Learning Leter

Dr. Sean Agriss

Well here we are, the end of what looks like my last quarter here at EWU on campus. I am preparing for my student teaching and trying to get a grasp on all that has occurred over not only the last quarter but also the last year and a half. When I talked with you and Dr. Valeo and I allowed you two to talk me into getting a minor in English, I never really quite knew the path that it would take me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think about taking my love for literature and going out and teaching it. I am completely comfortable standing in front of a classroom and talking about the Crimean War or the Ratification of the Constitution, the concept of trying to express my passion for the likes of Tolstoy, Hemingway, Faulkner and King and then getting students to find that passion and write about it scared the ever loving crap out of me. After the last two quarters having taken your courses on Lit and Comp, I feel more at ease now with my ability to teach English and am looking forward to the challenge.

This class was incredible, being able to develop lessons for books and stories that I loved was great. The mini lesson assignment allowed me to go outside the box and create a lesson that would allow students to express themselves in an alternative medium, express my love for a book that has resounding impact on the way a student looks at themselves and their situation. I was able to share with my peers my all time favorite book and the reasons that it was impact-full to me not only as a student in high school but as an adult when I went back and reread it. By listening to my classmates I was able to compile a whole list of books that I want to not only read but to introduce to my students. The unit plan was one of the most difficult assignments that I have had to accomplish so far, but when I was done and looked back at it, I became excited to know that this was something that I did and will have the opportunity to teach.

One of the greatest aspects of your class is that it is an open discussion amongst peers. I cannot tell you how beneficial it was to be able to present ideas and gain feedback from those who are traveling down the same path as myself. You set an incredible example for how productive a classroom can be an in allowing us the freedom to push the envelope and try new things.

You have pushed me to be better, provided me guidance and support as I struggled and have mentored me in my journey. The classes I have taken from you over the past year have been some of the most rewarding in my college experience and I look forward to continuing my adventure and being able to learn from you. I now feel more prepared to go out and teach Lit to students, I feel that this class has given me the tools to guide students into the understanding and appreciation of great works of art.

Thank you for all you have done for me here at Eastern, I look forward to many more great conversations.

Sean

p.s. I loved the whole reading to the class bit you did. Not only do I feel that it might be something I would try, the story you chose was incredible.

American Born Chinese

This book was great. It was fun to be able to grab a book that really falls outside the norm for most of our students. I think that this book would be a great read for students to give them a bit of a break from standard format and still get some great content that can focus on issues like individuality, cultural history, discrimination, identity and acceptance. The story was great and flowed real well, the shifting from the different stories was pretty smooth and I liked how everything tied in at the end. I think that this could be a fun book to teach and get feedback from students.

Night

Over the years I have read quite a few books and accounts of the horrors that ocured in Nazi Germany and the concentration camps, Elie Wiesel's book was by far one of the best tellings of what happened. The level of detail, the shear emotion and the exceptional story telling make this an incredible read. This is a book that I can see using stand alone in an English curriculum or even using parts or the whole book in a Social Studies classroom during the discussion of WWII and the atrocities performed by Germany during the Holocaust.

That being said there are some very graphic details and situations in this book and it will require a lot of discussion in class prior to reading it and also during the course of the book. Because of the sensitive nature of this topic it will be important to remember that there could possibly be students that this topic will directly affect.

Great read though and I think that most anybody should sit down and take the 3 to 4 hours it takes to read this and expand their mind and knowledge.

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo

For all of us Shakespeare, especially the play Romeo and Juliet, has been done in so many ways and in so many different mediums that the whole idea of teaching it to our students is almost mind numbing. Now I am by no means minimizing the artistic quality and excellent prose that WS put down on paper to be performed. The story in itself is ancient and has been retold over and over again, but the problem lies in the fact that everyone knows this play.

I think that to teach WS you will need to find a way to get the kids involved with the history of the play, understand the context in which the play is written and allow them to find meaning in what is going on without being told. Utilizing modern versions of the story and even some strong media examples may make this more relevant and enjoyable for the students.

The TPA

I will be the first one to say that the process for doing the TPA is redundant and frustrating. At times it feels as though it takes longer to compose your lesson plan than to teach it. That being said I have to admit that there are practical uses for the TPA and I understand the reasons behind the state of Washington in adopting this process. The focus that it provides, especially for areas such as assessment and differentiated instruction are valuable tools and helps the instructor focus on the needs of the class as a whole and how to reach them. When I first started using the TPA many of the sections didn't quite make sense to me and now as I sit down to write out lesson plans I tend to focus more on things like Student Voice and Assessment.

Differentiated Instruction

Classrooms are an ever changing environment. Over the years we have gone from classrooms that were set up for students of certain abilities and skills, to classrooms that are filled with kids of all different levels of understanding and education. As a teacher of Social Studies and English, I feel that Differentiated Instruction, when applied correctly, allows the teacher to create lessons that will connect in one way or another with their students, understanding the material and how it is being used. I spent some time on the website www.differentiatedinstruction.net and was able to get a better understanding of the the philosophy and the concept around differentiated instruction. I really enjoyed how it broke down what the program does and doesn't do and addresses a lot of the misconceptions that both teachers and parents can have in regards to the program.

The resource page provides great information to instructors as far as teaching manuals and literature that can be printed off and used at no cost. All in all as we move towards the TPA and teaching in a classroom this is a great resource.

Tovani - Reading In Flanders Field

1. Read the poem all the way through, twice

2. Think about any background knowledge that you have that will help you connect to the people, animals, or objects in the poem

     In Flanders Field was written by Lt.Cnl John McCrae, a Canadian physician during WWI. This was his attempt to paint a picture of the Second Battle of Ypres, where it was believed the Germans used poison gas for the first time. After the battle Dr. McCrae was burying his friend at Essex Farm just North of Ypres, when he noticed the vast amounts of poppies that grew among the battlefield. 

3. Try to make a picture in our head of what's happening in the poem

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands, we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

 

4. What  do you think the poem is about?

When I read this poem I feel that it is the voice of the fallen. They ask for those still fighting to fight the good fight, remember them with honor and do them proud. For this is the only way that they may rest in piece on this hallowed ground. 

 

Textual Evidence                                                                      Background Knowlege

Take up our quarrel with the foe:                                              Dr. In WWI

To you from falling hands, we throw                                        Beside medicine was an avid poet

The torch; be yours to hold it high                                            

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields.