Strategies
The key components of the unit are a structured student notebook accompanied by a Behavior Management Plan (BMP). The student notebook will help the learner achieve all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The BMP is for getting the students to read outside of the classroom. An extension activity for regular education students is also included in this unit.
Students in the resource English class are reading below a sixth grade level. Students above a sixth grade independent reading level are included or mainstreamed in the appropriate regular education English class. Adopted reading curriculum for these students include the WORDS reading curriculum and Reading Skills for Life (RSFL) by Pearson/AGS Globe. RSFL focuses on phonemic awareness, systematic and explicit instruction in phonics, phonograms, high-frequency words, word recognition strategies, and structural analysis of words. The class is typically broken into two homogeneous reading groups. The teacher instructs each group for half of a forty-two (42) minute period or rotates the groups daily, whichever is preferable. While the teacher works with one group, the other group must have independent activities available. District instructions ask teachers to use WORDS and RSFL four of five days a week with a group reading comprehension activity the fifth day. Teachers often use the News for You - a product from New Readers Press, on the fifth day. News for You is published weekly. It includes major news stories written at about an eighth grade reading level. It includes maps, charts, and feature stories. Objectives, vocabulary lessons, discussion questions, classroom activities and a two-page student handout are included.
Students are not particularly fond of any of the above mentioned curriculums or activities. They are frustrated and embarrassed because they are well aware they are in special education or the "slow classes." Most have been in resource classes most of their school career. They are generally disenchanted with learning, especially reading. By high school they have been failing for some time. It is not uncommon to hear, "What do I have to do to get a D?" A "D" is a minimal passing grade a student can receive in order to earn credit for any particular course. A "D" is 60% mastery. Of course anyone would agree that these students need systematic reading instruction that includes decoding and constant review of sound-letter relationships. Needless to say, these are not skills the students are overjoyed about learning. They know that elementary school students are learning the same skills and they do not want to learn "baby stuff." The reading teacher in me knows it is a necessary evil. Hence, I must instruct them in reading and motivate them to learn. This involves convincing them they can and will learn the skills to read well.
The whole class reading of Devil in a Blue Dress will be used on the fifth day of instruction instead of the News for You reading. The activities will also be used daily when students are not working on their reading instruction with the teacher in the WORDS or RSFL curriculum. It is my hope that students will be highly motivated by the novel and work diligently to complete their daily reading instruction (WORDS and RSFL) in order to be able to work on the their study sheets and other activities for Devil in a Blue Dress. Students will be reading and participating in the novel at different paces. Weekly goals will be set to keep students on track. Extension activities will be provided for students who are well ahead of the group. Homework will be given at least two nights per week. Homework activities will include: Reading to a family member and summary teacher-made knowledge and comprehension questions by chapter, prediction worksheet, drawing a picture or writing a three-paragraph description of a favorite character, choosing a character and describing what he/she is thinking but not saying.
I envision the student notebook to be a three ring binder with dividers for each chapter. The notebook will include a study sheet for each chapter (see Appendix C). Each chapter study sheet will include vocabulary, dialect interpretation, character description, journal prompt, and the title of the chapter. Each of these sections will be outlined for the student for the first three chapters. In subsequent chapters students will identify their own vocabulary, vernacular phrases, characters and journal prompt (a list of teacher-made journal prompts will be provided). The vocabulary and dialect phrases may vary depending on student ability. For example, one student may have only three vocabulary or dialect phrases she is unfamiliar with, while another student my have six vocabulary or dialect phrases she is unfamiliar with. Students will be instructed to write something for each section but an exact number will not be given. The list of characters will build as new ones are introduced. Similarly, the student created descriptions of each character will expand as we proceed through the novel. Through modeling of the first three chapters, the teacher will show how to go back to already identified characters and add more information as she reads. Students will include numbers of the chapter where they found the added information for each character. The study sheets should be checked at least on a weekly basis, as much of this guide will be completed independently or in small groups while the teacher is working with the other group using the reading curriculum.
Journals are used by virtually all types of people, from sports players to astronauts. Journals are a record of events, feelings and data. They can contain just about anything. Journals, in the academic sense, give students a means to reflect upon what they have read. They give students a chance to communicate thoughts and ideas without having to worry about proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. In social studies, structured KWL (what you know, want to know and learned) journals are generally more successful than summary journal writing (Cantrell, 2000). Guided writing about major concepts and what still needed to be learned improved student comprehension in science (Feather, 1998). Journal writing is an important component of instruction across the curriculum.
Mosley's novels include great prose and dialogue amongst his characters. We will need to spend some time on the following to improve comprehension of his writing: 1) Interpretation of dialect - it will prove beneficial to spend some time previewing the written vernacular along with novel vocabulary. Interpretation of dialect is essential in appreciating the novel. 2) Graphic Organizer to be updated while reading the novel to illustrate the relation among characters and aid in the problem solving process.
