own? Finishing a poem for homework? Maybe. Assigning homework on a constant basis? I don't think that works. Other thoughts on the homework dilemma?

2 comments:

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  2. ALEX
    @Brooke- The homework dilemma is one that I struggle with as well. Do we assign it or not? I don't often assign homework, but when I do, I try to make it meaningful. I know I don't always succeed in this though. The fact is that we can't do EVERYTHING in class. There just isn't enough time. There are many students like Jago alludes to that have situations that prevent them from focusing at home. Some students have no parents at home, have to watch younger siblings, and others are more worried about where they are going to get their next meal from making homework a lesser priority. How do we balance this with students who don't have these problems? It is a constant struggle and one that I have no answers. Jago seems to feel that the only thing to do is to assign homework anyway because that is the only way to develop as writers. I am not so sure about that. I think it is certainly helpful, but then we have to ask, who is developing as writers? The students who have severe impediments at home, or those who don't? On the other hand, those experiences that they have, could be fuel for some really interesting writing. I had my students do a podcast of a struggle they have had in their lives. This usually turns out well and the students who have these obstacles at home have a lot to draw from. This is what I like about how Jago speaks of "Turning Students' own Lives into Art". Bringing in pictures of their past and writing about it. I think this is a great idea. I don't like her response for students who come without a picture unprepared. A liscence or student ID seems like a very uninspiring thing to write about. Instead, I think it would be great to have a variety of pictures for students to choose from. Dark places and mysterious pictures of people. Have them step inside the world of the picture and imagine they are a part of it, writing about what they see and feel. If students want to bring in their own picture, let them.

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