Feature Article... By: Joanna Meyer

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Books:

Becker, H. S. (1986). Writing for social scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

This book is excellent at explaining why it is important how you want to be perceived by the audience as a writer.  Do you want to be viewed as a scholar or as a pretentious jerk?  The way you choose to form your chapter will decide this.

Slavery. (2003). In The World Book encyclopedia (Vol. 17, p. 503). Chicago, IL: World Book.

I use this entry a mentor text for students.  I did not want to show them the section on the Holocaust, because that is what they will be working on later.  Instead, I specifically showed them the section in which the author depicts the conditions in which slaves had to live.  These were horrible, and the author conveys this, but with a distinct avoidance of emotional language.

Class Texts:

Gallagher, K. (2011). Write like this: Teaching real-world writing through modeling & mentor texts. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.

I used the Gallagher text to help develop the homework assignment.  I created a graphic organized, inspired by a similar one of Gallagher’s, to outline the brainstorm that needs to take place for the students to choose their chapter topics.

Kittle, P. (2008). Write Beside Them: Risk, Voice, and Clarity in High School Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

I was inspired by Kittle’s book to include some way for students to be able to connect emotionally in class.  Kittle states that Emotion is an engine that keeps us going as writers.  I felt, since this will be lacking in the textbook chapter assignment, then it is important to include it in another assignment: the poems.

Internet Story:

Unknown, G. (n.d.). Giulia's Physical Violence Story. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/giulia_physical_violence_story.html

I am using this woman’s tragic account of her experiences with domestic violence as a challenge for my students.  It is impossible to read this without experiencing an emotional reaction, but I ask my students to rewrite the story as if it is a news story.

Interview:

Meyer, A. (2014, December 12). Interview with a Veteran English Teacher [E-mail interview].

Note: I was unable to get a response from the teacher Dr. Kajder gave me to contact, so I decided to interview my mother, instead.  She was an English teacher, and I now a third-generation teacher in our family.  My mother taught writing in her high school classroom, and often had students with a difficulty beginning the writing process.

Journal Articles:

Grossman, P., Valencia, S., Evans, K., Thompson, C., Martin, S., & Place, N. (2000). Transitions into teaching: Learning to teach writing in teacher education and beyond. Journal of Literacy Research, 32(4), 631-662. doi:10.1080/10862960009548098

This article tracks several teachers’ opinions of what a writing workshop entails.  I attempted to synthesize a few of these ideas with my own to devise my plan for my class’s writing workshop in which they will peer edit their chapters.

Lindquist, D. (2009). The Coverage of the Holocaust in High School History Textbooks. Social Education, 73(6), 298-304. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://echoesandreflections.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Coverage-of-the-Holocaust.pdf

This article discusses why it is important for textbooks that teach about the Holocaust to present the information clearly and honestly.  The article implicitly cautions that there is a great responsibility to defining the Holocaust in the most accurate, controlled way possible.

5th Genre: A Global Poetry Community

It might seem unusual...

It might seem unusual
that in a multi-genre project
so focused on writing

..."factual"...

accounts of emotional events
and
minimizing emotional language
that a
poetry community
would find
a place.

However, I believe that Penny Kittle
spoke true when she said,

"Emotion is the engine of intellect;
we write more powerfully when it is from
the center
of

who

we

are."
--Penny Kittle

So then, I say of course.
Of course,
students need an outlet,
some reassurance that
emotional connection to events
is still in their
wheel-house.

So I created an epals account.
-------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I created an epals account.  This website is designed to connect classes from all over the globe in a pen-pal-like fashion.  My class will find a sister class from some other corner of the globe.

The assignments for this page is this:

Select a current event that is specifically tragic and/or moving to you.  Research all you can about this event and then write a poem that not only tells the basic facts, but also your unique emotional and reflective response to the news.  How does it make you feel?  What personal experiences might lead you to feeling this way?

I think this is a critical assignment, because I predict that there might be an air of uneasiness in the classroom, due to the fact that they have been asked to write totally stoic, detached pieces about something which is quite upsetting and personal.

This is designed to be an outlet.  Students can express some of these repressed emotions in their writing, once again, especially in a historical context.

Here is the link to my epals account, complete with the description of my "class" and our "project."

http://www.epals.com/show-profile.php?edit=1

If it does not display, my username is MeyerClass2014 and my password is squeebob.  Simply go to epals.com and log into my account and click "profile."

Homework Handout

Name ­­­­­­­­________________

Class Period ___________

Homework

For homework, you will begin brainstorming possible topics for your chapter by using this handout.  This handout will also exercise your ability to translate emotional phrases into informative topics.

First, translate these broad, emotional topics into their reserved counterparts.  Then, break each down into 3 possible sub-sections.

