Pytash- Wiki Reflection

            When I first drew The Help as my assigned text at the beginning of the semester, I was a little disappointed. Most of my classmates had classic texts whereas I had a text that was published in 2009. In the beginning of my search for lesson plans and activities I was under the impression that the links had to relate exclusively to The Help. With hours of searching and only three links to show for it, I was a little discouraged.

            I brainstormed some ideas for my wiki with Dr.Pytash, and I ended up finding a lot of great resources. I was surprised at the number of educational tools and resources I discovered through this project, and at the amount of lessons and activities that were multi-modal.  Despite the fact that the lessons and activities I found were relatively different from more traditional methods, they all met at least one of the standards and were theoretically sound.

            All of my links were based on the educational standards from grades 7-12, so I looked for a variety of different ideas. While I feel that some of my lessons and activities favor middle school students and others, high school students, they all meet the developmental needs of students within that age group.

            The Help takes place in the 1960’s during the civil rights movement when there was a lot of racial tension. I was careful to choose links that were sensitive to the needs of diverse students that may be in my class one day.

            This book has a lot of historical references in it, so I found a few links that dealt with this time period. A lot of the resources said that the lessons could be used for English or Social Studies, so I thought that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to collaborate with Social Studies teachers when teaching this text.

            I learned a lot about the historical context of this book through completing this assignment. I also learned that when teaching a newer text I have to be creative in my findings. I couldn’t rely on finding activities and lessons which were solely based on the book but I had to think about literary elements in the text as well as the historical context.

            Overall, I think my hard work paid off, and I am excited to use the resources that I found in the classroom.

Kist Graphic Novels

Text and Dialogue 

Narration:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Told from first person POV.
Naruto- Told from third person POV.




Balloons:

Both Pinocchio Vampire Slayer and Naruto use a lot of balloons throughout the story.

Captions:

There are only a few captions in both of the graphic novels.

Emanata:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Rarely used.

Naruto- Used several times to indicate shock or surprise.

Labels/Signs:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- None Present.

Naruto- Used to show readers which direction to read. 

Lettering:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Normal size lettering subtle uses of bold and italics.

Naruto- Large size lettering more obvious uses of bold and italics.

Sound Effects:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Some instances of sound effects (for characters actions). 

Naruto- Uses sound effects often for movement (ninja moves).

Visual Features

Characters: 

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- All look dark and creepy.

Naruto- All are very detailed and have an anime look.

Objects:

Both graphic novels have uses of objects. 

Icons:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Rarely (maybe only one instance).

Naruto- Several uses (exclamation points, question marks, and hearts). 

Scenery:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Used a lot and is very dark and ominous. 

Naruto- Used a lot to show location of characters (displays of nature classrooms etc).

Depicted action:

Both graphic novels use external action and internal action/conflict through dialogue. 

General Layout and Design

Borders:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Used often, but some pages do not have any because it is showing a whole scene.

Naruto- Used on almost every page.

Gutters: 

Both graphic novels use gutters but Naruto uses it much more whereas Pinocchio has more open space in between. 

Panels:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Several uses, but some pages do not have panels in order to show a scene.

Naruto- Uses on almost every page. 

Open Panel:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Several uses.

Naruto- Rarely used.

Splash:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Uses splash a few times.

Naruto- Rarely uses splash in the story.

Angles and Frames

Bleed:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Uses bleed more with characters.

Naruto- Uses bleed more with letters.

Close-up: 

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Few instances of close up.

Naruto- Several Close-ups mainly used to convey the characters' emotions. 

Head shot:

Both graphic novels use head shots, but Naruto uses this shot more.

Head-shoulder shot:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Few instances. 

Naruto- Shot that is used most often in the story.

Full-figure shot:

Both graphic novels use this shot, but it is used more often in Pinocchio Vampire Slayer.

Longshot:

Both graphic novels use this shot, in Pinocchio Vampire Slayer we see the entire figure of a shadow that appears to be far away and in Naruto we see a full figure of a character running.

Extreme longshot:

Very few (if any) in both graphic novels. 

Reverse:


Both have few instances of reverse one where we can see the back of the protagonist and view the faces of those looking at him (Naruto) and the other where the protagonists does not see people looking at him and the reader can (Pinocchio).

Rhetorical techniques applied in text, visuals, and design

Exaggeration:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Some instances of exaggeration. 

Naruto- Characters actions were exaggerated. 

