Graphic novels in the classroom

Can I just say that I love the idea of using graphic novels in the classroom! I grew up reading Marvel and DC comic books, and I absolutely loved them. They were engaging, and I would fly through them as I read. I think a lot of students could learn really well with graphic novels being used in the classroom. If my teachers had used some graphic novels, I can guarantee that myself and other students would have been more engaged.

Now, I am not saying that teachers should use graphic novels as a stand-alone, but I do think that they are an underutilized resource. It would be awesome to pair graphic novels with a novel. For example, one of my dream lessons to teach is Pride and Prejudice paired with the graphic novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Now that might seem like an odd pair, but hear me out. You could easily use authors purpose for both books and compare them. This would help students grasp how an author might take something and present it in a new way, but it's still a similar story. I feel like this would be such an engaging unit for students and you could hit a lot of the CCSS with it.

Working with my students right now, graphic novels would be a huge tool that I know would work for them. Similarly, on the reverse side, you could use graphic novels in that students create a graphic novel for a final project of a novel. One of my students was given this option, and he has been so excited to work on the project. We don't just have to have them read graphic novels, we can have them create their own that would assess what they are learning and comprehending from the text.

Elie Wiesel: Night

Elie Wiesel's Night is a capturing read that I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime, if not more than that. I'm not going to lie, it was hard for me to get through this book. It was dark and emotional, and I had to take multiple breaks. But in spite of it all, I really enjoyed the book, and I want my students to enjoy it as well.

This book is a coming of age novel, but not in your traditional way. This is a forced coming of age novel, in which the author had no say in their coming of age, but nevertheless, they had to be an adult. They weren't ready to be an adult, but here they are. I think this is an important idea to look at in a classroom when using this book. A lot of students come from a background where they are forced to grow up hard and fast like Wiesel was. You could definitely do multiple lessons on this idea, and it's an important topic to address.

I think another thing that could be taught on is the note from the author in the very beginning. I found this note to be very informative, and I think there is a lot that a teacher can do with it. Having students discuss this letter in groups, or analyze different parts of it before actually reading the novel would be a great intro to the book. I also think doing the part of the book with maybe a background on the Holocaust would be a good intro to the book.

Even a research project on the Holocaust before reading would be good. Students could research a person from the Holocaust or even a concentration camp. I think it would be fun giving students the chance to pick their own aspect to research before reading the book. Just to give students background knowledge to whats happening as they read.

Poe's "Cask of Amontillado," "Fall of the House of Usher," "Ligeia," "The Black Cat," and "Annabel Lee"

Poe's works have been used all around the world to teach a variety of topics to kids, no matter the grade level. His works "Cask of Amontillado," "Fall of the House of Usher," "Ligeia," "The Black Cat," and "Annabel Lee" are no exception. Each short story has a different lesson that students can be taught. 

Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" can be used to teach students about the meaning and morals of a text. One moral question that can be asked of this story is "does vengeance equal justice," or even "is revenge just." This story really plays on the topic of revenge and is a great way to teach students how to analyze the text to find the answer. There are a lot of passages in this story that contain a large amount of information that students should analyze to find the meaning and morals of a text. Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" is a great piece to teach students how to find the meaning and morals of a text. Students could easily take sections of the text and attempt to find a moral or meaning and then share it with the class.

Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher" is a great ghost story that could be used to teach mood and setting to students. The entire story takes on a very dreary mood that students should be able to pick up on. Students could easily find sections, words, and phrases that help to create the mood. The setting is also very important to this story and can be used to teach students the importance of setting. I think t would be fun to have students do a parody or an imitation of this story to mimic the mood and structure of the story. This story would also be a great one to use a storyboard with or have students draw comics with them. Comics would allow students to learn and analyze the text in a different way than they normally would.  

Poe's "Ligeia" is an incredibly chilling story, and can be used to teach students about imagery. This story has to be my favorite of Poe's, and I feel like there is so much students can learn from reading and analyzing it. Students could mimic this story, do comics, and analyze the text for literary devices. Students can also use this text to learn about imagery. 

