{"id":1258,"date":"2015-04-08T15:28:44","date_gmt":"2015-04-08T19:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/espace.bsu.edu\/bestpractices\/?p=1258"},"modified":"2015-04-08T15:28:44","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T19:28:44","slug":"community-inclusion-bringing-a-novel-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/espace.bsu.edu\/bestpractices\/community-inclusion-bringing-a-novel-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Inclusion: Bringing a Novel to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Using Classic Literature to Inspire Student Success Through Inclusion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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So many great works of literature connect to universal themes experienced by our students. Students in high school with functional reading levels significantly below their peers need assistance in accessing the literature their peers study in general education high school English classes. Finding time to collaborate with Stacy Gill was challenging, but we made the attempt, using email and very few in person meetings. Mrs. Gill shared with me that her students usually read assigned novels on their own. My students read at a 2nd grade to 6th grade functional level. When I read to them and stop for clarifications and ask them how a section might relate to something in their life, or a new vocabulary word that sounds like one they might already know, my students can grasp the main themes in literature their grade level peers read independently. I began by sharing the Shmoop video summary and reviewing who the main characters are in the novel.\u00a0http:\/\/www.shmoop.com\/great-gatsby\/summary.html<\/a><\/p>\n

I also found a summary in iBooks that presented the novel in a simplified version. A few of my students could read that version, Coach G\u2019s Gatsby, independently.<\/p>\n

We also watched most of the movie version, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby. I chose to fast forward through the lengthier party scenes and bedroom scenes, as my students\u2019 maturity causes them to be distracted by such material. Instead I asked them to consider Nick\u2019s role as chaperone and conscience. We also discussed the affect wealth had on Daisy and Gatsby\u2019s sense of right and wrong. We had been talking about how we all develop our own set of values earlier in our Community Based Education class. Choice making and conflict resolution also feature prominently in direct instruction in that class. Many opportunities for discussion present themselves in the novel, such as the lunch and trip to New York where Daisy had planned on asking Tom for a divorce. How do Daisy and Tom and Gatsby face up to their responsibility in Myrtle\u2019s death? Why do they feel they can walk away from the \u201cmess\u201d they create?
\nhttp:\/\/www.shmoop.com\/great-gatsby\/wealth-theme.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Once we read through nearly all of the book, I asked the students if they wanted to be surprised by the end of the story while at the play, or finish the movie and book before attending the play. They agreed to wait to know the ending as it unfolded on stage. We had time upon returning to school to read the end of the book and compare the differences. The play made a choice in staging that emphasized the carnage, Daisy\u2019s choices left behind. Nick had to walk around the dead bodies during his closing monologue.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Gill summarized her unit plan:
\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
\nUnit Plans
\nEnglish Language and Composition\/Grade 11<\/p>\n

Student Objectives:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Study a classic novel
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Brief study of the author
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Character analyses
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Study of the author’s plot elements
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Compare to scenes of the recent film version
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Compare to Richmond Civic Theatre production of the play
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Work with another class with different learning styles on comparisons<\/p>\n

Assessments:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pop quizzes over chapters
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Short essay responses
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Final test
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Informal class discussion
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Group work with assignments on comparisons<\/p>\n

Students in the AP classes will have their own copies of the novel; most of the reading will be done outside of class. Our trip to Richmond Civic Theatre will be after the final test over the book. After our field trip students from Mrs. Avery’s class will meet with Mrs. Gill’s students to compare the characters, setting, and plot differences between the book and the play.<\/p>\n

Challenges or Obstacles:<\/h3>\n