Interpreting Texts, Making Meaning: Starting Small

Content Objectives

Rationale

When I think about what I will bring back to my classroom from this seminar, my school's Expected School-Wide Learning Results (ESLRs) jump out glaringly at me. Our ESLRs state that:

1. Every student will be a critical thinker.
2. Every student will demonstrate personal responsibility.
3. Every student will be an effective communicator.
4. Every student will be an informed and involved community member.

Not that one ESLR supersedes another, but ESLR 1 and ESLR 3 are particularly close to this seminar's emphasis. My school is student-centered and aims at the development of each individual student so that they contribute to a productive, just society. Our educational system works to expose students to varied perspectives about personal, local, and global issues. As teachers, we create opportunities that aim at both experiential and participatory learning. ¹ Education also aims for students, on their own volition, to apply what they have learned about those perspectives and to shape their own interpretation of the elements required of a good, successful life for themselves. As a teacher, I envision that each of my students will discover and make strides to fulfill their own meaning in life. I am excited that this seminar focuses on finding meaning and significance in the texts my students read, and I hope from there to expand and apply those meanings to create students' own personal interpretations of joy and success. My curriculum unit brings together higher order thinking skills through the analysis of author or narrator reliability, the evaluation of evidence, and in particular the dissection of epigraphs, all of which lead to student interpretations.

Student Demographics ²

Independence High School has an ethnically diverse student population. There has been a steady decrease in the Caucasian population and an increase in the Vietnamese and Filipino populations; the Hispanic population has remained stable. It draws students from the affluent foothills of East Side San Jose as well as students from the low-income apartments and working class neighborhoods. The total enrollment in 2012-1013 was 3,163. Currently the student population is 35% Hispanic, 37% Asian, 19% Filipino, 3% White, and 3.5% African American, with yet smaller populations of Native American, Alaskan Natives and Pacific Islanders. The number of those qualifying for free or reduced lunch has steadily increased and is now approximately 41% of our population, while 53% of our students are categorized as Socioeconomically Disadvantaged. Nevertheless, in spite of increasing poverty and decreasing budgets, our test scores in all subgroups continue to rise. This includes CST, Advanced Placement, and CAHSEE tests. Independence High School, as with other East Side Union High School District schools, draws a large minority and immigrant population.

The students in our community, mostly from low income, limited English, immigrant families, are taught by their parents that they must take advantage of their educational opportunities by performing well in high school, then attending college, and ultimately landing a well paying job that would provide them all the necessities of a "good life." These parents go so far as to tell the student the type of degree or occupation they should pursue to attain this good life, even if the student has no enthusiasm for that field. Filipino students are told to become nurses, Vietnamese students are told to pursue Pharmacy, East Indian students are guided into the field of technology. Why are money and material possessions the only evidence of happy lives? Instead of allowing the student to walk their own path, to find their own meaning in life, and instead of allowing the student to develop their own interpretation of a good life, this form of parental "guidance" negates the educational exploration and discoveries of the student.

Expository Reading and Writing Course

This nonfiction unit falls under the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) implemented by my school district in 2012. The lessons and activities from the ERWC curriculum are geared towards the demands of college level writing with the California State University system. The curriculum is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and college-level reading and writing demands. The curriculum is divided into modules that utilize the same rhetorical reading process through Pre-Reading (activation of prior knowledge, vocabulary and concept building), During Reading (reading with the grain, application of rhetorical appeals, point of view), and Post-Reading (summarizing, reading against the grain, responding, analyzing prompts, taking a stance, thesis and essay development) activities. "Students learn to read rhetorically by not only focusing on what the text is saying, but also on the purpose it serves, the intentions of the author, and the effects on the audience." ³ The ERWC's focus on rhetoric helps students understand and apply principles of effective and ethical communication. ⁴ The Into the Wild module, in addition to the four letters from the Christopher McCandless Info website, offers a platform for students to respond respectfully to divergent views and to listen both supportively and critically. ⁵

Into the Wild

Christopher (Alex) McCandless, the central character, is perceived as an extremist. From one point of view, he can be regarded as a brilliant, intelligent, jack of all trades, who graduated with honors from Emory University, grew up without financial struggles, and donated to the hungry. On the other end, he can be considered a recluse, a reckless idiot, an inconsiderate son and brother who severed ties with his family, and abandoned modern society to venture into uninhabited Alaskan territory. Regardless of the different perceptions students may have of him, McCandless maintained "truth" as his life's mantra. He stayed true to himself and used his own experiences, observations, and knowledge to live his own interpretation of a happy life.

Krakauer's Into the Wild is also interesting and useful in that its epigraphs can be interpreted on different levels (e.g., narrator's perspective, main character's perspective, and student perspective). I have selected specific epigraphs comprised of excerpts from various literary texts and four letters written by McCandless' siblings. The reasons why Krakauer handpicked certain quotes is known only to him. Did the author choose these quotes as the epigraphs because they were somehow related to his own adventure to Alaska's Devil Thumb? Did the author see a reflection of himself in McCandless? Does Krakauer display [self-congratulation] in sharing McCandless' story? How much objectivity did Krakauer intend on maintaining regarding McCandless? There are other aspects of McCandless's life that are brought to the surface in the letters by his siblings. Because Krakauer left out details about McCandless's family history, students can approach the epigraphs from different perspectives, thus leading to the building of different interpretations.

McCandless is the controversial character of my chosen unit who, through his experiences and knowledge, created his own path. Students will use two main sources for this unit: Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and four personal letters written by McCandless'[s] siblings from the Christopher McCandless Info website (http://www.christophermccandless.info/). Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of the epigraphs for selected chapters. Both sources offer varying perspectives of McCandless. Krakauer claims to be an "impartial narrator" during each account of McCandless's journey. Students are not wholly sure whether they should believe Krakauer because McCandless' siblings, as expressed in their letters, hold varied perspectives. The struggles faced by McCandless, as narrated by Krakauer, vary from the accounts of McCandless's own family members. It is these varied perspectives that leave room for rich interpretation on whether McCandless lived what he interpreted to be a truly good and full life. As students read the text and the four letters, they will first gain an understanding of characters, conflict, plot, and narrator – reading with the grain to understand the text. Secondly, by drawing comparisons between the author-narrator and McCandless, the students will evaluate the reliability of the narrator. Ultimately, students will focus on selected epigraphs to draw interpretations regarding the themes in the text. To pave a pathway towards their interpretations, guided and collaborative reading and discussion approaches will be used.

Krakauer's integration of epigraphs is valuable in that not only does each epigraph relate directly to McCandless' character and conflicts, but it also appeals to seniors in high school who, as they approach graduation day, are at a similar crossroads to that of McCandless. The answer to "What's next?" is hard to find amidst all the emotion that comes with transitioning from the life that they have known to one that has yet to begin, life after high school. My reason for assigning this unit is two-fold: First, I would like my students to learn and apply in life the lesson that a single perspective is not always adequate for arriving at conclusions. I want these young adults to be critical about information that is presented to them (information about API scores, health and life insurance, Supreme Court rulings, investments, etc.). I want them to know that they must evaluate, investigate, and possess some degree of skepticism so that their interpretive conclusions line up with their truths, beliefs, and values. It is a fact of life that individuals progress and mature through different phases; thus my second aim for this unit is for my students to develop their own truth mantras and their own philosophy for life. As they approach graduation day, my goal is for the students at the senior level to develop their own truth mantras through knowledge and discovery so that they may indeed live happy, meaningful lives according to their own interpretations.