"American Born Chinese" - Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang was my first graphic novel that I have ever read completely, and I must say I was a fan! One major thing that I enjoyed about the graphic novel was that the audience is able to watch the dialogue play out and see the characters body language. When I read I play the story out in my mind and a graphic novel paints the image clearly.

In my cooperating classroom we use a variety of traditional literature, and I would never have thought about including a graphic novel; however, after reading this one I would find it beneficial in the classroom. With working specifically on American Born Chinese students could focus on Chinese mythology, racism, stereotypes, and character development.

Using American Born Chinese and graphic novels in general, teachers are able to introduce the reading strategy of making an inference. My students have been reading The Lord of the Flies and I have found from my cooperating classroom that making an inference can be a particularly difficult reading strategy to teach and have students become comfortable with. My cooperating teacher and I have been struggling with illustrating how readers need to “read between the lines” and combine their schema knowledge (what you already know) with what they read.  Making an inference seems very abstract, and students struggle with grasping the concept. As a result of this I think that a graphic novel would help students be able to use the images and the dialogue in order to read between the lines and make inferences.

One obstacle that I could see with a graphic novel could be that students may get bored because of the level of reading. When I was reading American Born Chinese I found that it only took me an hour or so to finish it because the dialogue was easy to read and follow. One way to overcome this would be to teach the graphic novel in sections, or only use it as a supporting literature and not the main focus.

Night - Elie Wiesel

I really enjoyed reading Night by Elie Wiesel because of its combination of an intriguing story and a historical component. From a language arts perspective the narrator has a memorable story that can draw in students and allow many teachable moments about literature. For my book talk I chose The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because I felt it was a beneficial introduction book to the Holocaust and WWII, from a teaching perspective for a history class I think Night can fit this criterion as well.

Night by Elie Wiesel can be a beneficial read to a high school classroom because of its story, the message, and the historical background. I would use this story in a sophomore language arts or history classroom. In order to teach this book I think that students will need a variety of schema building on the topic, the author, and the language. I have learned from my current placement classroom that the topics in this story are not always well known and students need an introduction in order to become interested.

In a language arts classroom Night can be used to teach a series of instructions. Teachers can use Night to introduce students to a memoir. Because Night’s main character closely resembles its author, it may be considered more of a memoir than a novel. Students could compare and contrast novels and memoirs for a better understanding of reading literature. One important difference that teachers can use is that a novel typically concerns itself with creating a convincing fictional story; Night, however, is concerned solely with Wiesel’s personal experience. Teacher’s can also use themes and symbols throughout the story. One example could be the inhumane treatment of humans, and the consequences. This theme can lead to a series of discussions, research projects, and opportunities for group work.

In a history class Night can be used as an introduction story for WWII and the Holocaust (my understanding is that both are a requirement). Teachers could use sections of Night, the author’s real story, and other stories related to Night in order to help students begin to draw connections to the history and the actual people involved. I am not a history major so I am not confident in teaching a history class, but I know from class discussions this book could be beneficial to a history lesson.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexia was a spectacular read. The story was easy to follow because of the language and the images that supported the narrator’s story. For those who have not read this story it is about a young Indian boy’s struggles of attending a white school, growing up in poverty with a rough home life, the friendships that come and go, and the hope he has to get out and succeed in life.

After reading this book and considering how it can be used in the classroom, I believe that the idea of hope can be an important aspect to focus on. Although the narrator faces a variety of challenges throughout his life he continues to hope for a better future. “You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope . . . You’re going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad reservation.” (p. 43) Teachers can connect the narrators hope to what students believe hope is, their own hopes in life, as well as connecting hope to dreams. Along with hope this story has a selection of themes that can relate to adolescent students (bullying, friendship, relationships, role models, etc) and can be used to help students make connections to better comprehend this story. 

A second teaching approach could be educating students about reservations all over the United States, Washington reservations, Native American history, education and other Native American relations that are talked about in this book as well as real life.

A third teaching approach for the classroom could be using the idea of imagery and drawings. I found in my own cooperating classroom that a majority of the students are struggling with home life and school, but doodling and drawing help them express themselves (just like the narrator of the story). The images are important to this story because they illustrate friends, family, society, stereotypes, and many more relatable aspects of a high school student’s life. Students could be given an end of the unit assignment to illustrate their own world just as the narrator has done. We have learned in education classrooms that drawing may not be every students strong point, so they could use a variety of approaches (pictures, magazine cutouts, drawing, painting, etc).

There are so many more teaching ideas that can come from this book. I am not sure what grade of students this book would be most suitable for, but I think it can be very beneficial for student learning in a language arts classroom.

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was a great first read in this classroom. This book introduced me to a fictional Nigerian tribe but a real culture. I found myself confused a few times throughout the book, having to re-read sentences and paragraphs to try and better comprehend the story.

Things Fall Apart would be a beneficial reading tool in a high school classroom because of its themes, language and culture. I am not sure what classroom level I would find it acceptable in because I feel pieces of the story can be used in a variety of language arts classrooms. A major theme I found in the story was the idea of change. The culture in Things Fall Apart is bordering a new change, and it affected most characters. Although students may not be able to draw a connection between the story and their own culture, they will be able to find a connection with change in school, family, relationships, etc.

Throughout many of my high school language arts classrooms, ninth through twelfth, my teachers continued developing imagery, figurative language, and other components that develop a story. Based on my own learning experience I felt that another aspect of Things Fall Apart that can be used in a language arts classroom is the use of animal images. The book is introduced to imagery of a cat, later a tortoise, and also a python. Students can make a connection to the story based on their own relationship to animals, as well as learn to use imagery in their own writing.

I look forward to the mini lesson assignment on this book to learn new approaches for teaching this story. I am interested to see how my peers teaching this story will work through the challenging language at times in the story, the introduction of a new culture for most students and the twenty-five chapter length of the story.