Help for a first-year English teacher

[NewTeacher]

Hello everyone! As a newly employed English teacher, I've been scavenging the web for ideas and came across this site. Some of the info everyone gave to Lavendar1 was very helpful, so I thought I'd give this a shot as well.

I will be teaching sophomore honors American Literature, as well as junior College Prep Am Lit, which I am quite excited about. Recently, I learned that I will also be teaching Senior British Literature. This leads me to my first question.... I am very pumped about teaching Am Lit to high school students because I feel it is very easy to make relevant to their lives. I am planning on using the controlling theme of something like "Discovering an American Identity: Who we are and the thoughts, perspectives, and ideas that make up our country." (of course, I would word this better, but I haven't thought it completely through yet) My main approach is getting students to realize that literature is a way to express who we are as individuals, and a great deal of our individual identities is associated with the place we live. So, we will explore how Americans have expressed themselves over the years, with the main purpose of uncovering their own identities and helping them to realize that their stories (and who they are as individuals, as well as their perspectives) matter.

So, I have a very clear direction for my American Lit class, but as for Brit Lit, I am clueless. While I love some of the individual pieces within British Literature, I'm racking my brain for a way to bring it all into a cohesive whole. I want the guiding force of the course to be one that is relevant to my students' lives (and they are seniors, so it takes a great deal to motivate them). Any suggestions on what overarching questions should guide my Brit Lit course, or other ideas to get students motivated???

Well, that was a long first question.... But, now for number two if you have made it through this much of my rambling.... Now I'm just looking for any suggestions for my teaching of either course. I'm a perfectionist and always work myself to death trying to find creative ways to present and get kids interacting with the material. Any great ideas for particular works that usually fall into Brit or American Lit? Or suggestions to make teens interested in literature? Any really great pieces that I just have to include?? I've had trouble getting clear answers about the curriculum, but as of now, these are the pieces I know I will be teaching:

Beowulf, Anglo-Saxon history, and history of English language (that's all the info I have for Brit Lit... not much to go on...)

Native American Literature:
"The World on Turtle's Back"
"Song of the Sky Loom"
--Coyote stories

Puritian Lit:
The Crucible
William Bradford
Anne Bradstreet
Jonathan Edwards

Colonial Lit:
Patrick Henry
Thoma Jefferson
Phillis Wheatly
Ben Franklin
Thomas Paine
Novels: The Crucible by Arthur Miller, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Douglass, Huck Finn by Twain, and The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

I know I'm asking quite a lot here, but any ideas, suggestions, or advice would be much appreciated!!! Thanks!

[Sitaram]

Stress to your students (in a nice way, but a way they will understand and get the message) that you are CONSTANTLY on the web in the search engines, and that you will be randomly checking papers using search engines, to detect plagiarism. It can be a great temptation for students to cut and paste their entire paper from the findings in search engines. I know this is not what you are asking for, but it suddenly comes to my mind. If you make suitable mention and give them clear forewarning, then you will be in a better position to discipline plagiarists, should the occasion arise.

Enthusiasm is contagious (well, sometimes). It is wonderful to see you so enthusiastic. It is sad to realize that there are so many teachers, in a position of power and authority, who are apathetic, disgruntled, frustrated, and who then take out on their captive audience.

It seems to me that the proper goal with young people is to awaken their enthusiasm and set them on fire to come up with their own ideas. If they really dig deeply into a work, and do something original with it, imaginative, then the EXERCISE of their imagination, and that awakening is precisely what you have sought to achieve, and not the particular conclusions that they draw from their work. I think it is a mistake when a teacher is a totalitarian martinet who dictates the correct way to understand certain works, and persecutes and censures opposing viewpoints. Such behavior, rather than awakening and enflaming, simply discourages and turns people off.

As you read through this forum, if you see posts you really like, then click on the member's name and read through all their posts. Perhaps this feature in the profiles is too obvious to warrant mentioning, yet I am sure there is the occasional member who overlooks this powerful feature.

It would be fun if they could all watch the made-for-television DVD, Wit, a film by Mike Nichols starring Emme Thomson, about a professor of literature who is terminally ill. It is a vivid example of how literature, words, ideas, principles, become part of our life, a way of life, and become part of our dying.

I am just sort of "brain-storming" here as I sip my coffee.

. . . .

I was very impressed by the anecdote of President Lincoln meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe and exclaiming, "Ah... and here is the lady who started the Civil War."

Books can be very powerful. We can improve the world, or ruin it, with just the right words.

