Here are a few questions I came up with. These could be used in class at the high school level. Most of them will need a brief background lecture before asking.
1. What makes a story a Dystopian tale?
-Describe the typical plot and story line.
2. How did these story lines start?
-Is there historical significance to the cause of these stories?
3. List some ways that people are controlled in these stories.
-Is one way better than the other?
4. Is there cause that you can think of to write a dystopian novel now? For example, any political happenings that could create such a society?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Book Club Meeting: November
Just a reminder, next book club meeting is:
Tomorrow, Thursday 29th
Backstage Coffee
6:00pm
We are reading:
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
If you don't have time to read the entire novel, come and talk with us about a short story or other novel you have read by Nathaniel Hawthorne or just come and give us some different ideas on how to teach the novel and Hawthorne as an author.
Tomorrow, Thursday 29th
Backstage Coffee
6:00pm
We are reading:
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
If you don't have time to read the entire novel, come and talk with us about a short story or other novel you have read by Nathaniel Hawthorne or just come and give us some different ideas on how to teach the novel and Hawthorne as an author.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Links to Tarayn's Google Sites
~Tarayn
Young Adult Literature:
https://sites.google.com/a/mscd.edu/tms-young-adult-lit-project-2010/
Canon Literature:
https://sites.google.com/a/mscd.edu/canon-literature/home
Lesson Planning Ideas:
https://sites.google.com/a/mscd.edu/my-lesson-planning-ideas/
Shakespeare Works:
https://sites.google.com/a/mscd.edu/shakespeare-guide/
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
BNW: Discussion Questions
Hello Again,
I prepared a few discussion questions for Brave New World. I tried to find and create questions that were geared towards the classroom.
I prepared a few discussion questions for Brave New World. I tried to find and create questions that were geared towards the classroom.
Brave New World Questions
1.
What is the significance of the title? How does
Shakespeare hint at the novels intentions?
2.
What is the significance of the World State’s
motto, “community, identity, stability? Isn’t “identity” ironic?
3.
The controller uses subliminal messages to
create happy children. The messages are a way of getting rid of questioning.
How does our society use the same approach?
Advertising and Media. Slogans for
commercials.
4.
How real is the dystopian world that Huxley
creates? What similarities do you see in our everyday life?
Soma: Prescription drugs
Amenities: happiness
Lack of religion
5.
What is the significance of the lighthouse?
Lighthouses are used to symbolize
epiphanies and understanding of greater ideas.
6.
Why does John choose unhappiness and death over
a fantasy world?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tonight is the night!
Finally guys and gals, the annual Metro State Book Club meeting is here. Don't fret my pet, what you are reading is not a mirage or a figment of your imagination. The book club is really meeting tonight, I promise.
Speaking of reality or lack there of, how real are the dystopian worlds that our novels present to us? Hmm...I'm not sure. I think I will ask my book club members this question, and many others, tonight at 5:30 at Rooster and Moon. If you not there then you must have a good excuse. Only a fool would miss this opportunity.
See you all tonight and make sure to bring those very expensive, educated, Metro State thinking caps. You will need them!
5:30PM
Rooster and Moon (10th and Bannock)
Speaking of reality or lack there of, how real are the dystopian worlds that our novels present to us? Hmm...I'm not sure. I think I will ask my book club members this question, and many others, tonight at 5:30 at Rooster and Moon. If you not there then you must have a good excuse. Only a fool would miss this opportunity.
See you all tonight and make sure to bring those very expensive, educated, Metro State thinking caps. You will need them!
Rooster and Moon (10th and Bannock)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
A Dystopian's Paradise
The YA world has a new love, and that love is a dystopia...novel, that is. Our teenage readers seemed to be absorbed in many recently released dystopian novels. There is the ever popular (and awesome) Hunger Games series, Above by Leah Bobet, Ashes Ashes by Jo Treggiari, Empty by Suzanne Weyn, and the Uglies series. These are just a handful of what is on the market. Although, most of the novels will never be taught in a classroom, it is important that we understand how to properly teach a dystopian novel, while still keeping the student's interested.
The main dystopian novels that are being taught in the classroom are Brave New World, 1984, and Hunger Games. Our next book club meeting is dedicated to revisiting these influential post-modern predictions. We've split the group up so that some of us will be reading Brave New World and some will be reading 1984. We've all read Hunger Games so we will take turns talking about the novel.
If you would like to attend and haven't been to a meeting yet, please feel free to read any of the listed novels. I, personally, am very excited to revisit Brave New World. I read the novel as a senior in high school and it will be interesting to see it from a (slightly) more mature perspective. :)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Further Information
If you are interested in further recommending or teaching either of the novels I read, here is some additional thoughts and information.
Oh, by the way, did I mention it's also a movie? This could potentially help visual learners if you wanted to incorporate a few scenes from the film.
However, there is a good reason to know about this series. For one, it is very popular and two, it is going to be the next YA movie. The City of Bones movie will come out in 2013 and is sure to be the "next big thing" in the teenage world. As a teacher, it's good to be on the up and up.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Book Talks!