Empathy/identification:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Readers can empathize with Pinocchio because he feels like he is at fault for people dying and missing and has a large burden on his shoulders to protect villagers from harm. 

Naruto- Readers can empathize with Naruto because he is singled out because he is an orphan and a trouble maker. 

Mood/tone:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- The mood is very dark. 

Naruto- Very suspenseful; some sort of action is always taking place.

Simplicity/complexity:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Simple, because it was easy to follow and understand.

Naruto- Complex, because it was really confusing and hard to follow.

Irony/satire:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Irony, because his creator turns out to be evil.

Naruto- Irony, because he finds out he is the nine tailed fox demon.

Realism/icons/symbolism:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Pinocchio's nose is a symbol. Realistic emotions (internal struggles). 

Naruto- Realistic setting (Icons mentioned above).

Order/disorder:

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer- Disorder in the village.

Naruto- Disorder in Naruto's life.

Juxtaposition:

Both have bad vs. good. Pinocchio faces monsters and Naruto, himself.

Relationships:


Both graphic novels show positive and negative relationships. Naruto has far more relationships in the story which were hard to keep up with at times.

Point of View: 


Both can be viewed as outsider and child. Pinocchio is told in first person POV through Pinocchio's eyes and Naruto is told in third person POV but Naruto is the protagonist/ main character.

Pytash Ch.6 Lesson Design for Classical Literature

I am going to be honest, the first few pages of this chapter scared me a bit. When describing teaching as a profession Jago states, "Some say of education that we are the only profession that eats its young (95)." Clearly, we need to re-examine the way that the teaching process works.

I personally really like some of the ideas from the lesson study in Japan. First I like that the program is made for teachers and by teachers. The idea of working collaboratively with colleagues would definitely help teachers with their lesson plans and teaching practices. As a pre-service teacher, I would value the time spent with more experienced teachers.

I found Jago's comprehension tools and activities very helpful. I can definitely see myself using some of her ideas in my classroom. I like the idea of charts for understanding families within a text. For character analysis, I really like the Odysseus' Open Mind activity. Overall, I think all of her ideas would benefit any new teacher.

Pytash Ch.4 How Stories Work

I can truly relate to Jago's thoughts as a student, "I can remember as a student being in awe of my teachers' ability to identify themes (61)."

I remember sitting at my desk thinking, how does this teacher come up with this? It made sense when the teacher elaborated and explained their thinking but I was never very good at performing this process on my own. If students become familiar with how a plot works as well as how other elements of fiction work they will be one step closer to understanding a difficult text.

Jago also brings up a good point when she describes literary devices, "What they don't understand is that understanding how literary devices work gives readers power over text.

To me, these literary devices and elements of fictions are like formulas in math; how can we expect students to get through a text without understanding these crucial elements?

Pytash Ch.2

I really love some of the ideas that Jago presents in this chapter concerning vocabulary. Rather than having students memorize lists of vocab, she uses methods that make vocab more relevant. The bookmark is a great example of how teachers can make vocabulary words more relevant. By using the bookmark, students are more likely to pay attention to words and write them down, rather than skimming over them while reading. I like how Jago takes her vocabulary lesson further by having students categorize the words they wrote down on their book marks by mood. By categorizing the words, students can see how authors use specific words to establish mood in literature.

Another idea Jago uses to help her students understand a piece of literature and vocabulary is introducing key words from the text and discussing the meaning of the key terms before reading. After reading the text, the students find instances in which the character demonstrates characteristics from the key terms. By completing this exercise, students will not only expand their vocabulary but they will have a better understanding of the text as well. The students than use the key words to describe someone they know, which can help them see how these terms can be used in everyday life.

Overall, I really like Jago's ideas about teaching vocabulary. Instead of teaching lists of words every week, she shows how vocabulary can be tied into class readings and student's lives.

Kist- Vincent Wants to Sea

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this Film Festival experience. I thought that I would have to spend time and money on something that I wouldn't even enjoy, but I was wrong. When I arrived to Tower City, there were a lot more people than I expected to see lining up to go see films. The film that I originally wanted to see was sold out, so on a whim my group decided to see Vincent Wants to Sea. To my horror, the whole thing was in German with English subtitles which usually annoys me. Despite the fact that I did not see the film I had originally intended to and the whole thing was in German, I really enjoyed it.

I would love to merge this experience with one of my lessons when I become a teacher and take my class on a field trip to the Film Festival.

