Response & Analysis: Teaching Literature in Secondary School
Robert E. Probst
Probst’s purpose for writing this book stems from Louise Rosenblatt’s Literature as Exploration and the idea that students must “read both our texts and the world responsively and responsibly” (vii). Probst then sets out to determine what and how we, as teachers, actually do that in the classroom This book is all about helping teachers take a different perspective on teaching literature and how to engage students through response. Overall, I find Probst’s ideas to be useful and practical to help take students beyond the surface of a text.
The book’s goal can be summed up in two statements: “we must not simply submit to texts, accepting too easily what they offer us, following them too willingly wherever they would take us” (vii) and it is necessary for student to practice “reflecting conscientiously upon the experience, attitudes, and ideas that emerge from our reading, analyzing both the text and ourselves” (vii). These two concepts are the basis to the ideas presented in the subsequent chapters covering theoretical foundations, the connection between the reader and the text, other readers, and other texts, and focusing on types and themes of literature, incorporation of visual literacy, the evolution of literature curriculum, and evaluation and testing of response.
Probst, Robert E. Response & Analysis: Teaching Literature in Secondary School. 2nd Ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004. Print.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Writing Portfolio: Vignettes
One of my biggest struggles as a teacher is finding time for students to create a well thought-out writing portfolio at the end of the trimester as well as finding time to grade and conference. This year I have adapted the idea of a portfolio and a vignette together.
Language Arts 9 Trimester Test
Create a writing portfolio blog demonstrating your learning.
1) Create New Post
2) Title it the benchmark or prompt and paste your example within the post.
3) Your paragraph explanation should be posted in a comment box.
1. Select a snippet from any of your writing that demonstrates the following benchmarks AND write a paragraph stating how this does so (what is it-how does it demonstrate-why did you choose this).
1) Use strategies for brainstorming
2) Use strategies for drafting
3) Use strategies for revising
4) Use strategies for editing
5) Write with strong organization and coherence.
6) Use a variety of techniques effectively to provide supportive detail in writing (snapshot, similes/metaphors, explosions, dialogue, etc.)…give an example of three different techniques
7) Demonstrate correct grammar and sentence structure.
8) Write compositions with a variety of sentence structures and lengths (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex)
Example:
Uses strategies for revising: (title of post)
(paste into post)
Original: I struggled and strained my way across the lot toward the cattle trough carrying a pail full of silage, which was half my size, heavier than I, and skimming the ground picking up manure.
Revised: I was my dad’s right-hand “man.” I did everything with him from feeding the cattle to helping during calving season to riding in the tractor in the fields. My mom left early in the morning to work, and my brother was always running around doing anything he could that had nothing to do with farm work. As my brother grew up and headed off to school, my dad and I spent even more time together. Not only did I help him with all his chores but I also was his entertainer.
Explanation: (paste as comment)
I had a peer review my draft with praises and questions. The reviser asked what kind of relationship I had with my father. Since the memoir focuses on an aspect of my relationship with him, I decided to add a whole new paragraph to really allow the reader into my life. I think this enhanced my piece because the background of my memoir is much more clear and detailed. The reader understands just how meaningful my scene is to because they now know the tight-knit relationship I have with my father.
2. Choose your best piece of writing this trimester. Write a one-pager reflecting on the following questions. Feel free to address these in any order necessary. Focus on the ones that directly pertain to you and touch on others. This one-pager represents your experience with this particular piece.
“Best” Piece Reflection: (paste in post, not as comment): choose a snippet that captures the piece.
• Reflect upon your writing:
o What were your goals for this piece?
o How did you begin this piece of writing?
o How did you end this piece of writing?
o What problems did you encounter?
o How did you solve them?
o Why did you choose this as your best piece?
Comment on other students reflections.
3. Take a look at ALL your writing completed this trimester and write a one-pager reflecting on the following questions. Feel free to address these in any order necessary. Focus on the ones that directly pertain to you and touch on others. This one-pager represents your experience over the entire trimester.
Portfolio Reflection (paste in post, not as comment)
• Reflect upon your portfolio:
o What are my strengths as a writer?
o What are your weaknesses as a writer?
o Which is your best work—and why?
o Which is my worst work—and why?
o How did you go about writing?
o What writing habits do you have?
o What strategies do you like to use?
o What problems did you encounter when you write?
o What are your goals for writing in the future?
Comment on other students’ reflections
Language Arts 9 Trimester Test
Create a writing portfolio blog demonstrating your learning.
1) Create New Post
2) Title it the benchmark or prompt and paste your example within the post.
3) Your paragraph explanation should be posted in a comment box.
1. Select a snippet from any of your writing that demonstrates the following benchmarks AND write a paragraph stating how this does so (what is it-how does it demonstrate-why did you choose this).
