In “Raising Boys’ Attainment in Reading: Some Principles for Intervention,” Moss observes,

It has been known for some while that, in general terms, boys do less well than girls at reading, almost regardless of the criteria used to assess competence. Not only is their performance weaker, they also read fewer books than girls, and much less fiction (Barrs, 1993; Millard, 1997). (p. 101)

She points to research indicating that boys–again, in general terms–prefer non-fiction and remarks, “the commonsense view of why boys do less well at reading starts from the assumption that either boys’ preferences in reading material are insufficiently represented on the curriculum, or that boys see too few men reading to aspire to being readers themselves” (p. 104). While she sees the issue as being far more complex than what “commonsense” might suggest, she emphasizes that the only solution to the problem is to clarify “what our aspirations for readers are. The reading curriculum should be capable of preparing young people to tackle a wide range of texts, in a range of different media, intelligently and critically. Essentially it should enable them to put their reading competence to good use” (105).

I welcome your thoughts on Moss’s observations or on possible ways of engaging students through the non-fiction selections for 20 and 22 September. If you wish to comment on this topic, please click on comments below to do so. If you would like to start a new topic, go to the dashboard and write a new post.

Reference:

Moss, G. (2000). Raising Boys’ Attainment in Reading: Some Principles for Intervention. Reading, v34 n3, p101-106.

In regard to Jon Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” article, the phrase “truth is better than fiction” certainly applies.  Even though I read the novel years ago, I still cannot fathom how Jon survived his daunting endeavour.  The fact that he can retell his experience in such a gripping fashion makes it seem obvious as a great read for high school students.  Due to its length and technical language, I would prefer to assign it to a Grade 11 or 12 class for discussion. This text gives rise to the issues of striving for one’s personal dreams and goals.  Jon mentions that climbing Everest had always been a childhood dream, and once he was given the chance to join an expedition, he simply could not refuse.  I believe everybody has a special dream or goal that may or may not be kept secret, and the realization of this dream can be the zenith of that individual’s life.

Before assigning the article for reading, I would first ask the class as a group for information anyone had about Mt. Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary.  I believe that most of the class would know that Hillary was the first to climb the peak, but some may not.  For that reason I would hand out a succinct Hillary biography to ensure all the students knew the basic facts about him.  For example, the teacher could go to www.achievement.org or to any number of websites that easily catalogue his amazing life.

Next I would hand out a worksheet that required the students in paired groups to match the technical name of the most frequent physical ailments Everest climbers encounter to its definition.  These are some of the medical conditions I found most often mentioned in Krakauer’s article; cerebral edema, hypothermia, hypoxa, dementia, frostbite and gangrene. Once the class had finished this activity, I would hand out about half the article for reading homework, and I would also give the students class time to finish the rest of it.

For the next part of the lesson, I would ask the students to reflect on why so many men and women risk their lives to reach the summit of Everest.  For my part, I would share the story of my goal to complete a triathlon, even though I had doubts that I could physically and mentally accomplish it.  I would describe the weeks of training I endured, the support I received from friends and family, and finally what it felt like when I crossed the finish line two hours and twenty minutes after beginning the race.  Since Krakauer was so honest with his personal narrative, I would then ask the students to write an essay describing a goal or dream they have, or one that they have already achieved.  I would also give the class the option of writing an essay of  someone else’s dream that was realized if he or she did not feel comfortable sharing these very personal thoughts in writing.

Hearing of an individual’s courage to fulfill his or her dream is not only inspiring but also very human in nature.  As long as there are mountains to climb, there will always be those who ache to conquer them.

This is a repost of my comments on the post regarding “Hills Like White Elephants.”

This is a post in response to the mentioned difficulties in teaching Earnest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants;” namely the double problem of students having difficulty deducing the theme of the story on their own; and then becoming embroiled in a discussion about the subject presented rather than the story itself. One possible solution readily presents itself: have the students examine the language used in the story first, in an effort to deduce what the indirectly – spoken subject matter between the two characters is. Critical thinking is an important skill for learners, especially learners of literature. The critical thinking community at http://www.criticalthinking.org lists several traits of a good critical thinker:

* Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely

* Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively

* Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards

* Thinks openmindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences

* Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems

(http://www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?PageID=411&CategoryID=51)

We could help the students develop these skills, and solve the issue at hand by giving the students an activity like this:

1.        “In this story, the American man and Jig are talking around an important issue, without ever mentioning what that issue could be. What is that issue? There are possible clues inside and outside the dialogue.  In a small group make a list of these clues in the story, and then together brainstorm for a list of possible answers.  At the end of the discussion, each group will present three answers to the class. We will then decide together which answer or answers are most likely.” – In this task the students would use the “subtleties of the language” as a tool to understand the subject matter of the story.

