October Reviews

October! The longest month of the school year is over and I have survived. And maybe even a little better than just survived? Dare I say this month has been pretty decent? Sure, behind with grading, house a mess, tired, yadda yadda yadda, but we have had some fun and I've read some good stuff. Here's how I did:

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

320 pages

A tragic accident leaves June without her daughter, her soon-to-be son-in-law, her current boyfriend, and ex-husband. A town is shaken and so many lives are greatly impacted. This story shows us how people grieve differently and how easy it is to simply just be there for others (but also how to hurt them). This book touches on race, social class, and familial bonds, while focusing on vulnerability.

Verdict: This novel weighed so heavily on my heart, but at the same time was also hopeful and simply wonderful. I at first balked at having to manage so many different perspectives (that chapters are from that of several different characters), but I came around. This book will definitely be a contended for my top ten list at the end of the year (so will the next one).

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

304 pages

The narrator of this satirical novel about race and class is an African American man who decides that in order to put his town of Dickens back on the map he's going to shake things up a bit, by doing things like reinstituting segregation, keeping a slave (although he does employ the local S&M club to do his whipping, though), and changing city signage. There's so many hilarious, yet sobering elements to this book that I can barely scratch the surface here. A group of intellectuals that meet at a donut shop, a cow castration at career day in which a little girl finishes the task and keeps the remains, countless uses of the "n-word," stereotypes galore, and the obvious message that we do not live in a country where racism isn't a issue. 

Verdict: I loved this book and think Beatty is a brilliant satirist. He calls attention to important issues at hand, backslapping each with humor and wit. The problem? The people that need to read this book won't, and even if they did, they wouldn't get it. We have a long way to go.

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

272 pages

Eleanor is an artist who is seven years behind on her graphic memoir. Her son, a possibly homosexual elementary student, is struggling at school and needs to take the day off. Her husband, a wildly successful doctor, is basically missing. Eleanor thought that her day would be different in a good way- not in a chaotic way that would make her examine each and every element of her life closely in stressful situations. And not only is her present precarious, her past also resurfaces, showing some wounds that have still not healed.

Verdict: It sounds interesting and witty, but I think compared to Semple's other book, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, this one fell short. There were many similarities (quirky kid, Seattle, disappearing spouse, etc...) and the twist at the end was disappointing. It still did have fun, humorous moments, though, so this is most definitely one to get next year to read while floating around the pool with a cocktail.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

517 pages

Pip loves Estella. Pip gets a mysterious benefactor. Pip sort of becomes a d-bag. Pip abandons Joe, the only person that was truly good to him. Pip- wait, you read this in high school? You remember? I'll spare you. I was about to ruin it anyway.

Verdict: Dickens. Sigh. Loooooong sigh. I read this because I am advising a student on his extended essay on the book at work, so it wouldn't have been something I chose on my own. But, as much as I make fun on if, I actually like it. Yup, I like a Charles Dickens book. Sure, he's wordy and so very, very descriptive, but there's something about Miss Havisham and Jaggers and The Convict that I sort of love. 

 1413 pages

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

[from the Safari Park]

Happy Wednesday! Link up, link back, tell your friends. 

1. Man, if spring break (in progress now) is any indication of what summer will be like, I am SO EXCITED. We've seen friends, we've done some fun local activities, I've gotten a few things done around the house, I've worked out, and I've gotten a little more sleep than normal. Sawyer is also a much happier little nugget when he's not being shuffled around from daycare to home and waking up before 6 am to do so (we do love our daycare lady, don't get me wrong).

2. I just wish the Man in the Yellow Hat would completely lose his shit with George just once in awhile.

3. This clip from the Obamas reading Where the Wild Things Are at Easter is pretty much the best. I know he does this every year, but I've never actually watched it, so it was basically new to me. No president is perfect, but I will definitely miss his charisma and his easy interactions with people.

4. I have to confess that I have no clue what the new Harry Potter book is going to be about... buuuuuut I did preorder it.

5. File under things I cannot handle: listening to the soaking tub in the master bath upstairs drain while I'm sitting below it in the living room. 

