And now for something totally different. . .

4/20/2020

THE TEXT
I mean that in a two ways. One, we are reading Dread Nation this week. Here we have an example of genre within genre. Dread Nation is certainly written for a YA audience. I think you will find many of the kinds of themes we've been talking about all semester long. However, DN is also an example of another genre--fantasy/horror. As genre's go, this is a pretty popular one for all ages. Many of you are avid readers of the genre. I have to admit, I'm not really. I've only read one Stephen King novel in my entire life (The Stand--one that is weighing heavily on my mind these days). And I could barely get through The Lord of the Rings bbooks.

No, most of my high level nerd cred comes from an unflagging devotion to the original Star Wars. Though I've come to believe that Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie ever made (it wasn't a boy who saved the universe--it was a girl!).

TEST CLASSROOM
Anyway, I'll be very curious what you have to say about this novel in book club this week. And I'm equally interested in reading your responses to the challenge I am about to present to you. In the novel Dread Nation, as is the case for us living through Covid right now, school had to change. This summer, if enrollments hold, I'll teach a class about how to teach writing. And as part of that class, I've decided that I need to prepare my students for how to teach writing online for the very real possibility that, in the course of their lifetime, they might actually have to do that. Each week, I've asked you to think about how you would teach a test class a particular reading. But we've always assumed you'd have to do it face-to-face.

But the question is, what if you can't?

So, this week, let's imagine you are teaching during this very pandemic. You are working with 11th graders at Bridgewater Raynham. We taught a 9th grade class early on in the semester. Let's use the same profile for the class, but place them in 11th grade--I think that's a good age range for this novel. And, to be clear, there is a lot more going on in it, as you will see, than horror/fantasy.

But now you are teaching this novel to a class online. I'll make it easier for you: most of your students have computers at home and/or iPads. All of them have phones, of course. And they all have internet. Perhaps it helps for you to imagine you are a student in that class, dealing with all of the issues that you are currently dealing with or would have dealt with as an 11th grader. No imagine a classroom of yous. You can decide the kind of classroom management or synchronous technology you have to use.

Most important to remember is what you want students to get out of this experience as readers. What are the literacy goals and how will you achieve them in this online setting?

27 Comments

Jailyn Tavares

4/21/2020 10:31:26 pm

Dread Nation is novel I’m sure the 11th grade students at Bridgewater Raynham would quite enjoy. It offers bits of major historical moments and movements while throwing in a twist of horror and “zombies” (being a popular theme in today’s tv shows/movies) that intrigues the minds of young adult readers. Jane also proves to be a role model that many students might relate to and learn from her to not give up and to let no one tear down your strength and think less of you. This novel will also be popular among students who watch the the tv series The Walking Dead. There are many similarities between the two. If I were teaching this to a class online during this pandemic, I would want to do a video chat about twice a week to discuss the novel as a class. Encouraging participation is very necessary because this novel leaves a lot of room for discussion. A lot of moments happens that are huge monumental and and it’s important to document those major moments and see the progression of Jane, Katherine, and the Shamblers throughout the novel. I want to know what interests them in the novel, how they feel about Jane’s treatment and journey, and how they see the novel continuing/make predictions as we read along. I want students to understand the history taking place in this novel as it takes place a few hundred years ago. I want them to understand the problems that colored men and women still faced even after slavery was abolished. I want them to understand the Battle of Gettysburg which is where the plague of the dead starts. I would want students to further look into these moments of history online at home and see if they can relate any factual findings to their reading of Dread Nation. As another assignment, I would want the students to pick one major character in the novel, and dig into that characters personality traits, the weaknesses, what is good/bad about them, if they agree with their choices, etc. This will really allow the students to get to know a character well and be able to understand them more by doing close reading on their roles in the novel. This would be done in a 2-3 page writing of character assessment.

Caroline Keenan

4/22/2020 01:20:00 pm

Hi Jailyn!

I really like how you compared this novel to the Walking Dead, there are many similarities throughout and I didn't even think of that until you mentioned it. I agree that there are many major moments throughout this novel and they should be discussed. I mentioned that I would discuss major moments through discussion questions. I think it is very important that students connect to the history that is taking place and how it has changed their viewpoint on the history that they have learned about. I really like your idea of having students pick a character because I think that a lot of them would have fun with it and enjoy writing about their favorite character or even a character that they can really relate to.