[PeterL]

For ideas on British Literature I would look at the Norton Anthology of English Literature for ideas as to what to present. I would also see whether the textbook for the course has already been selected. I would want to include in a British Literature coures, Beowulf, the Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, some ballads, Shakespeare, part of Paradise Lost, Swift, Pope, Sam Johnson, et Al.
For the American Literature you should also look at the textbook to see what will be available.

[lavendar1]

First of all, you've come to the right place to get good, useful information. I know the fine forum members won't let you down. While I'm far from being a "seasoned" teacher, I can share some small insight that might help your first year go a bit smoother. I can tell you're energetic and dedicated -- that certainly is significant. Do you like high school students? You can expect to be asked that question, really -- I know I was!

To be teaching three different grade levels will be a challenge; there's a big difference between 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, so you'll need to keep that ed psych book handy!

About your Senior Brit lit class: Seniors are a tough audience; I had a senior home room last year, and truth be told, most of them were more concerned about gittin' er done (graduating) than in studying. My advice is to lure them in using themes, connections. And give them choices -- students really appreciate "having a say" in their education. Introduce music whenever you can; it's such an important part of students' lives. I had my students make "sound tracks" (on cd) for one of the lit pieces they read. They also wrote an essay explaining their selections. We all enjoyed listening to their creations! Seniors in my district study Brit lit and they are given the option of reading books like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, even The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings trilogy. I know all the students read from The Canterbury Tales. If you can pick and choose, I'm sure you can make selections fom the tales that have themes seniors might enjoy (and even find provocative). G.B. Shaw is a great read - students might really like Pygmalion or Arms and the Man.

I'm rambling. But remember, the biggest requirement for any high school teacher, IMHO, is a sense of humor. Good luck!

[Basil]

My advice is to lure them in using themes, connections. And give them choices -- students really appreciate "having a say" in their education.

This reminds me of a paper written by a college professor on how she taught a William Faulkner class to her undergraduates.

In 1946, Malcolm Cowley edited an anthology of Faulkner's writing entitled The Portable Faulkner. The collection is divided into eight sections, each of which contains a controlling theme. Each section has an editor's introduction, followed by the selections which consist of excerpts from novels and short stories. Some of the themes are character types ("The Old People," "The Peasants"); some are more historical ("The End of an Order," "Modern Times"); and others are subject-oriented ("The Wilderness").

So, what does this have to do with anything?

Using The Portable Faulkner as a template, this professor has her students create their own anthologies.

Of course, they have to read a slew of Faulkner first (six novels and a handful of short stories, I think). The students get to choose their own themes. They pick the selections that will fit under each theme (I don't remember exactly how they assembled them; it seems like the works would need to be available electronically for the cut-and-paste option, doesn't it?). Keep in mind that the entries can be chapters from novels, or perhaps even just excerpts from chapters (or essays). And they also have to write 1-2 page introductions to each section, which should both explain the theme and justify the entries. I think in her class the students also had to present their anthologies to the class.

I don't know if it is feasible to accomplish this in a high school class (and of course it would have to include multiple authors), but it seems like a neat idea to me (my first thought when I read this paper was: "Hey, I want to do that!"). Not only does it allow for a good deal of interaction and decision-making on the students' part, it will also give them an actual physical artifact to take from the class, which may be something in which they can take pride and may actually inspire them. To this end, I would demand high production values--the better the anthology looks, the prouder they'll be, in the long run!

[shortysweetp]

oh the whole plagarism subject my comp II teacher actually checks every website we cite, and has got a lot of people. so i say teach them while they young not to or they will still be doing it in college. I dont because I respect the work put into the original piece.

[kilted exile]

With regards to plaigarism, there is a website called turnitin.com which you can put essays through, and it comes up with the percentage of quoted material in the essay and where it comes from.

[appledips]

i hope you find some relevance to this but i think it's important to teach students about goodness and morals etcetcetc ... i thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated "The Human Comedy" by William Saroyan when I was in high school. Hope you'll consider it into your cirriculum!

[Sitaram]

I was browsing around some months back searching on "To Kill a Mockingbird", and I came across a post from a teacher in some remote part of Canada who said something to the effect that the students lived in a racially homogeneous community, had never seen racial discrimination, and therefore could not relate to the subject or get too enthused about it.

I guess it is really important for younger students to able to relate something to their own life and environment.

I think that viewing movie versions of fiction as a supplement to reading the fiction will become more and more import in education.

