Response Question- Teaching Narrative Writing

Sarah Orosz

In chapter 11 (“Teaching Narrative Writing”) of Beth Neman’s book Teaching Students to Write, the reader is presented with a detailed overview of narrative writing complete with examples of how to teach the multiple components available under the umbrella that is narrative writing including: free writing, journal entries, personal narratives, and short stories as well as the central concepts of characterization, point of view, theme, and irony. Near the middle of the chapter, Neman begins discussing her definition of theme and she argues that “If we can say that fiction begins in conflict, then it ends in theme. And theme comes directly out of the resolution of the conflict (436); however, in the same paragraph Neman contradicts herself saying that theme “is the idea that informs every part of a story” (436). I severely disagree with Neman’s definition of theme because throughout my years in academia, I have been taught that a theme can appear at any time during a story (even the beginning) and remain evident throughout the duration of that story, so doesn’t it make more sense to state that a theme can be present in any part of the story and the resolution at the end is just the author’s final/closing remarks and thoughts related to that theme that they want the reader to ponder?

English Language Learners
Sarah Orosz
When I entered the undergraduate ILA program at Bowling Green I was immersed in classes that dealt with writing papers, reading anthologies, standardized testing, curriculums, and even student discipline. Up until this point I have not given serious thought to the reality that I may be teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students in my high school English classroom. Before reading the NCTE Research Brief, I was and still am a bit unsure of how to meet these student’s individual needs. I found the article enlightening and easy to comprehend, but it did not present me with any information because in a linguistics course that I took about two semesters ago my professor discussed ELL students in greater detail. However, I want to point out that this research brief prompted a feeling of concern within me because I am worried about what these ELL students may face when they leave school grounds. As their teacher, I am only able to control the environment in my classroom.
Some of these ELL students may have dialects, accents, or physical appearances that differ from the dominant American culture. These unique qualities may cause an ELL student to be viewed by certain person as an “outsider”, or one who does not belong. I am well aware that many American citizens carry strong feelings of ethnocentrism, but it is feelings like these that create the potentially dangerous labels of “us” and “them.” ELL students are young people who are doing their best to comprehend a new language while at the same time, are striving to adjust to a new or foreign culture. Yet, all too often they are chastised for one thing or another due to cultural bigotries. The article even touches on this subject, “Some ELL students are stigmatized for the way they speak English; some are stigmatized for speaking a language other then English; some are stigmatized for speaking English” (2). This quote reminds me of a film clip that I viewed last semester in my ‘Teaching in a Pluralistic Society’ course. The clip portrayed an older Caucasian man; yelling at a family of Latinos saying, “Go back where you came from. You are stealing our language! The language that belongs to us!” This instance reminds me that there are countless Americans who feel the same way because their thoughts are clouded by years of prejudice that has been handed down from generation to generation. I believe ill feelings and bigotries toward a particular group of individuals are not innate, they are learned. This information greatly saddens me because ELL students are not going to cease coming into our country, “14 million are expected to arrive between 2000 and 2010”(1) and so the prejudices will not stop either. So my question is: what actions, if any, can teachers take to continue protecting and encouraging ELL students after the final school bell rings?

Teaching: the Wonderful and Challenging Profession
Sarah Orosz
On a cold Friday afternoon in the middle of January, I conducted an interview that added several intensely surprising perspectives to my once solid impression of the teaching profession. My very gracious and informative interviewee was Ruby Zhao who currently teachers intermediate writing to Bowling Green undergraduate students. The interview itself was as smooth as silk. After I posed a question, Ruby would respond with thoughtful, honest answers. Often, the majority of her answers were astonishingly genuine, truthful, and straightforward. I now realize that this particular assignment was much more than a pleasant and educational conversation with a professional pedagogue, it was an experience that shattered the glossy bubble containing the image of what I considered the teaching profession to be.
Ruby opened my eyes with her sincere words about the ups and downs of teaching. She allowed me to grasp a deeper understanding of the blatant fact that teaching, like any other profession, has its share of trials and tribulations. I realize that the inside of a real high school classroom in America shifts from day to day. A class will not always reflect the picture perfect class room, with the teacher beaming as she writes on the chalkboard and her enthralled students smile back at her while diligently nodding and taking notes. The previously described image is not a typical classroom, and I can accept this now because of my discussion with Ruby. This interview revealed the surprising and wondrous aspects that the field of teaching has to offer. I truly feel enlightened because I can clearly identify several of the hard knocks in the realm of teaching and how teachers pull through to a brighter day. I now see teaching as a whirling, twirling roller coaster that is thrilling and unpredictable, but always worth the ride.
I am a writer. I always have been a writer because I have enjoyed creating words and putting them together on paper since I was a child. Writing is vital in my life because on a personal level. Writing is my escape from the troubles of the world to a place where nothing exists but the whirlwind of my thoughts and dreams. I know why writing is important to me, but what I really wanted to learn from Ruby was what role does writing play in the classroom? How is writing viewed from the perspective of a teacher? Ruby told me, “Writing is very important. People have to use writing to communicate.” She went on to explain that nearly every profession will require some degree of writing. Ruby also allowed me to realize that written communication is a part of every facet of a student’s daily life. From the moment they wake up and start sending e-mails and text messages, to the moment they snuggle under their covers to write in their private journals or hurriedly scribble a writing assignment that is due the next day. I am now aware of what an enormous part the action of writing plays in every branch of today’s society. Writing is inevitable and now that I have a firm grasp on this reality, I see how incredibly imperative the teaching of writing becomes.
Ruby’s thoughts about student writing helped me to shift into my questions concerning the realm of the classroom. My key questions were centered on my desire to know what life inside the classroom with a cognitively diverse group of students is truly like. I began by asking Ruby to share the one piece of helpful information that every new teacher should know. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Ruby revealed the following words, “I would think, not every student is a very capable writer. But every student has the potential to improve. Be sure to remember that not all students want to learn.” After Ruby uttered that final line, I felt as if a curtain had been lifted and I had been introduced to a whole new realm of teacher responsibility. I have been told time and time again that teachers need to motivate students. But hearing a professional verbalize the cold truth that some students simply do not want to absorb the knowledge that teachers work so hard to present was somewhat of a rude, yet much needed awakening,
Hearing Ruby’s honest answer was refreshing to me, because although I have mentally pictured wonderful teaching moments, I have not dedicated enough serious thought to the more demanding elements of my future career. This conversation with Ruby allowed me to stop and take the time to realize that not every student in my class will be like I was as a high school scholar. “Students are very different, some work very hard and some don’t like writing at all,” Ruby said. Many of them will have troubles with home life, or peer groups and will not care in the slightest what I have to say about a writing assignment on Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This creates a challenge that I will have to face, as well as every one of my fellow education majors. We all will have to struggle to pull our students into the intellectual worlds that we will create in the classroom environment. I will have to do everything in my power to create and teach writing assignments that will capture the attention of my students, and help them discover the motivation to complete a task to the best of their ability. I will choose topics that my students can easily relate to during their adolescent years.
However, I think it is also important for me to remember that my high school students are more than just teens, they are young adults who have the potential for greatness in the field of writing. I will treat them as young adults, and I will tell them all from day one that all of them can and will excel in my class if they open their minds and take in what I have to say. I will also let them know that in return they can teach me what they believe and understand about the world around them through writing. I will find ways to motivate my students to learn, because if a student is not involved in the learning process, then they are not learning. I need to spark the desire to know and understand. This makes me feel that my purpose as a teacher is truly honorable. However, I was soon to discover yet another new bump in the road to teaching.
After conversing for a while on the diversity of the student population at the college level, I asked Ruby is she could share a teaching story from her past that taught her an unforgettable lesson. Her first reaction was a small laugh, and then she shook her head saying, “Being a very good teacher is difficult. Always be prepared because there is always something that is unexpected”. She went on to tell a story from her first year of teaching English 111 to Bowling Green freshman. She had given out explicit instructions in the class computer lab that all students were supposed to complete an activity that involved finding online articles with spelling errors, and then cutting and pasting them to a Word document to print out. Ruby told all students to leave the back of their paper blank for revision notes. To her dismay in the middle of the period she noticed that the majority of her students had not followed her instructions at all, and she had to act. She changed her lesson at the last minute and took a different route because some students seemed bored. Lesson learned, expect the unexpected. This is a wonderful lesson that I will keep in my mind when I have my own class, and even earlier when I become a student teacher. I know that this lesson will be put into practice numerous times as I journey into the rather foreboding land of student teaching.
This lesson will benefit me as a student teacher because when I enter my assigned classroom, the students may be upset that I am not the teacher they have grown accustomed to through the school year. Also, the high school class I am teaching may not like some of my lessons or find them too confusing. These are the reasons why, as Ruby says, “You always need to be prepared, and always have another plan to fall back on. Be flexible”. Ruby now understands that she can look back on that experience and chuckle because it was a teaching fiasco that tested her skills as a planner and thinker. Being a teacher means thinking on your feet and making hundreds of decisions every day. As I enter the realm of classroom instruction, I understand that I will create activities that will not go according to plan, or lesson plans that students will not embrace with open arms. Overall, Ruby’s lighthearted story made me understand that sometimes, new teachers will make mistakes but in making these mistakes they learn and grow.
Near the end of our interview, I gleaned a final surprising element that is a significant thread in the tapestry of teaching. An element that must be addressed when it is encountered in the classroom or else negative outcomes will ensue. One of my final questions for Ruby was for her to explain what the biggest challenge was for her as a teacher of writing. Ruby breathed out, shrugged her shoulders and said, “So far, I have had a few excellent writers in my class. These students seemed to be a perfect writers, and I feared that I could not teach them anything!” This realization shocked me like a bucket of ice water! Ruby’s response was somewhat new to me. In the past, education professors have always stressed the fact that there will be students in our class who will fall behind and will need extra assistance before and after school. However, dealing with exceptionally gifted writing students is like seeing the other side of the coin. This also presents a challenge for me as a future teacher of writing because if I fail to make appropriate changes to advance the material for these students, then they will become bored in my class and waste time that could have been spent learning.
Ruby and I agree that there are always new lessons and ideas to be taught, no matter how bright a student is. It is up to the teacher to make the decision of how to handle extremely gifted students in order to make them want to learn. It is ironic that this final surprising element ties back to the previous two. If I am ever confronted with a student who is a gifted writer, as a teacher I will have to think on my feet, devise a new back up assignment for that student, and find methods to motivate that student to explore the knowledge that I have to offer. This proves that the various phases of teaching travel full circle. Everything teachers do, say, every activity, and every homework assignment will reflect how a teacher’s students will perform academically in the future. Teaching is both a fascinating and demanding career, but no matter what the teaching profession holds for me I will always be filled with Ruby’s final words of wisdom, “You have to have passion. You have to love what you do. Teaching is a wonderful thing”.

