Teaching Darius and Monday

TORDA'S FALL 2021 TEACHING

Teaching Darius and Monday

4/15/2020

These texts as good examples of how YA can teach the skills we hope our students will learn as readers--in general and of literature: As was the case for many of you, these texts were two of my favorites. Reading The Poet X, a text I thought I was not going to like because it was written in verse, was a great experience for me, and might still be my favorite from the semester. However what I valued about these two texts is the rich and detailed storytelling and character development. These two novels felt the most current and literary in that respect as examples of prose YA fiction. In that way, I saw and valued that you saw how one might analyze these texts as literary texts. Additionally, particularly in the case of Monday. The narration posed some challenges to the reader--an example of what I've been saying about how a great YA text teaches students how to be better readers of more difficult texts.

These texts as good examples of the issues and concerns that young people are struggling with today: I also think these two novels, as I'm guessing you figured out by my pairing them, are particularly interesting to me as novels we might include in a high school lit class because of the ways each novel deals with mental disorders. As a teacher right in this moment I am profoundly aware of the scourge that clinical anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other mental disorders affect how my students learn in a classroom--and, thus, how it affects my teaching and my advising. And it will no doubt affect how you are teachers in your own classrooms sometime soon.

This week, I am asking you to think about these texts in the classroom with student readers. What is it possible to teach them with one or both of these texts? How do you manage sensitive ideas about gender, cultural difference, mental disorders with students who are living all three of these realities?

Our Test Class of the Week
For this week, I'm returning us to our West Bridgewater school, but I'm suggesting these texts would be more appropriate for an 11th grade reader rather than a middle schooler--not so much because of content but because of the ages of our characters as well as the. complexity, as some of you pointed out, of how the narration is structured in Monday.

If you want to refer back to what we know about West Bridgewater, the date of that Class Discussion was 24 February 2020. You can click on the month to the right of this post to find that archived material.

35 Comments

Shauna Ridley

4/16/2020 06:58:15 am

Since I read Mondays Not Coming it makes more sense to explain teaching this novel as opposed to Darius the Great. For this novel it is important to teach readers both the importance of skills to use when reading and the issues/concerns that young adults struggle with today.
The reading skills for this novel involves noticing the details placed in the book and analyzing them. For this novel in particular, while reading it is apparent that each chapter has the title “the before”, “the before the before”, and “the after”. Something as simple as chapter titles makes a big difference in how the reader interprets the book. The chapters are cleverly named in order to show the reader how Claudia is bouncing through different periods of time regarding how/when Monday went missing. If the reader hadn’t picked up on this detail then the book probably would’ve seemed extremely confusing and hard to place together what exactly was going on. This skill is important in many other novels as well for example Poet X, Hey, Kiddo, All the Way Down etc. Although the details the reader has to notice are not the same in every book it is important for them to figure it out and identify these tools the author has placed in the novel for them. In All the Way Down the timeline seems like it could be lasting for days if the reader wasn’t able to pick up on the times listed on certain pages. This clues the reader in on the fact that the entire novel is happening in a matter of minutes.
As for the struggles young adults have today it is important to recognize these even if the reader cannot relate. Although, I’m sure some, if not most, students go through gender, cultural differences, and/or mental disorders. Managing this in a classroom seems like a difficult task. Making the class aware that these are concepts we will be addressing in the novel will be helpful so that students can expect to discuss. In Mondays Not Coming, the kids at school make fun of Claudia and Monday for being such close friends and call them lesbians. For students who aren’t quite comfortable with their sexuality this might be difficult to read. With the cultural aspect we see how black children often fall through the cracks of the system. Monday goes missing and close to nobody is concerned at all. As for mental disorders there is a huge population of students that have a mental disorder. In today's society having one is more frequent than not so I feel this could be difficult considering we are still adapting to accommodate these mental illnesses. I feel that having a writing journal would provide an outlet for students and a way to share ideas through the classroom.
When approached with tough topics students could be given a prompt or a free write on one of these ideas or a chapter containing them. I’m not quite sure how the sharing portion would go because of the sensitivity of gender, cultural differences, and/or mental disorders. Maybe an optional share or just handing the responses in to the teacher to read and respond to. Or at the end students could pick a topic and do a research project on one of the options. They’d have to relate one of the concepts to the world today following guidelines handed out by the teacher. It’d be fun and expressive to create projects on something the students are passionate about.

Megan Shaughnessy

4/17/2020 06:16:31 am

Shauna,

I love how you talk about the chapter titles because that is so crucial in understanding such key elements in the novel. Bringing up the other novels we've read was a great way to highlight this importance. Every author makes decisions stylistically that affect the narrative, and if the reader does not pick up on it, they will miss such crucial points. In terms of the assignment, I worked with a teacher who would assign personal questions like this. She would let the students know she was the only one reading and found they felt more comfortable. This was in a lower-income school, so some students would be writing that they never have a snack or food at home, which is why she now keeps a drawer full of snacks for those students who need it. I feel like students will be more apt to open up if they know they do not have to talk about it and if its in the hands of the teacher. However, I also feel like it is important to talk about the struggles to let them know that they are not the only ones.