6. I love that little kids don't care at all if they know the words to a song. They just sing anyway. 

7. The HVAC guy is in the attic right now servicing the heater and I'm worried he's going to fine a) something expensive wrong with it b) a leak or mold he'll casually mention on his way out c) some sort of crazy bugs d) the homeless person I think might live up there. I'm so glad I'm never irrational. 

8. Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week for seniors at school and I received unexpected emails from past and present students, little tokens of appreciation, thoughtful gifts, and some tear/laughter-provoking letters. Bottom line? While I can't wait for summer break, I can wait for them to graduate and leave me. Last time I had a group of seniors that had been with me 2-3 years I was out on maternity leave for the last six weeks of school and didn't have to deal with really saying good-bye. This year I'm going to have to face the music and it's getting harder to stay in denial about it. 

9. "I really need to watch what I eat now that Easter is over and warmer weather is coming." Five minutes later... "I should make cake pops with the leftover bunny cake." Goes to the store, buys things for cake pops. 

10. I am reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad for work and have found that ten to twelve pages a day is making the book a lot easier to get through time time around (this is the third time I've had to read it).

Reading Margaret for the First Time as an Adult

Somehow, I missed the memo as a preteen that I was supposed to read and identify Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. I read some of her other books, but this one somehow slipped through the cracks. I saw Blume speak a few years ago at a festival and mentally put the YA novel on my wish list (for the record, it's the only YA book on there) but, once again, overlooked it. I finally picked it up this summer after grabbing her newest adult novel, In the Unlikely Event, and seeing other bloggers, like Rory, revisit this classic. So, I decided I'd read about twelve-year-old Margaret for the first time at thirty-one.

One thing that stood out to me the most was the lack of technology. I loved it! These kids had to work at finding out if someone liked them- they couldn't just jump on SnapChat. They had to use house phones and look people "in the book." They experienced boredom. They had to go outside and run in the sprinklers to cool off instead of streaming a movie on Netflix in the air conditioned indoors. Oh, and they use encyclopedias for school work (and to look up male anatomy, naturally). It's all so endearing and refreshing. 

Another thing that struck me was Margaret and her friends' extensive conversations about boobs and periods. Maybe it's just me and my total disgust with bodily functions, but I never ever remember talking about those sorts of topics with anyone when I was that age. It's probably a good things I have a son.

I did love how religion was handled in this book. Margaret's parents aren't practicing, since their parents had conflicting ideas about such topics before they married, yet she is still very interested in religion and embarks on a school project to invest her options. Honestly, after reading this I decided that everyone should wait until they're an adult to pick their religious path. So often people are Catholic or Methodist or whatever because that's how they were raised and haven't really thought about it for themselves. But anyway, I digress. 

[source]

It was a super, super quick book that I read in snippets while keeping one eye on the kid. It was nice to see what all the fuss is about, but I'm guessing I'd feel a little more warm and fuzzy about the whole thing if there was a nostalgic factor for me, which there is not. I do think this is still a great book for the ten-twelve crowd, though! 

Go Set a Watchman- Preliminary Thoughts

I, like most people, was excited and cautious when I heard about the new Harper Lee book a few months ago. I was skeptical about the timing (Lee's sister had died) and I knew that there was probably a reason Go Set a Watchman had never been published. Nonetheless, it's a literary event one way or the other! I pre-ordered my copy, set myself up to finish To Kill a Mockingbird just before release day, and stayed the hell away from advance commentary (and still have, until this post is finished, and then game on). So, honestly, I'm not sure what everyone is saying, but here are some of my preliminary thoughts on the book (spoilers will be indicated!):

1. It's boring- I had a really hard time getting into this book, and a found it difficult to become invested (in fact, I didn't, but more on that in a second). So often I just wanted to be done. There was some information that just didn't seem that pertinent and made the novel drag on. 

2. Remembering context- There are going to be a lot of inconsistencies between the two novels, since she wrote GSAW first (it's set twenty years in the future, when Scout is an adult). Don't hold it against Lee or the book. 

3. A first draft?- Go Set a Watchman reads like a first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. It seems the editor took a look at it, told her to keep some characters and take the idea of the childhood flashbacks to turn into the real novel. There are some similar lines that are used in each.

