Character Sketch Activity

Your Name:
Caulfield
Brain (thoughts)
Eyes (sights)
Ears (others’ words)
Mouth (words)
Heart (feelings)
Hands (actions)
Feet (travels)

Character’s Full Name: ​Holden Sketch an image of what you think the character would look like above

Character Analysis Sketch

On the back, write a 1-2 paragraph response explaining whether you like or dislike Holden. Use evidence from the novel to support your opinion. Pay attention to what he says as well as what he does, his reactions to others and others’ reaction toward him.

Anticipation Guide/ 4- Corner Discussion

Name: _____________________________

Catcher in the Rye 4 Corner Discussion

1. Individually rate each of the following statements  based on whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Strongly Disagree (SD) or Disagree (D) or Neutral--have no opinion (N).

2. In groups of 3-4 explain in a couple of sentences why your group decided on the rating you have given to each statement.

1.     _____ People tend to notice when you act younger than you are, not when you act older than you are.

2.     _____ Handsome guys and pretty girls always seem to be asking you to do them a favor.

3.     _____ Almost every time somebody gives me a present it ends up making me sad.

4.     _____ It’s okay to tell a lie if it ends up making somebody feel good.

5.     _____ If you want to make it in life, you have to say stuff like “Glad to have met you” when you don’t really mean it.

6.     _____ Money always ends up making you sad.

7.     _____ If a girl likes a boy, she’ll excuse his obnoxiousness by saying he has an “inferiority complex.”

8.     _____ If a girl doesn’t like a boy, no matter how nice he is or how big an inferiority complex he has, she’ll say he’s conceited.

9.     _____ Mothers are all slightly insane.

10.  _____ The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause.

11.  _____ The mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for a cause.

12.  _____ Being grown up has nothing to do with how old you are.

13.  _____People should always protect those younger than themselves, particularly children.

14.  _____Phonies or phoniness can only be found in the adult world.

15.  _____How people act can sometimes reveal their personality or character more than what they say.

16.  _____Society encourages children to grow up too quickly.

17.  _____While we may seek reality, people are more comfortable with illusion.

18.  _____Institutions like school, businesses and the entertainment industries suppress individuality and encourage conformity.

20.  On a scale of zero to 4, how would rate the following things based on importance:

a.     Telling the truth

b.     Being an individual

c.     Being mature

d.     Protecting others

e.     Fitting in

Book Talk

Book Talk: The Catcher In The Rye

By: Hannah Beloved  

1.     Catcher in the Rye is about a boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is a very unique character throughout the whole book. Holden clearly explains that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital. Holden is the narrator of the story and explains to the audience some of the events that have taken place in his life when he was sixteen years old.  Holden has been kicked out of four different schools before arriving at Pencey prep school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Pencey prep has made little to no difference in his achievement in his academic classes. Holden is not described as a typical teenage boy. He is never reluctant to criticize his classmates who obsess over girls, sex, smoking and drinking. Holden feels compelled to engage in some of these obsessions but does not necessarily want to. In the events that Holden describes in the story the reader can tell that Holden thinks everybody is “phony”. He doesn’t like many people throughout the story and calls them “phonies” and he is probably the most “phony” of them all. Needless to say, Holden is critical and bitter towards the world he lives in.  Throughout the story we see Holden tell his view in some of the events that have taken place in his life. He feels so torn between becoming an adult and remaining a child. The confusion of growing up is a common theme throughout the whole story. Throughout the story Holden describes several events that happen in his life where he is searching to understand who he is in his own skin.

2. I chose this text because I have heard many great things about this novel from many people. Another reason I chose this novel is because my mentor teacher was about to start to teach this novel to her 12^th grade prep for college English class. I thought it would be beneficial for me to read the novel, which allowed me to take over some of the lessons she had planned on teaching for the novel. I believe that this text is appropriate for 12^th grade students. I think this because Salinger uses vulgar language as well as sexual connotation. I think by the time students are in the twelfth grade they are responsible enough to read the novel with maturity. I believe The Catcher in the Rye is appropriate for twelfth grade students because many of the messages and themes Salinger writes in the story directly relate to what is taking place in the lives of 17-18 year old kids. Many of the common themes Salinger presents in the novel are easily relatable for students in the 12^th grade. Seniors in high school are embarking on several changes taking place in their lives. Many seniors struggle transitioning from adolescence to adulthood similarly to Holden in the novel. The Catcher in the Rye is a quick and easy read. The way that Holden carries himself throughout the book allows many readers to either relate to him or relate to similar situations that take place in this stage of life.

