Reading Journal #7 Persepolis

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is an intense autobiography told from an unexpectedly mature child-perspective. Laced with witty satire, but dense with deaths and horrors of the Iranian Revolution, this story is tells A LOT. It tells many highlights of the history of Iran, it tells of Satrapi's life before Vienna, and it tells of the universal political, social, psychological, and emotional themes that can be linked to all individuals. This is a story of trauma and desperation in an individual, a family, a community, and a country. Each turn of the page provides a "graphic" image from the words, the drawings, and the emotions invoked. The reader is wrenched along a sentimental and passionate roller coaster as they follow Satrapi through the pangs of childhood unfamiliar to American readers. While the pictures and the plot are overwhelmingly depressing and colorless, upon completion of the book there is a surprising sense of optimism and encouragement delivered by Satrapi. I believe this is an effective and original combination of prose and artwork that will pull at the heartstrings of its readers as they fall in love with Marjane as both the protagonist and the author. I will read Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return very shortly!
Additionally, I think it is imparative that any teacher using this piece of literature in the classroom obtain a thorough knowledge of Iranian history, particularly the Revolution. I also think that the content is not suitable for all high schoolers and this must be understood by the educators as well as the parents. An appropriate introduction and instruction on the material will be vital to bring about the desired effect of this novel.

Reading Journal: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Zoo-Wee-Mama! What a funny journal about an average tween with a silly sense of humor. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is humorous story about the life of Greg Heffley including anecdotes about his runs-ins with Cheese, trees, and unease! Through cartoons and simple text, readers go through a year of school experiencing the pangs and idiosyncrasies of Greg's middle-school mishaps. Students will be able to relate to the events of his life and learn that they are not alone in their confusion and constant feeling of bad luck and irony. Some students may be peaked to write a journal of their own and eventually gain some intrapersonal perspective and enlightenment. Despite all the troubles Greg faces, the book is still easily read with a feeling of happiness and light-heartedness.

Reading Journal #5 Daisy Kutter The Last Train

Kibuishi displays his artful eye and story-telling skills in his graphic novel Daisy Kutter The Last Train. With mature themes of violence, language, and illegal activities, high schoolers will be on the edge of their seats examining the pictures and experiences the novel as if it's a film. Daisy Kutter provides young audeiences with an original and relatable female hero with an attitude that many young adults can unerstand. The drawings are each individual pieces of artwork and I found myself flipping through the pages day after day and showing particular frames to others around me. While the overall story is a bit predictable, I believe this was an effective strategy to allow the reader to keep up with the pace of the action and not get lost in the dialog or details. It would be fortunate for readers if Kibuishi continues the story of Daisy Kutter and I would be excited to see a series develop.

Reading Journal #4

Acceleration by Graham McNamee is a fast-paced and action-packed novel that reads like a suspense movie in your mind. The dialog is witty, with a bit of dark humor that any teenage reader is sure to appreciate. The characters are believable and there are themes of family, friendship, romantic love, deviance, and cruelty all messed together to create a thrilling read that leaves you wanting a sequel. Readers in a literature circle would likely enjoy reading a few chapters at a time and then coming together to make predictions and inferences. There is also a sense of surrealism as a result of the word choice, which may prompt artistic readers to express their response to the book through a creative work such as a drawing or a painting. For example, the image described on page 58: “I lean back in my chair and stare at the ceiling, where a fly is beating its brains out against the bare lightbulb” may provide an impetus for those imaginative minds. Overall, McNamee has done a great job writing an entertaining and attention-grabbing novel.

Craft Lesson #1: Character Change Continuum

Materials: Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson

Discussion: Students will receive direct instruction of strategies for comprehension and therefore become aware of the process and exhibit self-directed character analysis. Using a visual structure, students will learn how to pinpoint character change and track character growth and development.

How to teach it: I would ask the students to define “character” in their own words in small groups. Then we would discuss the idea that a character can be any person or being that exists in any work of art. I would provide a definition for characterization and tell how this process can reveal information through a variety of ways including speech, thoughts, effect on others toward the character, actions, and looks (STEAL).
Next we will create a character continuum, plotting 7-9 entries that detail a particular character’s development on a linear diagram. We will use this as a model and the students will then create a character continuum of their own. They will select a character of their choice and will focus on one aspect of the character’s growth to evaluate.
Students will then discuss their continuum and notice points of similarity and difference. They will edit their continuum if necessary with the help of their peers and teacher guidance. The quality of the continuum will demonstrate the students’ understanding of character change as well as the methods used by the author to reveal information about each character.
If necessary, further instruction on this topic would include a verbal or written explanation of the continuum by each student or a comparison of the character to another character from a previously studied text.

Bibliographic Information of Resource Text:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character