4. (SPOILER... sort of?) The Atticus situation- We all love Atticus Finch; in fact, if he were a real man I'd like to leave my husband for him (kidding, kidding). So when it comes about that he has mingled with both the Klan and other racist groups people are going to be devastated. But remember, Lee didn't originally intend for him to the be saint he was in TKAM; this is the real Atticus, essentially. He's far less progressive than we're used to, and while he's not exactly a full-blown racist (the argument of whether or not you can be partially racist is another conversation), he believes the Civil Rights movement needs to slow its roll. There's this idea in the book about Scout realizing that her father isn't a God; as readers we need to accept this as well. 

5. It's not well-written- While TKAM is rough around the edges at times, it does have some polished, well-crafted poignant moments. GSAW really doesn't have much that's comparable. But again, TKAM was written by a more experienced writer.

6. The characters are flat- The characters in  GSAW are fairly one-dimensional, lacking the depth and development that they could. The biggest culprits are Aunt Alexadria and Henry. I would have loved to get to know Dr. Finch more, and Scout herself could have been fleshed out a lot more. No one is special, no one is really worth becoming emotional over.

7. Probably more realistic- When it comes to race, GSAW is much dirtier than TKAM, in regards to racism. There was racism in TKAM, but Atticus' white-knighting (no pun intended) was more the focus. In GSAW we see the darker side of how the white leaders in a community saw civil rights. It's sad, and it's not as pretty or feel-good, but I feel there's probably more truth in GSAW.

8. The ending- The ending is rushed, a bit forced, and wrapped up too neatly, considering the heavy topics (race, father-daughter relationship, marriage, etc...) that are being handled. 

9. You should read it- This, as I mentioned before, is an important literary event and it's a really interesting study in terms of novels published so long after they are written. 

I know this isn't exactly the most scholarly, in-depth analysis, but I wanted the opportunity to jot down what I was thinking before I start reading what others have written. 

Have you read it yet? Are you going to? 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up and link back! Today's BNSBT is picture heavy- here's what I've been up to this week!

1. This morning Sawyer and I went to Sprinkle's Cupcakes in Newport and he had his first ever (mini) treat of his own (minus the chunk a bird jumped on our table to steal). We then spent over an hour walking around the beach area, which he loved. I managed to pick up some super cheap sunflowers while I was down there too- I've developed a love for fresh flowers on my counter that I like to indulge once in awhile. They just make the room look happier. 

[Newport Beach]

["Sawyer, hat back on head! Now!" Haha] 

2. This was delivered yesterday and while I'm only twenty pages in, I'm fairly underwhelmed. I've stayed away from all reviews, which I'll read when I'm finished. Quick rant: it is NOT a prequel! It was written before TKAM, but it's set twenty years in the future, therefore making it a sequel that was written first. 

3. Go to hell, Target:

   Wait. These are cute. Maybe I love you still.

4. Last night Sawyer was climbing over Chomsky, as he does seven million times a day, but this time Chomsky heard someone getting food and decided to get up, mid-climb. Unfortunately, they were on the travertine and Sawyer flipped over him and face-planted. He had a huge goose-egg and was very, very upset. But, like any warrior (or idiot?), he was back at it this morning:

5. I excitedly ordered overalls last fall for super cheap and when I got them I didn't like how they fit; they were a little bit tight and I was still getting the post-baby body thing straightened out. I decided on a whim to try them on yesterday and was instantly transported back to high school (which I liked). I don't care if no one thinks they're cool. I don't care if my brother asked me to not wear them in public with them. Whatever, haters. I styled them up and will wear them again. With my brother. 

6. So these Peanut Butter M&M Truffles from Sally's Baking Addiction are ridiculously delicious and addicting:

7. I'm already scared of the withdrawals I will have when I can't get up every morning and walk the row of palm trees in our neighborhood. I have a huge cup of iced coffee, get me and the kid ready, and we head out for 30-60 minutes every day (like at 7:30 am... we're up early). It's the best way to start the day, just in case you need a reminder how awesome a morning constitutional is (I always say that because of 101 Dalmatians and I'm pretty sure no one gets it). 

8. I can't even with these books. What the effing hell? I just can't even say anything that doesn't involve extensive profanity. Barnes and Noble lost even more points with me now, for stocking them. 

