I asked the students to decide which lens each person would read from. Everyone was required to have a different lens to enhance discussion, but they also had to switch for every new section of readings, meaning a student who selected to read from one theoretical lens would have to pick different lenses for the other sections of the text.
I like how they turned literary/theoretical lenses into almost a game.
I provided a variety of lenses so that my activity would not be “dogmatic or propagandistic” for students’ learning
The idea that only looking at one lens could come off as propagandistic and alienate certain students is a very interesting point that I had not thought of before.
If they did not have enough time to complete the assignment, their work was rushed, leading to less thoughtful analysis.
This is a really important outlook on student work, I think. So many teachers forget how busy students are in every area of life, but it also is not beneficial to the teacher to give strict schedules of work, as the work is bound to be rushed and ineffective that way.
Sustained silent reading, which permits students to voluntarily select books of their choice, existed in classrooms, but in preparation for the state exams, major activi-ties and assessments focused on the mandatory read-ings for ninth grade
It is incredibly sad to read about how state mandated exams can interfere with student choice in class reading.
But they’re supposed to like English! It’s an honors class! I thought, confused, as I listened to my students share their attitudes about the required readings.
This is a really interesting segment. "But they're honors students? They're supposed to like it!" is probably one of the biggest misconceptions. How do we combat apathy in honors classes as well as onlevel classes?
So you think that I am mad? A madman cannot plan. But you should have seen me. During all of that week I was as friendly to the old man as I could be, and warm, and loving.
I like this creepy discussion of what makes a mad man. Is it impulsivity or cool calculation? i love this story so much because of the narrator's contradicting sense of normalcy as he discusses his madness.
Indeed, the illness only made my mind, my feelings, my senses stronger, more powerful. My sense of hearing especially became more powerful. I could hear sounds I had never heard before. I heard sounds from heaven; and I heard sounds from hell!
This description of "madness" is really interesting. It makes it very clear that we are dealing with an unreliable narrator here.
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The narrator is breaking the fourth wall! I suspect that will be an important part of the narration...