I keep thinking about movies like "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" and "Dead Poets Society" and old television series like "Mr. Novak" which romanticize the student teacher relationship.

I had a talk once with an inner city high school teacher, and she described her job as sort of a marine drill sergeant, always having her grade book in hand, smacking it like a swagger stick, laying down the law from day one. It all sounded rather grim.

I hope you post here frequently to tell us of your successes and failures, your rewards and frustrations. I am sure that many teachers and students will benefit from the sharing that is possible on Internet forums.

There are so many wonderful documentaries available on public television for history, such as "The Civil War". There must be similar things for various periods of literature, or, if there is not, then there ought to be. Viewing such documentaries is a painless way to bring things to life and perhaps inspire in a few students the desire to actually read books more enthusiastically.

There is a humorous saying that "A camel is a horse designed by a committee."

A camel seems so awkward and ungainly in comparison to a sleek graceful racehorse.

A teacher’s reading list and curriculum is often designed by a committee.

Many teachers probably never have the freedom to put together the readings they would really like to see in a class.

I suppose one of the most crucial goals is to learn to write well about anything and everything, to understand grammar, build vocabulary, develop style. Such skills require some years of practice. It can take hours for a teacher to carefully read and red-pencil so many essays, and then, one must be certain that the student really looks at the errors and suggestions and takes the criticism to heart. Perhaps it would be an ideal, one day, to have all students do their writing on computers, which would do some of the editorial work, and give them feedback. Grammar, vocabulary and style should be high on the list of educational goals, but achieving it can be so boring, tedious and labor intensive for both students and teachers.

On the other hand, how many William F. Buckley Jrs. can any school or town or nation hope to produce in any given era? What is the median of literacy or intellectualism going to be for any society? And what should it be?

I recently read "Bookseller of Kabul", which somewhere mentions the huge percentage of illiteracy.

[NewTeacher]

Thanks so much for your help everyone! I have finally moved down to Atlanta, where I'll be teaching. I begin my meetings this week, so hopefully that will help me solidify my ideas and lesson plans better before the kids come on August 15.

Lavendar, that's funny--I did the same project with the soundtrack when I student taught Picture of Dorian Gray! I'm actually thinking of doing something where at the beginning of each week, one student is assigned to bring in a song that somehow connects to something we discussed during the previous week. I thought this would help them search for deeper meaning and pick out themes, as well as make a connection to their lives.

I also really agree that education should develop the moral and "good" in children. Actually, that may be why I am struggling with the brit lit. I got into education, particularly English, because of its ability to promote discussions that lead to stronger character and consideration of various perspectives, etc. etc. So, I'm not as thrilled about the particular literature selections as I should be. I'm more interested in the discussions they spark. (sorry if I offend all of you literary buffs!.... I still do appreciate it greatly, but more from the philosophical perspective)

Anyway, I'm still searching for some framework to unite my Brit Lit class. Something that goes beyond just the day-to-day lessons and units. Some REASON why these kids should be interested in taking this course.... I can't focus on discovering an American identity, obviously, like I will in Am lit. I was thinking of doing something with approaching the course/particular selections as an exploration of STORIES.... different relations of ideas and where we come from (except I keep getting stuck with the fact that since this school is so diverse, very few students will relate their heritage to England)???? If I did do this, I'd want the focus to be on an end result of developing their OWN stories.... I don't know though..... I just want something that will spark the interest of even those students that hate English.

[Shannanigan]

When I took Brit Lit in 12th grade (and my goodness I think it was the BEST literature class I ever took!) the class was mostly focused not so much on relating to England (we live in the Caribbean for crying out loud...) as much as examining the human experience and how similar it was across the Atlantic and centuries away from us. We hardly noticed that the literature was from another country and time most of the time because we were so deep in discussion about the relationships, emotions, and actions of the characters we were reading about. We didn't try to relate to England, we tried to relate to people...what really helped was, if we were all confused beyond belief, our teacher (who was from England) would try to reword what was happening and put it into a context the class would understand.

I don't know if that helps, but it really was a great class. I want to be like that teacher, because he was one of the teachers that really made me see literature as more than just material for essay-writing and test-taking, but as something that can be enjoyed, discussed, debated, and learned from.

[kao218]

seniors are tough--i teach senior world lit and it is a tough sell.

that being said definately develop thematic units. for instance, when you teach beowulf find your angle--perhaps you will explore the epic battle between good and evil or the heros' journey or the action hero. that way you can incorporate modern texts and issues to make the work pertinent to them. when you explore the canterbury tales perhaps you start with the question what is satire. then you read individuals tales but also explore an episode of the simpsons. always start with a hook...