2.       Discussion about the possible morality of the story might be a strength in disguise; so long as the teacher can relate the discussion to both the students’ lives and beliefs, and the story. James Henderson, in his book Reflective Teaching: Becoming an Inquiring Educator, recommends that teachers keep in mind these questions: “What is the relationship between what I am trying to teach and my students’ past experiences … [and] personal purposes?” Having the students interested in debating the topic of the story is a world of improvement over having them disinterested in it; and this can and should be used to a teacher’s advantage. Questions like: “What would you do in the Amercian’s / Jig’s situation? How about in a situation that was similar but not the same? Have you ever known anyone in this situation? Is there any indication in this story that Hemingway might feel one way or another? “ etc.

These activities are straightforward, and perhaps too straightforward. Perhaps a teacher could turn the confusion about the story’s subject matter to an advantage as well, and instead of the first activity I have mentioned, try something like this:

3.       Divide the students into groups of four. Hand two students in each groups “the answer.” One of “the answers” is the right one (or one close enough to it, if that is your purpose); the other is not. Give the answer holders two minutes to think (or no time at all, depending on your group), and then each “answer” holder must convince the remaining students that they have the correct answer. The remaining students have to judge. At the end of the discussion (set a time limit), then the teacher will tally up how each group ended up voting. The class can then decide which of the answers is likelier, based on the available evidence from the story.  The difficulty of this activity can be modified; for instance, the teacher could prepare four (or more) answer cards, thus leaving the class with more options at the end. However, this would leave certain groups with no “correct” answer. Some groups of students might not mind, but some might not like being “tricked’ in this way, so it would depend upon the situation. From experience, most of my students have enjoyed it when I was devious.

The problem here is, in some ways, only half a problem. The students mentioned were already interested in the issue, and only needed assistance developing the skills for identifying that issue from the text. By turning that uncertainty into a mystery to solve, a puzzle to figure out, a debate to win, or anything else the teacher knows their students might enjoy doing, a solution presents itself.

Brian MacDonald

PS Forgive the double post, but the formatting was destroyed when I pasted this into the “comment” section, and I was unable to edit my comment. This might be easier to read.

Hemingway is known for his economy of style. His writing has been characterized variously as spare, simple, and lean; nevertheless, his narratives can be challenging. In interviews my research team carried out with secondary and post-secondary educators last fall, for example, “Hills Like White Elephants” was identified as a difficult text to teach because of what is not said. Instructors noted that students were generally unable to pick up on what is implied but not named in this narrative. Further, when instructors explicated the story for their classes, they found students tended to become caught up in moralizing to the exclusion of any discussion about the subtlety of language use. I welcome your thoughts on this post or on one of the two below.

“Kew Gardens,” suggests Stevenson, “can be read, from a very objective, detached, abstract point of view, as a physics experiment”:

A hidden microphone (the snail) is placed randomly within a large public garden, and it records fragments of the conversations of a series of couples as they approach and pass, their voices emerging out of noise to make sense, then fading again into noise . . . There is also an omniscient observer, no less apparently trans-human, standing outside the system and encompassing or enclosing it, although this second observer or point of view becomes clearest at the story’s end.

Stevenson goes on to discuss the relation between these two perspectives, arguing that the narrative is “a sort of self-enclosed, self-creating, autopoietic ‘system’.” What is the effect for readers of this shifting viewpoint, and how might we facilitate the reading of such complex narratives for young people?

Reference

Stevenson, F. (2008). Enclosing the Whole: Woolf’s “Kew Gardens” as Autopoetic Narrative. Journal of the Short Story in English, 50, n.p. Available: http://jsse.revues.org/index721.html

In 1863 Gustav Freytag published Die Technik des Dramas, a book in which he considers dramatic structure in ancient Greek and Shakespearean tragedy. Freytag’s model of dramatic structure has been appropriated for use in teaching the short story, but whether it is suitable for this purpose is debatable.

Freytag's Pyramid

Considering the four short stories assigned for this week, to what extent is Freytag’s Pyramid useful when applied to contemporary fiction? What other approaches might be employed in considering narrative structure?

Welcome to the LLED 449 LitBlog. In this writing space you may engage in personal response or literary analysis, or you may consider the text under discussion from an educator’s point of view. (For example, what issues does this text give rise to? What are the potential challenges or benefits of teaching this text? For what age level might it be appropriate? What are some possible teaching strategies specific to this text?) In education, theory should inform practice and vice versa, so it is hoped your responses will reflect a range of perspectives, theoretical and practical, and demonstrate the relations between those perspectives. You may use this writing space, as well, to ask questions and engage the ideas of your peers.