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Write a letter to a character or have a character write to another character within the text.

Dear Paul,
I am sure by now you are still in that clearing, with all your friends and boyfriend, thinking 'What a wonderful world.' The world painted through your eyes is a kaleidoscope of acceptance and love that shines beyond the pages of the book you are in. Your town is my town and your self assurance on yourself, an inspiration. Knowing your story made me tolerant, and as I grew older it made me accept. Not so long ago, I must admit I did not truly educate myself on the struggles of the LGBTQ community, I have not expanded my understanding beyond what I see in my everyday life. This time around, reading with your voice in mind got me thinking that I cannot be a full ally without understanding your other friends' struggles. I understood love the first time I read your book, but now I somewhat understand your constant struggle and the need for allies, instead of receptors. An ally stands with you and fights along when you get ready to face what ever is coming your way.

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Session 10 - LGBTQ Article Response ("Criteria for the selection of YA queer literature" & "Watch what you Teach"

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Session 10 - LGBTQ Article Response ("Criteria for the selection of YA queer literature" & "Watch what you Teach"

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I want to start this response by writing about my first experience reading queer literature. I remember being in middle school, and only having books to entertain myself as I came from a very strict immigrant family and was not allowed to watch television for more than a certain time per day or go outside and pass time with friends. I remember coming across the book Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, deciding I liked the cover and was taking it home. Reading the book made me question the homophobic statements I had been hearing all my life from my parents, church, entire culture (I am from the Dominican Republic) and the United States itself (the "that's gay comments" in school) . I remember feeling like I was reading something forbidden as soon as I started the book. I remember I continued reading because I wanted to know what the book was about, why there was a story as such even though it was not "the way to love" or in Spanish "la manera que se debe de amar." And that is exactly what that book taught me, that there is more than one way to love and who to love, that their love and feelings were no different than any other human, still pure and tender. I do not remember much of the details in the story but I still remember what it taught me. I did not share what I read with parents but I did from then on made up my mind that I was not going to be like them and condemn homosexuality. This why I completely agree that it is important to teach YA queer literature and I hope that I can do so in the future. The criteria for selection YA queer literature seems very well structured, it has made me wonder why books in the current curriculum are not as high scrutinized. It saddens me that not all children are exposed to these books because the curriculum chooses "safe" books that have no impact on their view of the world, and will never have a chance to pick up Boy meets Boy.
I hope that in the future as I start to acquire books and own a classroom library I am able to have quality books that teach students great lessons on how to be compassionate humans. That said, I am still conflicted. "Watch What You Teach," is an inspiring article and the activities the teacher came up with were very well thought out and effective, a skill I hope I can obtain in the future. I am conflicted about carrying out something similar to this with my students in the 6th grade and getting upset parents coming the school. I know my parents would have gotten upset if I went home and told them I was learning about homosexuality from my teacher in the 6th grade. Of course, as the article pointed out, it all depends on how you teach the literature to the students after the literature is selected. The teacher did so by uncovering assumptions and scrutinizing heteronormativity,  students had to hypothesize the purpose of assignments and their own learned behavior. The prior was far more elaborated and reflective, it is not the teacher telling the student, but they are discovering (this is what I want to be able to do one day, I want to able to think of appropriate activities like these). The activities work in making it a learning experience rather than making it seem like an agenda to tell students to not be homophobic. In the future I hope to include The Absolute Diary of a Part-time Indian in my curriculum, but have to be prepare for how to set up the erection scene with Ms. Warren. I will mostly teach Part-time Indian to 7th or 8th graders.

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Absolute true diary response: YAY loved that his book has received such a great response from most of you. I'm obsessed with it and the many topics it allows teens to deal with and allows teachers to contemplate as part of their lessons. I think one can just read the illustrations and still be haunted by Junior's life and the many struggles he has to overcome. 

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Absolute true diary response: YAY loved that his book has received such a great response from most of you. I'm obsessed with it and the many topics it allows teens to deal with and allows teachers to contemplate as part of their lessons. I think one can just read the illustrations and still be haunted by Junior's life and the many struggles he has to overcome. 

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So So happy you read this article exactly how it was intended! It is definitely one of those articles that should make us really reconsider our own practice, our own biases and how we can better give students the kind of autonomy that will truly lead them to become self starters and to become aware of the urgency in thinking and taking action.

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Great letter to Hazel with a real love of the work coming through.
I agree that see, think, wonder works well but you'd be surprised at just how many will fit in regardless of content. So glad you have started the reciprocal teaching since it really is so very effective but as you can see it does take lots of work because it asks that they begin to think more critically. I have attached some hand outs that should help with question generators.

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Jesthine you need to add me as a collaborator so that I can comment 

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Jesthine you need to add me as a collaborator so that I can comment 

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The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian Response (Loved this Book!)

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The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian Response (Loved this Book!)