Shauna Ridley

4/23/2020 08:34:45 am

Hi Jailyn,
Going off of what you said about the progression of the characters of the story I think that would make a really cool assignment. I'm thinking that students could recognize weak and strong personality traits of the characters that hurt/help them throughout the novel. To relate this back to the students they could write about how they have progressed throughout their lifetime, through a certain experience, or even through the pandemic. Character traits are an interactive way for students to participate in the novel because they could either relate or be the complete opposite. Definietly lots of room for an interactive assignment here!

Savannah Resendes

4/25/2020 08:35:30 am

Hi Jailyn!
I also really enjoyed this novel, more than I had thought I would honestly. I had not even thought about the similarities between this and the Walking Dead until I saw your comment on it. Maybe that could also be a fun mini assignment where you can relate this book to a modern tv show or movie and compare and contrast them. I also focused on the historical moments in the novel because they are important in shaping the attitudes of people towards people of color. I had to keep reminding myself that this novel is set in the 1800’s and that these attitudes could actually possibly be the way people were thinking about colored people, as horrible as it was. I really liked your idea of a character focused analysis too. These characters have their strengths and weaknesses and I think it is important to address that nobody is perfect, not even these incredible characters.
Great Job this week!

Shauna Ridley

4/22/2020 10:28:10 am

First off teaching this novel online could be very interesting. Dread Nation's main concern is the undead trying to gnaw on everyone's flesh which honestly is just like COVID19 popping up everywhere across the world. Teaching this online would be SO FUN to compare to what is happening right now. For my test class I’d have students read up until a certain page before every online class discussion. This means the novel would be broken up into parts where I would create a prompt for students to answer after reading each part. The prompts would include how does this relate to what we are going through today?, how do the emotions and actions of the characters correlate with the people of the world right now?, is it best to trust the people in power or to act on what you know is right?, how would you recommend people find solace in situations like this? Etc. In this period of uncertainty I think it’s important students focus on what is going on around them and learn from it. With these prompts students will look into their stance on the situation, their emotions, how officials are responding and how citizens respond to that. It’s important students know that they affect the world and they have a say in what’s going on.
Another aspect of the novel that students should focus on is the issue of race. This discussion would need to be done in an online class over zoom. As the teacher it’d be important for me to highlight some of the history of race and where we are at now with certain movements and fights for equality. I think background information will help students to gain perspective and ability in grasping their own thoughts on the idea of race in the novel. We can discuss how race is represented in the novel (treatment, expectations, value etc of blacks and whites). The discussion will be monitored and prompted to have a productive conversation about the topic.
Lastly I feel it’d be important for students to look into the evolution of the characters. Each of the main characters have a very strong personality that makes them distinct from the rest of the people in the novel. I think having students pick a character and a point in the novel they find exemplifies one of the characters traits during that scene. After choosing the trait the students should then explain why this trait is important to the character in the novel or important to have in life. Personally I think the ability for Jane to stand up to her elders when she knows it is the right thing to do is an outstanding trait to have. Not everyone is right just because they are older or hold a high authority. Questioning people is a part of learning and growing.

Lauren Melchionda

4/24/2020 04:21:25 pm

Hi Shauna,
remote learning seems to be a newly found challenge or many students and teachers of all grades and ages. I believe that it is important to make our students feel as comfortable as possible during a pandemic like this but I also believe that it is important to keep them educated on what is going on in our world, just as you have mentioned. teaching them and informing them about what is going on in the real world is very important, especially in their growth into adulthood. However, when it comes to teaching this online, I would probably do the same thing as you mentioned, which was having them read a certain amount with some follow up questions each week. It would be a very interesting way of teaching, but just like you, your students will try their hardest!!

