BOOK TALK- THE ISLAND

The Island by Gary Paulsen

Description of text

The Island follows 15-year-old Wil Neuton and his discovery of the island. After Wil and his family move to Wisconsin Wil’s parents are fighting frequently. Wil withdrawals from the life around him and finds the island within a nearby lake. Wil’s focus becomes self-absorbed and he begins to spend all his time on the island. At first, it’s daily and moves to days on end. People visit Wil on his island throughout the text and Wil fights each one off.

Susan (close friend): fights off with kind words

Ray (Bully): fights off with fists

His Parents: fights off with determination

Counselor: fights off with scorn

Journalists/t.v. crews: fights off with cleverness

Wil begins to mature while on the island. He paints the island and friends/family around him/memories. Taking in details and representing them how he sees fit. The more Wil studies others, the more he learns of himself. As more people come to visit him- they begin to visit a new Wil. Wil eventually leaves the island a “new man” and matured (still 15). The island is a friend, mentor, and parent to Wil.

Why I chose it…

Great coming of age story told from an adolescent perspective (relatable to students). Teaches valuable lessons that can be taught within the classroom. Connection to nature unlike in Hatchet and promotes healthy self-reflection and growth. (grades 6-10)

Teaching ideas

1.      Personal narrative – having students write about their own life experience with nature/ alone time in personal narrative form, inspiration from the book

2.      Imagery practice- draw or paint some images from the text the way the reader interrupts it, practice of imagery

3.      Cause and Effect- demonstrated the cause and effect on relationship of Wil and the people he encounters, Make timeline of Wil

Challenges with the text

Students- Could find it hard to read with imagery at lower grade levels, it is a larger book.

Parents- Don’t want students reading about a boy being able to run away from home/ disrespect or go against parents

Admin- Not many schools use the book and curriculum has not been tested around the book.

THE ROUND HOUSE

How can terrible acts change a person for the better or the worse? Using themes of good and evil can help students form analysis of texts and give textual examples to support claims. There is an abundance of lesson to frame around the text. Whether is be teaching to dive deeper within the text or learning basic literary elements.

Following a thirteen-year-old facing the most unspeakable can bring great topics for discussion into the classroom. The author does an amazing job of giving a platform to an adolescent and following how adolescents deal with bad circumstances. As a teacher, I would use the controversial topics to prompt students to think about their own lives and how they would handle certain situations. One of the most blatant themes within the text is family. With how caring the boy and father are about the mother to the father and son working together to help the mother. Geraldine is the “glue” of the family and everything that happens within the family is motivated by the mother.

 The Round House brings light to a Native American narrative and helps students understand a culture different from their own. Or giving those with the same culture/heritage a platform to be represented through text. The only problems I can foresee with using this novel is the graphic content of the novel and the references to rape and murder. The solution to the controversial topics is to preface the class and have discussions about what is appropriate within the classroom. Administration WILL have problems with the text but as a teacher- I would highlight the fact that the story is being told from the eyes of  a thirteen year old and it can be beneficial for students to be able to see a relatable character and talk about their own lives and hardships in a safe space.

I READ IT, BUT I DON'T GET IT

I want to focus on fake reading because it is the most problematic of teaching English/language arts. As a highschool student, I was a fake reader when I came to class readings. It was far too easy to google the well known book and found common themes and the endings of books. Reading at a classroom pace and a classroom book was a trouble to me. It was always painfully too slow or too fast of a pace. All of the answers were already found for me.

Students can fake read for many reasons. For example, not understanding the text or not wanting to lookunintelligent. Communication with students is the main way to end fake reading. Talking with students about how they can connect to the readings is crucial. The unique layout and narrator of the book makes it easy for teachers to use the guide within their classroom. Teachers need to know h less to connect with students to get them to become stronger readers.

Identifying where students have the most issues reading or understanding text is a huge step in helping students become better readers. If a teacher is to read a text and go find what their students could have issues with (vocabulary, point of view, ect), teachers will be able to narrow down what is holding students back.

There are so many ideas within the text I plan to use within my own classroom with my own students. Making my students strong readers is a top priority.

MAKING GOOD CHOICES (TPA)

Time management is the biggest struggle I see myself facing wen completing the EdTPA. “Making Good Choices” gives valid advice on how to get started on the TPA. Planning is essential in not wasting time and getting the ball rolling. As soon as possible I need to begin planning my assessments and end goal. I will need to work steadily and regularly and save time for my revisions. Knowing what is required to complete the EdTPA will start the process of on the right foot. The texts suggest reading through the handbook before beginning the process to save time on wondering what is needed.

Organization is one of my strong suits and the organization of TPA is very important upon submitting. Making the TPA the easiest to read for assessors is the main priority. There are also page limits to the TPA and commentaries sent in. Portfolios that have unnecessary or inappropriate will receive condition codes. Organization goes hand in hand with context. You can have amazing organization but the context can be wack. Making sure to meet requirements of what is supposed to be disclosed is critical: “The Context for Learning artifact allows you to describe your school setting along with the particular features of your classroom. It informs scorers about the class you are teaching and the teaching environment along with knowledge about the learning needs of your students and their supports/accommodations.”

Showing students who are engaged during filming is important. Not just participation but higher levels of thinking need to be documented. Asking the right questions on and off camera can engage students in discussion. Keeping students on task and remaining respect can be practiced and fulfilled before the recordings need to happen. Deeping student understanding should come naturally within the context of the class because it will always be a goal that is on your mind.

