Teaching Strategies
Carefully Chosen Short Texts and Excerpts
Due to low reading stamina and absenteeism, it is often best to stick with short texts or excerpts that can be read in one class period. Therefore, I have to carefully choose short pieces, excerpts, and poems that will clearly convey and highlight the aspects of identity outlined in the content objectives.
Reading Strategies
While working toward my undergraduate English Literature degree, all of my professors preached New Criticism, so I still have a fondness for close reading. As we work with each text or excerpt, I will model close reading and “marking up” the text. Students will either have copies of the works that they can write on, or will use post-it notes to annotate the texts. As we annotate, students will practice the following reading strategies: making connections, asking questions, making inferences, drawing conclusions, summarizing, and evaluating.
Reader Response Journaling
My students are expected to keep a three-ring binder with organized sections. One section will be dedicated to reader response journaling. As the students read essays, short stories, or novels, they will take note of the following in any form they wish (a chart may be the most functional and visually appealing): page number, quote or event, and response to the quote or event. These responses can be connections, questions, or analyses of the text. In the reader response journal, I want my students to move beyond summary and into actual interaction with the texts. Since many of my students are reluctant or struggling readers, having them respond to the text in any way they can is crucial.
Class Discussion
Guiding questions, along with the reading strategies and reader response journaling will fuel our class and small-group discussions. The class discussions would probably work well as Socratic seminars due to the nature of the texts.
Mentor Texts
In, Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling & Mentor Texts, Kelly Gallagher says, “I know my students learn from watching me, but, more important, I want them to learn by standing next to and emulating writing found in the real world. Students write better when they are given mentor texts to help guide them.”18 Like Gallagher, I know from experience that my students would love nothing more than to copy what I write verbatim, or to substitute some of my words for their words, Mad Libs style. Copying what the teacher writes can be helpful to an extent, but I need them start emulating writers who are exemplary in their craft. In order to become better writers, the students must practice what good writing looks and feels like.
Novel Study (Independent & Group)
Since some identities can be controversial, I cannot use some of the most important texts with the whole class. Still, it is important that the students have access to texts pertaining to any kind of identity they want to explore. Therefore, depending on their interests or how they self-identify, I will help students find novels that will either reflect their identities or increase their understanding of other identities of interest. Students can work independently, but I will also facilitate literature circles for students who decide to read the same novel.
List of novels for student choice:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper
The Skin I’m In, Sharon Flake
All American Boys, Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
When I Was the Greatest, Jason Reynolds
If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
Jumped, Rita Williams-Garcia
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