9. We went to a local permanent farmer's market sort of place and this sign cracked me up. GET IT? 

10. My LEGO building skills are really improving this summer. Here you have a stand-alone garage, complete with roof top garden for the Joker and Batman to keep their animals and carry on their secret friendship:

Have a great week!

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

It's that time again. Link up, link back. I may actually have time to come visit blogs and *gasp* comment on them this weekend.

1. Let's add Mother's Circus Animal Cookies (you know, the pink and white ones) to the list of things I have no control over eating. I've stopped buying "snacky junk food" but these were on sale at Target, plus on Cartwheel. Oh, and Mini Nilla Wafers. They make an excellent cereal, in case you need options. And I think both would make excellent add-ins for homemade ice cream.

2. I'm taking Sawyer to our annual IB Celebration tonight, which is pretty much asking for a total clusterfuck, pardon my language. I really want to go, but I don't want to have to deal with having someone watch him (seriously, I'd rather actually go out to like a kid-free dinner and movie or something equally as crazy if I'm going to have someone take the time to babysit), so armed with a disgusting amount of Cheerios and Goldfish we're trying to get in an hour.

3. I'm currently reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. The story is pretty entertaining and the writing is good, for a mystery, anyway. After reading a ton of non-fiction lately and being occupied with other things, it's a good fit.

4. I hope there's no such thing as reincarnation. 

5. I want this:

[to lazy to crop]

6. I hate it when you text or email someone this big huge diatribe and they respond back with like five words. NO. UNACCEPTABLE. I just gave you all these thoughts and you are barely giving my one in return. Rude. 

7. Sawyer's birthday party went well. The biggest snafu was me forgetting to give the party favors (huge, soft, delicious, homemade chocolate chip cookies) out to everyone, which just meant the last people there got to take home a few. I always reflect way too much on these things after people leave- did anyone notice the dog hair under the coffee table? Did anyone feel left out and like they had no one to talk to? Did people mistake my rushing around as bitchiness? And yet for some reason I love planning these sorts of things. 

8. I need July first to arrive so I can upgrade my phone and not have to constantly delete things.

9. I am such a sucker for limited edition things, and for s'mores, so obviously this is happening on Friday:

[source]

10. For a rare opportunity to earn extra credit, I'm letting my students create a ten-song mixtape for Antigone, along with explanations. I'm hoping this is a good idea.

Uysses or Bust

One of my students, a bright, articulate young man, has asked me to advise him on his IB Extended Essay (EE), a 4,000 word paper on the topic of the candidate's choice. After reading Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin he has decided to compare it to James Joyce's Ulysses. Ambitious, to say the least. He wants to focus on narrative structure and style, which, based on some quick Googling, seems like it may work. Given that I've never read Ulysses, I  can't give a definitive assurance, but I think it's an admirable endeavor even if he falls short (and if he doesn't? This will be awesome). The kid doesn't even intend on being an English major. Baffling.

I've always felt this nagging guilt about now tackling Ulysses, which is said to be one of the most important modern texts. I obviously haven't felt guilty enough, though, since up until a few days ago I didn't even own a copy. So not only am I reading this for myself, I'm reading it for my student, in case he has questions (because I'll be able to answer them? Ha!). It's a lot of literary responsibility.

Apprehensions aside, I'm excited to take on this challenge. I haven't really taken on any sort of heavy-lifting in this area for awhile, the last one being my quest to finish Don Delillos Underworld (which still confuses me). I met with the student the other day and here's the game plan (at least on my end):

Read the Book

I ordered the Gabler Edition, which is apparently the way to go. It's somewhere around seven hundred pages, which is pretty daunting. It's divided into eighteen sections, each after part of The Odyssey. I'm reading it on the same schedule as the student, as of right now we're trying to complete it by the end of the school year. 

Review The Odyssey

I've read this within the last few years, so just a little brush up will be needed (I read it for a Coursera class). I'll reread applicable summaries before each section so I can draw the appropriate parallels. The student isn't focusing on this, but the pairing is obviously unavoidable.

Use the Annotated Version

I am not Irish, nor have I (sadly) never been to Ireland. I bought Don Gifford's annotated version to helps navigate some of language and to provide some context. 

Reread Let the Great World Spin

This I'm basically excited about (I have mixed feelings about rereading, since I have so many books I haven't read). I haven't read this book for a few years and since it's the main point of comparison, I'll have to give it another go.