1) Use strategies for brainstorming
2) Use strategies for drafting
3) Use strategies for revising
4) Use strategies for editing
5) Write with strong organization and coherence.
6) Use a variety of techniques effectively to provide supportive detail in writing (snapshot, similes/metaphors, explosions, dialogue, etc.)…give an example of three different techniques
7) Demonstrate correct grammar and sentence structure.
8) Write compositions with a variety of sentence structures and lengths (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex)
Example:
Uses strategies for revising: (title of post)
(paste into post)
Original: I struggled and strained my way across the lot toward the cattle trough carrying a pail full of silage, which was half my size, heavier than I, and skimming the ground picking up manure.
Revised: I was my dad’s right-hand “man.” I did everything with him from feeding the cattle to helping during calving season to riding in the tractor in the fields. My mom left early in the morning to work, and my brother was always running around doing anything he could that had nothing to do with farm work. As my brother grew up and headed off to school, my dad and I spent even more time together. Not only did I help him with all his chores but I also was his entertainer.
Explanation: (paste as comment)
I had a peer review my draft with praises and questions. The reviser asked what kind of relationship I had with my father. Since the memoir focuses on an aspect of my relationship with him, I decided to add a whole new paragraph to really allow the reader into my life. I think this enhanced my piece because the background of my memoir is much more clear and detailed. The reader understands just how meaningful my scene is to because they now know the tight-knit relationship I have with my father.
2. Choose your best piece of writing this trimester. Write a one-pager reflecting on the following questions. Feel free to address these in any order necessary. Focus on the ones that directly pertain to you and touch on others. This one-pager represents your experience with this particular piece.
“Best” Piece Reflection: (paste in post, not as comment): choose a snippet that captures the piece.
• Reflect upon your writing:
o What were your goals for this piece?
o How did you begin this piece of writing?
o How did you end this piece of writing?
o What problems did you encounter?
o How did you solve them?
o Why did you choose this as your best piece?
Comment on other students reflections.
3. Take a look at ALL your writing completed this trimester and write a one-pager reflecting on the following questions. Feel free to address these in any order necessary. Focus on the ones that directly pertain to you and touch on others. This one-pager represents your experience over the entire trimester.
Portfolio Reflection (paste in post, not as comment)
• Reflect upon your portfolio:
o What are my strengths as a writer?
o What are your weaknesses as a writer?
o Which is your best work—and why?
o Which is my worst work—and why?
o How did you go about writing?
o What writing habits do you have?
o What strategies do you like to use?
o What problems did you encounter when you write?
o What are your goals for writing in the future?
Comment on other students’ reflections
Memoir Assessments
Through the dissection of Probst's Response and Analysis as well as our classroom discussions, I now give the following two exams during my memoir unit. One usually occurs at midterm and the second as a final. Both of these capture the essential question of How can other people's experiences shape our own? Both of these allow students to demonstrate the structure and style of a memoir and most importantly the overall experience they have had with memoirs and finally how a memoir can affect their life.
Text Cluster
Like I stated in my reflection, this text cluster has taken on a life of it's own. It has permeated the entire trimester and fortunately is incorporating many of the same text I normally cover. This text cluster is based off the inquiry model and has the established essential question: WHY IS MAN SO CRUEL TO MAN? Taking a look at man's inhumanity can be controversial due to the different perspectives students have. My goal is to make them aware of what cruelties are, why they happen, and why/how they can be stopped.
Objectives:
Reading:
1. Use a variety of strategies prior to, during, and after reading to understand and to increase knowledge.
2. Understand historical and cultural influences in a literary selection.
3. Apply appropriate reading strategies to make sense of text.
4. Generate and answer questions when reading to deepen knowledge and clarify understanding, including when reading in both small and large group settings.
Writing:
1. Use a variety of print and non-print resources to gather information.
2. Summarize a variety of information for research purposes.
3. Produce a research paper utilizing correct format and documentation.
4. Write a focused piece of writing for a specific audience and purpose.
Objectives:
Reading:
1. Use a variety of strategies prior to, during, and after reading to understand and to increase knowledge.
2. Understand historical and cultural influences in a literary selection.
3. Apply appropriate reading strategies to make sense of text.
4. Generate and answer questions when reading to deepen knowledge and clarify understanding, including when reading in both small and large group settings.
Writing:
1. Use a variety of print and non-print resources to gather information.
2. Summarize a variety of information for research purposes.
3. Produce a research paper utilizing correct format and documentation.
4. Write a focused piece of writing for a specific audience and purpose.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Reflections
Many of our discussions and sharing sessions have brought great new ideas into my classroom. I have compiled some of my most important ideas gleaned from class along with other students'.
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