Engaging American Novels

Transcription

1 Engaging American Novels Lessons from the Classroom Edited by Joseph O. Milner Wake Forest University Carol A. Pope North Carolina State University National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois

2 Contents Preface Acknowledgments xi xiii I. Some Helpful Theory 1 1. Fostering Authentic Learning in the Literature Classroom 3 Sheridan Blau 2. Reading between the Lines: Helping Teenagers Respond to American Literature 18 Carol Jago 3. Knowing and Becoming: Teaching and Reading Literature as a Process of Transformation 29 Jeffrey D. Wilhelm 4. Reading Fictions 43 Robert E. Probst 5. Transforming Interpretation: Literary Theory and the Novel in the Secondary Classroom 50 John Noell Moore II. Teaching John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men 65 Bonnie Ericson 6. Analyzing Of Mice and Men through Creative Writing 69 Mary Adler 7. Of Mice and Men: Rules, Laws, and Disenfranchisement 76 John Gabriel 8. Geometric Characters and Of Mice and Men 82 Anna J. Small Roseboro III. Past and Present in Out of the Dust 91 Sheryl Long and Carol A. Pope 9. Author's Craft in Out of the Dust 93 Kimberly C. Bo wen

3 vi Contents 10. Reading Our Lives 102 JoAnne Katzmarek 11. Weaving Background Knowledge into a Study of Out of the Dust 107 Shayne G. Goodrum 12. Teaching Out of the Dust as an American Novel: Using a Jigsaw Approach to Define "American Fiction" 112 Lois T. Stover IV. Teaching F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby 119 Elizabeth A. Kahn 13. Illustrating and Illuminating Gatsby's Transformation 121 Sherry Medwin 14. Analyzing F. Scott Fitzgerald's Diction and Word Choice in The Great Gatsby 128 Asra Syed 15. The Great American Novel Is Not the Great American Film: Using Film Excerpts to Teach Visual Literacy 134 M. Elizabeth Kenney 16. Analyzing Symbols and Motifs in The Great Gatsby 141 Sarah Rosas V. Lesson Plans for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 147 Elizabeth A. Callahan 17. The Journey Is the Destination: Self-Realization in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 149 Amy Fitzgerald 18. Student as Expert: Working within and Going beyond a Framework in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 158 Chad E. Harris 19. Helping Students Recognize Stereotypes and Understand Satire in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 164 Emily Houlditch 20. Wisdom from the Unexpected in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 172 Tiffany A. Jones

4 Contents vii VI. To Kill a Mockingbird: Characterization, Historical Context, and Technology Integration 181 Jane C. Brodous 21. Role-Play with To Kill a Mockingbird 183 Leigh Ann Lane 22.. Connecting the Past to the Present through Human Rights Discourse in To Kill a Mockingbird 190 Jessica Conley 23. Integrating Technology, Inquiry, and Personal Connections through a Study of To Kill a Mockingbird 197 Angela M. Woods VII. Talking Back to The Bluest Eye 205 KaaVonia Hinton 24. Beauty and Identity in The Bluest Eye 207 Chelsey Saunders 25. American Naturalism in The Bluest Eye 216 Roger S. Baskin Sr. 26. The Bluest Eye and the Power of Culture Scripts 223 Darlene Russell VIII. Teaching S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders 233 Carl A. Young 27. Building Classroom Community through Film and The Outsiders 237 Robert Prickett 28. The Outsiders Custom Poem Web: Character Analysis through Poetry 244 Christen E. Tulli 29. Social Class and The Outsiders 251 Corbin Wright IX. The Chocolate War: So Bad, It's Good And That's Why We Need to Teach It 261 Lisa Scherff 30. Investigating the Outcomes and Consequences of Decision Making: A Unit Plan for Teaching The Chocolate War 263 Alan Brown

5 viii Contents 31. Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? Teaching The Chocolate War: Using Character Analysis and Dramatization to Engage in Thematic Discussion 274 Joan F. Mitchell 32. Is It Worthy? Determining Whether The Chocolate War Should Be Taught in English Class 284 Lisa Scherff 33. A Better Scarlet Letter: Teaching The Scarlet Letter Using Young Adult Novels, Including The Chocolate War, through Literature Circles 290 Megan Hastings X. Teaching Zora Neale Hurston's Classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God 299 Joan F. Kaywell 34. Building Understanding of Character in Their Eyes Were Watching God 301 Pamela Sissi Carroll 35. Using Students' Intuition to Explore Characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God 308 Shayna Philipson 36. The Place for Self-Discovery: The Psychological and Physical Landscape for Love in Their Eyes Were Watching God 312 Kendra Hege Gallos 37. Perception of Gender and Gender Relationships in Their Eyes Were Watching God 318 Laura B. Frazier XI. Engaging Students on the Journey of Bless Me, Ultima 333 MaryCarmen Cruz 38. Finding Ourselves in Antonio: Teaching Bless Me, Ultima 335 Bobbi Ciriza Houtchens 39. Drawing Out the Meaning in Bless Me, Ultima 344 Val-Jean Ofiesh 40. Connecting Worlds and Works: Teaching Bless Me, Ultima 356 Cecelia A. Lewis 41. Beginning with Ultima 363 Alfredo Celedon Lujan

6 Contents ix Index 373 Editors 381 Contributors 383