We met on June 6th and shared our book-talks with one another. Each member shared a minimum of two books and here is a brief overview (read: sloppily typed word document) of our discussion. Soon each book will have a more in-depth entry :)
Between Shades of Gray
By Ruta Sepetys
o
Author did a good deal of research!
o
Fifteen year old Alena just got into art school;
o
Stalin’s Police knock on her door
o
Her and her brother and mother are taken away
and put into cable cars and ride for six weeks.
o
She sends messages to her father by drawing
pictures instead of writing for fear of being found out; she finds people who
are trustworthy and passes the pictures along
o Themes of heartbreak, death, and massacre.
o Character and plot development needed – too many questions left unanswered: did her father ever receive the letters or pictures?
o Beautiful language
Why We Broke Up
By
Daniel Handler
o “Word
Vomit”; stream of consciousness type of writing
o Min
= narrator
o Letter
to Ed; her ex-boyfriend
o Each
item is the reason they should have broken up earlier
o Novel
wraps up; conclusion includes hints from earlier in the text
o Kind
of book that will “bring you back” to high school days
o Female related
o Elements of visual literacy (pictures)
o Prince Honor Book
o 3-4 Stars on Goodreads
Exit Here
By Jason Myers
o
Male protagonist
o Bitter;
similar to Holden Caufield
o Rich
kid complex
o Social
dynamics
o
Drug Use
o
Cussing
o
Recommended for older teens
o
Shows the consequences of drug use
If I Stay
By Gayle
Forman
o
Story of a young female narrator who is in a
coma
o
Struggles with whether or not to stay alive or
let herself die
o
Metaphysical relationship between the narrator
and the world
o
Process of death
o
Quick read
o
Middle and High School
o Struggles with the choices she has made
o College, having sex, e.c.t….
o Discussion questions at the end of the book
City of Bones
By Cassandra Clare
o
Becoming a movie
o
“Addicting”
o
Prequel is Clockwork
Angel
o
Recommend the prequel first
o
Better feminine character – “not a [typical]
female idiot”
o
Not very appropriate for younger teens;
o Not well written; recommend for a summer-reading book
o Not something that Bri would “ever ever” teach J
o 3 perspectives
o “Shadow Hunters” – Keep the underworld protected
o Better than Twilight not as good as Hunger Games
The Golden Compass
By Phillip Pullman
o Middle
School-ers
o Fun
read for pre-teens
o
Difficult enough to challenge students
o Literary;
“beautifully written”
o Teachable
o
Teachers can choose which topics to teach and
which ones not to
o Parallels to Narnia Series
o Fantastical but deep [demon as sub-concious]
o Religious and political side if you choose to look at it that way
Love
and Obstacles
By Alexander
Hemon
o Bo"th
feet in one overlapping world"
o Collection
of fictional stories about day-to-day life
o No
plot; “this is how it is” type of stories
o Does
not deal with the more interesting sides of war
o Teach
it to twelfth graders; for more mature audiences
o
Teach excerpts
o Each
story jumps into the setting
o “Beautiful
Prose”
VietnaAmerica
By GBTran
o Graphic
Novel
o Written
and illustrated by
o Puzzle
pieces represent what makes up his life
o Illustrations
are “amazing”
o True
story based on Tran’s life
o First
generation Vietnamese born in America;
parents escaped before the fall of Saigon
parents escaped before the fall of Saigon
o Parents left half of their family back in Vietnam because they didn’t make it out
o The whole book is about his family telling him to go back to Vietnam
o When he gets there he finds out that he is the same age as his father was when he left Vietnam
o (parallel between his lfie and his father’s life)
o Book parallels narrator’s journey to Vietnam and his parents escape
o Difficult to keep up with
o Recommend for Juniors and Seniors
o Identity issues
o Discussion on traditions; how traditions are lost
o Book about finding history and finding his roots
Outline of PowerPoint for Thirteen Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why
Book Talk
If someone told you that you were one of the reasons that
they committed suicide – would you want to find out why?
In this novel the narrator, 16 year-old Clay Jensen, is
given that opportunity two weeks after Hannah Baker kills herself.
"Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious
box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette
tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed
suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen
reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens,
he'll find out how he made the list"
What
Makes This Book Different?
What Attracts Teens?- Dual
perspectives
- Both
male & female
- Reflects
reality
- Real
High School situations
- Friendships
- Romance
- Teachers/School
- Incorporates
language that teenagers use and are accustomed to
- Provides
a hopeful conclusion
- Quick but insightful read; teenagers can open this book and not be discouraged by longevity or difficult language
Excerpt
from Text
“How many times did I stand right here, thinking I would
never have a chance with Hannah Baker? I had no idea how she felt about me. No
idea who she really was. Instead, I believed what other people said about her.
And I was afraid what they might say about me if they knew I liked her…And
then, when she died, the chances disappeared forever”.
=Regret, shame, and guilt.
But a lesson learned.
What are Teens Saying About this Book? What are Other Authors Saying?