Sarah Mason, Sarah Oommen, Sarah Orosz

Dr. Lee Nickson-Massey

English 484

March 17, 2008

A Philosophy of Grading Writing: Evaluation and Ethics

At times a teacher may feel overwhelmed at the sight of numerous papers stacked on her desk. This situation occurs consistently in the education profession, as grading and evaluation are essential to understanding[I1]  student progress. There are numerous modes of evaluation that can be utilized by a teacher[I2] . The method in which an educator evaluates and grades writing is heavily influenced by her ethics—her values, beliefs, and biases—resulting in her philosophy of grading[I3] .

Evaluation

A myriad of options regarding evaluation are available to educators when grading writing. One of these types includes the rubric. A rubric is “a set of clear expectations or criteria used to help teachers and students focus on what is valued in a subject, topic, or activity. Scoring rubrics are brief written descriptions of different levels of pupil performance based on the performance criteria” (Airasian 166). Rubrics are helpful for offering students a sense of direction during the writing process, allowing them to understand what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated. A teacher might use a rubric when he wants to focus on a certain content standard, such as “Writing Applications,” and a specific benchmark, such as “Write a persuasive piece that states a clear position, includes relevant information and offers compelling evidence in the form of facts and details” (Ohio 47). He might include within his rubric the persuasiveness of the argument and the extent to which the evidence supports this argument, weighing these two elements more greatly than other parts of the paper, such as grammar and spelling. This gives his students a clear understanding that he expects there to be a clearly defined and persuasive position with details to support this perspective and that he will not be paying as much attention to more local issues. While rubrics can be wonderful tools for educators[I4] , possible disadvantages exist. For example, it may be difficult to determine just how much emphasis to place on certain attributes and how many points to give to these elements. Another disadvantage is that, if a student paper does not measure up to the guidelines written on the rubric, but is otherwise well written, it still receives a low grade, which can harm student self-esteem. Rubrics can be effective, but other methods exist[I5] .

Another type of evaluation[I6]  is peer evaluation. It allows for a more personal approach to evaluating student writing. It also may help students with their ability to write to a certain audience. For example, if the teacher instructs students to write such that anyone could pick up that piece of writing and be able to comprehend it, having a peer read and evaluate it may ensure that this criterion has been met. Peer evaluation may aid in meeting the benchmark for the “Writing Process Standard” that says, “Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience” (Ohio 41). The disadvantage to peer evaluation is that the peers may not be qualified to offer adequate feedback, or may be reticent to give feedback at all. In this latter case, a peer may give a vague response to a piece of writing. On the other hand, another peer may give appropriate, detailed feedback to a student. The student whose peer is more apt to give and experienced in giving feedback will receive a more constructive and reliable evaluation, while the student whose peer is hesitant or unable to give feedback may not receive an evaluation conducive to their success.

A third type of evaluation is self-evaluation. A teacher who wants to encourage students to write meaningfully and wants to involve students in the evaluation process would benefit from utilizing the self-evaluation method. A possible disadvantage of self-evaluation is that it may rely upon a student’s level self-esteem and may not rely on an objective evaluation of one’s own writing. Another possible disadvantage is that a student may not work as diligently on her writing; students often work harder when they know a second party will critique their writing. Therefore, perhaps this tool is more appropriately useful for prewriting.

Students may feel overwhelmed by focusing on one poor grade that not only is factored into her final grade but may also result in a negative attitude toward the class. Portfolio evaluation can be the solution to prevent such a situation. “A writing portfolio is a personal anthology of work chosen by the student” (Lane, 201[I7] ). The purpose of utilizing a portfolio is that it eliminates the notion of failure, stressing achievement and improvement in writing. A teacher can evaluate each paper and return them with suggestions for revision. The student can then revise and edit their papers, turning in the essays that they consider their best in a portfolio for a final grade. However, this may require a significant amount of extra time that may overwhelm both teacher and student[I8] .

Recently, due to technological advancements, a new and innovative method of evaluation has emerged.  Computer grading has replaced grading of written work by teachers in many of today’s classrooms. According to an article in Wired magazine entitled, “Computers Grade Students’ Writing,” one-half million students in grades K-12 use a specific computer-grading program called e-Rater. According to Educational Testing Service, each month 2,000 teachers begin using this tool. An advantage to using computer grading is that it can provide students with a speedy response to their writing. It also benefits teachers in that it may loosen time-constraints that can lead to stress. On the other hand, a downside to computer grading is the effect on students’ self-image. When they receive impersonal, robotic-sounding comments on their written work, they might feel short-changed, like the teacher does not value their ideas or effort. The comments provided may not be of a positive nature, for the computer is not be able to reason like a human being. This method does not take into account the effect on a student’s emotions. Whether or not to use computer grading is a controversial topic, definitely[I9]  making it an issue that is heavily influenced by an individual teacher’s ethics[I10] .