Gabby Sleeper

4/22/2020 12:41:33 pm

In thinking about how I would want to structure an online classroom, my instinct is to utilize Zoom or some other similar app that would allow for face to face instruction. However, while there are definitely benefits to this, I think that there are enough drawbacks that I would be hesitant to do this. If every teacher did this, we would have students sitting in front of a computer for roughly six hours a day, five days a week, in a home that might very well be full of distraction, with the possibility of all sorts of technical issues to arise, and it just feels like a recipe for disaster. For one, sitting on a computer for several hours at a time is very different than being in a classroom and seems unfair to ask of any student, especially those who may be watching younger siblings, are hard of hearing, or having difficulties focusing for long periods of time. Additionally, technology fails us. Electronics malfunction, apps glitch, and the power-outages happen. We can’t fault students for that, but there will be some who take advantage of it. Thus, I think that I would limit how often I would meet with students through through that set-up and have the bulk of the work would be done using some form of discussion boards and voice-overed powerpoints.
Now, onto Dread Nation. For starters, I would want students to get a solid understanding that, although fantasy, a lot of what is depicted in the novel really did happen. Justina Ireland uses very real events in history as a basis for her zombie apocalypse. One project that I think I would want students to do is take one of those real-life events and compare what actually happened to how things went down in the books. How do things change because of the appearance of the shamblers? I might actually narrow this project down even further to have students talk specifically about the thirteenth amendment and how recently emancipated individuals found themselves once more enslaved by the prison system. I would ask students to watch part of the documentary 13th, to give them context of how this went down. Then, I would have students go back to the novel and compare the real life treatment of African Americans to what we see in Dread Nation (I believe Ireland even makes a direct parallel to the amendment somewhere, but I can’t find where just now). Another huge discussion point that I would want students to write about would be the dehumanization of African Americans paired with the appearance of the shamblers. This is a big topic, within which I would want to discuss both how slaves were used in the Civil War and how we see African Americans used to fight the shamblers. There’s also the connection of shamblers being used as a means of free labor (forced to generate electricity) and how American benefitted economically from slavery. Further, there’s the very obvious dehumanization of the dead paired with the dehumanization of African Americans. There’s a lot to unpack here that I would really want to discuss in a classroom, and I don’t think that a discussion board would really do this justice. Thus, I would make an exception and hold class for this discussion (with many email reminders to make sure that students actually show up).

Ethan Child

4/25/2020 05:38:27 pm

Gabby,
I appreciate your caution against requiring students to spend their whole days in front of the computer. You are right; a virtual class is not the same as an in-person class, so it is unrealistic to expect students to spend the same amount of time in virtual, synchronous classes as they would if they were still at school. I think an assignment like reading Dread Nation would be ideal for these very reasons. Having students read a book for their class time would get them away from the screen. Additionally, I think this book, as a work of genre fiction, would be enjoyable for young adult readers, so it would give them something to look forward to working on and would help them enjoy reading.
I saw the same potential for students to compare and contrast the novel with historical events; I extended this idea, in my post below, to include an interdisciplinary unit with a history class. I like your idea to have students watch the documentary 13th as a way to get them to connect the novel to historical information. I wonder if you can extend this idea so that students would not only connect the novel to historical information but also contemporary politics. For example, you might ask students to consider what groups of people are exploited and dehumanized in contemporary America. This would help students recognize Ireland's symbolism and would also make the novel feel more relevant to students' lives outside the classroom.

Caroline Keenan

4/22/2020 01:10:11 pm

Teaching Dread Nation online may be a little challenging but would definitely be do able. One main concern of mine would be the vocabulary throughout this book and the idioms that are used. To help students I might do a lesson on Idioms prior with would give them a refresher and hopefully clear up any confusions or misunderstands that they may encounter when reading this book. To keep students on track I would create a google doc for students and insert some discussion questions that has numerous answers. For example one being how would you describe Jane. Every student after reading should be able to give their own description of Jane with supporting factors. Jane is a girl who many students should be able to relate to in some way so they may also incorporate how they can relate to Jane. I may also incorporate Zoom into the curriculum and have student meet me on zoom twice a week to read some chapters together. This would allow me to be able to see that students are at least reading some of the novel and would allow students who don't do well with individual reading to feel included. To wrap up the novel I would conclude with an essay on which they can talk about the treatment of Native Americans in this novel. They would also be required to relate this novel to what they have learned about Native Americans today. I would have zoom and email office hours which would allow students to reach out if they need help or had questions on anything.

Natasha Cardin

4/26/2020 08:28:30 am

Hey Caroline, I always tend to want to preface a book with a lesson that will help them better understand the novel, so I love your idea to create a lesson on idioms and such prior to reading the text. I think that giving students a strong foundation to build on is always to best way to go.I also think the idea of incorporating a google doc that everyone can view and edit is great. I like using our google doc for the book club so I think it could be very benificial for 11th graders to do so also. Great work!