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-Discuss how you would use this text in your own classroom-

Let me start by saying I truly enjoyed reading this book. I loved it, and the young pre-teen in me loved it more. It sounds strange if I read that last sentence aloud, but I can just imagine reading this book as 6th or 7th grader and thoroughly falling in love with it. I have never read a book where the main character was native american, and I shouldn't say I assume my students haven't either, but there is a high probability not all of them have read a book where the main character was Native American. If I was teaching this book I would want to start by giving some background on the Native American people and where they are today to give context. I will then have students keep a chapter journal similar to the chapter journals we are to use in our informal responses here. This book can make a reader very vulnerable as it deals with how one can react in the presence of obstacles that are out of our control. Junior has to deal with living in the rez (a place he knows will not give him complete happy future), having family members who are alcoholics, poverty, his disability, etc. Our kids have similar obstacles that are out of their control, and they might be choosing to deal with them in ways that harm their future or are not proactive. It is important for them to examine Junior struggle and have an opportunity to share their own struggle if they are incline to do so. The pictures have as much impact as the words in the text, I will have students analyze each image and decide how it fits to the chapter. If I ever get to teach this book I would focus on theme, and what exactly Junior story teaches each individual student by the end of the book. I would focus on having students critically examine the identity crisis Junior encounters through the book and determine whether they are internal or external conflicts (with evidence, of course).  There are many great quotes in the book, I would love to have students pick out quotes that stood out to them as they read. I think something I would do for students with IEPs specifically would be to have them make a comic strip as an end of the unit assessment of the book. I would use this book as a relationship building tool in my classroom.

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- Explore the VTR routines that make most sense in your content area and choose one to share with me in your individual padlet. In the padlet just describe how and why you would use that particular VTR.

The VTR routine that makes the most sense for my science content is the SEE / THINK / WONDER and the THINK PAIR SHARE ROUTINE. I will use the THINK PAIR SHARE routine during the entry slip, after asking a DOK 4 question that requires students go beyond what was stated in the text, and in stop-and-jot form during the lesson. It is very important for students to activate their prior knowledge about a topic so that it is easier for them to make connections to new information. I have tried incorporating the THINK PAIR SHARE routine in my self-contained class, but I feel like I have not had full success with it yet. I like the idea of encouraging students to make their thinking visible by asking them to write or draw their ideas before and/or after sharing. It is specially helpful for my SpEd students because a lot of them are agitated and they are asked to write down their thoughts on paper. This routine sounds like a great tool to use for gathering how well students are receiving content as well. It is helpful for me because I struggle to include physical formative assessment for every student.
The SEEK/ THINK/ WONDER routine will be used to encourage curiosity in science class. Recently I started using reciprocal teaching and my students are having trouble formulating questions. I think I would use this strategy to have students critically look at science information. In order for them be actively understanding a topic they need to know what exactly they are thinking while reading. At the beginning of the year I did not understand that reading for reading, and for only gaining information is not really close reading. Close reading strategies actually have us actively reacting to information instead of taking what is is being said and paraphrasing. Higher think requires students to wonder about what they are reading. I am still thinking about how I can incorporate this routine to reciprocal reading. For now I might placed this routine into the questioning section of the Reciprocal teaching process.

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Summary and Reflection

David Takacs asks his readers to evaluate their understanding of the world based on the biases or unique absolute truths they have acquire from their environment. He states this can be done by engaging in “cooperative argumentation.” This entails listening to others perspectives and experiences and considering them truthful knowledge that is different from ones own. This newly acquire knowledge may contradict or question our own, but it is still another version of the truth we already comprehend based on our preconceived experiences. Takacs then suggests readers utilize their new acquire knowledge to come to a consensus on what structures are failing to promote equality, and then create an intentional action plan that creates new “critical intervention in reality.” To him lecturing a position of knowledge does not promote learning environments in which all students are respected, in which all students are encourage to repect each other’s positions, or in which all students are allowed to use knowledge they create in the classroom to change the world.
Out of all the articles I have read in my time as a New York teaching fellow, this is my favorite. Takacs used a philosophical perspective of learning and teaching that was free of the typical statics of learning that might make us bias towards the system and our students. He presented a philosophical perspective that drives from objectively looking at knowledge as a holistic tool. That said, it will be interesting to see his views of the gradual release teaching style to promote reading comprehension. Gradual release is suppose to give space for students to develop and use multiple strategies to gain knowledge from a text(a different perspective), but at times, depending on who it is using it, it dictates students practice a skill a specific way. For students that lack direction and foundations it is good to have them follow along a model, the hardest part of teaching is making sure we are not abusing our power and stating there is only on way to ‘write a short response’ because it is the only way they’ll get full credit in the standardized test. This is something our education system as a whole must keep in mind, but it most certainly does not. I hope in the future I develop a balanced praxis pedagogy that mirrors Takacs, but still am able to make sure my students get through their require expectations from system.
Takacs give all students equity and autonomy to use their knowledge throughout the the rest of their lives.

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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green -  YAL from the Disability, Special Needs and Mental Health

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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green -  YAL from the Disability, Special Needs and Mental Health

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John Green. The Fault in Our Stars. New York, New York: Penguin, 2012.

Write a letter to a character.

Dear Hazel,
I am not afraid of death, from a very young age I have understood death is inevitable, and therefore do not feel no resent towards it. One of my favorite poet has a line that says "Everyday you play with the light of the universe." You were my light of the universe, briefly but infinitely. I'll always remember when you came and saved me at the gas station, there your were ready to expand my universe. You understood what it meant to have a disease, even when you thought yourself to be a granade, you let me into your heart. We feel lonely and I never felt lonely with you. I'm forever grateful for the light you have given me. I'm also grateful for that god awful support group at church even though it was bad and a hated it, but at least I got to meet you.

With all of my love,
Augustus Waters

P.S remember to live life like a metaphor!