Ethics

            Biases and values affect the way teachers evaluate and grade. One bias in the classroom is known as “the halo effect.” This bias is a phenomenon “through which our evaluation of a paper is in part determined by our first impression of students or by our overall opinion of their intelligence” (Neman 521). Conscious or subconscious biases against or towards a certain race, gender, sexual orientation, or even the quality of a student’s handwriting can influence one’s grading. Ways to eliminate or decrease the effects of this bias are to grade anonymously; become aware of one’s own biases and not allowing them to affect one’s grading; and exchanging papers with other teachers in order to ensure fairness. The halo effect refers to a bias toward or against an individual, but other biases exist that deal with groups of students[I11] .

            One group-related bias is cultural bias, or bias toward or against a certain culture. Again, a teacher may or may not know that she holds this bias, but it is important for her to be aware of it, and to decrease it as much as possible. Promoting cultural pluralism is one way to get rid of this bias. Cultural pluralism is a value that some educators may hold; it is “the process where two or more distinct cultural groups coexist separately without any requirement to assimilate” (Banks 74).

            Teachers may hold unknown biases for or against English Language Learners (ELLs), those who are in the process of learning English. A teacher may be stricter or more lenient on an ELL because of the teacher’s beliefs about ELLs in general. For example, a teacher may believe that all Ells are the same—they form one homogeneous group. This is not the case, however; Ells are a diverse group of students with a rich array of cultures and experiences that they bring with them into the classroom. Believing that ELLs are all the same might result in a teacher grading all ELLs in the same way, providing little to no individual attention. When this bias is overcome, a teacher can treat all ELLs individually, providing such personal attention in his evaluation.

            An educator’s values will always be present and impact the way she evaluates student writing. A teacher should make sure that her values serve to help students grow and learn in the educational setting. When a teacher values critical thinking, he might desire that his students do not simply agree with what they are given but question the processes that led a person to come to that conclusion. He shows the high emphasis he places on critical thinking through his evaluation techniques; he may weigh analysis more heavily than summary, and may place more emphasis on content than on mechanics. Another teacher may value writing as a process rather than writing for a grade. The value of writing as a process rather than reaching a destination may influence the teacher to give tentative grades with the hope that students will take advantage of additional time to make revisions and come to understand the process of writing. Still another teacher might value student cooperation. She might use peer evaluation, especially within groups to ensure individual accountability and the cohesive working together of a group as a unified entity.

A Philosophy of Grading

            A teacher’s ethics shine through in his methods of evaluating student writing, resulting in a philosophy of evaluation. No philosophy is wrong, and no two are alike. Utilizing craft-centered approach, affect-centered approach, and social constructivism as starting points is beneficial for educators to create their own unique philosophy of evaluating writing.

A craft-centered philosophy may be informed by valuing a student’s mastery of the traditional aspects of teaching writing, such as format and mechanics, and respect for authority, namely the teacher. In this philosophy, an educator may value the dichotomy of rightness v. wrongness. In regards to evaluating writing, a craft-centered philosophy would emphasize writing conventions, as an important aspect of writing.  An educator influenced by this approach would likely weigh grammar and spelling as crucial elements that writing must utilize properly.  An example of craft centered approach to philosophy is the rubric; the mechanics and the format will be weighted more heavily than the content or audience awareness.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, an affect-centered philosophy values the writer seeking self-discovery through finding her voice and expressing herself. Within an affect centered philosophy a teacher may evaluate a student more heavily upon his or her ability to produce highly creative, imaginative, or thought provoking writing. A teacher may also like to see a student “think outside the box” or write in a manner that is stepping outside of their comfort zones. These techniques are all important to growing and shaping oneself to become a multifaceted writer. For example, a teacher may encourage self-evaluation for the student to create intrinsic meaning in their writing.

A social constructivist philosophy is characterized by an emphasis on collaboration, group work, and discourse community. Socially bound, educators practicing this philosophy strive to communicate a message for reader comprehension.  This approach to writing employs the use of higher order concerns and lower order concerns.  Higher order concerns, or HOCs, strive to have writers improve on content through their message and their awareness of their audience.  Lower order concerns, or LOCs, are concerns that deal with format, such as grammar, spelling, and syntax.  As the name implies, higher order concerns are emphasized before lower order concerns.  In evaluating writing, an educator might create a rubric that weighs eighty percent on content, or higher order concerns, and twenty percent on format, mechanics, or lower order concerns.

            Teachers will find themselves anywhere on the spectrum: craft on the one side, affect of the other, or social located in the center. However, a teacher can and most likely will develop a philosophy that encompasses all three or a combination of these philosophies[I12] . Teachers should try to make a conscious effort to know their biases and values because these heavily influence who the teacher will be in the realm of the classroom[I13] .

 

Works Cited

 

Airasian, Peter. Assessment in the Classroom. Boston, McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.,

2000.

Banks, Steven. Classroom Assessment Issues and Practices. Boston: Pearson Education

Inc., 2005.

“Computers Grade Students’ Writing.” Wired 08 May 2005. 17 Mar 2008

<http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/05/67458>.

Lane, Barry. After the End: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision. Portsmouth,

Heinemann Educational Books Inc., 1993.

Neman, Beth. Teaching Students to Write. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Ohio. Ohio Department of Education. Academic Content Standards: K-12 English

Language Arts. 2004.

 

 

“ Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the power to appreciate life.”
Brigham Young
The radio show “Evening with Oz” that I was allowed to create for 484, was truly a wonderful, fulfilling experience. Not only did I learn a great deal of information, but the teachers and professors I interviewed agreed that this was one of the funnest projects they have ever been lucky enough to participate in. I found that creating a researched paper in this manner, I was able to combine all of the elements of writing that I have had to struggle with and conquered in the past. This project was my bike ride into the sunset because it was a beautiful fit for me. The topic was interesting and exciting. I was motivated to do the  and I wanted to discover if my thesis was correct in any way. After all of the research and organization was taken care of, (the bike was put together) and I was able to arrange all of the other items in my composition  in the proper way (proper grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, thesis, paragraph transitions, and things of that nature) and the road was smooth into the sunset.

The other trails and bumpy roads that I have traveled on were great practice to help me to get used to how I feel and think about writing and how I actually execute the writing process. The other papers that I have mentioned have been tough, but necessary because without them, just like a biker without challenging roads, experience cannot be gained. Experience and confidence are a golden key to my writing and this is what I learned. I will build on this knowledge in the future as I continue my academic journey!

HAPPY TRAILS!!!!

 

Creative Drama and the Art of the Academic Essay

 

Instructor: Sarah Orosz

Class Period: 3 (50 minutes)

Course Title: Advanced Language Arts for High School Juniors

Shakespeare Unit: Adaptation [Fall Quarter]

Dates of Lesson: The week of Monday October 1- Friday October 5.

Class size: 20 intelligent students who are hard workers and are a joy to have in class!

Background Information about this Unit- Adaptations are everywhere in today’s society. They can be found in movies, Broadway musicals, books, music, and even TV shows. I wanted to create a unit that incorporated this unique topic of adaptation into the writing classroom. I had my students read three of Shakespeare’s “original” plays and then they read/watched three particular adaptations of those plays. In this unit the class has read: King Lear and its adaptation Lear’s Daughters, Othello and the adaptation Desdemona, and finally The Taming of the Shrew after which they viewed the modern movie adaptation, 10 Things I Hate about You. Using these films and plays I hope that the students can form an idea of what adaptation is and the new, unique effects it may have on an “original” work. I will also give students the chance to create their own collaborative video adaptation to one of the plays, and my goal for this lesson is that the readings and group activities will give the students an abundance of ideas, which will inspire and encourage them to write a well organizedand well-thought academic essay.        