What are Teens Saying About this Book? What are Other Authors Saying?
- Both
Sherman Alexie and Ellen Hopkins have called this book one that they
“could not put down”; a story that became both haunting and inspiring
- Teens
are consistently proclaiming, on the internet through blogs and the book’s
website, that this book has made them want to help people and “think about
what [they] say”
- This
book has won over sixteen awards including “Best Book for Young Adults”
given by the American Library Association and “Best of the Best books”
from the Chicago Public Library
- Thank You!
So, Who is the Author? Why did Jay Asher Write This?
- His niece attempted suicide when she was the same age as Hannah
- He used cassette tapes to intentionally date his work that way it would appear retro
- He knew he wanted to use dual perspectives but did not know how to incorporate Clay; he did not choose Clay until almost halfway through the novel. He wanted a more innocent character to be the trusted narrator
- He chose Hanna’s thirteen reasons based on his own experiences and those lived vicariously through others
- 13 Reasons Why was his first book
Email Jamie if you have any questions/want the PPT! Jroger68@mscd.edu
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Book Club Meeting
We've officially sent the invite out for our next book club meeting. We are each reading 2 different YA books and giving a book talk. I decided to choose something I could teach, Golden Compass and something I could recommend, City of Bones. I know that Jennifer chose Why We Broke Up and Between Shades of Gray, which she wants to make known, is NOT the married lady porn book. I've heard that Jaime is reading The Maze Runner, but so far I don't know the second book she chose. I suppose her second book and Tarayn's choices will be a surprise! Sounds like fun. Anyways, here are the details:
June 6th
5:30 pm
Rooster and Moon (10th and Bannock)
Hope I see some new book lovers there!
June 6th
5:30 pm
Rooster and Moon (10th and Bannock)
Hope I see some new book lovers there!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Discussion Questions: The Catcher in the Rye
Discussion Questions
How does Salinder tend to end chapters? What do
they have in common? How do they set the tone of the novel?
There are definite cliffhangers and
foreshadowing moments. The way that the chapters end, make you want to read the
next chapter. Even if the book is not the most exciting, stylistically the
novel keeps an enticing flow.
2.
Is Holden the “phony” character in the book?
Yes and no, Holden seems to be a modern day
“hipster.” He tries so hard to not be a phony that he over exaggerates everyone
else’s motives. Holden’s age makes it
difficult for the reader to sympathize with his idea of a phony. Being an adult
reader we can see the contradiction and the nativity that Holden has. However, as a younger reader, you might be
able to apprehend Holden’s point of view. It’s common for teens to rebel and
reject the older generation. Holden is, in a sense, acting his age. Holden may
be projecting his views of himself onto other people.
3.
Catcher in the Rye centers around a young man;
can young women relate to this too? What about Holden is gender specific and
which qualities do both sexes share?
There are concepts in the book that are
asexual. The concept of isolation, rejection, loneliness, and cynicism that are
universal to our emotions. Of course, he speaks through a male’s perspective so
there are some themes in the book that are harder to connect to as a
female. For example, in Perks of Being a Wallflower we have a
narrator that is a little more sensitive and speaks with a larger perspective
of the world. Holden, unlike the narrator in Perks is more narrow-minded and contradictory.
4.
Is the ending of Catcher optimistic, reflective, or gloomy?
This answer really depends on how you read
the book. You are presented with a carousel ride at the end of the novel. The
carousel can symbolize how you feel about the end of the book. It seems that he
becomes reflective when he looks at the carousel. You also have the weather
which alludes to the outcome of the book. Standing in the rain, Holden’s
childhood is being washed away. Looking at the carousel he is reminded that he
no longer belongs on a child’s ride. He has an epiphany that brings him into
the adult world. Throughout the story, Holden is stuck struggling between
staying a child and advancing to maturity. I think it’s the epiphany at the end
that brings him into the next world.
What do Holden's observations on the gold ring signify? Does his observation reveal anything about his maturity?
The entire novel is on Holden’s observations.
His observations are culminating into who he will eventually end up being. It’s
those observations that, we believe, transform him in the end. They show where
he was and where he wants to go. There is a part where he says, “don’t ever
tell anybody anything, because you will miss out on everything.” This quote
doesn’t necessarily show maturity, but profound insight. There is a difference
between the two. Maturity is about acting on insight. We never see him acting
on his insight in the end. As a reader, we are left wondering if Holden was
just contemplating his maturity or if he truly matured.
6.
Is Holden capable of intimacy?
We see, as a reader, that he desperately
wants intimacy, but when it’s given, he doesn’t know how to accept it. We see
that, when the teacher is trying to comfort Holden, he rejects him and
convinces himself of his teacher’s homosexuality.
7.
What is the purpose of the title being
misquoted?
It shows Holden’s contradictory nature that
even title is misunderstood. We mentioned his use of the word “phony” earlier.
The fact that he misrepresents all that he aspires to be shows his lack of
understanding. Holden proves that he still has a lot to learn.
This also can represent the fact that Holden
is an unreliable narrator.
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