Gabby Sleeper

4/16/2020 08:15:19 am

If I were to teach Darius the Great is not Okay, the first thing I would want to focus on is the representation of people of Middle Eastern descent. Especially in the context of a class in West Bridgewater, this seems like a particularly important topic. The class I would be teaching to may very well be full of white students who may not have ever met someone from the Middle East, and the chance of these students holding some stereotypes is going to be pretty high. With that in mind, I would want to have a discussion about Iranian culture before beginning the novel. I would ask students what they know/assume about Iran. I would then have students do a web-quest to provide background about the country, having students find pictures of various landmarks mentioned in Khorram’s novel as well as answering questions about major religions and important customs of the country.
With this background knowledge in place, students would then go into actually reading the novel. I would have students look up any unknown vocabulary as they go, particularly the phrases that are in Farsi. As the class begins to learn more about Darius’ character, I would begin to ask them what they think of how he expresses himself. Do they think he reacts in a healthy manner? If not, why? How should he be reacting? These responses would start out as journal responses, so students can have time to really collect their thoughts, but we also would have these discussions as a class. Somewhere in that discussion, I would definitely want to emphasize that Darius is allowed to feel sad, and he is allowed to express that sadness.
Themes of racism and mental health can be heavy and difficult to talk about, but they are important, especially for teenagers. With this in mind, I would really want to close the novel in a light-hearted way. I would really want to take some time to celebrate the Iranian culture depicted in the novel. Eat some of the Iranian dishes that Darius describes (provided there are no allergies in the classroom). Listen to the music. Learn how to play Rook. These won’t really further any specific ELA skills, but I think taking a little time to just have some fun cultural appreciation is important. Plus, junior year is an incredibly stressful time, and I think students deserve to have a little down time here and there.

Jailyn Tavares

4/16/2020 10:33:04 am

I read Darius the Great is Not Okay and I feel that this can be a great novel for students in this grade can read but also may pose some challenges as well. On the pros side, this novel can do many things to the readers. Darius does a wonderful job of explaining his Persian culture throughout the novel. With that, he gives us detailed explanations of certain traditions, famous, buildings, and explains other parts of his culture. Students in WB are primarily white and this will allow them to experience and understand a middle eastern culture that they are probably unfamiliar with. This novel can also help students relate to Darius and his depression. A lot of teens face that struggle as well as maybe having a difficult connection to their parents. This novel can help them find positive ways to deal with their depression as well as help them understand that they are not alone and supported.

As for cons, Darius is Persian and his family speaks Farsi. In the novel there are many sentences, phrases, and words in Farsi, and that might be difficult to read for some students. Its a different language and some things are hard to pronounce, I even had to go over some words myself. I would also advise the students of WB to do the same if they don't know what something days or means.

As another assignment, I would want students to find a Persian tradition or famous landmark in Iran that is mentioned in the book and do further research on it and write a small summary in their own words about it and factual evidence that supports their findings. These can include when buildings were made, how they were made, when traditions started, what they meaning and purpose of the tradition is, specific foods they eat/fasting, etc.

Maddie Butkus

4/16/2020 06:39:35 pm

Hey Jailyn! You make some very valid points here about the pros and cons of teaching Darius the Great is Not Okay within the classroom. I think that it is very important to always encourage students to look up any words they are not familiar with, and in this case, the words/phrases that are written in Farsi. While explaining to your students that you also had to look up these words will show students that we all, including you as the teacher, are learning this new language together. It will also let students know that yes, even teachers have to look up words they aren’t familiar with so they as students are not alone in that. Furthermore, I love the last assignment you had mentioned for I might just have to steal it for my classroom in the future! Having students look up Persian traditions and famous landmarks discussed within the novel will help further their knowledge on this beautiful culture as well as get a better understanding of Darius’ character as a whole. I believe that this assignment would even work great as a group project!

Maddie Butkus

4/16/2020 06:27:22 pm

I believe that Darius the Great is Not Okay would be a great novel to incorporate within the classroom, especially West Bridgewater’s 11th grade. While a majority of these students would be white, this novel will give them a chance to expand on their knowledge of Persian culture and perhaps the struggles that come with cultural difference. Before reading this work, I would have my students do some background knowledge on Persian culture by finding two interesting facts that they did not perviously know. These would be shared a loud in a classroom discussion as well as myself breaking down some of the Farsi language they would come in contact with while reading the novel. While I believe that cultural difference is a huge aspect of this novel, I would like to spend the majority of my time discussing mental disorders and thus the importance of mental health.
I hate to say it but it really seems as if some teachers today, even still with all the progress recently made, are not taking into consideration just how difficult these mental illnesses are on their students. I have made it a very serious goal of mine to not become one of those teachers and that is why I want mental health to be discussed within my classroom. I can not begin to describe just how mad it made me reading through Darius being asked by multiple people, including his own family, what his medication was for and what he was depressed about. I feel as if that must be the worst possible question you could ask someone who is fighting depression, and in most cases, it is simply not anyone’s business if that person does not want it to be (except hopefully a medical professional). It is through reading this novel and hearing Darius’ struggle with mental illness that I want students to learn what mental illness is and how to always act kindly to those around them. I want students to become aware of how serious mental illness can be and be their own advocates for those around them. I will also inform my students, like I always have, that my classroom is a safe place where all will be treated kindly and with respect.
To make sure I incorporate the best lessons/activities that I can when teaching this novel, I have looked up some online resources that look to be very beneficial when used within the classroom. I will post the links below. For my classroom, I would want my students to break off into groups where they will discuss how they felt when Darius was asked what he was depressed about as well as what they thought about this interaction. Was that the right thing to ask? How did it make Darius feel? Why do you think he questioned/was confused about his own depression after receiving this question? I would then show my class the video “Teen Health : Mental Health” by Penn State PRO Wellness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i9OktVsTWo). It is through this video that students will learn some of the statistics about mental illness as well as ways to reach out if they or someone they know may be struggling. Finally, I would want my students to come together as a class and brainstorm ways in which we can try to end the stigma of mental illness. What can we do in our school and/or community? How can we reach out if we know someone who may be struggling? What are some ways we can be kinder to those around us? Before teaching this topic, I would definitely like to do some more research into ways I can teach about mental illness that would best benefit my students. I would of course mention the resources we have within our school so students know where they can go for any help they might need. I believe that Darius the Great is Not Okay would be a great novel to teach alongside this topic and would make for a great conversation starter into the complex but necessary learning of mental illness.