 

Personal Writing Philosophy: I believe that writing is a process that must be performed everyday so students are able to develop their writing skills and become comfortable with the feel of a pen in their hands. I feel that if students are given numerous opportunities to write within the classroom setting, then they will become more accustomed to transferring their thoughts onto paper. That is why my students engage is free writing and class discussion nearly every day so that they can hear the ideas of others and have their ideas heard as well. My goal as a writing teacher is to have each of my students extinguish the popular idea that writing is a laborious chore and see it for what it really is, the key to success and continuous knowledge. In short, I want to make writing enjoyable and fun. That is why originality, creativity, and student choice is a large part of my philosophy. I believe that the deep thoughts that often accompany writing serve as the gateway for students to use their imaginations. I also believe that students need to think for themselves because they are capable of making decisions. This is why I always present my students with at least three different essay topics with the hope that each of them will chose the prompt that best suits their writing talents and interests. Choosing their own prompts also allows students to attach a deeper and more personal purpose to their writing.

I also am a firm believer that writing is an ongoing and continuous process. I do not think that a piece of writing is ever truly “finished” or “complete” because it can always be changed and enhanced as the intellect and ideas of the author mature and expand. This is why I always give my student writers multiple opportunities to revise an essay or written assignment and submit it for a grade. A final component of my philosophy is the union of performance and Language Arts. It has been my experience that drama and performance can be extremely beneficial to students in the English classroom. When I was a senior in high school my English teacher told me, “There is one thing that people fear more than death… speaking in front of a crowd.” I think that it is necessary for students to feel comfortable in their own skin in order to acquire the confidence that is linked to speaking in front of a group. If a student has a comment or question I urge them to share it and bring it to the attention of the entire class because sharing ideas and listening to the ideas of others is my definition of learning. By talking with each other students can discover new perspectives about an issue, which will cause thoughts to flow that will inspire student writing. I also stress student collaboration because I think students can learn a great deal from interacting with each other and combining their strengths. I see writing as an interactive and collaborative process and that is why the majority of my class projects involve some level of performance and group work. These are the main elements that serve as the foundation of my writing philosophy and I hope to modify this philosophy as I continue to learn and interact with my students in class.

 

Ohio Academic Content Standards for Language Arts: 11^th Grade Indicators and Benchmarks

• Reading Process: Concepts of Print, Comprehension Strategies and Self-Monitoring Strategies- 1,2,3
• Reading Applications: Informational, Technical and Persuasive Text- 2,3,5
• Reading Applications: Literary Text- 1,2,3,4,6,8
• Writing Process-1,2,3,5,6,8,11,15
• Writing Applications-2 (a,b,c,e,f), 6
• Writing Conventions-1,2,3
• Research-4
• Communication- Oral and Visual- 1,6,9

 

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Beliefs:

• #1,  #2,  #3, #4, #11, #12

 

Over the weekend

v     The students rented video cameras from the high school’s STC or Student Technology Center last Friday and were allowed to keep them over the weekend in order for them to create their own creative and dramatic adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s ‘original’ plays. The class has chosen groups (there are five groups of four) and each of these groups had to create a 5-7 minute video that will be viewed by the rest of the class at the beginning of the period on Monday. All VHS tapes or DVDs that each group turns in should bear a white label that states: names of group members, Adaptation Video, and title of video.

• Producing this video gave the students the opportunity to use their imaginations and work together using their understandings of the pieces they have read and seen so far in this Shakespeare/adaptation unit and transform that knowledge into a creative work of their own.

 

Monday- View Videos and Engage in Class Discussion

v     Preparations: Bring a small bowl to class with pieces of paper that are numbered 1-5. Make sure that at the beginning of the class period all groups hold their completed DVDs or VHS tapes in the air so that you are aware that they are all completed on time. (If there is a group who comes to class unprepared, write down their names and I will get in contact with them.) Please get out the 20 copies I made of the Essay Assignment Sheet for the class, it is located in my file cabinet in the top drawer in the yellow folder.

v     Materials:

§         Small bowl, five numbered pieces of paper (1-5), all completed group videos, 20 of the Essay Assignment sheets, and a dry erase marker.

v     Procedure:

§         [2 min] Prior to watching the videos, have one member from each group pick a number out of the bowl. This will decide the order in which the videos will be presented.

§         [About 35 min] View videos. Before each group shows their video to the class, they must stand in front of the class and briefly describe which Shakespeare play they chose to adapt and why. They should also provide the class with a short introduction to the film they are about to see. After each video is viewed please place them in the drawer under my desk so that I can watch and enjoy them at a later date. J

§         Please have the entire class applaud one another for the time and effort they all put into their performances.

§         [13 min] Class Discussion. Have the students discuss which videos they thought were especially powerful and why. Ask the students what methods were used in these adaptations (for example the death of a character, dancing, alternate ending etc) and write them on the board. Ask the students how these adaptations changed their views concerning the Bards’ ‘original’ plays. Continue discussion until the last few minutes of the period and at that time please distribute the 20 copies I made of Chapter 1 of Linda Hutcheon’s book The Theory of Adaptation. Lastly, please hand out the Essay Assignment Sheet for the students to look over. You will read it aloud and explain it in detail and answer questions tomorrow in class.                                              *The purpose of the class discussion is to get students thinking about adaptation and how their personal adaptations of Shakespeare have changed their views of the “originals.”

v     Homework: The class is to read pages 1-9 and 15-21 of Hutcheon’s first chapter, “Beginning to Theorize Adaptation: What? Who? Why? How? Where? When?” Also remind them to ponder their own personal definitions of ‘adaptation’ as they read the text.

           

Tuesday- Review Workshop and Discussion

v     Preparations- Be sure that all students have their notes from the past couple of weeks. Shakespeare’s plays and their adaptations (Lear’s Daughters, Desdemona) are available in my storage room in the red box on the top shelf. Please put the box on my desk so students can grab the plays as they walk to their seats.

v     Materials- Original play scripts, their adaptations, and three dry erase markers.

v     Procedure-

§         [5 min] Free writing. Have the students write for a few minutes on a sheet of paper what their current understanding/definition is of ‘adaptation’ and if Hutcheon’s scholarly interpretation of adaptation changed/influenced their understanding of the term in any way?

§         [5min] Discussion. Students are encouraged to share what they wrote down with their peers and they may ask each other questions concerning their responses too.

§         [3min] Please have the class take out the Essay Assignment sheet you passed out yesterday and you can read through it aloud. Read over all instructions and each of the three prompts. Make sure the students know that they only have to chose one prompt to develop, that the essay will be due next Monday October 8, and that they will have opportunities to revise!

§         [20 min] Review Workshop. Have students count of by threes, and split into three groups. All three groups should be sitting together with their desks in a circle. Randomly assign one of the three Shakespeare plays that we have read throughout the unit (King Lear, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew) to each group. The groups are to read through their old notes, look at the “original’ play scripts, and review the adaptations of that play.             ÖStudent goal- Each group should investigate and review their ‘original’ play and produce an organized list of the important themes, images, phrases, metaphors, and what they understand to be Shakespeare’s purpose of the work. [What was Shakespeare trying to say to the audience about life through the play itself?] The groups should also review the adaptation of their play and write down the effects the adaptation had on the ‘original’ play and their thoughts on what the adaptor’s purpose might have been for creating the adaptation. While students are working, remind them to keep their essay topics in mind while they find and write their information.                  

§         [17 min] Discussion. Each group can send one member up to the board and have them write down the titles of their play/adaptation and underneath the titles they should write the ideas/important points from each that their group came up with. Urge the students to write down the notes on the board for their future reference and to add any other ideas to the board.                                    *The purpose of this workshop is to refresh students’ memories about the plays and their adaptations, and this way the students can organize thoughts and get creative juices flowing so they are able to use the information shared in class to develop/enhance their essays.

v     Homework- Students need to brainstorm their essay ideas and begin and writing their rough drafts. Also, tell students to print a copy of the Beowulf essay that they created during the last unit and bring it to class tomorrow. (I had all students save electronic copies of their essays into their personal electronic file system provided by the high school called P-files.)