Do Some Research

I'm not planning on researching for the student, but I do want to make srue I'm handling his queries appropriately. 

A lot of people set out to read this book and fail. As long as my student perseveres, I will too.

 

 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

It's almost Friday... right? RIGHT! Link up, link back!

1. I get these little cake pans for the smash cake I want to make Sawyer in the mail last week and decided to play around with the funfetti recipe I want to make for him. It turned out good! I had a piece and took the rest to work to pawn off on colleagues and students (who didn't seem to mind).

2. My copy of Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder is apparently going to actually ship in the next week or soon. The super-small publisher didn't anticipate the popularity and ran a super small first run, so readers have been waiting for months to get their hands on this gem.

3. The students in  the IB program I teach have to do a really lengthy (I think like 20,000 words) research paper on whatever topic they choose (I did mine on xenotransplantation back in the day). It really is a cool premise, but unfortunately a lot of the kids procrastinate and don't do as good of a job as they could. Anyway, not many kids choose literature, but I have three kids that I'm advising this year and one wants to compare Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin to James Joyce's Ulysses. Very ambitious! I haven't read Ulysses, and am a little afraid of it, so I guess I'll have to. It's exciting but intimidiating. 

4. So, these are delicious:

5. Confession: the first fifteen minutes after walking in the door after work are pretty much my least-favorite of the day. Sawyer is usually complaining or in need of something, the dogs are barking their heads off, I'm carrying the day's five hundred bags I have to take with us, I usually need to pee, and I have to get the Golden a snack before her stomach revolts from being too empty. And all I really want? To sit on the couch for ten minutes with my feet up in silence. 

6. I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior for book club, and while enjoying it, I'm not really in love yet. I'm only 70 pages in, so there's time, but nothing is really hooking me in.

7. I was so proud of myself today- I downloaded the FedEx/Kinkos app, uploaded the pdf of Sawyer's birthday invitation and selected all the paper and whatnot so it would print at the nearest branch and I could just pick it up. A million times easier than putting it on a flash drive and stopping by between work and home like I had planned.

8. So I'm an avid iced-coffee drinker, but one with a pretty non-discerning palette. My method: brew a pot, let cool at room temperature for a few hours, pour into pitcher, put in fridge, use it until it's gone. I guess that's gross? Maybe I just use so much creamer I can't tell (side note: a serving size is 2 tbsp! Say what?). In my attempt to refine my taste buds, I'm searching for a good cold-brew system. Suggestions (besides going to Starbucks)?

9. The last two days we've had a modified testing schedule at work and I've spend 3.5 hours escorting teenagers to the restroom (security protocol) and watching classes while teachers have quick breaks. Today I logged 5 miles before leaving school. 

10. I downloaded Jenny Lewis' newest album and think I like it (I loved Rilo Kiley). It takes me approximately ten-twenty listens, generally, before being able to make I can usually decide. I'm in a music drought. What should I be listening to? Nothing sleepy. 

When Does a Book Become a Classic?

[it's old... so is it a classic? source]

My husband and I recently had a conversation about when a book becomes a classic. Be definition, a classic is something that "has lasting significance or worth; enduring." There is such a grey area between "classic" and "contemporary," that makes it hard to categorize certain titles. What are some potential factors?

Quantity/Total copies sold

Pro: The more copies sold, the more people reached. Millions of books can lead to a widespread, global impact.

Con: There are a lot of copies sold of really horrible books. Are Fifty Shades of Grey, Twilight or The Fault in Our Stars "classic" eligible? I think not.

Quality

Pro: Classics should be of merit or some sort of level, especially if they are to have "worth." A Kia Spectra is never going to be a classic car. 

Con: Who determines quality? And does our definition of quality in terms of literature change?

Author's Place in the Literary Community

Pro: An author's reputation is probably established for a good reason.

Con: Some authors are recluses, some publish post-mortem, and some are just plain assholes.

Author's Death

Pro: "Must be dead" is a really easy, clear-cut marking point.

Con: Some authors live for a really, really long time.

Academic Presence

Pro: A text repeatedly taught at the collegiate level is probably being done so for a good reason.