https://classroommentalhealth.org/in-class/classroom-climate/communication/
http://canwetalk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/COOR-79l-2016-03-CWT-lesson-plans.pdf
https://walkinourshoes.org/content/Classroom_Lesson_Plans.pdf

Megan Shaughnessy

4/17/2020 07:13:08 am

I will be discussing what teachers can do with the novel "Mondays Not Coming." This novel allows teachers to talk about sensitive ideas about gender, cultural difference, and mental disorders with students who are living all three of these realities. Understanding these sensitives will allow students better to understand themselves and the rest of the world. When opening discussions about these topics, if in my own classroom, I know I am no master at any of these topics. What I would do is call in someone who is a master of these topics. First, I would talk about the themes of poverty, abuse, bullying, addiction, and trauma with students and how they perceive these themes through the author. I would have them reflect on what these themes mean to them outside of the novel. This novel gives an excellent opportunity to have someone come in as a guest speaker or even some Ted talks or just videos of professionals talking about the topics. This would engage students in thinking about these topics in a meaningful way and create learning for both myself as the teacher and the students. I feel like teachers need to be transparent and let students know if they don't have experience with such topics, etc. I feel like it could also go worse for the teacher if they talk about abuse, for example, and think they know everything about it. They could think they are teaching students about it when, in reality, they have never had experience with abuse, and one of their students is actually a victim. After watching such videos or having the guest speaker come in, it would allow us to talk about these themes and topics on a different level. Learning together as teachers and students and discuss the reality of these themes in the novel and the real world. I want my students to tell me what abuse means to them and teach me what it means to them in their lives because I never want to overstep any boundary with my students. I would wish to be respected by such topics, so it is only right I respect them. While I would have students understand the narrative, the meaning behind chapter titles, etc. I would ultimately have students do a small project. I would present questions: What is poverty, and who does it affect? What is abuse, and how do we help? What is addiction/signs of addiction? What is trauma? How do we help people who live with trauma? There are SO many more questions students can engage with that will help them learn about the world and understand the complexity of the characters in the novel. Students would research these questions and understand their basics, but then too, be able to apply it to the novel. Students, for example, would research trauma, understand what it means, how it has affected the world, research people who live with trauma. Then students would apply it to the novel. Does Claudia live with trauma, how do you know? What could you do for Claudia? This will create such critical thought and decision making that is essential in understanding the novel but thought that would be used and reflected on outside of the classroom.

Natasha Cardin

4/19/2020 05:14:59 am

Hey Megan, I really liked what you wrote about teaching "Monday's Not coming". I think you touched upon some really great ways to help effectively teach this novel to our class demographic this week. I think the idea of bringing in guest speakers or TED talks is a great idea. I think like you mentioned it gives students the opportunity to hear about these struggles from someone who has more experience or knowledge of them.
Also, your project ideas for the end of the novel is really great too. I think if I was to implement these questions into a small project I would maybe break them up into small groups and allow them to choose their topic, hopefully without much overlapping. Then at the ed they could present them to the class so by the end the whole class has a little understanding of either topic.
Great work!

Jess Rinker

4/17/2020 11:53:06 am

Unlike, Monday’s Not Coming, Darius the Great is Not Okay does not a complex narrative style, but the complexity of its themes require a lot of time and thought to process. It’s my job as an educator to guide students through the process of chewing on these big ideas.

I would probably include Darius in a unit plan that focuses on mental health, and incorporating the essential question: What does it mean to be okay? I would dedicate the first day of the unit to introducing context and themes connected to the book. We would begin the class by writing in their journals, responding to the prompt: How do you think other people respond to mental illness in the United States? This prompt would allow students at West Bridgewater to share their perspective. However, I wouldn’t stop there, especially since the student body is mostly white students and all of them are born and raised in the U.S. We would then watch the Ted Talk, “There’s No Shame in Taking Care of Your Mental Health” which introduces cultural and gender stigmas associated with mental illness outside of the U.S. As a class, we would work through excerpts of the journal article, “Stigma Barriers of Mental Health in Iran: A Qualitative Study” to have students practice reading articles (a state standard) and bring the focus to Darius’ family’s home.

Throughout the unit, I would assign character development charts and writing assignments to follow the theme of “being okay” and track how Darius, his friends, and his family respond to conflicts, including how each character responds to mental health.
At the end of the unit, student would write a paper that combines an element of Khorram’s novel with an element of mental health they would like to research, including topics like stigma, cultural influences, and treatment.

Jess > Replying to Maddie

4/17/2020 12:36:02 pm

Maddie, your dedication to incorporating mental health discussions and resources in your class is so important and inspiring! I agree with you that this should be every teacher's mission, but unfortunately many teachers don't address it. I think that there's this idea that mental health is for health class, but because it's a part of student's lives, it can't just be sectioned off into one class. That's way books like Darius the Great is Not Okay is so important; it brings it into the classroom and puts it into the context of family, cutlure, and coming of age. I love your idea of challening students to consider how they can respond to mental illness by examining how they treat members in their community. I think you could easily tie this in to a book discussion by examining how characters in the book treat each other. One thing I love about the book is that it depicts a teen boy with mental illness who is struggling to connect with his dad. I think there is a specific stigma attached to men with mental illness, and toxic masculinity can prevent men from seeking help or connecting with others. I think this is an issue that not as many teachers talk about and it's important for educators to address. Also thank you for the resources. I can see myself adapting these for my future classroom!