Here is a clip of Vincent Wants to Sea if anyone is interested.
Vincent Wants to Sea


Review

Personal Issues- The three main characters; Vincent, Alex, and Marie all have mental health problems. Vincent has Tourettes syndrome, Alex has O.C.D, and Marie has anorexia. I was surprised at how much I could relate to the characters in that they were different from the people around  them. I have A.D.D and I was diagnosed while I was  in elementary school. I was really self-conscious when the school psychiatrist came to my class every week for appointments. Maybe this was all in my head but I felt that my classmates knew something was up, and that I was different than them in some way. Because of my own experience, I can definitely relate to these characters feelings about being different than everyone else.

Technique- I felt the camera work was truly spectacular in this film. One instances is when Vincent, Marie, and Alex are climbing a mountain. When they reach the top, they notice a large cross that looks over the entire mountain. The three climb on the cross and sit on it without saying a word. When the camera shows their faces they all look happy and free. I feel that climbing this mountain represents something more profound to all of these characters and the camera illustrates this beautifully.

Acting- Vincent, Alex, and Marie were the principal roles in this film. The actors and actress who portray these characters do a spectacular job of showing the viewer what its like to have these mental health problems. Marie was played by a girl who was very thin but this clearly was not the only reason that she was chosen to be in the film.

Plot- The story begins at Vincent's mother's funeral where we see the symptoms of Vincent's mental illness. Because of his mental illness and the fact that his mother just passed away, Vincent's father takes him to a mental health facility. He is greeted by a doctor when he arrives and his roommate Alex who has O.C.D. He is later introduced to Marie and the two have an instant connection. During an argument with her therapist, Marie steels the therapists keys and plans a get-a-way with Vincent. When Alex threatens to ruin their plan, the two put him in the back of the car and head to the Sea. They are soon pursued by Vincent's strict father and their therapist. This story is about how this journey changes all of them.

Themes- The issues in this film seem to surround those with the mental health problems. The viewer comes to question whether or not the characters are better of in the facility or on their own. While two of the characters seem to learn how to cope with their illness, one struggles severely. The relationship between father and son is an important aspect of the film, which changes over the course of the film. I feel that the message in this film is that we should try to understand those around us and help them in the best way possible.

Genre- I feel like this belongs the coming of age category because through this journey the characters learn to accept themselves and each other. The common characteristics of these films is that there is a change in a major character or they grow in some way. I feel this genre is popular because everyone can relate to it.

Representation- This film represents people with mental health disorders and portrays them as people with real emotions and feelings.I think the film represents them in this way so that viewers can look beyond the disabilities these people have.

Ideology- The father son relationship in this film is challenged throughout the film. The father seems to have had enough of Vincent and continually expresses his disappointment. When Vincent is missing his father is at first frustrated and angry with him, but in the end they both learn to understand each other.

Kist- Video Games in the Classroom

While reading this article I was intrigued by the study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2006 which researched why almost a third of American public-high-school students fail to graduate with their class. Most students told researches that school was boring. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised at the final recommendations which were to “make school more relevant and engaging (4).”

Schools have not changed in a long time, even though the students who attend those schools have. Obviously, this is a problem we face as educators. The solution seems simple, make schools more relevant and engaging, but why haven’t they?

Perhaps it is because we look at the way children use media so critically as Levine suggests, and instead of criticizing we should use their interests in media and technology to our advantage.  

“Kids are literally wearing digital media,” Levine says. “It’s present everywhere in their lives, except for in the learning environment(4).”

I whole heartedly agree with Levine’s statements; we need to incorporate these new technologies into out classrooms to make learning more relevant to our students.

Incorportating video games into the classroom is definitely a step in the right direction in that students are so interested in gaming. Even though it is relatively new to schools I am interested in seeing developments in this idea of gaming in school and how I can use it one day.

When speaking about the idea of gaming in the classroom Levine says: “Odds are it will take a long time. But I don’t know what the alternative is. My view of it is that we will never get to the holy land in terms of educational performance unless we do something about the engagement factor(4).”

This leads me back to my thoughts on test preparation- we need to go outside of traditional methods and incorporate students apparent interest in technology or nothing will change. We can’t just keep trying the same things and expect different results from our students.

Links

I found this website to be quite relevant to the article Video Games in the Clasroom. It even has activity ideas and all sorts of nifty ideas.

playingtolearn.org