High School students often decorate their notebooks, lockers, book bags etc., with sayings, lines, quotes from movies, music or famous sports or movie stars. I remember my friends and I had notebooks where we listed our favorite inspirational lines, quotes and poems. Mosley's novels have some great quotes. While not all are so encouraging, I do think they are worth examining in an effort to get students attracted to the material. The quotes from different people lend themselves to the characterization of all those involved in the mystery. Some quotes of significance include the following. In chapter 3, Easy is talking about a man who simply opened the door to Albright's place, "I often think of how so many people have walked into my life for just a few minutes and kicked up some dust, then they're gone away. My father was like that; my mother wasn't much better." In chapter 3, Albright to Easy: "Easy, walk out your door in the morning and you're mixed up in something. The only thing you can really worry about is if you get mixed up to the top or not." In chapter 13, when Easy is driving Daphne to Richard McGee's house, "We hadn't even seen a police car on the ride and that was fine with me, because the police have white slavery on the brain when it comes to colored men and white women." Chapter 15 when Easy wants to get out from under Albright: "We all owe out something, Easy. When you owe out then you're in debt and when you're in debt then you can't be your own man. That's capitalism." Chapter 17, Todd Carter explaining about the $30,000 to Easy, "You let the bank deliver that much money to your house?" "It was only once, and what were the odds I'd be robbed that night?" "About one hundred percent, I guess." Also in chapter 17, Easy says, "I got the idea, somehow, that if I got enough money then maybe I could buy my own life back." In chapter 18, Curtis Cross (guy with nine children) talking to Easy at Vernie's place, "Chirren [children] is the most dangerous creatures on the earth, with the exception of young girls between the ages of fifteen and forty-two."
Chapter 14 describes Easy's "voice." Easy's inner voice speaks throughout the novel, especially when Easy is in a jam. The voice is one that helps Easy overcome his fears. Examples include when Frank Green attacks Easy and when Easy and Mouse finally nab Albright. We often think of our voice as our "inner voice," the words that seem to come from nowhere but can affect our actions, mood, decisions, and feelings. I would venture to guess that we all have some sort of inner voice that talks to us throughout our day even about what may seem the simplest of things, like whether or not to go outside for a walk. Easy's voice specifically helps him overcome fear. Easy is a man who has seen a lot of death in war and now in his dealings as a novice private investigator, but he is very "un-Easy" about death. This particular portion of the unit may be beneficial to teachers of sociology and psychology, and may be used as a cross curricular activity in collaboration with the teacher of English. Our school has a sociology and psychology class, each taken for one semester. Some time should be spent discussing when Easy's voice speaks and what the goal of the voice is. Conversations with students should include relation to their own inner voice, including what and when it speaks to them.
Some novels may be read aloud by students during class time and taken home for independent reading. Others may require listening to the book in question on tape, with most activities occurring during the school day.
A second component of the unit is the Behavior Management Plan (BMP). Students will earn "Mosley Money" that will be factored into their daily grade. Repetitive reinforcement for positive behavior is essential in teaching a new skill. The skill being taught in this unit is the act of reading. This is not to be confused with teaching students how to read. The WORDS and RSFL curriculum implanted four of five days a week is the reading instruction. Mosley Money will focus on reinforcement of actually picking up the book and engaging in the activities of the unit.
Mosley Money is a token economy. The Mosley Money itself is not the reinforcement but it is turned in for a reward, in this case, a grade. I have found students constantly want to know what their grade is. They expect every activity, every worksheet, every time they answer a question in class to be graded. They crave this constant reinforcement and often are clueless as to why they received a particular grade, especially a failing one. They will say things like, "But I didn't fall asleep in class on Tuesday." This student did fall asleep on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, though. Mosley Money will actually be raffle tickets. A roll of 1000 can be purchased at most party supply stores. Students will be awarded Mosley Money for the following activities: being seen by me or another school staff member with the Devil in a Blue Dress novel in hand (open or closed) outside of the classroom, for example, at lunch, in detention, while waiting for the bus, while waiting to see the vice principal, in the in-house suspension room, during study hall, in the library - 1 Mosley Money for each such sighting; telling me or another school staff member about what they are reading at the time when they are caught reading - that is worth 3 Mosley Money; reading a chapter of the novel to a family member, young or old, at home with a signature or mark to prove it - 5 Mosley Money; reading a chapter of the novel to an adult mentor at after-school tutoring or a community program - 5 Mosley Money. Students will collect Mosley Money each day and return it to my classroom the following day or leave it in their container before the end of the school day. The container should be made of a clear plastic and labeled with each student's name. Two-liter soda pop bottles will make excellent containers. Friday's activities will include each student counting their Mosley Money, which will turn into a weekly participation grade specifically for the novel. The clear container will allow students to see their progress daily and also compare it with that of their peers. Even my most reluctant readers are competitive. I anticipate that they will not want to be the person with the lowest amount of Mosley Money. I will issue the Mosley Money, but students will also have the opportunity to earn money when witnessed by other adults. Verification forms with a signature line can be brought to me in exchange for Mosley Money. I will briefly explain my plans for issuing Mosley Money to the staff at a faculty meeting.
Each Mosley Money will equate to four percentage points. For example, if a student earns twenty Mosley Money she will earn an eighty percent for her weekly participation grade. These points should be flexible based on student participation. The equation can be modified to boost student participation and raised if students are really buying into the plan.
The grand total of Mosley Money for each student at the conclusion of the unit can be converted into prizes to be determined by the students. Any good BMP includes a reward system determined by the students. The teacher typically has an idea of what she would like to offer and guides the students toward these entities. Possible end of the unit rewards includes bonus points, gift certificates for book stores and restaurants, and a pizza party. Local stores and businesses can be solicited for donations.
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