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Leanring Letter

What a Quarter. This was my first English/Education course and I loved it.  Book talks: What I loved about the book talks was my ability to hear about YA books without having to discovery them on my own. After hearing 10 weeks of book talks, I know I have a lot of books to read. For my book talks I wanted to bring books that people wouldn't usually consider, or something that they weren't necassarily aware of. For my first book talk I included a play, Cardboard Piano,  about two young LGBTQ teens and the misfortunes that fall upon them, with the general theme of forgiveness. I feel I honored that book talk well, and addressed the concerns I had for the play as well as encouraged others to read it themselves. For my second book talk I included a modern utopian novel, Scythe. I think that our main focus today is on dystopian novels, mainly because that is what our students are interested in (what the world is interested in). But I also think we should focus on a future o...
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Elie Wiesel's "Night"

I read this book in the 9th grade. It was a lot for me to handle at that point in time, and still is now. But I do think it is an important book to discuss because it gives a point of view of the holocaust that we wouldn't be able to reach on our own. If I were to talk about the holocaust in my classroom I would also bring up similar things that our own country as done, such as the internment camps of Japanese Americans. One of the sites I looked at suggested watching Schindler's list with this book, depending on the age group I'd also like to suggest the Diary of Anne Frank. My parents made me watch the Diary of Anne Frank before Schindler's list because they thought that I could relate to Anne Frank more because of my age, or even the boy with the striped pajamas. I think it is important to show that it wasn't just Germany, genocides have happened throughout the world in nearly every continent. So instead of focusing on a unit that just spans the holocaust, I wou...
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Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe By Neal Shusterman Outline “ Thou shalt kill.” Scythe is a utopian novel exploring the consequences of a perfect world. In this world Neal Shusterman explores the tropes of futuristic worlds, such as the control of artificial intelligence which is often considered negative in most modern films and literature. However, Neal decided to do the opposite when he created his “Thunderhead.” The “Thunderhead,” in simple terms, is a completely evolved version of the cloud. “i t’s the culmination of all human knowledge, without any human hubris. It is wise, just, and completely incorruptible. It is the best thing we’ve ever created.” Meaning that the problem with the world of  Scythe  is not the Thunderhead; it’s humans—and the big question is, once we’ve achieved a perfect world, where is there to go? Once you reach the pinnacle, there’s nowhere to go but down. The main characters, Citra and Rowan, are fighting to prevent that from happening and slowly come to rea...
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"Naked Buns" Effect

The "Naked Buns" Effect: Steven Cary explains that the "Naked Buns" effect stems from the idea that it would be rare for a student or parent to complain about "Naked Buns" being in a written text, however is the visual representation of "Naked Buns" would be present it would set off "fireworks." Meaning that the same visual element that gives graphic novels power as a teaching method, is the same visual element that causes for concern. I would say that with graphic novels the best thing you could do is have support behind you when planning on bringing it into the classroom. If you have support than you are good to go. Graphic novels could be used as a great tool to bring life to what is sometimes considered a dead text without introducing movies into the classroom. They would take up less time and are more inspiring than their film counterparts. Using Graphic Novels effectively could build confidence and enjoyment in readers who str...
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Edgar Allan Poe Texts

I've always loved Edgar Allan Poe. I'm really attached to his work, especially his poetry. Whenever I read his poetry I often think of Vincent van Gogh. I know that can be seen as an odd comparison but both men were so alone and under appreciated in their lifetimes. I actually like to think that when Edgar Allan Poe died he was reincarnated as Vincent van Gogh. The time lines match up and they have such similar souls. I think that if I were to teach this lesson I would encourage my students to pick a poem, or one of Edgar Allan Poe's work and tie it to one of Vincent van Gogh paintings. They will then present that painting, read the poem aloud (or section of the short story they think alines with the painting) and then express why they chose this text to go with this painting. For an example I will do one myself. Wheat field with Crows (1890) Alone (published 1875) From childhood's hour I have not been As others were -- I have not seen As others saw -- I could not...
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Book Review

But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it. If I draw a cartoon of a flower, then every man, woman, and child in the world can look at it and say, “That’s a flower.” I love this quote so much, because we often find ourselves feeling restricted to our language and yet we all see the world, it's something we all have the ability to understand. I think that is amazing. I loved this book. I found the character very lovable and I think a lot of it had to do with his outlook on life. I wouldn't say it was very positive but it also wasn't negative either. It was complicated and that made it real. I feel like I connected to this kid on a lot of issues, how I felt as his age, and I think that has to do with my attachment to this book. Plus I love the drawings, I think they are sweet and true to the character. Even though this book was so easy to read it touched on a lot of deep and important themes. I would probably recommend this to a younger age group just becaus...
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