Literacy Practices and Assessment

A boy’s walked past old trees as he neared his friend, Bear. Bear’s hind-legs were folded tight under his haunches, his forelegs pressing into the earth, as if the world were rising up from beneath him, and he had to push it down.

Boy walked up beside his friend, who stared straight ahead, motionless. Bear’s teeth were showing, each as thick as a human shin bone.

Hello, Bear.

Hll’llow.

May I stroke your neck?

Y’caan. Buchr g’nna loozyr haand.

Would you bit me?

Bear’s teeth shifted.

Why would you bite me?

The boy look at into Bear’s big, black eyes. They were perfect saucers, unknowable. The boy saw Bear’s struggle in his muscles, their tension translated into the rough grain of Bear’s fur. But the eyes were still. They were reflections of darkness on a lake where all the stars were hiding and the moon was new.

Bear spoke.

Because I am a bear, and sometimes, bears bite.

He moved his head away from the boy and his eyes fixed forward. The trees were pressing in, their greens and browns growing darker with each passing moment.

Boy stood next to his friend for a few moments longer, his hand moving a little as he stared at Bear’s neck. Finally, he bowed his head and turned to leave, the trees pressing in, and the sound of Bear’s hot breath fading away as the boy walked on.

Kukwalit (A house dish), Beaver

We call ourselves the Lawitsis people on Turnour island.  When we were growing up, I remember helping mother prepare food for the potlatch.  We had prepared a large quantity of fish with herbs from the meadow and cooked it slowly on the fire.  When ready, we would transfer the food to the Lukwalit or house dish and bring it to the people.  The food would stay warm for hours and give a lovely aroma to the whole house.  I loved the way we would all sit around it and wait for our turn to be served while listening for stories and playing games.  The huge spoon looked so heavy!  I remember being so hungry and staring at the intricate carvings.  Each house dish represented an animal and was painted with bright colours.  Ours was a beaver.  Once I watched an artist make a Lukwalit and realized that it is made out of one cedar block!

The best part of being an English/Theatre major is the freedom and creativity in interpretation. When I saw this collection of framed works I immediately thought of being in a home. A place where art is celebrated and appreciated. A place where a photo or painting is more than a drawing but instead it represents a family. Anyways, here is the monologue/creative writing thing that was inspired from the photo above … (Interpret it how you will.)

Sitting beside a crackling wood stove; I stare in astonishment at the history that lines of the walls of my grandmother’s home. A museum where my families history is the main exhibit. Walls dripping with images, fabrics, scents that define who I am and who our family is. The most appetizing Sunday is spent here. Curled up with a novel, soft music adding to the atmosphere and a purring kitten at the tip of your toes. My grandmother sits across from me. She is smiling. I can see from the beautiful cracks in her porcelain skin; that she has lived a admirable life. She is the tree that roots our family and her home is our shelter.

For the assignment I chose to teach Christine six different types of stages found in Theaters across the globe. The picture above is what the cheat sheet I used and the photo below is one of the six pages I had used on my practicum. The worksheet I used to teach her was from my practicum school and used to teach grade 8 drama students. My cheat sheet for Christine consisted of simple drawings condensed onto one page so  that she could use while drawing on the board in front of our group. The picture is key while teaching this to students so they understand the audiences relation to the stage. Christine did a wonderful job re teaching and answering questions from the group. She was confident and was even able to use humor while teaching.  She also used the visual aid to help answer the questions. The only thing I forgot to mention to her was the order of the creation of stages and where they could be found around the world, but that was due to the time restraint

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