Remember this when you are coming up with your topics...what sort of writer do you want your audience to think you are?  Are you a scholar? An old shoe?  An academic?
--Warning courtesy of Howard Saul Becker, author

Mini-Lesson

Multi-Genre Mini-Lesson

Fall 2014 – LLED 7408

Teacher’s Name: Ms. Joanna Meyer

Level and # of Students: 25 12^th Grade Honors Students

Topic Addressed:

Word Choice: Changing Emotional Stories into factual accounts

Standard Addressed:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Lesson Objective(s):

Students will be able to choose specific diction and tone to convey an emotional situation in factual, detached ways.

Materials Needed:

Board, Example Story Excerpts, Class Copies of scanned of “World Book Encyclopedia” 2003, S-Sn Entry on Slavery in North America “Conditions of Slavery”

Teaching/Instructional Process:

Begin with Explanation on How sometimes it is necessary to write about horiffic topics in a detached, emotionless way

Pass out copies of Slavery entry and have class read the small excerpt to themselves, taking notes on how the author conveys the tragedy and brutality, without exposing his personal opinions or trying to persuade the audience.  He uses quotes. 

Work as class: Teacher will project a two sentence story about a sad event, class will suggest ways to make the story more factual.

“’And finally her father  fell to his knees,  gasping in horror at the prostrate form on the ground.  His Sasha, his only daughter,  had crumbled into a bloody, pitiful heap, after the tragic colission.’ It was the worst moment of my life.  I can’t imagine how it was for him.”

Example re-write:

The man expressed tremendour grief after seeing his daughter  critically injured in the car crash.

Point out—fewer emotional words, unnecessary detail excluded.

Students Try, in partners, to write this as a news account:

                 
 “Once, I organised a hike along the coast and he did everything possible to ruin it, and when I sat there crying and disappointed, he kept me awake for over 24 hours while he smashed up the house and shouted abuse. He never seemed to care that neighbours and people in the street could see and hear him. He bullied me into marriage and carried on trying to control me. Nothing I did was good enough, my pet suffered, all the nice things I had were smashed up, and I was alone with no-one to turn to.

After many years together and him squandering all our money and running up huge debts he started an affair. He denied it and very coldly told me he wanted to go out, but I couldn't as I worked with men so had no right. I left and then he stalked and stalked me. After one terrible night of his drunken physical violence, he was arrested and a panic button installed. I had dialled 999 and left the phone off the hook and the police had heard him saying if he couldn't have me no one else could. If this hadn't have happened I know he would have killed me.”

 –HiddenHurt.co

Letter to Parents

Joanna Meyer

12th Grade Honors Language Arts

Barnaby High School

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Joanna Meyer and I am your child's 12th Grade Honors Language Arts teacher.  We are beginning a unit on the Holocaust in class, and there are a few things that I would like to discuss with you before the unit starts.

The Holocaust was a tragic, cold example of what man is capable of inflicting on his fellow man.  It must be studied in schools so that future generations can be armed with the knowledge of what society is capable of, and the reasons and ways to avoid this.  As the famed plaque that now guards the gates at the infamous Dachau prison camp states "Never again."  A statue at the Auschwitz prison camp reads "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. --George Santayana"

Surprisingly, the question we will be addressing in class is this: " How Can We Write about the Holocaust in a Meaningful, Academic Way While Minimizing Emotion?"  

This begs the question:  "WHY would we ever want to teach our students to view the Holocaust with a lack of emotion? That is evil and disrespectful."

Many would agree.  I certainly would, at first.  The context is this:  Your students have been taught about the Holocaust since 8th grade, and now, in many ways, fully grasp the horror and inconceivability of the tragedy.  Now, as a challenge, I am having students attempt to write textbook chapters about different aspects of the Holocaust that must be strictly factual while neglecting to include any emotion or opinion.  Just the facts.  As author of the scholarly article "The Coverage of the Holocaust in High School History Textbooks" explains, "Textbooks should provide students with a definition that enables students to respond accurately and knowledgeably to the question, 'What was the Holocaust?'"

This is a very real task that many writers who are employed in technical and formal writing professions must master, and especially those who go into journalism.  They are often asked to write articles and chapters in history books that depict horrific events, all the while maintaining a detached, cool tone.

We will be working on these chapters via a "Writing Workshop" approach.  Through a combination of different scholarly opinions, I have devised our class writing workshop to seperate students into groups of five.  From here, they will work individually on their drafts.  One student might write a chapter detailing the types of people sent to the concentration camps, while another student might be detailing the methods of execution.

Of, course, due to the sensitive nature of these topics, your student's chapter choice will be sent home for your approval before they begin research.  After they brainstorm their first ideas, they will begin meeting with their peer groups, editing each other's later drafts as they work towards completion.

This project will address several "Common Core" standards, among those being:

Production and Distribution of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

--Common Core Website

Please do not hesitate to contact me at my email with any questions or comments: jrmeyer@barnabyhs.k12.edu

Thank you for your time,
Joanna Meyer