Justin Carpender

4/17/2020 03:08:49 pm

Hello Everyone!

I truly loved the novel Darius the Great is Not Okay and I am sure that many students in class will love it as well. This novel handles the topic of depression and how it affects a family in an elegant manner that I truly appreciate. I remember freshman year of highschool was rough for me, and my mother suggested that I see a therapist. I remember feeling embarrassed that she thought I needed that, and even worse to think that I needed it as well. But, therapy for most of freshman year is what helped me succeed and grow as a person. I am sure that there are students in class who may be experiencing a lot and would benefit to learn from the story of Darius. Granted, as the teacher I certainly hope I would be able to identify bullying happening to a student or the overall isolation a student may be feeling. Even so, the story of depression is one that is important to discuss.
I believe that I would want to teach this text in a mostly hands off manner from parents at home. The reason being is that I would not want students who may be struggling with their relationships with their parents, as Darius and Stephen struggle throughout much of the novel, have to talk to them about their relationship. Darius and Stephen had an important conversation at the end of the novel to repair their relationship, but that may not happen in reality, and it would be unfair to encourage a student in class to handle that kind of stress. Instead, I would let them know that if they wish to open up about issues at home they may be having that they can talk to me privately, and we can set up counseling in the guidance office. While the story of Darius and Stephen ended happily, it would be wrong to encourage students to try and follow suit, so I would let them know that they can receive help if they reach out to me or other staff at the school, we are there to support them.
With that out of the way, I would teach this text as any other. Have the students focus on the important themes and topics in the novel, and hopefully they land on mental illness (depression), family and friend struggles, and one’s own identity. My big take away for them would be to write an essay connecting the different thematic elements in the text, the freedom is up to them which thematic element is the most important in the text, but they have to support this positioning in an argumentative essay. The goal here would be to write a pretty standard thematic analysis which would hopefully normalize young adult literature as a reading assignment like any other.

Thank you,
Justin Carpender

Olivia Sweeney

4/17/2020 05:33:21 pm

For this discussion, I would have students read “Monday’s Not Coming,” which I believe would be a great novel for 11th grade students at WB to read. This novel touches upon several major topics, but mainly mental disorders. Reading this novel in class will open students eyes up to these issues, even if they do not pertain to them, it will open their view to those who is does pertain to. This novel touches upon the topics of gender and the differences between cultures. Having discussions about these in class are important to students to understand difficulties many people face. In this novel, there are also many topics that are important to talk about like how much other students bully Claudia and Monday based off of their extremely close friendship and other hard topics such as abuse and even addiction. When I was in middle school, my school had a health education course, and we talked about subjects such as bullying, abuse, and addiction. I thought it was really important to have these discussions as students. School is a safe zone for many students and they look forward to the feeling of safety in their learning environments. Many schools have guest speakers come in and even hold their own assemblies, but this would be great alongside this novel. My middle school also did several assemblies in which we would have guest speakers come in to talk to us about several issues. We had at least two guest speakers come in to talk to us about addiction and abuse, and many assemblies on bullying. I still remember these assemblies to this day. In high school, we were also shown videos in gym/health class, and I remember one of them to this day. One was from a former NBA player, now motivational speaker from Fall River, MA named Chris Herren who talks about his struggle and recovery with drug use. I think a unique way for students to learn about the pressing issues in “Monday’s Not Coming” would definitely be through the use of class discussions, but I also think it could be a unique idea to team up with the gym/health teachers at WB to show a documentary like Chris Herren’s. It would also be a great idea for the entire school to hold an assembly on these pressing issues and be able to directly correlate a class discussion on the assembly and the issues present in the novel. The assemblies I had in both middle school and high school stick with me to this day. I also think another idea to incorporate into teaching this text is implementing journal prompts for students to write entries for. These could be in-depth prompts on some of the pressing issues in the novel. Each student would write their own response to the prompt and only myself and the student would be the only people to see it. As some of these issues can be personal to students, they would also have the option to fold their page to indicate they do not want their entry read but will still receive credit for writing an entry on the prompt. Writing is a great way for students to express their feelings and release some stress through their writing. There are several other amazing ways to teach this lesson, but these would definitely be some of the lessons/activities I would incorporate while teaching “Monday’s Not Coming” to 11th graders in West Bridgewater.

Nicole Costa

4/17/2020 06:16:12 pm

Hi Olivia,
First, having students write in personal journals is always a great way to get students thinking! I love how you incorporated this into your lesson plan. Given the sensitive nature of the topics addressed, I like how you gave students the options on whether you will read it or not. This reminded me of the Freedom Writer journals!
As far as an assembly goes, that would be amazing if you could get Tiffany Jackson to come herself! She did use two real-life situations of missing young girls of color as platforms for this novel. I wonder if she would do a video chat and discuss that aspect of it with the class? I am curious as how students who are victims of child abuse/neglect would feel about large group assembly about abuse? Going by Monday's experience, I don't think she would react openly to it. Victims of abuse are usually resistant to people knowing their circumstance, hence Monday doesn't even tell her best friend. It is good to let students know that we are here for them and willing to help by all means possible.

