Response: Jolin's In the Name of God

As I'm sure everyone else is saying, this was a difficult text to read. I still don't know if this is something I would ever consider teaching in my own classroom, however I can see the value in it, and would definitely want to contrast it with a second comparable text that offered the other sides not seen in this text, maybe an American Muslim, or a Muslim who feels oppositely of Nadia in Syria during all of this conflict, which has been going on since 9/11 and even well before that with civil war and the fight for the holy land and the Palestinians. These are wars that have been going on for centuries in different ways, and so it's really always been relevant. My point however is that it's more relevant now more than ever.
I can't really see this being taught in an English class. I see this more likely to be taught in a current world events class, which is offered to seniors at most schools and is a requirement to take in order to graduate. When I took my current world events class, we delved deep into political, economical, and social events that were happening all over the world, but because there has been so much strife in the middle east over the past 15 years, that was really where we focused most of the curriculum and discussion. The war on terrorism has been a hot topic all over the world since 9/11 and since the rise of technology, media, internet, and general access the worlds public has to what is happening around the world.
I think teaching this book in a social studies class would be more effective because there you have students who are able to actively connect this book to what is happening every day in parts of the world, and what is a reality for countless people. As Americans, it is more important than ever to been as knowledgeable as possible, even if just considering our geographical location. Very few of us (Americans) are within driving distance of another country. Most of the world is surrounded by countries that have different languages, economies, governments, laws, leaders, etc.  This is just one example of what it means to be American and why it is so important to expand our horizons and show students a glimpse of what other peoples realities look like.

Response: Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet

The first time I actually read Romeo and Juliet was in the 9th grade. I remember mostly speeding through it, we all had the versions of the play where the translation is on one page and the original is directly across. So we flew through it because my teacher wanted to get to A Midsummer Night's Dream because she had more extensive plans for that play. We read it out loud in groups, choosing our own roles and acting it out, as comedies should. It was funny and fun, and afterwords we watched the movie and were encouraged to translate our own versions, which we also shared and which also turned out to be extensively hilarious.
Back on point, I never liked Romeo and Juliet. I remember thinking it was a sappy story as well as unrealistic. I feel Shakespeare intended it to be ironic and satirical, but instead it was taken quite seriously and tragically. I never want to teach this story, except maybe only to clear up the common confusions, discuss the media and cultural references and modern influences behind it, as well as discuss tropes and how and where students see this play in modern plays, movies, TV, etc.
I feel there are much more unappreciated Shakespeare plays that can be more effective and less overdone in the classroom. Most every single student will know the premise of Romeo and Juliet before you teach it, and it might be more exciting to show students that Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are not the only plays Shakespeare wrote. In fact, many of his plays I had not even heard of until college. I never knew about King Lear, Othello, and All's Well That Ends Well. These are valuable pieces of literature that I feel do not get as much light as they deserve, and, seeing as how Romeo and Juliet is already a commonly known, referenced, and cliched piece by the time students get to your secondary classroom, there is much merit in opening the door to other branches of Shakespeare that are equally valuable.

Response: Maus by Art Spiegelman

This was the most recent holocaust text I have read since reading "Night" by Elie Wiesel my freshmen year of high school. As they usually do, holocaust texts have a hard and heavy impact when I read them, and it takes a certain degree of seriousness and strong doses of reality. However, these graphic novels allow for both a distance and a different kind of closeness to the survivors stories being told. 

In the 9th grade, I took a pre-AP English class (It was the only advanced English class offered to freshmen) and absolutely loved it. One of the things we did in the class, after reading "Night" the entire class went to the online database which lists the details of every living holocaust survivor, including the story of their experiences in the death camps in WWII. We were asked to pick a survivor who is still living, and, based on their story, create a children's book, changing the survivor and their friends and family into animals, choosing carefully what kind of animals represented the survivor we chose, their family, and the German's. We illustrated and wrote and permanently bound our books which were then sent to the holocaust museum, as well as we sent a copy of the book and a letter the the survivor that we chose. I imagine that my teacher might have gotten part of this idea from Maus. I wish I had read these graphic novels before. I think they are greatly powerful and shed a different sort of light on the stories of survivors. 

Sherman Alexie: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I have always loved this book since the first time I read it my freshmen year of high school. Of course, this being a banned book made it hard to get access to in my limited and conservative high school library, but after a long fight with the librarians, I gave up and found a copy in the city library. I have always been a reader, and a relatively quick reader, but I flew through this book faster than any other book I had read that year. I was so sucked into the life and struggles of Junior as a high school student who felt he didn't fit in because I'm sure most of us have felt that at some point or another in our educational career.
I wish I had had a class that taught this book because it truly is a strong and engaging coming of age story. Also the fact that this is a banned book is completely ridiculous but also may be a source of interest to many students. Reading a banned book can bring a sense of adventure and rebelliousness to hesitant or struggling readers, and also aids for great in class discussion. Students can work out the kinks of why the book might be banned and where, and if they agree with the reasoning.
The use of language and imagery in this book is simple and engaging, and pulls readers in from the start. I think everyone can connect to Junior, but also Junior offers a unique perspective that many students don't get to see often. I grew up in Western Washington, all up and down the coast, and because there is a more condensed population, there is a more diverse population. We have a plethora of Native American reservations and citizens on the west side, and the places I grew up were always a stones throw from a different reservation. So naturally, in school (especially elementary and middle school) we had a heavy dose of Native American history as part of the curriculum, and mostly catered to the tribe that was nearby. The elementary school I went to was right next to the Tulalip reservation, and so we spent lots of time on the tribes history, art, culture, language, and other aspects because it was so close. I am grateful for this, however I know now that my experience was unique and not all students get a chance to learn about Native American History or even see anything from their perspective, so this novel really can offer a great insight and perspective that will be new to most students.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