Lauren Melchionda

4/24/2020 04:17:53 pm

Remote learning is not an easy task and I feel for the teachers who are pushing through it during the end of this school year of all grades and all schools/universities. It is a new struggle but we are all dealing with it. When it comes to teaching this book in general, it would be interesting but not as interesting as teaching it in a virtual classroom. Dread Nation is kind of the same situation (only not really) as covid, but in a different way as well. Although we are not in the center of a zombie apocalypse, it sort of feels that way doesn't it? Teaching this online would be a great experience and also a difficult one. I would tell my students to read a certain amount in either a few days or that whole week being. We can then do a class discussion together as I can also come up with some great questions for them to answer in the meantime along with the assigned reading. Relating the situation of Dread Nation to covid would be a great way to start and the students would probably find that question to be the most entertaining one. I would love to hear their answers for that question. However, it is also important that the students understand how serious this pandemic is, as it is rarely likely to ever happen as bad as it is right now. Making sure they are aware of what is going on in the world will hopefully make them aware that this is real life and they are adults now. These discussions can take place over zoom and also they can keep notes during the week on any questions that may have or ideas that seemed important to them. The questions that I give them can be answered while reading for that week. At the end of the novel, I would have them write a small essay maybe 2-3 pages, and give them a list of prompts to choose from, many of which they have already answered within the weeks reading questions. They will be allowed to use the same question that they have already answered because the weekly reading question and answers will not be required to be long. This final paper would be a great opportunity to expand on a question they found very interesting and to go deeper into it.

Ethan Child

4/24/2020 10:33:21 pm

With a shift to online schooling, many districts across the country have had to condense the amount of class hours that is taking place, as it would be unrealistic and unproductive to expect students to spend six hours a day, five days a week in front of a computer screen. With that in mind, interdisciplinary unit plans would be a great tool in secondary classrooms right now, as they would allow students to simultaneously reach objectives in multiple content areas. While I realize interdisciplinary planning would pose additional challenges, as collaborating with other teachers would be more difficult than it is in person, I believe students would benefit from lessons that allow them to concurrently learn in multiple content areas.
Justina Ireland's Dread Nation provides a great opportunity for an interdisciplinary lesson between the ELA and U.S. history classrooms. While Dread Nation is, of course, a highly fictionalized version of American history, students' reading of the novel would be improved through learning about the American Civil War--both its causes and its effects. I would have students write an essay comparing and contrasting Ireland's fictional America with the historical Reconstruction Era America. By writing this essay, students would be able to discover how historical background information can illuminate literary texts and how literature can illuminate our understanding of history. For example, students could draw parallels between Ireland's fictional institutions, like Miss Preston's school or Jane's work at Summerland, with historical institutions, like the exploitation of African-American labor in post-slavery America. The African-American perspective in Dread Nation would allow students to see how African Americans were still exploited--and even enslaved--after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Dread Nation allows students to explore historical and political topics and issues through fiction. The fictional lens is helpful because Ireland examines issues that seem very current in the U.S. For example, Mayor Carr encourages Jane to imagine "America, as it should be, once more" (181). Compare Carr's rhetoric with that of our current president. While discussing contemporary American politics might lead to unwanted tensions in the classroom, analyzing a character like Mayor Carr allows students to grapple with relevant political subject matter without directly confronting current politics. If we, as English teachers, can facilitate classroom discussions about characters like Carr, we can help prepare students for political discussion in the social studies classroom.
Finally, as a piece of genre fiction, Dread Nation might appeal to young adult readers who enjoy the horror or fantasy genres in other forms of media, such as movies or video games. If nothing else, Dread Nation would be an enjoyable book for these young readers to engage with. I believe that, above all else, ELA teachers right now should aim to get students to read. An enjoyable book--even if it is less "literary"--seems like a good place to start.

Molly Drain

4/25/2020 07:30:36 pm

Ethan,
I think your idea of having interdisciplinary unit plans is great. I agree that it is unreasonable for students to be expected to sit in front of a computer screen for six hours a day five days a week. This novel would be a great match for combining ELA and History as it deals with issues regarding race and discrimination as well as the Battle of Gettysburg. I like your idea of having the students learn about the American Civil War as it can develop the reader's understanding of the text more. I think this text would be perfect to teach right now and for the following few years as students would get a sense of understanding from the situation in which we are now with the pandemic. I also think that this can be an enjoyable book which is important as it allows for the students to engage more, especially with these circumstances.

