Storytelling: Fictional Narratives, Imaginary People, and the Reader's Real Life

Methods

As a civics and economics teacher, I often find it difficult to locate fictional texts that exemplify civic participation in American democracy. Key themes of power, citizenship, media influence, and politics are present in The Hunger Games and are perfectly suited to teach civics and economics. I will use a variety of strategies to analyze these themes present in The Hunger Games. Possible challenges that may arise include limited reading fluency and vocabulary and difficulties connecting the story to real lives. The methods discussed in this section will connect the narrative to the readers' real lives. In anticipation of a limited number of students not having the literacy skills to complete the readings, peers who are fluent readers and I will read aloud, and digital and audio copies of the text will be available for students who demonstrate academic need. When these objectives are met students will have new perspectives on the impact of fictional stories and will be able to adapt and create stories to communicate a belief or concept.

Graphic Organizers

Organization is a challenge for many middle school students. Keeping track of notes, textbooks, agendas, etc. for multiple classes becomes a heavier responsibility in middle school. A lack of essential organization strategies can lead a students down a path of under achievement. Graphic organizers are visual displays of information that require little untangling by the learner to uncover new connections. ¹⁸ These visual forms of knowledge consumption help students associate new information with previously learned information. ¹⁹ Today graphic organizers are the most common way to assist students in creating nonlinguistic representations. ²⁰ Researchers Daniel H. Robinson and Kenneth A. Kiewra concluded in their study that when teaching concepts or text structure students performed better on assessments after using graphic organizers versus reading the text only or creating an outline of the text. ²¹ In Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement the researchers conducted a meta-analysis study on nonlinguestic representation, concluding that on average studies showed a twenty seven percentile gain amongst students. ²²

Through the use of graphic organizers students will develop a process cause and effect organizer to illustrate Panem's centralized government system and America's democractic system of government. Reference Appendix 1 as an example. Students will also create a principle pattern organizer on a character from The Hunger Games and and a comtemporary political leader to analyze the character traits that make them a good leader and citizen. See Appendix 2 as an example. To examine the different economic systems students will complete a comparision and contrast chart examining the economic system in place in The Hungr Games and the United States. As a way to pull all the concepts together at the end of the unit students will create a cluster diagram connecting how constitutional government, media infleunce, character traits, role of the economy, and duties and responsibilties relate to the ideal citizen. Please refer to Appendix 3 as a reference. Using graphic organizers as an instructional tool will increase knowledge retention and content interest.

The Great Debate

"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it," declared the French moralist and writer, Joseph Joubert. I believe Joubert is communicating the significance of taking a stand on an issue and defending it. Civics and economics open a window to social, political, and personal differences in the classroom. Debating these contemporary issues allows students to realize the importance of how current issues affect their lives, how these issues will impact their vote, and how their government operates. When debates consist of convincing arguments for or against a proposition, it transitions into a form of decision making and enables students to make communal choices. ²³ Debating allows for issues to come alive for students and opens them up to a new way of thinking. Charles Green III and Hadley G. Klug conducted research that demonstrated increased multiple-choice assessment scores after debates were introduced into instruction. Additionally, on student surveys 50% of students gave favorable reviews to classroom debates, while 11% gave unfavorable reviews. However, no other instructional component was mentioned as favorable or unfavorable, indicating debates made a lasting impact on their students. ²⁴

Academic debates not only increase assessment scores, but debates also prepare students for effective participation in a democratic society. ²⁵ Freedom of speech is outlined as a basic right in The United States Constitution's Bill of Rights. The ability to express oneself freely without suppression has authority. However, freedom to speak supported with knowledge, diction, confidence, and persuasion can start a movement. When Abraham Lincoln said "all men are created equal", and when Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream", and when President Barack Obama said "Yes we can" , they were using their voices to take a stand against the views of some in order to change the nation for the majority.

I intend on having students use their background knowledge, knowledge gained from reading The Hunger Games, research, and classroom discussions to engage in critical debates that analyze the effectiveness of American government, positive character traits, and the American economic system. I will be using the debate method outlined in the Middle School Debater and the Teachers' Guide to the Middle School Public Debate Program. Students will be given a proposition regarding a contemporary civic or economic issue, work within their teams to define key nouns of the proposition, clearly define the issues, compose their argument, identify supporting evidence, and plan to change or reason to maintain. The ARE model will be used for students to organize their issues. ARE stands for: Assertion or statement of opinion; Reasoning, or formed conclusions; Evidence, or proof. Each team will be comprised of six students, three affirmative and three negative sub team members.

Digital Storytelling

Bernard R. Robin is effective at linking traditional storytelling to 21 ^st century skills, with digital storytelling. Digital storytelling combines the art of oral narration with a variety of digital multimedia, such as images, audio, and video. These digital stories maintain a specific theme or viewpoint. Robins emphasizes that digital stories allow computer natives to become creative storytellers through the continued use of traditional means of selecting a topic, conducting research, writing a narration, and developing an interesting story. An old process becomes fresh to new generations with new techniques. All digital stories will fit into three categories, stories that inform or instruct, stories that examine historical events, or personal narratives. It is my intention to combine the three types of storytelling in order to have students create a digital story that focuses on principles of American democracy and historical events, with layers of personal narratives to illustrate active citizenship. ²⁶ Combs and Beach summarizes it best:

The power of a story is all around us and is essential in helping us shape our view of reality. As we work with children who are faced with trying to find some understanding in the rapidly changing world, we need the familiar to capture their attention and help them feel comfortable enough to risk getting involved. ²⁷

Through the use of images, music, and oral narration, students will create a digital story that conceptualizes the role citizens play in American democracy and the connection to good citizenship. Refer to Appendix 4 to see Joe Lambert's outline, the seven steps in creating a digital story that students will follow as a map for creating their digital story. ²⁸ There are a variety of software programs available to create digital stories. I have found that Microsoft Photo Story 3 is the most effective for classroom use. Photo Story 3 is a free software program that provides on-screen step-by-step guidance which reduces the need for overwhelming adult support and allows the students to be the true digital story creators.