https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24 Feel free to add your own - articles, films, books - we'll take all suggestions! en-us 2020-07-24 18:15:27 UTC 2023-01-19 17:40:08 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4a1.png allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662025941 My students really love this one. It's a simple and relatively short fable about a boy on an archetypal quest that also prompts thoughts about the meaning of life (in the same vein as The Little Prince, Siddhartha, etc.) It's a great way to start an INRW course as the text is straightforward but the tale is rich with symbolism and metaphor.
**As a bonus, its popularity means that there are a lot of free teaching materials associated with it, like this 85-page lesson/activity booklet. ]]> 2020-07-24 18:18:33 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662025941 allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662028809 Luiselli is one of the most acclaimed young novelists from Mexico (she now lives in the U.S.) While waiting for her green card to be processed in 2014, she volunteered as a translator for Spanish-speaking minors who had crossed the border alone and needed to make a case for asylum after the "priority juvenile docket" was enacted. This slim volume is her non-fiction, first-person account of that work - part memoir, part policy/history overview, part argument. My students found it profoundly moving. Luiselli recently published a novel based on the same experiences which was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2019 by the NYTimes (Lost Children Archive). ]]> 2020-07-24 18:23:16 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662028809 allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662032953 The subtitle to this is: "Why your 20s matter--and how to make the most of them." The author frames the existential angst of the 20s through vignettes with her own clients (she is a clinical psychologist) that express many of the emotions, longings, and frustrations our students feel. She covers three key aspects of life--work, love and brain/body--then explains, through anecdote and scientific study, what exactly is happening in the 20s and how young people can best use their time. Lots of good advice (can you guess which section my students liked most?)
If you want a summary/overview, check out Jay's TED Talk. 

]]> 2020-07-24 18:30:27 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662032953 allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662037743 Cannot recommend this site enough. Loads of free content on the existential questions of life (and nothing seems to energize students more than discussing the "big questions"). They have "relationships" "work" "Self-knowledge" and "calm" categories with engaging videos, well-written articles, and interesting freewriting/questionnaire prompts that I have used in classes to great success. ]]> 2020-07-24 18:38:37 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662037743 allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662040286 One of the great OER Texts on Reading/Writing. Written by five community college reading/writing instructors, this is a true gem because it deals with all the basics of reading and writing but also addresses issues other textbooks don’t: how to overcome writing anxiety, developing information literacy, and the connection between comprehension and academic performance in college.  The tone is authoritative and conversational – clearly written with the student audience in mind. 

]]> 2020-07-24 18:42:02 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662040286 allegra_villarreal1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662043228 Lots of great free videos on politics, culture, history, race (as well as contemporary political and social issues); short documentaries made by a variety of filmmakers. "How to be Alone" is a great recent offering on life in quarantine. ]]> 2020-07-24 18:47:16 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/662043228 rdavidso1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663571848 Eugene Ionesco's play from "The Theater of the Absurd" has been surprisingly relevant and well received in all of my literature courses. It is a story of how a society slowly then quickly is able to recreate itself based on fear, manipulation, and conformity. Based on Ionesco's experience with the rise of fascism, I have had students make numerous connections to modern society.
I have attached a short story version that can be used for ENG 1302 courses in lieu of the full play (there is also a movie version starring Willy Wonka himself, Gene Wilder )]]> 2020-07-27 20:16:06 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663571848 rdavidso1 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663576003 Similar to James Baldwin's "My Dungeon Shook" and Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me, in this letter Danticat looks to address the circumstances that affect and will continue to affect the lives of African American women and immigrants.]]> 2020-07-27 20:24:10 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663576003 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663609108 “Just Walk on By” Brett Staples
Short but thought provoking essay to use as a launching pad to contemplate  and  discuss being misjudged or misjudging others. Have successfully used this in INRW and EDUC.]]> 2020-07-27 21:30:27 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663609108 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663635198 christy

Now that this is in the public I can use this, but I also like "The Uncomfortable Truth"  https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B074ZR2YSC/ref=atv_dl_rdr?autoplay=1

]]> 2020-07-27 22:28:50 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663635198 coreygreathouse https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663826799 One of the text I use with my Comp I classes is "Salvation" by Langston Hughes.  Because of the content of the text and Hughes' writing style,  I find the piece very effective with my narrative essay unit.  Plus, with it being such a short text, I can incorporate many different classroom activities.]]> 2020-07-28 03:34:15 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/663826799 richardscaro https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664104696 This short story by Dagoberto Gilb is a fictional piece that I use for my narrative section; however, the theme allows for application in other writings like persuasive or research. The story follows a child's perspective as he navigates issue through his culture, poverty, racism, and coming of age. ]]> 2020-07-28 12:56:27 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664104696 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664147360 I use so many that it's hard to decide which ones to share. I love works by Cisneros, Kingston, Amy Tan, and Alexie. The students really enjoy these, too.  I also love Enrique's Journey for a longer work and Whistling Vivaldi. 

]]> 2020-07-28 13:58:11 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664147360 https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664153365 I will buy the votive candles and you paste the Word Doc onto it. ]]> 2020-07-28 14:06:08 UTC https://padlet.com/allegra_villarreal1/b9ho4l8wu54nla24/wish/664153365