Con: Some books fall through the cracks, some professors eat out the hands of publishers, and some programs are resistant to freshening up their curriculum.

Time Constraints

Pro: It would be so easy to say that once a book is fifty years old it is a classic.

Con: So if we're looking at the sixties, books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, Rabbit Run and The Outsiders were published. Are those quite classics yet?

Obviously, it doesn't really matter, but, then again, does half of the stuff we spend out time thinking about? 

Weigh in!

This Sunday

I sort of hate Sundays. They always feel rushed, and the anticipation of my early (five AM!) Monday morning alarm is downright depressing. My lengthy to-do list is always weighing on me, meaning there's cleaning, laundry, work-related tasks, and everything else that I opted to not do on Saturday. The later it gets, the sadder the situation.

But this Sunday is different. I have the next eight days off, my mom is in town, there's lemon cookie dough chilling in the fridge, a kitchen stocked with groceries, and a sleeping baby is breathing heavily next to me (for the last ninety minutes). I'm well-caffeinated after the coffee shop screwed up my order and gave me a large iced mocha, and I've hit my step goal for the last seven days. I got eight hours of slightly-broken sleep last night and my house is fairly clean. There's BBQ chicken in the crock pot and a big loaf of fresh French bread on the counter.

I've been reading, too. I just spent some time with the The New York Times, namely this article on the Harper Lee news and some archived Bookends columns. I really don't know what to think about Go Set a Watchman- part of me is excited but part of me is very suspicious. The idea of taking advantage of the elderly is infuriating and I swear that if something shady is proven I'm canceling my preorder.

I've also spent some time reading up on Adnan Syed's appeal news and am hoping and praying Sarah does an updated Serial podcast. I must confess that whenever I see that I've got a new podcast on my phone I check immediately, just in case she's there waiting for me.

I've also just started Ian McEwan's The Children Act, and I'm not quite sure if I like it yet. Perhaps because I'm only twenty pages in and possibly because I've been reading in very small snippets. Time will tell. 

I've also been studying up on some of the measles outbreak stats, since California is getting hit hard, compared to other states, that is. Sawyer can't receive his MMR for another three months, so technically, he is "at risk." I'm not really that worried, though. I refuse to put him in a bubble, but I am keeping myself informed as to the locations of outbreaks (there are a few cases in our county) and symptoms. I think on rational level it's important to remember that there are 38 million people living here and barely 100 cases of measles. Knock on wood, rub rabbit foot, find four-leaf clover, etc...

I'm looking at my calendar at the upcoming week, noting as always, that I've over-extended myself, although that carries a completely different meaning now that I have a baby. There will be plenty of friends, appointments, walks, park-visits, cups of iced coffee, naps (for him), chores, and papers to grade this week. It'll go by fast, as always.

And the weather. Oh, the weather. The highs this week range from 75-84. I love it, I do, since I have this strong need to live in a house with open windows. But I also love my sweaters, cozy blankets, and not feeling, well, hot. But there is a sort of optimism that sunshine brings, so I'll take it.

Have a wonderful Sunday, friends.

The Metamorphosis: Lessons

This year I've started putting some of the more high-interest lessons that may or may not be Common Core related on some level. Part of this is for my own personal reference later, and then, of course, it's for anyone else stuck planning- I know I've turned to the internet for help on multiple occasions.

This grading period we just finished Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis. Some ideas:

Bug Model (done at home; one class period to present)

Over Christmas break I had students create a replica of Gregor the bug based on textual clues. They were instructed on the size limits and told to be creative. When they returned they had to present their model to the class (I had some really great ones).

Skills: creativity, close reading, public speaking 

Alternate Theories (30 minute to get organized; 1 period to work, 1 period to complete Socratic Seminar)

There are many theories as to whether or not Gregor was really a bug. Some alternate theories include him having tuberculosis, a mental illness, or just being the manifestation of a strong urge to write autobiographically on Kafka's part. Students were divided into groups and were each given an alternate theory. They had to do some research and come up with three academic(ish) sources, which they then paired with the text. The next step was creating a poster which proved their point and incorporated components from their sources and the book itself. The final step was to participate in a Socratic Seminar in which the students debated the issue of Gregor's identity. They had to turn in the first pages of each source, a works cited page, and their poster.