 

Wednesday- Activity: Introductions and Conclusions

v     Preparations: Before the students come to class have all papers and books ready for their use. The proper number of the “Helpful Handout: Introductions and Conclusions” sheets are located in the file cabinet in the corner of my room. They are in the red file folder labeled with today’s date, October 3rd. The Handbooks are located in my closet in the large green bin. You will only need 20 copies. Be sure that each student has a copy of their Beowulf essay from last semester, if not, have those students quickly print their electronic copy of the paper on the classroom computer.

v     Materials: 20 copies of Faigley’s Penguin Handbook, 20 copies of my “Helpful Handout: Introductions and Conclusions”, each student should have a copy of their Beowulf essay from the previous unit.

v     Procedure:

§         [5 min] Free writing. Have the students get out a sheet of paper and write for a few minutes about their current understanding of what constitutes a good introduction and conclusion.

§         [5 min] Discussion. Students can discuss what they wrote with their peers.

§          [15 min] Group reading. Have the class split into the same groups that they were in when they created their videos. Have each group sit together with their desks in a circle. Pass out the Penguin Handbooks to every group member. Next, pass out my “Helpful Handout: Introductions and Conclusions” to each group member. Then, instruct the class to read my handout and pgs 82-85 in the Handbook. (“Write Effective Beginning and Ending Paragraphs.”) They are encouraged to take notes and discuss these readings within their groups.

§         [25 min] Class activity. Have every student take out their Beowulf essays from the last unit, and since they have read this new information about introductions and conclusions, they are to carefully re-read the introductions and conclusions to their Beowulf essays and re-write them applying the methods, techniques, and helpful hints that they learned through the group reading. Near the end of the period students should have a few of their group members read their original and revised introductions and conclusions and engage in discussion.                                                             *The purpose of this activity is to allow students to apply new methods from the reading into their old work to show them that any work can be returned to and improved.

v     Homework:  Work on essay!

 

Thursday- Activity: The Thesis and Coherent Paragraphs

v     Preparation- Be sure to have the box that contains the Penguin Handbooks sitting on top of my desk so students can easily grab them. Also, get the 20 copies of my “Helpful Handout: Thesis Control” out of the red folder with today’s date located in my file cabinet and set them on my desk also.

v     Materials- 20 copies of the Handbook, and 20 copies of my “Helpful Thesis Control” Handout.

v     Procedure

§         [5 min] Free writing. Students are to write about the following questions, “What is a thesis statement and why is it so vital to an academic essay?”

§         [5min] Discussion. Have students share their ideas with the rest of the class. See if they can come to a general consensus on the definition of “thesis.”

§         [15 min] Group Reading. Have the class break into the same groups as yesterday and pass out my “Helpful Handout: Thesis Control” as well as the Penguin Handbook to every group member. Every group should read my handout aloud as well as pages 67-77 in the Handbook (“Organizing Paragraphs” and “Making Your Paragraphs Coherent”).

§         [20 min] Activity. Have group members collaborate to complete Exercise 4.4 on page 78 (“Rewrite Paragraphs”) in the Handbook. They should write out their responses on notebook paper.

§         [5 min] Allow groups to briefly share some of the answers they have come up with to the exercise. Collect their response papers and place them in my desk drawer. Remind students that tomorrow is peer review day, so they should bring a nearly completed or completed draft of their essays to class.            * The purpose of this activity is to allow students to work together to figure out how to construct paragraphs in an essay that are well organized and logically transition from supporting point A to point B.

v     Homework- Work on essay!

 

Friday- In Class Peer Review

v     Preparation- Have 20 Handbooks sitting in the box on top of my desk when students arrive.

v     Materials- 20 Penguin Handbooks.

v     Procedure

§         [40 min] Peer Review. Pass out Handbooks to students. Have students exchange their papers with at least three other students in the class and have the students respond to each other’s papers using the procedure outlined in Section 5c of the Handbook (pgs 93-95). Students are strongly encouraged to make helpful and constructive comments about their peer’s papers. Writing of rough drafts IS allowed!

§         [ 10 min] During the last minutes of class have students talk with each other and share their concerns about the paper and how they can overcome these concerns.                                                                                                * The purpose of peer review is to let students work together and give each other constructive and useful advice regarding their essays. In this way students learn to view each other as colleagues and respect one another’s honest advice.

v     Homework- Work on the essay over the weekend but be sure to do something fun too!

 

Assessment: My students write both informal and formal compositions for my class. The informal writings occur nearly everyday and are strictly for the eyes of the students who write them, although they are more than welcome to share their ideas with the class. I do not assess these free writing activities because I want students to write without the added stress of knowing that the teacher is later going to collect, read, and pass judgment on their work. I want them to place all of their concentration in the ideas they generate during informal writing. When students create informal group responses, I will award points to that group if their response paper is well organized, legible, and contains evidence of some serious thought and contemplation. Formal responses, however, are graded on several elements and I utilize a rubric to assist me. I read all of my students’ formal essays and assess them based on how well they: created a strong, clear thesis statement, used supporting ideas/quotes/research to support that thesis, and displayed paragraph coherency, organization and logical transitions. On every assignment sheet I specifically tell students the elements that I want to see in a particular essay, so they know in advance what I will focus on during grading. I usually give students four or five weeknights and a weekend to write an essay or sometimes longer depending on the type of writing assignment. Students know that I hold high expectations for them in their writing and I expect for their essays to improve with every piece of writing they create, even informal writing. My students also know that I will offer multiple opportunities to revise for a higher grade because I firmly believe that a paper is never really finished, it can always be improved. As far as this unit lesson is concerned, I will give all group videos full points for completion so long as the completed video is turned in on time, all group members have an equal amount of dialogue/action, and the video displays some creative element that proves that the group put some serious reflection and original ideas into the project. This is typically the grading method I use when assessing all dramatic creations.

 

Considerations: I am aware that with every new unit and lesson that I create there are always possible challenges that may arise. With the creative drama portion of this lesson, some students may be extremely introverted and fear making a video that the entire class will view. That is why I constantly support my students and encourage them in my class because we all support one another’s efforts, especially when it comes to dramatic performance (presentations, speeches, debates, etc). I am a role model for my students so that they can see that they all have to get in front of the class at some point- but they will be supported by me and their peers at all times. There is also a great deal of group collaboration in this lesson, and when students work together day after day they may begin to disagree, agitate one another, and tensions may rise. The students will have to be told again and again that they will not agree with each other all the time and they need to know it is healthy to challenge the ideas of another person. I think that sharing and passionately discussing information, even information we disagree with, is one method of learning.

 

Reflections: This lesson was full of small group assignments and readings for the students to complete and although it may be overwhelming to them now, it truly will help them in the long run. The ideas of how to form a proper thesis, introduction and conclusion will stay with them because of the in-depth class discussions and exercises that they participated in. The group work allowed the students to lean on each other and share ideas and knowledge and this is vital because many of my students are going to be collaborating with many different people in their future careers. This lesson has presented the “academic essay” in a way that is a fun, collaborative process of discovery versus an intimidating lecture. The students are using hands on collaboration to share ideas and question one another, which will help them learn so much more about the essay and it is components. Also, I feel that the idea of adaptation is a fresh and modern concept that these students have not yet discussed or investigated in their high school careers. I chose adaptation as a vehicle to transport the students’ minds into deeper analytical and even critical thought processes so that they may discover new concepts and ideas to strengthen future essays. I feel that my students really enjoy the performance aspect of my class, especially as they become more comfortable with one another and with me. I know that they will come back to this adaptation essay and look to is as a template for structuring other essays until that essay template is engraved in their minds.

 

 

References:

Hutcheon, Linda. A Theory of Adaptation. Taylor and Francis Group, New York, N.Y., 2006.

 

Faigley, Lester. The Penguin Handbook. Pearson Education Inc, New York, N.Y., 2005.

 

 

Both of the Helpful Handouts used in this lesson are modified versions of Professor Alan Emery’s classroom worksheets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Language Arts for Juniors

Sarah Orosz

Helpful Handout: Introductions & Conclusions

v     Introductions

§         The introduction should always do 2 things: Identify the subject of your paper (the main topic that you’ll be interpreting) and create interest in this topic. You can create interest by using a striking statement, question, quotation, statistics OR by providing information about the author that is relevant to the topic, or telling a brief personal story if it is topic related.

§         The introduction is one of the most important paragraphs in your paper- so spend extra time on it!

§         Make your introduction as long as your body paragraphs (7-10 sentences).

§         When writing the introduction DON’T- raise issues you don’t intend to cover in your paper, raise more than one large issue or ask more than one question.

 

v     Conclusions

§         Use the conclusion to advance the argument of the paper, but make only one point in your conclusion (your “concluding point”). In other words, do not introduce new ideas or thoughts at the end of your paper.

§         Avoid logical gaps in the conclusion- maintain good logical flow.

§         Create substantial concluding paragraphs that are as long as body paragraphs. I know you will be tired by the end of the paper, but be sure to have a well developed conclusion because it will be your last chance to pull all the pieces of the paper together AND the conclusion is the last impression you leave in the mind of the reader!

§         DON’T- raise issues unrelated to your thesis, introduce new key words, or begin the conclusion with “In conclusion.”  (Yuck!)

 

 

Remember to enjoy creating a piece of writing that is all your own!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Language Arts for Juniors

Sarah Orosz

Helpful Handout: Thesis Control

 

v     Every academic paper should have a “thesis” (or main point), which controls the entire paper.

v     The thesis is the heart of your paper, and you should spend a good deal of time on it. *Here is an idea to help get your thoughts flowing- on a piece of paper, list the key dialogue, images, themes that you might discuss in your paper. On the same paper, try putting your thesis into words. Keep working on it until you are happy with it and it is organized and clearly expressed.

v     PLEASE do not try to write your body paragraphs before you have developed your thesis because this will cause the dreaded “writer’s block” because all the other decisions you make in your paper (organization, evidence, conclusion) depend on the thesis.

v     Think of the thesis as a type of road map that you should follow- it gives you the main points that are to be discussed in the order that they will appear in your essay.

v     Examine your thesis for “key words” which appear in it (usually the most important nouns) then use these words (or synonyms of them) frequently in your paper. This will make the flow of the paper seem connected and coherent.

v     If near the end of your paper you realize that you need to adjust your thesis and you change your mind about it, you will need to go back and make the needed revisions to the rest of the paper in light of your new insight.

As always, have fun with your paper!

 

 

 

Advanced Language Arts for Juniors

Sarah Orosz

Essay Assignment- Shakespeare and Adaptation

 

*Remember- Academic writing is not a simple act of expression but a process involving several steps: reading/thinking, organizing, writing, editing/proofreading. Remembering this fact will save you time and energy—and help you produce even better papers!

 

Guidelines

We have read and discussed three of Shakespeare’s plays and looked at various adaptations of those plays. Now I want you to share with me what you have learned and have come to understand as a result of this unit. Please choose only one of the topics below to develop into a well-organized academic essay. The essay should be 3-5 pages long, typed, and double-spaced. This paper should include: strong introduction that includes a well developed, clear thesis statement and relevant supporting details (text/quotes/dialogue) to support that thesis, and finally a unified conclusion that brings the essay to an appropriate close. (You will be given the opportunity to revise.)

 

Peer Review Day- Friday, October 5

Final Essay Due- Monday, October 8

 

Topics

1. Chose one dominant/recurring theme from one of the adaptations that we have read and create an essay describing the effect that this particular theme had on the work as a whole. Did this theme make the story more interesting, intriguing, or did it seem to slow the action and progression of the plot? What effect did this theme have on the audience and on you as a reader? Be sure to use textual support to illustrate your points.

 

2. Each of the adaptations that we have either viewed (student films) or read in class have given their own unique interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays, and they manage to give the audience an insight that is not given in the Bard’s “originals.” Choose one of the adaptations from class and develop an essay that answers: How does the act of viewing/reading an adaptation (musical, prequel) change your reading/understanding of the “original” play? Be sure to use textual support to illustrate your points.

 

3. Chose one (or more if needed) of the plays and one of its adaptations from class to develop the following essay question: What is the role of the adaptation in relation to the “author purpose” in other words, why did the adaptor choose to adapt Shakespeare’s “original” play? Did the adaptor want to critique Shakespeare or create a new ultimate message/purpose for the work? Please use details from the texts to support your points.

 

~ Happy Writing! ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the first 6 pages of my threee part final for British Literature.