Mini Lesson

TPA Lesson Plan #____1___

Course: __ENGL 493_____

1. Teacher Candidate	Kennedi Newman	Date Taught	Nov. 8, 2017
Cooperating Teacher	Brad Read	School/District	Shadle Park High School
2. Subject	English	Field Supervisor	Lucy Monte Calvo
3. Lesson Title/Focus	Cultural Identity in High School	5. Length of Lesson	20 min.
4. Grade Level	Grade 10

6. Academic & Content Standards (Common Core/National)	CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
7. Learning Objective(s)	1.    Given The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Students will demonstrate their ability to participate and collaborate effectively with diverse partners by participating in a class activity and class discussion. 2.    Given a writing prompt, Students will demonstrate their ability to draw evidence from literary text to support reflection by working individually to answer the writing prompt.
8. Academic Language demands (vocabulary, function, syntax, discourse)	Vocabulary: Cultural identity, social justice Function: Demonstrate ability, participate, collaborate, reflection. Syntax: Students will answer a writing prompt. Students will participate in an activity on cultural identity. Discourse: Students will participate in a class activity and class discussion. Students will work individually to answer the writing prompt.

9. Assessment

Formative Assessment: Informal Students will be given participation points for participating in the classroom activity and class discussions. The teacher will keep track of students who are participating in order for students to receive points. This will assess student’s ability to participate in collaborative discussions and draw evidence for reflection from a text. Students will also be answering a writing prompt for three completion points. This will assess student’s ability to draw evidence from a literary text to support their reflection. **Attach** all assessment tools for this lesson

10. Lesson Connections

Research: "High school students who participate in social justice education have a greater awareness of inequities that impact their school, community, and society, and learn tools for taking action to address these inequities. Also, a classroom that consist of students with a diverse set of identities creates an ideal circumstance in which a teacher can build upon student differences in order to facilitate meaningful discussions about social justice, especially issues of race." (Welton, et al). Teaching social justice in the classroom is an extremely important aspect. If students are given real world examples of social justice education and how they can fix what is happening in their school or community, they become aware and are ready to take initiative to help those around them. This lesson brings in this idea of social justice education by giving students a hands on experience of some of the discrimination students with different cultures face. This lesson causes students to be aware of the diverse population in their classroom and school and have discussions about important issues. This lesson gets students talking in the classroom and helps to draw connections between The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and what they can do in their own school. Prior Knowledge: Based on student’s completion of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in class, students will be continuing their discussion of cultural identity and social justice. Students will be continuing to develop their ability to work in groups by participating in the classroom activity and classroom discussions. Students have been using the novel to develop their understanding of cultural identity and social justice in the classroom. The book has allowed students to have open communication with their peer’s ad this lesson will further allow for this. Further Development: Students will be using this lesson and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian as they work on the final essay. Students will be using this lesson and the novel to write an essay on cultural identity and social justice in their schools. They are able to use this lesson to draw evidence from the text and discussions to use in their own essays.

11. Instructional Strategies/Learning Tasks to Support Learning
Learning Tasks and Strategies Sequenced Instruction
Teacher’s Role 1.    Introduce and set up High school Cultural Identity activity. Three students will volunteer to go out into the hallway. The students in the hallway will be given one cultural identity and the students still in the classroom will be given a different cultural identity. One student inside the classroom will be given the same Identity as those out in the hallway. The idea that the students are told is that they are new students at school trying to make new friends. The teacher will explain directions to each group and answer any questions the students may have (5 min) 2.    Facilitate activity. Roam classroom and monitor students. Answer any questions students may have as the activity goes along. Make sure that students stay on task and send them back to their seats if they are not. (5 min.) 3.    Have students go back to seats at the end of the activity. (2 min.) 4.    Facilitate class discussion on the High School Cultural Identity activity. Ask students how they felt doing this activity and what are some examples of what happened in the activity that they have seen in their personal lives (5 min.) 5.    Introduce and have students work on a writing prompt in which students must come up with ways to solve the problems addressed in the activity in their own schools (3 min.)	Students’ Role 1.    Listen as the High School Cultural Identity activity is explained and set up. Volunteer to go out in the hallway or stay in the classroom. Listen as the cultural identity for you is explained. Wait while the cultural identity is explained to the other group. Listen as the teacher gives the prompt that you are in high school and attempting to make new friends. Ask questions as needed. (5 min.) 2.    Participate in classroom activities. The three students from in the hallway should attempt to find a new “friend” who has the same culture as them. Those who weren’t out in the hallway should follow what their culture says. Ask questions as needed. (5 min.) 3.    Go back to seats at the end of the activity (2 min.) 4.    Participate in class discussion on the High School Cultural Identity Activity. Answer the questions on how student felt during the activity and what are examples of what they just did that students have seen in their personal lives (5 min.) 5.    Listen as the writing prompt is introduced. Work individually on the writing prompt where students must come up with ways to solve what happened in the classroom activity in their own schools. Ask questions as needed. (3 min.)
Student Voice to Gather The teacher will walk around with a class roster and assess during the activity and the class discussion whether students are meeting the learning objectives. Students will be given a 3 if they are meeting the learning objectives, a 2 if they are struggling to meet the learning objectives, and a 1 if they are not meeting the learning objectives. Students will also be doing a writing prompt that will be turned in to assess their ability to meet the standards. This will assess student ability to draw evidence from their text to use in their reflection of the writing prompt.

