"Critical Media Literacy," by Gainer

In the article, "Critical Media Literacy in Middle School: Exploring the Politics of Representation," Jesse S. Gainer affirms from the start that "it is insufficient to teach students to read and write only with letters and numbers." This is true and I would extend that to say that it is insufficient to teach anyone anything with only letters and numbers. I cite for reference the successful project by PCI Media Impact: telling stories, saving lives.

This program uses storytelling to address political/social issues in schools and the broader community, worldwide, with projects running in Mexico, Rwanda, New York City, St. Lucia, and Ghana, to name several (Media Impact's presence can currently be felt in at least 28 countries). The use of comic books, theater, talk shows, and different forms of media is integral to the heart of Media Impact. The underlying concept is that of "Communication for Behavior Change" and Entertainment-Education, and this change is powered by how much the audience connects to the characters who are going through different 'problems' in the stories told. The work abroad that Media Impact performs is strictly capacity building, working off what materials and resources are already present in the community. Residents are given training, and they adapt the program for their communities.

In New York City, there are pilot programs running in various public schools. See more information here: http://mediaimpact.org/?p=870

Copper Sun, by Sharon M. Draper

Copper Sun, by Sharon M. Draper, offers an excellent opportunity for a comparative study with the novel Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. Each novel tells a different story of a once-perfect life, suddenly destroyed by injustice. In the case of Copper Sun, it is slavery; in Little Bee, it is a brutal civil war. Both of the main characters represent strong women who hold strong to chances of survival, and find small ways to keep going. Although each story is set during different historical moments in time and geographical areas far apart, in both cases, the main character's family is murdered, and she must find solace in new friendships, creating new "families". Neither book is a light read by any measure, yet both offer tremendous learning opportunities, looking at the various ways each female character responds to her present situation. This analysis or study could be extended by pairing the novels with non-fiction references for more in-depth information on each historical event.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: a novel in cartoons, by Jeff Kinney

I love this novel – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: a novel in cartoons, by Jeff Kinney – because it integrates storytelling in words and images in such a seamless way that the reader feels no disconnect; both ways of telling the story complement each other. Also, Kinney makes it easy to connect with his main character, Greg, and the trials and tribulations of being a middle-schooler. Greg’s and others’ tricky ways are both amusing and realistic, and give middle school readers countless opportunities for connection with characters about whom they are reading – something difficult to accomplish and probably cause for the novel’s great success! Since the novel is written both in text and many accompanying images, the book is inherently differentiated for many reading levels, and provides readers and writers a wonderful example of a different type of literature – the graphic novel. This can lead way to myriad classroom projects, such as performances, visual stories, comic strips, clay models, and personal memoirs, to name a few.

The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez

The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez, offers readers an opportunity to learn about the lives of migrant workers, through the eyes of a young man-turned teenager. The main character – Pancho – and his family show tremendous solidarity and strength as they come together to work through the mother’s many pregnancies, constant job searches, harsh weather coupled with poor living conditions, and the demands of being an English language learner in a English-language school, to name several challenges. Pancho is faced with losing a best friend, feeling simultaneously helpful (taking care of a baby while his older brother and father work the fields) and helpless (not being able to help his brother and father work the fields, due to his age, despite a tremendous desire to do so), and learning the culture of a California public school while also learning the English language. At times, the stresses are so much that the father snaps, once killing their pet parrot – a frequent source of comfort and companionship for Pancho. Pancho’s experience in school – wanting to understand and yet so exhausted by the impossibility of understanding it all – reminds me of the experience of a young 6^th grade student from Cape Verde, attending school in Central Falls, Rhode Island, for whom I interpreted several classes during the 2005-2006 school year. Whereas initially he was quite reserved, seemingly tired, and did not smile at all, by the end of the third month (during their class performance), he smiled from ear to ear as he searched for my eyes with his, quietly proud in his own way at having begun to ‘crack to code’ and participate as a more integral member of his classroom community.

I was reminded of this experience most especially when Pancho led the class in their exploration of the caterpillar finally coming out of its cocoon and turning into a butterfly.

Music and the Personal Narrative: The Dual-Track to Meaningful Writing, by Chris Goering

Goering ingeniously evidences the success of his music and personal narrative unit by spotlighting specific students' work as he explains each piece of the project. This fluid, clear presentation makes it easy to understand the unit from both teacher and student perspectives. I could not agree more with Goering when he states that "Music inspires, motivates, and interests a diverse range of students by connecting to their personal feelings and emotions" (2004), and this understanding permeates his article. My personal experience with learning Brazilian Portuguese through song ensured that I integrated cultural aspects of Brazilian speech into my own expression, deeply connecting language to emotions. I would like to teach a unit like Goering's, as I see how this softly intense beginning paves the way for a yearlong experience of thoughtful, engaging, and challenging work for teachers and students alike.

I recommend that the reader also visit these two program sites, for more information on integrating the arts in education:

www.habla.org

www.artslit.org

Thank you.

The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis

This novel connects to a theme of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne, in that it emphasizes the impact of a 'costume', and the way that one visually presents oneself to the public. And, like Boyne's novel, it is a historical fiction representation of the courageous actions of a child during wartimes. While Boyne focuses on the life of a boy, Ellis concentrates on that of a girl, and the freedom that dressing as a boy gives her. There are myriad opportunities to explore the strengths displayed by female characters in this novel, and using both books could lend to comparing and contrasting gender relations in different settings. Of course, Ellis's novel could also be used itself as the core of a social studies unit on war in Afghanistan.

Some images (although lighter in content) show how the 'costumes we wear' change how we are perceived:

Image 1: A child prepares for a home performance.

Image 2: A friend in the Dominican Republic sees what it would feel like to dress for an NYC winter (note: It is actually 80˚F)

Image 3: Preparing for a salsa performance.

Center Stage: Arts-based Read Alouds, by Claudia E. Cornett

I am continually convinced that incorporating the arts into instruction "adds essential missing ingredients to the literacy curriculum," as Cornett states. My shift to include story-acting in every meeting with my k-1 group of English Language Learners (ELLs) has expanded their ability to show deep understanding of the literature we read, my ability to assess this understanding, and better informs me on how to focus proceeding instruction. Acting out stories allows students to emotionally connect with literature, increasing comprehension and their repertoire of socio-emotional experiences. It is therefore no surprise that the longitudinal study cited by Cornett found " a strong correlation… between the arts and better test scores." Additionally, my work and research with drama, music, and art therapy reveals the 'safety'people feel in exploring content through 'performance'.

Images 1 and 2: An arts-education workshop at Brown University, led by Patricia Sobral (of Brown U.) and two other educators, in 2007.

Image 3: A workshop in Northeast Brazil that I led in 2010, about using theater techniques to interpret literature.

Image 4: A performance by students from Rozz Nash's dance program in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - exploring personal narratives through dance.