British Literature Final #2: A Spirit’s Return
Sarah Orosz
It is human nature to wonder what happens to an individual after death. Authors have created numerous works depicting what they believe to be their interpretation of the afterlife of a soul, or spirit. However, even more captivating is the idea that souls can come back from the realm of death to communicate with the living. Felicia Hemans created a dramatic monologue called A Spirit’s Return that can be linked to Byron’s Manfred in several distinct ways. Both of these dramatic, Romantic pieces focus on commune with the dead. Heman’s female speaker can be viewed as sharing similar traits with the Byronic hero, Manfred. Close textual analysis reveals the striking similarities in the devices and elements used in both pieces, yet there are also contrasting differences that must also be pointed out and explained. Hemans’ work is a development that centers around non-traditional religious thought and search for the infinite, and these qualities are also found in Manfred’s envelopment of the Byronic hero. That is why the two Romantic pieces, Manfred and A Spirits Return will be connected, however they are also different so contrasting them is inevitable and will be completed also.
The first element that is the least powerful, yet important element utilized by Hemans’ female speaker reflects the Byronic hero and many other Romantic writers of her time. Both characters (Manfred and female speaker) find their haven, or escape in nature. Nature was a vital part of Romantic poetry and was often glorified and praised as a religious place. One did not need to go into a traditional sanctuary or church to seek their answers to life. The element of nature plays a large role in each of these stories, because in both it offers a place of solitude away from society’s hustle and bustle. Both the female speaker and Manfred use nature for different, dark purposes. Manfred’s dark purpose is that he wishes to commit suicide, and end his own life within the bowels of nature. Manfred is a desperate soul, and he lives in constant agony with no hope for the future, “I hath no power on the past, and for the future, till the past be engulfed in darkness, it is not of my reach”(Manfred pg 595 line5-6). These lines mean that Manfred has lived a terrible past with haunting memories he cannot forget. And since he cannot forget and feel self-oblivion, he goes to nature to die. “And you, ye crags, upon whose extreme edge I stand, and on the torrents brink […] when a leap a stir, a motion would bring my breast upon its rocky bosom’s bed to rest forever”(Manfred pg 595, lines 13-15,17-19). These lines reflect Manfred’s desperation to meet death, by throwing himself onto rocks below. He wants death in any form; he craves for suicide or for nature to kill him. He begins to cry out for nature to kill him, beckoning: “Ye avalanches, whom a breath draws down, in mountains o’rwhelming, come and crush me”(Manfred pg 596-7, line 75-76). While standing on the brink of a mountain, Manfred looks into the abyss crying: “Such would have been for me a fitting tomb, my bones had then been quiet in their depth […] earth! Take these atoms!”(Manfred, pg 597, lines 103, 104, 108). From the previous lines Manfred cries out in desperation make it obvious that he longs for death, and seeks it within nature. He wants nature to witness, and or be his destroyer, and serve as his tomb. However, Heman’s nature, although she journeys to nature her dark deed contrasted to Manfred’s is much less dramatic and severe.
Hemans’ female speaker seeks out nature also, like the Byronic hero, but for a different purpose. The speaker does not want to escape from life, but rather reveal a secret. Her desire is to reveal a pent up secret that she has longed to set free. It is important to note that the speaker here could have chosen anywhere to reveal this secret, her church, her companion’s home, any public place, but she chose to go to nature. Nature is where she felt she could get the solitude she needed to release her secret, and her choice of nature for this purpose is vital. She beckons to her one companion: “Dear friend […] come to the woods, where all strange wandering sound is mingled into harmony profound […] our own dell”(Spirits Return, pg 818, lines 1, 9-10, 13). She calls to her friend to join her in their own secret hollow where nature will embrace them and the speaker can finally fulfill her desire. The woods “Shall suit th’ unveiling of dark records well”(A Spirit’s Return, pg 818, line 15). The speaker wants to reveal her dark, isolated secret only in the privacy, and solitude of nature. The secret of the speaker ties into the element of the Romantic idea of searching for the infinite. Her secret is revealed: “My life’s lone passion, the mysterious quest of secret knowledge […] o thou rich world unseen! Thou curtained realm of spirits!”(A Sprit’s Return pg 819, lines 36-37, 46-47). These lines portray that the speaker here is on a quest for the realm of the spirit world. She shares her secret that her greatest desire is to seek knowledge about life beyond the grave. She wants her mind to be full of knowledge from souls in eternity. She has a: “thirst for soul”(Spirits Return, pg 819, line 55) and this soul will fill her with the ability to see beyond death, to enhance her existence on earth by knowing things higher than she: infinite beings. Just as the Byronic hero sought nature for the fulfillment of his desire to seek death. Both sought nature, this is the key element; even though it was for different reasons.
The second trait that the two dramatic stories share is the similar progression of emotions of the characters. The lady speaker and Manfred both share the common progression of guilt and because of the guilt blossoms the common wish to bring back the dead. This is important and is a commonality of both characters, revealing both have this element of suffering of the Byronic hero. Both of these characters blame themselves for the death of their lovers, then suffer because of the guilt. Lastly they both find desire to bring the dead back into the world of the living. This progression is evident in both pieces. In Manfred, he explains that he hurt the only one he ever really loved. “Oh, my injuries came down on those who loved me-on those whom I best loved: […] my wrongs were all on those I should have cherished-but my embrace was fatal”(Manfred pg 600, lines 84, 85, 87-88). This quote is stating that Manfred blames himself for the death of his sister, the one he ‘best loved’. It is not totally clear in the text how or why she died, but there is a hinting that incest may have occurred resulting in his sister’s suicide: She was like me in lineaments, her eyes her hair, all her features […] I loved her, and destroyed her! Not with my hand, but heart”(Manfred, pg 602-3, lines 105-6, 117, 119). So, Manfred blames himself for the death of his sister, and he this blame fills him with overwhelming misery and grief of heart. To speak of his sister and bring up his past is to as he states: “I approach the core of my heart’s grief!”(Manfred pg 602, line 99), Manfred’s grief and misery cause him to journey into nature to seek his sister’s ghost, because he is unable to kill himself or have the solace of death embrace him to let him forget the past. Manfred goes to nature to call forth the spiritual world, and its supernatural inhabitants to perform this new desire. Manfred’s commune with the dead is on a much grander scale than Heman’s story, as will later be explained, yet the progression is still the same. Manfred calls forth the spirits of the earth and demands that they: “Call up the dead. My question is for them”(Manfred, pg 608 line 79). Manfred beckons for the spirits to call up the dead on several occasions throughout eh duration of the story, but it does not occur until the middle of the work. Manfred is obsessed with bringing back his sister to converse with her and see her once again, even if she comes from the grave.
This same progression is evident in Heman’s A Sprit’s Return because she too blames herself for the death of her lover, and the grief consumes her to crave communication with the infinite. The man that she loved was very dear to her. Her entire world and definition of happiness revolved around him “there was no music but his voice to hear, no joy but when his step drew near”(A Spirits Return, pg 819, line 73-74). Her love of him is evident, and it is no wonder that she fell into deep grief after his death. “He died! Oh! I might not keep one vigil by his side. […[Had my love been there, its conquering sway had one him back from death!”(Sprits Return pg 820, lines 114-15, 120, 121). Since she was unable to be by his side while he lay on his deathbed, she blames herself for his death. She believes her love could have saved him, but the reason she could not be with him is because she believed their love to be a silent love. Their love was never outwardly spoken of or acted upon. The text is a bit unclear of what type of love it present here. It is obvious love exists between these two, but not in a traditional way of love. Just as Manfred’s love was in no way traditional or conventional. Heman’s love concept is non traditional also but in a more subtle way. There is no romance, wooing or walks in the park. Instead Heman’s states: “In fear, I said I loved. […] I knew myself beloved! We breathed no vow […] but still and deep like a rich jewel gleaming in a grave […] did my soul that costly knowledge keep”(Sprits Return, pg 820, lines 92, 95,99-100). These lines develop the idea that this love she had was not spoken or acted upon, but just known. Perhaps they looked into each other’s eyes and knew it was love, yet lived apart in this unspoken love. That is why she was not at his deathbed, and the guilt of this never spoken love, like a jewel in a grave ate her heart. The jewel in the grave image is important also. Their love is ever present, but silent and buried in the heart and soul like a gem in a grave. The speaker falls into a “passionate despair”(A spirits Return, pg 821, line 134) over the loss of her love, and just like Manfred wanted only one thing. She had one desire: “Knowst thou what I sought? For what high boon my struggling spirit sought? Communion with the dead!”(A Sprits Return pg 821 lines 135-38). Both of these Romantic characters sought to speak with the dead, and both achieved this wish by the workings of their strong will.
In the Christian faith, there is a saying that one’s free will can only go so far, and then there is God. Heman, Byron, or the other Romantic poets do not utilize this Christian belief system. This strong free will is the third most important element of the connection between Manfred and the female speaker of Heman’s poem. The element of free will is evident in both of these poems because the characters seek reunion with the dead but never turn to the Christian God for his almighty help and power. These characters seek the dead on their own in accordance to their own mighty wills. The character of Manfred and Heman’s speaker do not portray the traditional religious notion of “God, Thy will be done”. Instead they follow their own will and use their desire to will sprits from the other world. Manfred displays his Byronic free will when the Witch of the Alps agrees to bring his sister back from the dead on a condition. “Thou wilt swear obedience to my will, and do my bidding, it may help thee in thy wishes”(Manfred pg 603-4, lines 156-7). Manfred is angered at these words and refuses to never obey her, or any other will but his own. Another instance of this strong will occurs when Manfred calls upon the spirits of the elements of nature: “ I do compel ye to do my will. Appear!”(Manfred pg 590, line 49). The spirits do appear to reinforce the idea that the free will of man can control his life the way he desires. However, when the spirits cannot do his bidding he bids them to: “ Slaves, scoff not at my will!”(Manfred, pg 592, line 153). He becomes angered when his will is not obeyed. The female speaker in Heman’s poem uses this strong free will also.
The female speaker, like Manfred’s Byronic will, has her own will on a grand scale. There is a scene in the poem when the speaker is desperate to see her love, and she herself calls no help, but uses her own willpower to call him back from the dead. She uses her will over the power of the infinite to stretch into the realm of the dead. “ I tell thee that a power there kindled in heart and lip […] I summoned, I adjured! […] I taught one sound unto a thousand echoes- one profound imploring accent to the tomb, the sky- one prayer to night- Awake, appear reply!”(A Sprit’s Return, pg 821, lines 131-2, 147, 151-54). This summon to the dead beyond the grave is a powerful scene. This scene portrays that the speaker is only dependent on herself for the return of her dead lover. She does not seek God, and when she prays it is a prayer, not to a deity, but a prayer sent out into the night. A prayer that she longs and hopes will echo through the valleys of the dead and beckon her beloved. She even goes as far as to make a command to the sprits! She first handedly called a command for her love to awake from the grave, appear before her, and speak with her just as she willed it to be. These strong willed characters do in fact meet with their departed loves, creating a similar message regarding the infinite, yet these meetings create a different meaning for death.
At the end of each of the poems, the characters do meet with their departed lovers. Both spirits however, say much of the same thing. This is probably Byron’s Romantic idea of the supernatural influencing Heman in her writing. In Byron’s Manfred, the ghost of his sister appears and Manfred asks, “ Shall we meet again? One word for mercy! Say, thou lovest me.” (Manfred, pg 610, line 154, 55). However, his sister’s ghost offers no reply but repeats his name and fades away from whence she came. This sudden departure of Manfred’s sister creates the idea that the spirit will no longer commune or meet with the living. The only other time they will meet is in the infinite, mysterious world beyond the grave. Hemans’ speaker’s ghostly encounter mirrors Manfred’s, but takes it a step further. The dead male ghost speaks to the speaker saying, “Farewell, on earth we shall meet no more!”(A Spirit’s Return pg 822, lines 217-18). Although both of the spirit’s messages seemed to be similar, the two Romantic poets take a final contrasting step on their outlooks on death. This is the final and most important point, because both Byron and Heman discuss commune with the dead, and both also illustrate the idea that death varies from individual to individual. There is no shared idea of what lies beyond death and if death should be viewed as a joyous time as in Hemlan’s poem, or as an abandoning of the familiar life among the living as in Manfred. I found it very intriguing that although both of the characters in these different poems where written by Romantics, the ending view towards death is different. One main reason for its difference is that is may be due to the fact that Heman is a female writer, and therefore sees death as a continuation of the love that her character lost. Heman views death not as an ending, but as a reunion with the loved one who has gone before you. Heman’s speaker dwells on death with glee, and feminine hope and sincerity that her love is eternal and will stretch through the realms of death. She believes death to be the time of a blessed reunion with her love. “Rich hours woo me to the dead […] But the day will come […] shall not I to be, my spirit love? Up borne to dwell with thee? […] Yet we shall meet- that glimpse of joy divine!”(A spirit’s Return, pg 823, lines, 251, 255-56, 261). These lines enforce the speaker’s gleeful wait for death to sweep her soul away to mingle once again with the soul of her beloved.
Manfred, on the other hand, as he gets closer to death the more he realizes he wants to live. His love is not as strong as Heman’s female character’s devotion. This female will follow her lover everywhere, even beyond the grave. But Manfred wants to live; he values life over love it seems. Manfred shouts at the spirits coming to take his soul, “I do defy ye, not will I hence while I have earthly breath, to breathe my scorn upon ye, earthly strength to wrestle “(Manfred, pg 620, lines 99-100). These lines focus on the world earthly, meaning that Manfred is focusing on earthy things such as his physical breath, and strength. It is ironic that the man who craved death, when at the moment of impending death dwells on life! The spirits say to him “ “Can it be that thou art thus in love with life?”(Manfred pg 620, lines 107-8). These two Romantic poets, Hemans and Byron, both portray many of the same ideas and elements of the infinite in their writings. Although, differences can be found, the main traits of these Romantic writers reflect the main beliefs and views of Romantics of their time. Hemans even adds her own twist with her feminine perspective on love and death.