Skills: research, close reading, MLA, synthesis, public speaking/discussion

Prequel (extra credit; done at home)

Students were given the opportunity to create a prequel to the text, explaining why Gregor turned into a bug/thought he turned into a bug. This was supposed to be done in a pseudo-pastiche style and was between 500-700 words.

Skills: creative writing

Weather and Food (two class periods)

Students were either assigned to belong to the "food" or "weather" group, and received the corresponding chapter from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. They read the text and took notes, and then got together in small groups with other students who had read the same chapter to discuss their findings and apply it to The Metamorphosis, while adding to their notes. They then found a partner who had worked with the opposite topic (so a "weather" person found a "food" person) and "taught" each other what they had learned from their reading and discussion.

Skills: close reading, discussion, note-taking, partner work 

Students also did three explications, a more broad Socratic Seminar, a process paper, and the normal symbol/theme/motif/characters rigamarole.

 

 

January Reviews

2015 has proven to already be a much better year than 2014 for many reasons, one of which is the books! This year my goal is to read 10,000 pages, which I'm on track to exceed at this point. My rationale was that anyone can read 100 YA or "easy" books, while you could spend two months on War and Peace. Page numbers just make more sense to me, at least for this year. Here we go:

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

72 pages

This was a reread for work, and for those unfamiliar with the premise, it's about a man who turns into a bug (or DOES he?). Kafka's examination of identity, guilt, sympathy, isolation, and familial duty is profound. Add a dash of existentialism and absurdism and your guaranteed a good time (or not really if you're in my class and being taught this philosophical mumbo-jumbo by yours truly).

Verdict: I go back and forth between enjoyment and irritation. Nonetheless, I'm still appreciative and respectful.

I Am Radar by Reif Larsen

656 pages

I wrote a post here going more in-depth, but to sum it up this book is about a black boy born to white parents and a group of performance artists. And puppets.

Verdict: I definitely enjoyed it but thought it may be a bit too ambitious.

Sous Chef by Michael Gibney

240 pages

I also wrote on this book as well, a memoir about a day-in-the-life of a sous chef at an upscale restaurant in New York City.

Verdict: I loved this book. Like "want to buy all the restaurant memoirs I can get my hands on" loved it. I used a few short passages in my classroom to have the kids analyze things like syntax, as well.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

352 pages

My, my, my how people loved this book last year. Mandel writes about different characters, both before and after The Georgia Flu strikes, killing most of the population rapidly. She focuses on a group of characters connected closely and by proxy, examining their survival emotionally and physically, all the while scaring the crap out of her readers. This could happen, guys.

Verdict: This book was definitely interesting, and was hard to put down. I thought the writing was decent as well, and appreciated that Mandel's first three books received less than stellar reviews- perseverance paid off. I'm a little over dystopian lit, for now, thought (despite the fact I have at least one another new book from the genre waiting to be read). 

January: 1,320 pages

2015: 1,320 pages

My Crash Course in Dystopian Literature

[Fabulous print from Kevin Tong]

After the last ten days of reading, researching, and unit-building I'm fairly confident that we're all going to end up robotic, brainwashed servants of the government devoid of morality, ethics, and originality. Guys, we're screwed. Let's just all pop some soma and watch everything burn.

I'm on a committee that's redesigning the curriculum for The Common Core changes- I'm sure you've heard me complain about it before. This month's task wasn't so bad, though. Dare I say... fun? The unit we decided we'd work on next dealt with dystopias, suggesting that the tenth grade teachers in our district use the texts Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, 1984, and Brave New World. I had only read Fahrenheit 451, but know enough about the other three to BS my way through basic conversation. Knowing we'd have to get a little specific I decided that I'd hurry up and read the three I never had, both because I'd need the knowledge, but also because it was pathetic and strange that I had not.*

I read Animal Farm first and of course appreciated the allegorical and satirical aspects. Orwell is a genius and his book has become so engrained into pop culture that most people don't even realize how heavily it's referred to. I do have to confess that I hate the notion of talking animals. And animals that build things. Animals that write. Animals that sing. You get the picture. This is a "me" issue- I have  deep-rooted dislike for cartoons, so I think it's connected. 