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LEARNING

Mass media is a large part of every students’ and person in general’s life. Media can impact the minds of students’ either positively or negatively. Teachers can be an influential part of how students view media and what media sources students believe in: “Most people spend as much as a third of their lives engaged with mass media. A person of 60 years of age, for example, has seen, read, or heard as many as 50 million advertisements.”. Meaning an average student is susceptible to thousands of advertisements and mass media elements per year. Teachers can inform student on which sites or propagandas are reliable or unreliable. Using an example of fox news- students should be taught to understand motive and screen different things within the media- including the very republican side of fox news.

Students will have their own beliefs and arguments but it is up to the teacher to supply tools and resources to help students form educated beliefs and arguments. Ever source from the mass media will have some sort of twist or side. Students will need to be able to see all sides to every source.

Mass media is not a reliable source for students to create beliefs or arguments. Students will need to know how to find peer reviewed articles and texts. Teachers will help students achieve their argumentative goals by providing databases, texts, and analysis tips. Students will be able to analyze media and texts before they understand they are analyzing. Teachers will need to be able to help students to understand their analysis abilities. Mass media can be an essential part of a student’s education and can be used for the right reasons. Given the tools to understand what is bs and what is not- students will create opinions that are educated and informative.

PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED

The relationship between the student and teacher is the most valuable relationship in and out of the classroom. Chapter 2 brings up multiple valid points on how education and relationships within the classroom are struggling. First, students should not be taught like they are empty containers being filled. Students already have life experiences and background knowledge to help them grasps new concepts. The example in the chapter is the memorization of capitals. Instead of having students memorize capitals for no reason- relate the information to their current life and why the capitals are important to know. Same with vocabulary or other subjects.

Second, some teachers fail to make learning a student priority. Teachers are focused on getting the content into the students they dont realize students are the main priority. If a student is struggling- a teacher can keep giving that student information but until the student is participating and communicating- the information is a lost cause.
Students struggling brings up the myth that teachers know all and students know nothing. While teachers are trained and know the content knowledge but students know a lot as well. Students are an equal part of the classroom and deserve to be treated as knowledgable along with teachers. Treating students as if they don't know anything will stunt the confidence and investigative aspects of a student's learning. These qualities cannot be stunted because they lead to later ability to analyze and understand circumstances outside of the classroom and in higher education if chosen.

Overall, the chapter brought to life many mistakes and misconceptions within the classroom. Students hold more knowledge and power than they are given credit for. Students are more than empty containers needed to be filled with teacher knowledge. Student are already complete and an education only adds to their success. Even students who do not content with content can be reached in different ways and taught the content- it does not make those students lesser than their peers or teachers. Education within the classroom does not need to struggle and can improve on many levels.

GRADES, REPORT CARDS, AND HOMEWORK

Student achievement and tracking student progress is one of the main purposes of grading and report cards. While students are in class for seven hours a day- it is important to understand how students are learning and where their time is going. The purpose of grading “is to communicate, to all stakeholders, student achievement toward specific standards at a certain point in time to inspire future achievement an impact change.” BASICALLY, grades are used to show where a student is in the curriculum and push the student to do better. Same as with the report card. Grades are important in order to see student growth- but what is the growth? How decided what students need to know and study? How did trigonometry or biology come into the need for students to learn? How did standardized test subjects come into play?

Homework can also be an essential way to boost student grades, participation, and growth. Homework provides practice for students outside of the classroom. In my opinion- homework should not be graded. Natural consequences will happen for students who do not do the practice and the lack of practice will show up on future assessments. The homework that is completed will receive feedback. It is silly to have students practice and then not do anything with the practice. Homework helps teachers see where a student is- if the homework is given out. If a school does not give out homework- building in practice time within the classroom will be essential to student growth.

Grades and homework should never be used to guilt or make students feel bad about their progress. They should be used to show where a student is at and motivate the student into meeting standards. They should also be used to track the gaps in student learning to help teachers fill the gaps.

ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATE

Within the assignment template there is a section on understanding key vocabulary. Students will encounter difficult or new vocabulary with each assignment/reading. Helping students grasp key vocabulary is critical to learning. Presenting new words to students by connecting the new words to concepts they already know is the best way to get students familiar with vocabulary: “Independent Word Learning Strategies: Familiarize students with word parts/morphology, Give students practice with context clues, Teach students to find definitions, Help students develop procedures for dealing with unknown words”. It is easier to link new concepts with knowledge that already exists.

                When teaching students new words- it is important to familiarize students with word parts/morphology. Students who are familiar with the roots of words will be able to link roots and learn new words. If a student doesn’t know vocabulary they will be less likely to connect with a text and eventually form an analysis on the text.

                Another important concept from the template is reading to understand. Students can read and not understand what they were reading. Having students answer questions as they go along in their readings can be the most effective. For example, if students are reading a new text or concept- asking the following questions can help grasp what they just read: “Which of your predictions turned out to be true?, what surprised you? If any of your predictions were inaccurate what in the text mislead you? Can you answer the question you created from the title?, and What if anything is confusing to you?”. Either students can ask these question on their own OR the teacher can lead a class discussion OR students can lead a classroom discussion.

                There are way more amazing tip and tricks to help students learn within the assignment template. Learning new vocabulary and reading new texts can be tricky for students but teachers can help guide students along in the process.