Nicole Costa

4/17/2020 05:49:34 pm

I enjoyed reading Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson so much that I would love to teach it in a high school class. However, I fear the complexity of the sensitive issues presented in the novel might make many of the students uncomfortable or emotional. The ending of the book is heartbreaking, and any student who is a victim of child abuse or suffers from a learning disability might express resistance towards the novel. As a way to approach the lesson from a psychological standpoint, I’d ask a member of the guidance department to help me manage the material appropriately. When we discuss the ending of the novel, I’d invite the guidance counselor into the classroom for an open-discussion.
Since this novel could be categorized as a mystery/thriller, I’d implement a reading log called “The Breadcrumbs” (words of Claudia’s mother). Here, I’d layout boxes for them that are structured from clues we get on the first two pages that I believe are context clues. The boxes will look as follows:
“How nobody cared until they found her” ---------
“Not everyone circles the same sun”----------
“We live in the shadow of the nation's capital/ a city full of the most powerful people in the world”” -------
“My doctor says I shouldn’t talk about this anymore” ------
“Somebody always sees the story different” ------

The students will fill in each area after each chapter which is designated by the months. At first, this activity will be challenging but that’s how we create better close readers of texts. Once students gain more insight into the development of the plot, the “clues” will be easier to decipher. They can even write something as simple as another quote that they think is a connection.
On the whiteboard, I’d like to make a character development timeline for Claudia that we would do every class. I’d like to highlight Claudia’s coming-of-age traits and when we notice differences in her maturity level.
I think I’d be doing this novel a great injustice if I didn’t teach Jackson’s feminist standpoint of institutional racism. We can see this in the criminal justice system, Monday’s neighborhood (rent inflation), and the education system. However, according to statistics, the racial make-up of West Bridgewater is approximately 96% white. I think I would do a short lesson on the Reconstruction period and how that impacted housing situations for African Americans. Although it may be a small subplot, it’s crucial to the bigger picture that the people of Ed Borough are experiencing injustice.

Molly Drain

4/17/2020 07:00:43 pm

Nicole,
I wish I had thought about bringing in a guidance counselor for my lesson as I think they are more equipped to deal with sensitive subjects such as abuse or with disabilities. I liked your fill in the blank sort of assignment and think that it would be most effective to have students write other quotes that they felt paired well. As i did not read this text, I would find a character development timeline to be beneficial. I think it would be interesting to see the conclusions that students can draw from the text to add to this board as well. I think that the supplementary lesson could be beneficial as i think it is a topic that is not well known especially for high school students. Thank you for your ideas!

Gabby Sleeper

4/18/2020 01:13:25 pm

Hi Nicole,
I definitely agree with Molly that your idea to bring in a guidance counselor is a really good one. Monday’s Not Coming is a powerful novel with a lot of important discussion points, but it is also an incredibly dark one. There were definitely moments where I had to set the book down to take a breather; I cannot imagine how hard it might be to read for a student who might have suffered from child abuse. I also like your idea of creating a timeline that specifically looks at Claudia’s emotional maturity. This timeline would definitely facilitate an interesting discussion once students have finished the novel and learned that Claudia is actually two years older than we initially think she is. The twist certainly caught me off guard, but I wonder if studying Claudia’ emotional maturity would make it a bit more obvious. Also, with the format of the novel nonlinear, I think keeping a timeline while reading is very beneficial to fully understanding what is happening when. As for wanting to talk about institutionalized racism, I think that it is a very important part of the novel. I’d highly suggest that you look into how the creation of the Federal Housing Administration and the Housing Act of 1949 promoted those same issues that we see Ed Borough going through.

Molly Drain

4/17/2020 06:54:05 pm

Last week I read Darius the Great is Not Okay, which is a text that could lead to some detailed discussion especially with an 11th grade class. I do think this is a great text to teach because of the topics that it touches upon. First being a first-hand look from Darius of Persian Culture, which I would assume is one that not a lot of students can relate to. This could be an interesting assignment for students to research this culture or other middle eastern cultures, just to get a glimpse into a different culture. This could be a great teaching opportunity as it can broaden the students’ awareness of cultures that are different from their own.This can be done in the form of a research assignment, in which students can each have a culture to examine and present. Another topic that would be interesting to look at is the topic of depression and what that can mean for a young adult. Although this can be a hard topic, I feel that when students are introduced to ways to ask for help or to open up that they are better off than staying in the dark. With this, students can discuss ways to seek help and ways to identify depression or feelings that might be associated with it as well as a discussion of how to seek help within the book as well as in real life. Moments like this, although uncomfortable, could help a student seek help when they may have not without it. Another topic that could be interesting to have a discussion about would be the relationship between Darius and his father. I would have the students identify where Darius mentions his father and their relationship, perhaps even discuss the significance of him referring to his father by his full name and not by dad. This can be a hard conversation for some students as they may be from a single parent house-hold or have a bad relationship with a parent, however I think it would be an interesting discussion to see how the students react to the progression of their relationship. This can be done in groups, as it might be more beneficial to discussion with smaller groups rather than an entire class discussion.

Gabrielle Boutin

4/18/2020 11:13:30 am

Hi Molly!
When thinking about how to teach Darius the Great is Not Okay, I didn’t think about researching the Persian culture. I think doing a research assignment about it would be a great idea. Especially about the culture surround mental illness and how it is perceived in Persian culture. Maybe there could be a compare and contrast to their culture and the United States’ culture. I also agree that this text would be interesting at in terms of depression and how Darius and his father coped with it. I also agree with you that seeking help is always better than dealing with it internally. I think that we saw that when Darius and his father finally had a heart to heart and got to the bottom of their feelings is when Darius started to feel relief; like the pressure was being taken off his shoulders. I think it’s important for students to realize they have options when it comes to seeking help and that it is not a waste of time. Talking about it does help and I think Darius proved that. This text deals with a lot of topics that may be uncomfortable for students to talk about when it comes to themselves, but it might be easier for them when they are talking about issues in the context of someone else (like a book character).