Savannah Resendes

4/25/2020 08:27:13 am

With all the changes in our education happening very suddenly and having little time to prepare for it, I think it is worthwhile that we think about how to bring education into an online format rather than the traditional face-to-face. If I were to teach Dread Nation in an online classroom. I would want the students to meet on a platform like Zoom where we can discuss the book once a week, like a virtual book club. I feel that once a week would be enough where we can still see each other but not be overwhelming with all the other classes in the case of teaching in a pandemic situation like COVID-19. In this discussion, we can have a casual conversation about the book, what the students like/dislike? Which characters they like? What do they think is going to happen next? Etc. Just keep the conversation light and get a feel for how the students are liking the book. I feel that this novel would be popular with student as it is action packed, suspenseful and full of drama. I, myself, was quite invested in this book and read it rather quickly.
During the week, when the students are not in the zoom meetings, I would create assignments to allow the students to have a deeper understanding of the novel. There are many historical events that are mentioned in this novel and the author’s note at the end mentioned some as well. I would give the students a list to choose from of historical events mentioned in the novel, such as the abolishment of slavery, the battle at Gettysburg, the boarding schools that the Indians were sent to, etc. and research them in a 3-4-page paper. In that paper I would want the students to analysis how it is used in the novel and the role these events play in the novel.
For another assignment I would have the students focus on the political aspect of the novel. Throughout the novel, Jane mentions what the Survivalists and Egalitarians parties stand for. I would assign half the class to be a Survivalist and the other half to be an Egalitarian. During one of the zoom meetings I would set up a mock debate where I can pose questions that come up in the novel, such as the roles of different races and the problem with shamblers and each side would have to argue their case as if they a member of that party. I think it would be a fun way to incorporate how politics work in a society such as this one.

Gabby Sleeper

4/25/2020 09:55:07 am

Hey Savannah,
When thinking about taking learning online, I struggled with how I would want to set up my classroom, specifically in regard to virtual meetings through a platform like Zoom. I think that your approach of having students meet once a week is a fair compromise that keeps students from being too overwhelmed with a bunch of meetings every day. You also mention that you would give students assignments for when they are not meeting, and I think this is a good idea. I like the paper that you created for them. I would suggest that you also give students some lower stakes assignments that could be done rather quickly (perhaps these assignments could be building blocks that lead up to the paper). This, I think, would be beneficial to high schoolers who are not used to budgeting their time in the same way that we are and will ultimately procrastinate everything if given the chance. The smaller assignments make the workload seem more manageable and can give you the opportunity to check in and make sure that they are making progress throughout the week and not just the night before your weekly meeting sessions. Also, I love the idea of class debates, however keep in mind that the Survivalists are obviously framed as the bad guys and have some pretty awful logic behind a lot of their choices. I would refrain from having students spout back those views on race in a debate setting. Instead, you could raise questions about how the Survivalists use shamblers to generate electricity or discuss how much a government should tell their citizens in a crisis situation (which goes back to how the Survivalists minimalize how much of a threat the shamblers are to make their citizens feel safer).

Jess Rinker

4/25/2020 10:45:51 am

My main literary goal when teaching Dread Nation would be to teach my 11th graders about overlapping genres. By 11th grade, student have a lot of experience reading different genres, but they don’t necessarily have a lot of practice understanding how important genre is in literary analysis. Dread Nation is an excellent book to use because there are multiple genres working together—and not just YA and horror. Ireland is also writing a historical fiction novel here, and I think this might be the biggest obstacle for student readers. Adjusting to the 19th century-inspired writing style and Civil War era cultural influences, particularly how it applies to African American history, might be the most challenging for students, especially for a body of students that is predominately white.
Because B-R relies on Google Classroom (as most schools do), I would post all lectures and assignments to Google Classroom. I would post an introductory folder to Google Classroom. This folder would include a suggested reading schedule for students. Although I normally wouldn’t create a day-to-day reading breakdown for 16-year olds, this type of structure could help students while they work from home. I was speaking with a high school teacher from SER the other day, and she told me her students say their biggest obstacle right now is the lack of structure. Not only is it hard to stay motivated, it’s hard to manage stress. Having a guide would add some structure without being too overwhelming. The guide would suggest how many pages students should be reading in a day and it would include the due dates for formal and informal assessments on the book throughout the unit.
Before we begin reading the novel, I would ask students to complete a Google Survey that asked them questions to gage their experience with Civil War and zombie culture. I would break down some of the language for students, and prepare them for seeing “Negroe” and the obvious racism against African Americans and Native Americans. I would host a Zoom classroom where I provide an overview of these two elements and the key elements of historical fiction, fantasy, and YA genre. Although I would request students to attend the Zoom call and, they all have internet access, I would not penalize students for not attending. I would record the Zoom class and post it to Google Classroom afterwards. During this stressful time, attendance is not as much of a priority.
Throughout the novel, I would ask students to keep a reading log. I would post prompts for the logs with questions like: In what ways do racism exist in a dying society?, Has your opinion on Katherine changed while reading the novel? If so, how?, Would you describe the ending as a happy ending? Why or why not? Reading logs would help me check-in with students and get feedback in a low-pressure way. For a formal assessment, I would have students write an excerpt from their own pandemic experience, in which they can choose to incorporate the influence of two or three genres of their choice.