3.     One of the teaching ideas I have learned while teaching this novel is a pre-reading activity. The pre-reading activity is called an anticipation guide. The anticipation guide has a list for 15 general statements that I asked each student to rate individually either strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, disagree, and neutral. They then wrote an explanation of why they rated each statement the way they did. This is a great way to introduce some of the themes they will recognize through the novel. The next part of the activity was called a 4-corner discussion. During this discussion students had to decided which corner of the room they believed matched their opinion of each statement that I asked during the discussion. It was awesome to see the class debate with each other on different views on each general statement. I really got to see how student’s personal lives came into effect during the class discussion to defend their opinion. Another teaching activity I plan on using with this novel is having my students complete a character analysis sketch of Holden Caulfield. Each student designs an illustration of what they think Holden looks like. They will also provide two pieces of textual evidence in 7 categories to support Holden’s characterization. The seven categories include his thoughts, what he sees, what others hear, what he says, how he feels, some of his actions, and where he travels. Because Holden is a unique character I will ask each student to explain in 1-2 paragraphs answering whether they like or dislike Holden.

4.      

 There has been controversy over the years of whether this book should be taught to High school students. One reason for this debate is the sexual references that appear throughout the story. Another reason is the use of vulgar language that can people might see as offensive. Lastly, some people see the use of drugs and alcohol in the story as a way of prompting drug and alcohol use. I think parents are mainly concerned with the sexual, and drug and alcohol reference which is understandable but the Salinger’s novel does not solely revolve around these two topics. I predict that administrators see that teaching this book is appropriate for seniors in high school. I think they would realize this book would be away for students to relate to many of the themes throughout the book. I predict students will appreciate that the school district allows them to read a novel that they can actually enjoy and relate to. I think students would thoroughly enjoy reading this book and would be able to make connections from the book to their own life.

5.     I think many students look back at Salinger’s novel and remember it being one the best books they read in High school. I believe that this book should be taught to all seniors in high school due to the fact that many seniors struggle to balance the transition from adolescent to adult. So many themes throughout the novel are relatable to 18 year olds. I wish my High school would have taught this novel because I think I would have benefitted by reading it at that point in my life.

"Readicide"

Blog Post “Readicide”

I was thrilled to find out I was given another opportunity to read another one of Kelly Gallagher’s book’s at the beginning of the quarter. I was able to read one of her other books last quarter and learned so many great things. One thing I knew before reading this book was that students today are not reading enough plain and simple. I am one of those people included who are not reading enough, and are spending way to much of my spare time indulging on Netflix. At the beginning of the book, Gallagher explains that Students are not spending enough time in school. After reading this statement I went and asked my mentor teacher what she thought about giving her students time to read in class. She explained to me that her opinion was that “giving students class time to read is a waste of time”. Along with my mentor teacher I believe that many teachers today would agree with her and maybe a handful might disagree. I think many people would be surprised at the fact that on average American teenagers spend almost two hours of leisure time watching television. “One average, Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four spend almost two hours a day watching television, and only seven minutes of their leisure time on reading”(41). Needless to say another fact Gallagher explains that nearly half of all Americans of the same ages explained in the last fact do not read books at all for pleasure. These facts are so detrimental to the language arts education of our students. All students should be reading to further their education and understanding in literature. Literature allows students to learn how think critically and with out that skill students will not be successful in college. I can attest to this. I feel like I was a student who did not read enough throughout elementary, and high school for pleasure. The result of not spending enough time reading is when I was forced to read it wasn’t what I wasted to read so I learned to hate reading as a whole. I hated reading textbooks that didn’t interest me so I simply just didn’t read. I really think I could have really benefited from reading more literature in my youth and that would have advanced my skill of thinking critically at the college level. One idea that I really would love to implement in my classroom is “Article of the Week”. I think it kills two birds with one stone. The article of the week allows students to know what’s going on in the world around them. It also allows students to ask questions, highlight what they know and also reflect on what they read. I really could write so many things I have taken from this book but that could take all day. One last thing that I wan to mention are some of the ways I learned and loved on how to prevent “readicide” using the 50/50 approach. Gallagher explains that if a teacher wants to develop a recreational reader they must “provide adequate time in school to read so that students have time to develop a recreational reading habit”. She also explains that if teachers want to develop academic readers they must demand that students continue to read books that may be a shade too hard for them and this is why the teacher is in the room. One last statement that I believe to be the most helpful in ending “readicide” is to surround academic text with high-interest authentic real world reading. All in all this book has so much information to comphrened which is why I will continue to reread this book for ways to keep my students reading and to prevent “readicide” in my classroom.    