Olivia Sweeney

4/18/2020 09:22:36 pm

Hi Molly,

I think how you would approach this text is a great idea. It is definitely important to provide some background and insight of the text to students so they are aware of the major topics in the novel. It definitely is also important for students to learn about different cultures, as it is important for students to know about the amazing history of other cultures. I also think reading texts like these are important for students, as it serves as a gateway for students who need someone to talk to guided in just the right direction for that. Students should always know they are not alone and there is always someone there to listen and to talk to. Whether it be their teacher, a peer, a guidance counselor, or even venting through a journal, there is always a way to talk to someone. It is definitely important to talk about these subjects and always allow students to know there is always someone to talk to and there are people out there that have been in the same position and they are not alone, just like how you were discussing Darius and his issues he faces in the novel.

Gabrielle Boutin

4/18/2020 10:08:50 am

When thinking about how to teach Darius the Great Is Not Okay it’s important to try and get yourself into the heads of your students. How they will receive a text is usually much different than how an adult will receive it. High school is a very emotional time. There is a lot of change, growing up, and adjustment that these students need to go through. So, when teaching Darius, I would focus on the emotional aspect of Darius dealing with his depression. I would use this book to create a lesson about empathy and understanding that we might not know what someone else is going through. For example, Darius had never gone through something traumatic so no one (except his immediate family) could understand why he was depressed. They only saw what was on the outside, not his feelings on the inside. I think it is very important that we teach our students to never assume what someone is going through. Another lesson that can come from this book is about family. None of us have perfect families and there are always misunderstandings and miscommunication. Darius and his father went through a rough patch throughout this book that could’ve been repaired or solved if they communicated their feelings. However, communicating feelings (especially with a high schooler) is never easy but it saves a lot of heartache. Families are complicated and high school students are going through an emotional time; just like Darius. I think that Darius is a very relatable character because he tries to hide what he is going through and I think that a student who may be feeling similar emotions will find some kind of strength in how Darius dealt with it. This story deals with heavy emotions that spring up out of nowhere and are hard to understand and cope with, which is why I think it would be a great story to teach 11th graders. However, because it deals with emotions that are very personal, I would ask my students to journal throughout reading it. I’m not sure whether I would have them free-write or answer prompts (maybe switch it up) but I would want them to learn about empathy but also look within themselves and consider their own emotions.

Shauna Ridley

4/18/2020 12:58:27 pm

Hi Gabrielle,
Teaching students about emotions as you talked about is just as important as teaching them about academic subjects. High school is a tricky part of life where classmates should really be there for eachother. This brought back memories of my experience in high school that I thought I could share with you! Our student council at school used to have school-wide activities that we could all participate in. For one of them they had a few laminated smiley faces that they passed out to one student in select homerooms at the beginning of the day. The student would then have to sign the smiley face and pass it onto someone else with a positive comment, compliment, etc. It promoted positivity in the hallways and felt great to get one. Another thing we did a lot was post inspiring sticky notes on bathroom mirrors. This would be cool to have our test class do to promote positivity as well. Thanks for inspiring my response!

Savannah Resendes

4/19/2020 08:11:38 am

Hi Gabrielle!
I also read Darius the Great is Not Okay, and I really liked how you emphasized the emotional aspect of the novel. Darius has never gone through anything traumatic, as you mentioned so it would be hard for people to understand why he is sad. People assume that you have to be sad for a reason, but that is not the case with Darius. I think that would drive home an important message to student about assuming things about others, as you stated. How would you emphasize this point and what kinds of activities would you include?
I also agree with you that Darius is a relatable character. High school can be an emotional time for students so Darius could serve as a way to help deal with your emotions, such as communicating with someone about how you feel, like he does with Sohrab and eventually his father. I like your idea of journaling as well. Writing your feelings can sometimes be easier than saying them out loud, which would help students to express themselves better.
Great Job this week!

Lauren Melchionda

4/20/2020 12:56:23 pm

Hi Gabrielle,
I wrote something similar in my response about Mondays Not Coming and how I believe that incorporating real life lessons into lesson being learned in the class room is one of the best educations you can get. Not many teachers remember to incorporate the most important lessons into their every day schedule. It is avery emotional time for everyone, being in high school or even middl school, so it is important to teach your students some of the struggles in life that they may face or even be facing currently. Making them feel like they are not alone is definitely a goal.

Savannah Resendes

4/18/2020 05:04:36 pm

If I were to teach Darius the Great is not Okay. I would focus on two different aspects of the novel. One being the cultural enrichment that is gained from this novel. Personally, I did not have much knowledge about Iran and the Persian culture, but it was very interesting to read about the variety of different celebrations and landmarks that are special to Persians. This would be a great novel to use when talking about Persian culture, as it is one that isn’t focused on. As the WB classroom is predominately white, this would be the perfect opportunity to explore another culture. I would have an assignment were the students would pick a landmark or a tradition from the novel and do some research on it. Where it comes from, what’s the significance and they relate it back to the novel and explain the significance of this tradition and why it is important to Darius and his family. The second aspect of the novel I would focus on is the mental illness. Though there have been many improvements to the ways that we learn about mental illness and deal with the affects, we are still a long way from being fully aware of the effects of mental illness on students and young people. So, I would have the students focus on Darius’s mental journey throughout the novel and map out key moments in the novel that show his progress, or his downfalls, such as moments with Sohrab and the ultimate confrontation with his father. This will show the progress of his mental journey in the novel. This will show that dealing with a mental illness is not linear, you will have good moments and bad moments, like Darius had, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. I would also have the students do a project where they research into depression and learn about the symptoms and look up some statistics on depression. I would end the curriculum by giving the students information on where to go if they are feeling depressed or anxious. You never know what students are going through in their personal lives so to give them some resources would at least let them know that there are ways to help themselves and they are not the only ones. I personally really enjoyed this novel and feel it would be a great book to teach.