Jess Replying to Caroline

4/25/2020 10:56:36 am

Caroline,
I agree that the vocabulary and racism in this book could be major obstacles for student readers, and your focus on those elements would really help students as they work through the novel! Not only are you preparing students for possible obstacles, but you are encouraging them to relate to what they can, that is Jane's character. This is so helpful for students, especially since they are living through a time that can feel like its own sort of zombie apocolypse. Lastly, I love how the final assessment involves connecting the racism in Dread Nation to the racism that exists in our own society. It's such an important reality to discuss, and I think the discrimination against Native Americans in particular is not frequently discussed. It might be helpful to pair Dread Nation with other reading(s) that discusses Native Americans in modern time. This could be something like excerpts from another fiction novel, like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi, or some nonfiction books or articles. Either way, connecting fiction to real life is key for engaging students and allowing them to apply themes from the book to their real lives.

Molly Drain

4/25/2020 07:24:03 pm

Teaching Dread Nation to this 11th grade class could be really cool but could also present challenges if it is in online form. That being said, I think it would be an interesting book to read right now as we face a pandemic with COVID-19. Although the characters in the story are not dealing with COVID, they are dealing with zombies and with that comes the undead trying to eat your flesh. This would be a great read for today’s 11th graders as they are for the most part well versed in the zombie-apocalypse scene as they have probably seen The Walking Dead and or read another story involving zombies. I know for myself, that every day feels blended together, so in order to keep the students on track I would want to have at least two video chats face to face to allow for discussion. I would break the novel into sections, by page, and have an expected allotted pages due for each day. I would also implement a reading journal sort of required assignment where the students would read the selected part of the text and then pick a passage and do a close reading as well as a reflection or connection to another piece of the text. I find this to be a great way of seeing the student’s thoughts come to life as they work closely with the text, and at the same time it allows for the teacher to see what sort of connections they make within the text. Another opportunity to discuss would be to devote a video session to discussing the characters Jane, Shamblers and Katherine. These can of course lead to class discussion if students had questions regarding their progression through the novel. Dread Nation also touches upon historical issues which would need to be addressed. For instance, the issue regarding race, specifically for Native Americans, is apparent in the text as it is set a couple hundred years back. 11th graders for the most part should already know about issues regarding race and how that effected the treatment of individuals, but it is always good to add historical context to see how it connects to the novel. There is also the Battle of Gettysburg that could be addressed in a lesson or addressed as an individual presentation perhaps for extra credit. Not being face to face can be difficult, but carving out a time of the day for all of the students to connect reinforces that learning is still important.

Nicole Costa

4/25/2020 08:39:41 pm

Hi Molly,
I think we are in the same boat, as we both expressed concerns about not being able to teach face-to-face. In my lesson plan, I considered three video chats rather than two but I was skeptical that students would be overwhelmed. One important thing to consider is that high school students are used to seeing their teachers more frequently than say a college class that occurs once or twice a week. I think engaging students in the virtual meetings would prove to be challenging, but we would need to keep our communication with our students so they don't feel we've abandoned them. After reading your response, it occurred to me that I could tweak one of my assignments I had planned. I thought encouraging students to write a spin-off from one of the minor characters perspectives would be cool. But, you mentioned The Walking Dead as a connecting point and I think you're right, students connect with what they know. Maybe, they could write a spin-off where one of the main characters is in the plot of a Walking Dead episode?
On another note, I think it's great that you included the shamblers as characters to discuss in the video chat. It's hard to imagine the yellow-eyed, blood thirsty creatures as once humans. However, should we sympathize with the animalistic creatures? It seems Jane has taken to just viewing them as monsters so its easier to kill them, but how do we easily disregard the human they were before they turned?

Olivia Leonard

4/26/2020 02:12:09 pm

Hi Molly! I like how you are trying to connect historical context to the reading. I agree that it is important that students have an understanding of when this novel is occurring and what the political climate was like at that time. I think it is important because then they would be able to make more meaningful connections to today. I like how you suggested it be extra credit so it is not something else added to their workload but a suggested opportunity to get extra points and better understand the novel.