This story is about my Christmas as a seven-year-old.

Childhood Story
Sarah Orosz
As a bright eyed seven-year-old child, time was something I never had to worry about. I just recall watching with wonder as summer shifted into autumn. I never had to wear a watch or worry about being late for any meetings. However, the one period of time that I made sure I was aware of every year was the glorious peppermint flavored month of December. Multi-colored lights would appear on rooftops and trees would glitter with freshly fallen snow. I would watch all of this take place, and I would be in a state of awe struck bliss. I adored every tradition of Christmas, but the ultimate part for me was the man in the red suit- jolly old St. Nick. I loved him from afar- I recall reading about him in bedtime stories, with his bright eyes, rosy cheeks and deep, happy chuckle. I saw him in the mall, or ringing bells in front of the grocery store, but the Christmas after I turned seven was the year he came to my house and my dreams of a jolly old elf came to a startling halt.
“How is my big seven year old girl?” My mom asked as she tiptoed into my room on Christmas Eve. “Daddy’s asleep and now we have to be quiet and go to bed so Santa can leave you wonderful presents!” Just hearing the word ‘presents’ made my heart do flip-flops. I obediently laid my head on the pillow as she kissed my forehead and left my room, leaving the door slightly ajar. I could see my neighbor’s twinkling red and green decorations clearly from across the street, and I tried with all my might to settle my little nerves. I was bubbling with anticipation, and the thrill of what could be wrapped under all that pretty paper and bows. In fact I was so excited that every time I tried to squeeze my eyes shut they would fly back open. Finally after a few minutes my heart grew calm, and I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face. My head was whirling with happy thoughts…but not for long.
“Sarah, wake up,” my mom whispered. I sat up, groggy and confused. My room was dark, and the moon was still up and glowing in the sky. It wasn’t morning yet, and I had not the slightest notion what all the commotion was about. “What’s going on?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes. A smile played across my mother’s lips. “Santa Clause is here. He’s really in the house! He’s downstairs, come and see!” At that moment I heard a thumping noise coming from downstairs and immediately my joy was replaced by the feeling of uncertainty. “Mom, are you sure it’s Santa? I’m going to get Daddy,” and I marched all the way across the hall to my parents room, but my mom grabbed my hand before I could enter the doorway. “No honey, Daddy’s very tired and we need to let him rest. This’ll be our secret.” I trusted her, but I was still weary of the strange noises I heard downstairs.
My curiosity got the best of me, and I started my walk down the flight of stairs into the living room, and my heart was beating like a tom-tom. I slowly peeked around the corner and saw a huge man; he was very tall with and he had big belly. I noticed he was wearing Santa’s suit. Except as he bent over to place the delicate gifts under the tree I heard him grunting and wheezing. He didn’t look jolly at all, and he didn’t seem to be full of Christmas cheer. I was terrified, and silently fled back upstairs before he could notice me. “ I don’t want to talk to him…he seems busy.” I proclaimed in a shaky voice. “Okay, but I’m glad you got to see him!” my mom gloated. Then to our surprise we heard the back door shut, and mom ushered me to the bathroom window, which overlooked the backyard. “Look, Santa’s leaving,” mom squealed happily. I watched as the six foot Santa struggled to walk through two feet of snow, and when he reached the wooden fence in our backyard, he put one leg over it, lost his balance, and fell face first into the snow! His legs were flailing wildly, and I started laughing at poor Mr. Claus. My mother’s face fell into concern, “Oh dear,” I heard her mutter. Then Santa was up on his feet trudging away. My mom put her hand on my shoulder, “ Well, let’s get you back to bed.”
A few short years later I learned that in fact it was my father that was the grunting man in the Santa suit. Even when I think about this incident today, it still makes me laugh, and I love my parents for going through so much trouble to help me believe in the innocence and wonder that is Christmas.

I have learned a great deal in English 484 this semester, and in my mind I now see writing as riding a bike. I will explain what I mean.

A bike is made of three essential parts: the wheels, the breaks, and the handlebars. All parts are needed to succeed!

Wheels-interest and motivation/desire to just write because you need to have the drive to get going!

Brakes-self evaluation of your own writing process/style/thoughts, because sometimes you need to say whoa, stop! I need to think about what I’m doing and what I want to accomplish here and how!

Handlebars-writing mechanics (grammar, sentence structure, proper thesis etc) to help writer keep going in the proper direction to stay on the trail and not fall into ugly, tacky shrubbery.

Response Question- Teaching Philosophies

Sarah Orosz

            All of the multiple reading assignments that were analyzed and reviewed along with Neman’s chapter fifteen (“The Personal Teaching Approach”) in Teaching Students to Write seemed to relate to one another by stressing their shared ideas within the philosophy of teaching and these ideas include: teacher as a role model, class discussion of social problems, establishing safe learning environments, and ultimately teaching students the skills that they can use outside of the classroom. Many of these readings stress the significance of implementing individual teaching philosophies and strategies in the classroom setting and later evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of these professional attitudes and ideas. Keeping this in mind, I realized that the only practice I have ever had teaching has been in front of my colleges and I have not discovered my philosophy like instructor Kara Mollis, “The consistent progress of my students during a semester and conversations with them afterward has taught me that my current views on effective teaching […] have helped to insure that my students will […] succeed academically and professionally,” so, how can I create a successful writing philosophy if I have never put it into practice in a real classroom setting?