12. Differentiated Instruction

Plan Student Interests: Students in this class enjoy communicating with their neighbors. Students will be able to talk with their neighbors and peers during the classroom activity and discussion. Students in this class make full use of technology and will be able to use their laptops to answer the writing prompt if they choose to. Student Learning Styles/Modalities: Kinesthetic learners will be able to get up and move during the class discussion time and during the classroom cultural identity activity. Visual learners will have the learning goals and writing prompt projected on the screen. Auditory learners will have the learning goals and writing prompt read aloud off of the screen. Intrapersonal learners will be allowed to talk to their neighbors and peers during the classroom activity and discussion. Interpersonal learners will be able to work individually during the writing prompt time. Student Needs: Student #1 has only a goal in math but will be allowed extra time on the writing prompt. Student #2 has a goal in writing, will be given an extended deadline/extra time for the writing prompt if needed, individualized/small group instruction, and modified grading. Student #3 has accommodations in reading: The assignment has been adapted to require less reading, the student will be allowed extra time to complete the writing prompt, simplify complex directions if needed, pair written instructions with oral instructions.

13. Resources and Materials

Plan Student Materials: Writing utensil, extra sheet of paper (if wanted), and laptop (if wanted). Teacher Materials: Projector, computer, learning objectives document, writing prompt document, classroom activity directions. Resources: Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Welton, A. D., Harris, T. O., La Londe, P. G., & Moyer, R. T. (2015). Social Justice Education in a Diverse Classroom: Examining High School Discussions about Race, Power, and Privilege. Equity & Excellence In Education, 48(4), 549-570.

14. Management and Safety Issues

Plan Emotional Issues: Students will be polite when others are talking and not interrupt as well as respect what the other have to say, and students will respect when they teacher is talking. Because the classroom activity could get emotional, students will be able to go to the counselor or talk to the teacher at any time. Students will be polite during the classroom activity. If students start to get off task or get out of hand during the activity the teacher will redirect them or stop the activity to reinforce the be polite and respectful rule. Behavioral Issues: Management issues will come when students are doing the classroom activity and individual work. The teacher will roam the room during the activity to make sure students are achieving the goal and following rules. Students will be sent to their seats if they are misbehaving or not doing what they are supposed to. To keep students on task during writing time, the teacher will remind them that the time is for independent work, not group work. The teacher will also roam the classroom keeping students on task. The teacher will do their best to redirect students if they become off task.

15. Parent & Community Connections

Plan Parent Connections: Students are invited to go home and share what they have learned in class today. Students can ask their parents what they believe their cultural identity is and how they can use their new knowledge to support others at school. Parents and students will be challenged to come up with ideas on how they can use their cultural identities to support others at school and in the community. An email will be sent home that explains to parents what students have done that day and encourages them to talk about cultural identity with their students Community Connections: Students will use this assignment to develop their understanding of cultural identity in the classroom and their community. Students have been learning about cultural identity in schools, and they will be able to put this knowledge forward in the community. Students will be able to use this knowledge to better the school they go to and the community they live in.