Nicole Costa

4/25/2020 08:17:39 pm

Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation is a powerful novel about two oppressed groups in America, Native peoples and African Americans and the historical events that surround their unfortunate treatment by the white population. Discussion of the complex historical issues that are the foundation of this novel would be most productive in an in-class setting. However, in uncertain times, we must improvise and make use of the technology that is available to us. First, I would implement use of Google Classroom and schedule three weekly Google Meet meetings with students. In this online setting, I fear what many teachers currently face and that is how to engage with your students in an online classroom. I feel high school students would be less motivated to participate in an online setting, therefore, frequently seeing each other's faces might help improve the teacher/student relationship. My number one fear would be students “left behind” who have learning disabilities, students on IEPs, students who need that constant positive push from the teacher, or students who struggle with conflict at home. Therefore, my main literary goal when teaching Dread Nation virtually would be to create connections.
For one, our Google meetings would function as an open-discussion. I would outline study questions/notes and create a shareable google document. However, the students wouldn’t have to turn those in, they are just there for guidance as I can’t offer in-class support. After every reading session, each student would be required to construct one question that they will ask during open discussion. Their question could range from questions about the plot, characters, or even the historical context included in the novel. Each “class” (online meeting) I would present visual representations of the historical context in the novel. For example, there is a PBS video on the Carlisle Indian Boarding Schools and I would extract a section of that to share with the class. I’d like to utilize visual tools like videos, audio readings, etc. Still, I’d be really nervous about the attention span I could actively keep the students engaged while they are at home.
The one major assignment after reading this text would promote students' creative thinking, and, hopefully, provide them with something fun to do. As a means of connection, students would be asked to create a spin off Dread Nation from the perspective of one of the minor characters, given the COVID situation rather than zombies. For characters they could choose Jane’s mother, Redfern, Aunt Aggie, Gideon, etc. Students would be free to dramatize the effects of COVID to create zombies if they wish. This would also serve as a way for them to explore the fantasy genre. In the assignment, students must choose a complex issue presented in Ireland’s novel and include it in their plot. These issues include: rigid and unfair power structures, an abused political environment, inhumane treatment of people, segregation, The Battle of Gettysburg, Carlisle Indian Boarding Schools, etc.

Gabrielle Boutin

4/26/2020 06:10:47 am

Hi Nicole!
I agree that this novel surrounds complex historical issues that cannot be ignored throughout a class discussion. Online classes are tricky because as a teacher, you need to make sure you cover the significant parts of the novel, but also keep your students engaged and interested. I think your idea of scheduling Google Meet meetings is great, and I would try to make those meetings as fun as possible because I also agree that high school students would be less motivated in an online classroom. Something as small as having a new theme for each meet meeting (pj week, crazy hair week, etc) might be a fun way to have them looking forward to each meeting. As far as the structure of the meetings, I think it is a good idea to require students to prepare a question each week, but I know that as a student, I would need a direction to head in. So, when asking them to prepare a question, I would direct them towards a theme I would want to focus on that week. I think that would help keep the discussion focused and not jumping all over the place.

Gabrielle Boutin

4/26/2020 06:01:17 am

Dread Nation was a really cool book to read. I would’ve never have chosen to read a book that involves zombies and the apocalypse on my own time, but I think as future teachers I think it is really important to branch out in what you and your class reads so that you can try to reach the interests of everyone. Not to mention, different genres always spices things up. There were so many different levels to this book which is why I think there are so many different ways to go about teaching it. However, I think what this book boils down to, is Jane trying to find her path. The world is being thrust into chaos and she is constantly being told that she is wrong. I think that teaching this text online would present some challenges because there are so many different themes throughout this story. I would start by breaking the class up into groups (kind of like our reading club) and assigning different themes to each group. The themes would be things like love, race, family, etc. Themes that run throughout the story in different ways. The groups would discuss each theme, using direct quotes when possible, and then connect it to the larger picture. How does this theme thread itself into the story and support the larger message of the book? In order to do that, each group needs to come up with the message that their theme is trying to get through to readers. After they finish this, the teacher would combine all the themes, messages, and main ideas into one larger powerpoint. Once the students have a chance to read through the powerpoint, we would do a class Zoom call to talk about it. Class discussion would be crucial for this book because there is so much to cover!

Becky Tynan

4/26/2020 07:56:21 am

Hi Gabrielle I really relate to what you said about to picking a zombie book for yourself- I used to be all about the walking dead but I kind of grew out of it and so this book I think while including elements of zombie like stories still focused enough on Jane's journey so that I wasn't too caught up in the shamblers. I think breaking the class into small groups is a really smart call and I wonder if group work is a sensitive solution to trying to keep kids accountable in this time- because most 11th graders may be grieving the loss of their prom or a sports season, or even. loved one from this time. And just because we're through a screen we can't forget about teaching I na way where we don't know everything about the home lives of our students. Some may have jobs as essential workers during this time and who knows what their schedules are or their circumstances. \ And I know the prompt says all our students for our test class are able to participate with internet and devices but in this time I still wonder about the places where this is no the case. The assumption online team is one of a privileged perspective. I think is there a way to maybe ask our fortunate students to think about students who are not as fortunate and relate it to the the novel thematically? Great response!