[byquist]

My only comment is to always remain aware that teaching is not so much about content, -- the stories, poems, novels -- (although they are a given), but it's about the spirit and energy that you are able to muster within yourself, and evoke out of them. I mean, some literature is dry; they are words on a page. How can you make it fascinating to them, when you can hardly stomach some of it yourself? (But it appears that you are up about the content, which is to your benefit.) But there is no guarantee that they are going to worship the texts as do you. And if they don't care for some of the lit., you'll have to coax, humor, crack the whip, beg -- whatever resources you can "act" in front of them to take possession of some percentage of intrigue and devotion on their part.

Another way to say it is that the information has to be "personalized" -- related to their lives, their interests, their curiosities, their hopes and dreams. Also, you're gonna have to prove to them that "history" or "the past" is important to contemplate.

As far as controlling theme for Brit. Lit, I'd focus on Romanticism as a movement, not just the Romantic Era, but popping up all over. Are you familiar with "Educating Rita" w/Michael Caine and Julie Walters. That film provides teaching tips re sparking interest, zeal and zest.

I'd honestly have to say that teaching is you and your students, the rapport and communication, before the lit. Get that relationship on a friendly, relaxed, casual and positive basis, and the work will fall into place (but it looks like you have a lot of work!). Look at them and smile, show your interest in them. You're interested in transferring some info, true, but the style that you employ is such that everyone mutually enjoys the process. Basically, in a nutshell, make your class time an enjoyment for them, and not a distress or painful experience. You have to be a bit of a comedian to master that art, so work on joking around, exagerating, making them actually feel sorry for you sometimes ("I stayed up to 4 a.m. grading you're papers so if I yawn it's not my fault" -- sure, lie a little!)

For instance, you could say, "Yea I know Ben Franklin was a bit of a bore, but , "Hey" how did he ever get on the 50-cent piece? (Go buy some "Ben Franklins" at a coin store and pass them around -- then get off the subject talking about coinage and numismatists, coin grading, "BU" (brilliant uncirculated) and "proofs"). If you get way off track, they will say "Aren't we supposed to be reading B.F.'s address to Congress?" Then you say, "Oh yea, let's disuss his address. By then you have them in the palm of your hand -- at least for 10 minutes.

In teaching, if you want to be a good one, you have to sometimes develop an outrageousness. (Above are merely my opinions only.)

[euterpe]

Introduce music whenever you can; it's such an important part of students' lives. I had my students make "sound tracks" (on cd) for one of the lit pieces they read. They also wrote an essay explaining their selections. We all enjoyed listening to their creations!

I am new to this forum, and have not yet posted anything of my own. But I just had to comment on this. What an awesome idea! I teach college composition and lit. I've used music before, but never quite in this way. I love this idea and plan on implementing it for spring semester!

[Redzeppelin]

Hi New Teacher - welcome to Lit Net.

I've taught English for 14 years and I love both American Literature and British Literature - both of which I have taught from the beginning of my career. Your post spoke of making literature "relevant" to students - and that is absolutely the key. But, I must tell you - any great work of literature will be relevant to your students because it was written by a human being who was putting his/her understanding of the world on paper. Your job is to find the message and discover how it is relevant.

Example: When I teach Macbeth, I emphasize the idea that everybody in life will face a temptation like Macbeth did. Although the temptation may not be to kill a king and usurp his throne, it will still be something that they will find every bit as irresistable as Macbeth did - be it a relationship they ought not have, a morally questionable "shortcut" on the career ladder, whatever. I also point the kids towards the idea that the play has an insistent message about the effects of sin/crime on the human heart - that inflicting pain on others actually inflicts it upon one's self. They get that.

Example 2: When I teach Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I focus on the fact that Gawain was trapped by the contradictory requirements of the Knightly Code of Chivalry. Then I point the kids towards the reality that the "codes" that they choose to live by may, ultimately, force them into making a difficult choice similar to the one that Gawain had to make. They get that.

So, really, any good book/poem/play can be made relevant - that's where your talent as teacher comes in: find the works you think the most relevant and show the kids how the work applies to their lives. Beneath the swords, armor and "old English" (ha!) lies a human experience - who said it? "Nothing human is alien to me."

Good luck - feel free to ask more questions. You've taken on the greatest job in the world.