I READ IT, BUT I DONT GET IT

I Read It, But I Don’t Get It

After reading Cris Tovani’s book I Read It, But I Don’t Get It, I learned many of her strategic learning strategies. Not only did I learn and take note of many these strategies Cris gives great tips throughout the entire book on how to employment these strategies in my future classroom. After reading the first couple of pages I really enjoyed the sense of humor she has when describing students on the first day of class. When Cris explains establishing expectations she states that teachers need to keep their expectations clear and simple. “Before I share what I expect of student’s, I want them to know what they expect from reading workshop”(3). I really liked how she did not put up with any bullshit from the students who were complaining about the work that was possible in her class. Instead she told them how she didn’t want to grade 25 different reports, she told them how she cheated on her report in the second grade. I also enjoyed how after her telling the students that she had cheated they opened up and explained how they fake read since the third grade and Cris explains that she did the same thing. Another aspect of this book that caught my eye was when she explained that if she wanted her students to become better readers than she needed to become a better reader herself. If teachers had the ability to think like this when it comes to teaching I think every student will benefit so much. Imagine a teacher who thinks they know it all and don’t believe they have any room for improvement. How do those teachers help students become the best learners they possibly can if they wont even try to learn new ways to teach students? One of m favorite parts of the book is when she describes how to disarm the defenses. “By the ninth grade, many students have been defeated by test scores, letter grades, and special groupings”. I was able to relate to this one line because I almost quit going into education because I felt defeated by all three of the things she mentions. She goes on to explain how reading has totally lost its purpose and pleasure in today’s classrooms. This book is filled with so information that I could go on to talk about for a long time. I will definitely be keeping this book as a tool for myself to help the readers that she describes in this book to become better readers. Not only will I use this as a tool for my students but also as tool for myself to learn many more ways on how to become the most efficient reader I possibly can.

Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom-

Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom-

After reading this document I was really impressed with the different ways this group has taught English language arts to all cultures in the 21^st century. Although some students lacked skills in speaking the English language, they were guided in developing linguistic competencies and literary skills for academic advance, professional employment, and civic participation. I also liked the fact that not only did they introduce American literature but they also introduced British literature allowing students to see a variety of literature. By introducing multicultural texts to students it allows them to begin to make connections to their on lives and everyday experiences. While comparing the contrasting these literatures, students gain an understanding of the similarities and differences across time and culture. Another concept I found extremely interesting was the more that we study concepts of others the more we understand concepts that relate to our own learning. By implementing multicultural literary study allows us to see ourselves in others even if we seen other as different in important and extraordinary ways. Banking method of education was also brought up in the article. They explained they were firm believes in the banking method but made a conscious effort to adapt to the problem-posing method. This article was very interesting to read. I was reminded teacher’s need to keep into consideration the connotations of the content. Some of the content may evoke emotions from students. It is our job as teachers to do the best we can to communicative with other teachers, parents, and students. Teachers need to explain that some of the content is taught to teach them about issues related to diversity. I was intrigued to read how English teachers could adapt to drastically different cultural environments while implementing their pedagogy.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

This chapter of Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” was a very dense and interesting read. However, I found this information to be extremely helpful. I do agree that too many educators today are using the banking approach to education when they students can learn far more using problem-posing education. Another thing that this article makes clear is that student teacher relationships and teacher student relationships are extremely crucial in this field of work. I think it is important for teachers to remember that they are not only teaching material and learning from each lesson they teach but they are need to remember that they are also learning from each student. In many classrooms today I think teachers come across just as the chapter explains. The chapter explains that teachers using the banking approach come across as the “depositors” to students. They are the ones who are giving information for students to absorb and memorize.  Really believe schools would be so much more efficient for students to be able to have a say in their learning. They need to feel like they are able to take responsibility for their own education. I really liked the fact that the problem based educational approach not only relates to classroom education but also relates to the outside world. This allows students to not only succeed academically but also as citizens of the world. On the other hand I learned that the banking approach is an example of how teachers teach and students are taught. Teachers tend to think they know everything and students know nothing. The teacher chooses the program content, and the students have no choice or opinion in the matter whatsoever. I wish every future teacher and current teacher are required to read tis chapter. This chapter puts education into a wide perspective and is very informative.