Becky Tynan

4/26/2020 08:15:50 am

I want to start my response off with how much I actually enjoyed the text. Dread Nations dealt with thematics of race, gender, and injustice. This novel would be a really interesting teaching experience for students in conjunction with Monday’s Not Coming.
A they both play with genre mixing in young adult and are thematically so similar- I also like that they are set in different time persons- one a historical fiction setting and one modern day contemporary society. When it comes to teaching this novel to the test class we are really really fortunate to be able to assume all our students have access to technology like the prompt says.
First off I would not make synchornous meetings a requirement because of real life- 11th graders have jobs or parents with jobs and maybe little siblings that they are helping to entertain and teach at home. Or maybe they have sleeping problems because their home all day and no longer have routine- whatever it is I wouldn't want my class to partake in creating more stress by mandatory synchornous meetings. I do think making myself available certain hours a day and certain days a week would be useful- via zoom or FaceTime that I could provide for students. With this more open schedule I think I would steal a page from LT and make a similar requirement that work for he week be due by 12 by Sunday that week. This way students could break up reading the book however it fits into their time- it is 451 pages. I would want an assignment similar to a reading journal- very low stakes and I think I would ask students why would Ireland set her novel so far in an imaged past? Is she trying to say something about today's world by doing what? What is she saying with this text? I would require about 500 words on this prompt and then I would open a shared google doc to the class with three sections each with a discussion question- section 1 would ask in what ways does the novel talk about what its like to be girl? Can you provide a quote that takes about this? section 2 What are he political and government structure of the novel like? What are their goals? Why do they have these goals? section three What are some injustices in the book?
This doc would like a discussion board so all of the class can see what their peers are saying and so they can response back- and the requirement would be for you to answer two sections with a 100 word minimum on each and 1 response pos/comment on at least one post from another student. I would also be commenting on this doc- maybe asking more questions to students responses to foster discussion and hopefully students would be coming to optional video meeting or creating video meetings with me as there is so many really great things happening in the novel.

Natasha Cardin

4/26/2020 08:35:24 am

I think teaching Dread Nation online to a class full of 11th graders during a worldwide pandemic will have it's ups and downs. I think it would be important to remember that this online version of learning is new to these students so I would need to find new ways to to teach while also still using some of my typical teaching style so that the students feel comfortable moving forward. I beging teaching the novel with a history refresher on the time period and the significant eventts that happened leading up to it. I then invision asking the students to create a vendiagram while reading this novel. On the left, the historical aspects of the novel that did infact happen, on the right, those things that are purely fiction, and then in the middle, things that might be a bit of both. Then we would discuss the themes of the novel and what we can take away from it now.

Olivia Leonard

4/26/2020 02:07:45 pm

Remote learning definitely comes with its challenges. While Zoom classes are a great way to stay in touch/connect, they’re not always plausible. For example, my laptop broke so my family of six is using one desktop to stay connected with school/work. For this reason I would schedule optional Zoom meetings (possibly extra credit). I know teenagers and when something is optional more times than not they will not participate but I hope the themes present in Dread Nation would want them to initiate a discussion. I am a big fan of book-club type meetings because I feel students get a lot out of hearing other ideas that they may not have thought about but of course, that is nearly impossible to do online. Even with Zoom there is the problem of talking over people so to combat that I would do something similar to what LT has us do and place students in small groups just discuss their thoughts about the book. I would break the novel up to make it more manageable for 11th graders and hope that they would keep up with the reading. In addition to their overall discussion, I would pose a few questions for the small groups to think about/talk over. For example, I would like to know what their thoughts are on the themes of race and class throughout the novel. Why is this set in the past rather than the future? Or the progression of Jane and Katherine’s friendship. As we have come to see, its difficult doing work completely online so I would not want to overwhelm students and make them dismay reading the novel so I would create this assignment to last a few weeks. By the end, after hopefully seeing faces on Zoom and having meaningful conversations over the Google Docs, I would try to do something creative with them. Since the novel is told by Jane I would ask that they pick a different character or make one up (another attendant-in-training, a wealthy white man/woman, etc.) and write from their perspective keeping the themes of the novel in mind.

And now for something totally different. . .

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