Justin Carpender

4/18/2020 09:38:50 pm

Hello Savannah!

I love your idea of breaking this text down into two main components: the culture aspect, and the mental illness one! I chose to focus this text more along the lines of family relationships, but Darius' battle with depression is obviously incredibly important to the text as a whole. I agree with you that this text would be good to teach to junior and seniors about Persian culture as this is not a culture typically studied. Darius notes that in the novel as well that he never learned about his culture in school. The novel does a really great job at breaking down the different customs in Iran as Darius is learning them alongside the reader.

I like your idea about a research project about depression for the students. I would suggest to maybe have a couple other options other than depression to teach. I just remember a few assignments in highschool where everyone had to present on the same topic, and by the end it was a drag and repeat of all the same info said before. It's no fault of the students who present last, but variety is certainly more engaging. Although to make this assignment fit with the teaching of the novel, it may be better suited for the class to write a research essay about depression, that way they can incorporate quotes involving Darius, study depression, and learn more about how to formulate a research essay!

Also it is incredibly important to give resources to students who may be struggling like you said, great touch!

Thank you,
Justin Carpender

Natasha Cardin

4/19/2020 05:30:40 am

I think when teaching "Monday's Not Coming" I would approach it two ways. The first being structurally. Discussing how the author has chosen to write it. I would take the time to review different ways novels can be written and how that can impact the story. Then while reading the novel we would look at the different chapters and talk about the significance they hold within the context of the novel. Then, secondly, we would look at the issues the novel addresses. I think it is important to spend some time addressing certain issues as they arrive in the novel. We could begin during the very first chapter when Claudia says that she never thought someone could go missing for a year without anyone noticing. That line would be where we would start our conversation and then proceed to find other areas in the chapters that bring attention to struggles like abuse, poverty, learning disorders, etc. I would bring in outside resources to help students understand these issues a little more thoroughly. It's important that while talking about these issues, students have the facts and are given enough resources so they have a good understanding.
At the end of the novel I would as the students to work on a project that I would let them take the lead on. They could do something like creating a pamphlet with facts and resources, writing a paper or poem, putting together a presentation, etc. This allows students to learn about a topic and present it in a way that they feel comfortable with. These are tough topics so by giving the students freedom to address them in a manner they are comfortable with allows them to be comfortable with the assignment.

Caroline Keenan

4/19/2020 08:43:57 am

Hi Natasha!

I really enjoyed reading your post and the way that you would decide to break down the novel and really dig into different chapters. I feel like this would give students a way to digest what is happening especially if there are a lot of hard hitting moments in a certain chapter. I also really like your idea of bringing in outside resources this would give students an idea that this is present in real life and it would also show some students that there are outside resources that you can reach out to if you are ever needing help. The way you wrapped up the lesson is great because it give students some freedom to explore what they feel comfortable working with. This was very well thought out!

Caroline Keenan

4/19/2020 08:21:02 am

When teaching Monday's not coming I would really have to think about the best approach to teaching as it has many topics in the novel that could be sensitive to students. Some of these topics include addiction, abuse, and even truth vs lies. As valuable teachers we must understand that yes this book may upset some students but we can try our best to teach it in a way that makes students feel comfortable and know that we are always there to talk. Teaching this book may help students to understand that if something is wrong in their life they can always reach out as teachers and educators we will always be there to help. To begin I would have students do some research on the narrator and analyze the style of work that we are going to be reading. This novel can have students question if the narrator is reliable or not so I feel that it is important to identify from the beginning of the novel. Throughout this novel the story can get confusing in "the before" and "the after" so I think it is very important to point out to students the two different phases. To do this I would have students read the first few pages of September and have student discuss all the information that they found out in the before section before moving on to the "after section". I think this would be great to help students really the two different parts of the narrative. To lighten up the mood throughout this book and for a fun activity the students could do would be present a dance that they found in this novel. Both Claudia and Monday enjoyed dancing. They took dance classes and were always discussing different types of dances throughout. In partners students could find a type of dance in the novel and do some research on it and do the dance in front of the class. I feel like this would be a great way to lighten up the mood when the story gets a bit heavy so it might be fun thing to do at the end of the novel.

Hannah Brodeur

4/19/2020 09:39:34 am

Hi Caroline! I also agree that one of the most effective techniques we can use while teaching this text is that there is always someone for the students to talk to. Whether that might be the teacher themselves or other resources at the school. If a student knows someone cares about them, they are much more likely to feel comfortable to express their thoughts and ideas. I also read “Monday” and I believe it would be effective to have the students participate in researching about the narrator. However, I might limit how much you explain to them that she is not reliable. If students are able to figure out how the book ends, they may not be likely to actually read it because they’ll assume, they already know. Therefore, I might look at other aspects of unreliable narrators. For instance, present small supplementary work that consists of these narrators before reading the text. Lastly, I think your idea of bringing dance into the classroom could be really effective and fun. However, it might not be a viable option that every student will go up in front of the class and actually perform the dance. Therefore, I might give them the option that they could either do the dance an explain it in front of the class, or they could create a poster on the dance and explain that.