1984 was next, and while it took me awhile to get into it, I ended up really enjoying it in the end (not quite as much as I like Fahrenheit, but probably more than the other two). I adore reading what the future is like when the future being written about has already gone. The propaganda component would provide an infinite number of possible lessons, and so many great conversations could arise in a classroom about the government's influence over us (plus the idea of spying and the NSA).

Finally, I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Sex! Drugs! Rock and roll! Machines that emit sound and smell! The idea of creating a "designer population" was disturbing and the juxtaposition between London and New Mexico well done. Watching the changes in John (aka The Savage) and Bernard was simultaneously predictable and fascinating. I am curious how a more reserved, conservative teacher would approach this, though, since there is a great deal of promiscuity and drug use.

After reading these three and reviewing Fahrenheit 451, I met with my team and we designed a series of lessons that were centered around dystopian literature. The goal is to create four (or so) tasks and a larger project that could be used with any book, or series of short stories (like "The Lottery," "The Waters of Babylon" and "The Pedestrian"). Basically, they have to be generic... but specific. We ended up having students do some basic activities like a Socratic Seminar, using a graphic organizer to compare what was going on in the writer's time period to the events in the text to our current time period, and some deep reading activities. At the end of the unit they will be given a scenario about the government wanting to put tracking devices into citizens and will have to either create a series of editorials or commercials arguing for or against (along with providing textual support and all those other things English teachers require). We found a lot of interesting non-fiction resources and I'm thinking that there's potential for the kids to actually really like this one. Unfortunately, I'm not teaching it, since IB has their own curriculum, but that's another story for another time. 

I don't want to launch into a huge discussion of Common Core, but I will say there's a lot of misinformation floating around out there, both within the educational community and outside of it. I am by no means an expert, but I think this sort of unit is a good representation of a sort of shift that is occurring, and for the better. We're still using literature, we're still teaching important reading and writing standards, and we're still bringing in creativity. We are bringing in informational text, though, and we are trying to bring in real-world aspects (like creating more than just a standard written essay). Just my take. 

As a whole, I enjoyed catching up with some classics. This isn't my normal genre of choice (although I do love Atwood), so it was a nice opportunity to get outside my literary comfort zone. While reading I became really reflective on the idea of patriotism, though, and what it means to love your country... or love your country. How does intellect connect? Can you love your country and still hate the government? How much control should the government have? At what point to we sacrifice safety for privacy? Or vice versa? Obviously thought-provoking literature. 

*I hate the idea of feeling guilty for not have reading a certain text that "everyone" who is well-read has. Guys, there are a lot of books. We cannot read them all. 

Spring Syllabus

This semester's syllabus is a fairly dense one, in terms of what my IB seniors are reading. I'm a little apprehensive about what the students will think, since we've already had a lot of heavy reading this year. Oh well! Comes with the territory. And they're tested on all four novels on their in May, so they can't afford to slack off. Our mission:

IB HL 2 English

 

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

I actually think this will be the easiest of the four, which was strategic since I'll be out of the classroom 2-3 days a week for the next four weeks (I have to sit down with each testing kid and listen to them give a ten minute commentary on a poem and then have a ten minute discussion with them). Essentially they'll be teaching the bulk of this to themselves, which I think is doable in terms of complexity. At least I hope.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I must confess that this really isn't my favorite book (although I did love Easy A...), or at least it wasn't when I read it in high school. I'm anticipating that my students will find the language challenging, the morality old-fashioned, and the pacing a little slow. 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

While I didn't love this book either when I read it in high school (and college? I don't remember) I did appreciate it on a literary level. I'm looking forward to looking at it historically and racially as well. If I remember correctly, this book is digested best in smaller chunks, so hopefully our timing will permit that.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Confession: I've never read this. I've always meant to, but it's just one that fell through the cracks. Last year, after reading Americanah and Ghana Must Go I started developing a bit of an interest in African works, so I have high hopes (at least personally) for this one.

AP Language

 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

This is generally a fairly easy read and will be taught as a way to do a quick unit on humor before the AP test (AP language is primarily nonfiction/rhetoric) and as a bit of a bridge into the following year's IB curriculum, which is more literature based. It will also be a perfect book to leave assignments for when I'm out on maternity leave. 

Read any of these? Thoughts? What was you favorite/least favorite book read in high school?