1) SYNOPSIS
The book in written in the extremely limited 1st person perspective of a young boy in England. It is made clear from the beginning that the boy, Christopher, has some sort of learning disability, possible high functioning savant or autism. He discovers the neighbors dog has been killed and decides to investigate. Christopher is aware that he is different and takes the time to explain to his readers why he feels the way he does and to be as clear and concise as possible. He also includes diagrams, pictures, and drawings, to help the reader understand everything that is happening as he investigates the death of the neighbors dog.

2) RATIONALE
I chose this text because I feel it gives an important and unique perspective that is both uncommon and difficult to achieve successfully in literature. This novel offers a new perspective into the world of a boy who is completely different from his peers.
Students can follow a lighthearted story and at the same time learn how other people see the world differently through a disability like autism or savant.
This text would be appropriate for 10-12 grade students. I feel this would be better for an older audience because a certain level of maturity is necessary. This is important for students because I doubt many students are regularly learning about students like Christopher. This novel can help open doors for all students, and help students develop an understanding and more open mind and attitude towards people with disabilities, while still enjoying a unique and interesting novel.

3) TEACHING IDEAS
This is a text that I could see being read in and outside of class. This also opens doors for extensive class discussion on topics of students with disabilities and their treatment in and out of school. This could also open the door for student projects, maybe putting together a journal of events in Christopher's POV or another characters POV.

4) OBSTACLES
I can see some issues rising with stereotypes of people with disabilities, as well as having to control language during discussion, words like "stupid" and "retarded" I can see being an issue. Also students opening up about these issues, as in my high school we had virtually no education on anything about students with disabilities, and we were completely separated from the students in the special education program. There might be issues with some parents. Because the novel is written from the perspective of someone who is very blunt and honest, we see brief descriptions of gore in the beginning, and brief mentions of drugs, alcohol, and sex. However these are all coming from the perspective of a young man who does not entirely understand these things, which may be even more off-putting.
I feel this book would be encouraged by administration.
I myself was excited as a student, I feel most students would feel good about reading this book. It definitely gave an interesting perspective and opened the door to great discussion and conversations.

This is a phenomenal book unlike any I have read before! I highly recommend everyone read this book.

Response: Readicide

I loved this book. From the start I couldn't put it down. Kelly Gallagher is obviously passionate about reading and I immediately connected with that. Gallagher has much to say and reasonable possible solutions to problems which are hurting students.
There are many things in this book that I want to talk about, but I can only reasonably choose one or two, so here goes. Firstly, I love when Gallagher addresses what he calls the curriculum tsunami. His example was a written curriculum on teaching To Kill A Mockingbird, where the curriculum was about half the length of the novel. Gallagher discusses how harmful this can be to the reading of a novel. Longer, more complex curricula like the example shown slices up the novel and makes comprehension and reading flow almost impossible. When novels are divided into a dozen sections, students are unable to get a complete feel for the book, and instead are more concerned with the endless amounts of activities, breaks, exercises, writing prompts, etc, that they are bombarded with in the curriculum. Teachers need to minimize this amount of busy work, and allow students to actually read the novel. Also spending more than a week reading something is not effective. Quickly students begin to forget what they read last week, and then the week before, and by the time they get to the end of the novel they can't remember half of the plot points because they were too busy worrying about character development, and language, and cultural influence; the list goes on.
We need to find a balance for our students. A balance of short and long, simple and complex, critical and recreational.
In addition, Gallagher points out that in all honesty, any type of literature can be taught, but what matters is how and when and for what purpose. Sometimes students need a break from Homer and Shakespeare- give them something they can relate to and enjoy, and help them along with the process so we are building strong readers, instead of strong test takers who hate reading by the time they graduate high school and enter the adult world.

Response: I Read It, But I Don't Get It

I want to address chapter 6 specifically, which focuses on connecting different strands of knowledge together, or the ability to take knowledge that we have compartmentalized and undo that process. Many students don't connect content from one class to the next, and are surprised when they are expected to use knowledge outside of the designated content area in which it was taught. This is a vital skill we need to build for students in order to allow them the continuity and multiplicity of different content areas in places they weren't expecting them.
Using prior existing knowledge is so valuable to students and will aid them in being more successful in their classes. As it says in the text, students who ignore math in science instead of using those skills they built will not be as successful and are not as strategic as students who recognize that algebra can be used in the science classroom.
This also reminds me of a section in Kelly Gallagher's book Readicide. Gallagher discusses how students in his class were not familiar with a word on a mandated reading test. Not one student knew what the word meant before reading about it. However, when Gallagher traveled from his classroom in a big city in California to a rural town in another state, the students in the other state knew the word because it applied to their lifestyle living in farm country. This demonstrates that when students bring prior knowledge to the table they open more doors to success. A student who doesn't know something is not necessarily less educated than the student who is aware. If may just be a question of experience, upbringing, culture, etc.