Teaching Challenging Texts: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Multimedia

169 Pages·2013·3.603 MB·English

by  Lawrence Baines, Jane Fisher

T E A C H I N G C H A L L E N G I N G T E X T S
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Also by Lawrence Baines
The Teachers We Need vs. the Teachers We Have: The Realities and the Possibilities
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T E A C H I N G C H A L L E N G I N G T E X T S
Fiction, Non-fiction, and Multimedia
Lawrence Baines & Jane Fisher
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD EDUCATION
A division of
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
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Published by Rowman & Littlefield Education
A division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2013 by Lawrence Baines and Jane Fisher
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baines, Lawrence.
Teaching challenging texts : fiction, non-fiction, and multimedia / by Lawrence Baines and Jane Fisher.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4758-0520-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4758-0521-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-1-4758-0522-2 (electronic) 1. Reading comprehension. 2. Teenagers—Books and reading.
I. Title.
LB1573.7.B25 2013 Proudly sourced and uploaded by [StormRG]
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2013013355
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The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
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This book is dedicated to David Boren, friend of public education.
Memores acti prudentes futuri.
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Contents
Foreword by Quincy Howe ix
1 Reading as a Social Activity by Lawrence Baines 1
Rules of the Game 2
Adolescence 2
Slaying the Deer 3
Good MAP and Bad MAP 4
Reading by Choice 6
The Common Core 7
How to Use This Book 7
Reading to the BRIMS 8
2 Exploring the Future in High School by Lawrence Baines 11
A Fresh Start 12
Environmental Effects 16
Introducing 1984 22
1984, Part Two 31
1984, Part Three 41
Transcendent Man Research Project 43
How Long Will You Live? Research Project 45
Handouts for Exploring the Future 47
Handout 1: Clues about Character 48
Handout 2: Action Verbs in Lord of the Flies 49
Handout 3: Scenario 1 50
Handout 4: Scenario 2 51
Handout 5: America’s Wars 52
Handout 6: Deaths in Historical Perspective 53
Handout 7: Excerpt from 1984 by George Orwell 54
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viii Contents
Handout 8: Cool Names for a Band, Uncool Names for a Band 55
Handout 9: Rewriting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address 56
Handout 10: Getting to Know Winston 57
Handout 11: Getting to Know Julia 58
Handout 12: The Future of Oceania 59
Handout 13: Facts about the United States 61
Handout 14: The United States and the Next 100 Years 62
Handout 15: Evaluation for the United States and the Next 100 Years 64
Handout 16: The Evolution of Winston 65
Handout 17: The Evolution of Julia 66
Handout 18: Checklist and Assessment for Film Crew 67
Handout 19: Directions for Film Crew 68
Handout 20: Kurzweil AI Summary Report 71
Handout 21: How Long Will You Live? 72
Exploring the Future, Free Resources and Correlations to the Common Core 75
3 Understanding the Power of One in Middle School by Jane Fisher 83
Introduction to Chains 84
Everyday Journals 85
Tech-y Check-ins 86
A Day in the Life: Research Project 96
Tackling Victor Hugo 97
Digging through the Dirt 110
Handouts for Understanding the Power of One 123
Handout 1: Courtroom Debate Prep Day 1 124
Handout 2: Courtroom Debate Prep Day 2 125
Handout 3: New York: A Guide Map 127
Handout 4: Lyrical Message Mystery 1 128
Handout 5: Lyrical Message Mystery 2 129
Handout 6: The Great New York Fire of 1776 130
Handout 7: Body Biographies 131
Handout 8: A Day in the Life: Research Project 132
Handout 9: Satire Night Live 134
Handout 10: Character Charts 135
Handout 11: Frollo: Friend or Foe? 136
Handout 12: Character Yin Yangs 137
Handout 13: Mythological Allusions 138
Handout 14: Character Speed Dating 139
Handout 15: Reel to Real Questions 140
Handout 16: Symbolism: Cave Art 141
Handout 17: Look Who’s Talking 142
Handout 18: Annotating Otzi 143
Handout 19: Annotation Aids 144
Understanding the Power of One, Free Resources and Correlations
to the Common Core 145
References 153
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Foreword
Anyone who looks with concern at the present state of American English will realize
we are at a moment of declining precision and power. Many troublesome trends seem to
be contributing to the general decline in language. The prominence of television, the Internet,
and a seemingly ubiquitous acceptance of simplistic verbiage have created a formidable barrier
to the graceful and convincing advance of American prose. The vulgarization of exposition and
the resistance to literary elegance have become commonplace.
To advance against the onslaught of “plainspeak” and “simplethink” will require a well-
structured educational agenda that encourages students to attain a level of eloquence beyond
the comfortable status quo. A systematic study of the various specimens of exemplary literacy
that fill this book reveals a vision of literate expression that can liberate students toward a more
expressive and engaging sense of purpose.
Breaking free of constraint, containment, and force of habit is no easy task, but it is pos-
sible. Consider the case of the Hebrews when their language lacked the fluency and versatility
provided by the use of vowels. Around 400 BC they were taken captive by the Babylonians
who passed out documents that rationalized the Hebrew captivity in convincing terms, utiliz-
ing words populated by an abundance of vowels. The Hebrews recognized the need for a more
versatile language and created five vowels by designating five of their consonants to also func-
tion as vowels. Consequently, the Hebrews were able to make a defensible stand against the
restrictions that the Babylonians wished to impose.
It is possible to liberate a way of thinking that has proven inadequate at meeting the needs
of the moment through critical analysis and creativity.
Those who have the will and stamina to address the literacy needs of adolescents will find in
this book evidence from authors such as George Orwell, Victor Hugo, and Abraham Lincoln
for transformative stylistic achievement that has the potential to rekindle interest in reading,
reshape the quality of writing, and potentially enhance the quality of thinking. After all, it was
through words that Orwell, Hugo, and Lincoln reshaped nations and helped formulate what is
now assumed to be integral to the national character.
Quincy Howe
New York City
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