Hannah Brodeur

4/19/2020 09:31:46 am

Student support and safety is the top priority in a classroom. It is vital that students feel as though they can share with their classmates and their teacher. If this element is not there than the student will be less likely to learn the content. However, this concept becomes increasingly difficult when we dive into different themes and ideas. For instance, while teaching “Monday” as well as “Darius” there are many challenges that will be faced. Both of these texts examine many dark concepts. Therefore, teaching them will need to require a great amount of student support throughout. If I were to teach these novels in a classroom, I believe that it would be effective to pair them together. We saw in last week’s class discussion that there was an immense amount of connection between the two texts. It would be effective for students to make those connections themselves through the plot, themes and characters. I also believe it would be important to pair these texts together based on representation. Many times, in a classroom we do not see authors or characters that come from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, I believe it would not only be effective for students to read about characters such as Darius but also the authors themselves. Through teaching these texts I believe it would be effective to give background on the authors. Also, I would include some background on the settings in which each text takes place. Therefore, students could see representation and characters from other areas. The difficult aspect of teaching this text is the themes they present. As both novels focus in on different aspects such as mental disorders or cultural difference it is important to manage sensitive for the students. For most likely many students, they have experienced some form of the themes presented. Therefore, it could be difficult for them as they would be forced to revisit that feeling they experienced. One way I would manage sensitive would be to meet one on one with students throughout the unit. Many times, students are more likely to respond or be open when they are only talking directly to the teacher. Through this activity I could not only see if students were doing okay but also see if they are understanding the content itself. Another way I could manage sensitive would be to have students write in a reflective journal. I would have them free write after a reading session. However, if they wanted to write or reflect on one of the personal themes and did not want to be to read it, they could simply fold that page. Therefore, I could see that they are doing the assignment and have an understanding. But also, they would feel open as they could share without any fear that someone is going to read their content. Another practice I would use would be to explain to students their resources. For instance, at some point if they are feeling overwhelmed, I can send them to a specialist in the school, or a guidance consular. Therefore, they would know they have someone to talk to no matter what. Lastly, I would attempt to plan for the unexpected. While teaching novels such as this one you never know how the response will be. So, as a teacher it is important that I accommodate for all students no matter the circumstances.

Becky Tynan

4/19/2020 06:04:44 pm

Hi Hannah your point about making accommodations for teaching these novels with triggering experiences is a really important and valid one. As a teacher you don't always know which students are suffering from trauma and PTSD and some events in these texts could bring all that back to somebody already struggling.I think being able to adapt your assignments like writing prompts and provide external resources like guidance counselors and ensure your teacher to student confidentiality/trust- like not letting other students read their personal writing journal responses like maybe they have done in the past for this unit would all be smart and thoughtful ways to teach accessibly. I would make sure to let all the students know about all of this support beforehand if needed. Great response.

Becky Tynan

4/19/2020 05:57:07 pm

I would be really excited to teach Monday's Not Coming. I think on its own it would be a good text to use to help students analyze how a novel is structured. The differences in how you tell a narrative structurally can make readers find different meaning from a text. The novels complicated time structure would lead to a possible and cool discussion about genre. Since I think Monday is a novel where genres like suspense and mystery play into a melodramatic coming of age genre that melts them all together into Monday's Not Coming. Monday's Not Coming's themes about gender and injustice could spark a great discussion and carry over into other texts so that students have already begun to read for those two types of arguments. This way the novel becomes a possible bridge text and leads the way to helping students read more challenging texts. Like for example I would use Monday as a bridge text to teach The Scarlet Letter- which is a pretty common 11th grade novel that can be more challenging to read but if my students had read Monday first and talked about gender and injustice as themes they may be more apt to see those when reading about Hester Prynne. I think writing exercises comparing characters like Claudia or Monday to Hester would be useful in showing differences but also how femininity is judged- and are we so different today in Claudia's world than when Hester Prynne's story was told? I think injustice is really relevant in both texts and thematically would tie the two novels really close together and make a really good essay prompt. And I think students- male for female could find a way to relate injustice to their own lives. These texts I believe would help make students better readers of their own worlds around them.

Lauren Melchionda

4/20/2020 12:53:38 pm

When it comes down to teaching Monday’s Not Coming, it could be approachable in a classroom in a couple of ways. I could ask my students to really take a look at what the author is asking, along with the significance that each chapter holds to the meaning of the book. The structure of the book is also very important in class discussion, as some certain events may have happened at a certain time, emphasizing the significance. There are many ways that certain points of the text impact the novel. Making sure students understand that Claudia’s friend is missing is the most important part of the story. There are many instances where Claudia talks about it, especially in the beginning, when she is heartbroken about no one else realizing her friend is missing. This could lead into a detailed discussion about families living in poverty, and to go deeper into that topic of conversation. I believe that incorporating real life issues into lessons within the classroom is the best form of education that there is. However by using this information, they will be able to connect ideas throughout the novel much easier. Grasping a good understanding of the overall context of the novel will be very important when they are reading. Easing their confidence in doing a class project or assignment with this novel is important when it comes to understanding all the concepts in this story.

Samantha Colon

4/30/2020 06:27:45 pm

If I was to teach Dorian the Great is Not Okay I would be quite excited. I enjoyed reading this novel and I think the author Khorram explored good concepts I feel are essential for students to learn and have a discussion about. I think this would be great to teach because Khorrams novel acknowledges both cultural issues, depression, and how Dorian is able to overcome this. All these themes are quite relatable for students that may feel out of place both culturally or socially, or to the affects of depression. If I was to teach this novel I would have students read the novel during class time so we can discuss the issues Dorian faces as I don’t want this to be a trigger if students were to read this at home. During class, our primary focus would be on themes. I want students to take note of any themes they noticed in the text (mental illness, identity, etc) and take notice and track of why these themes are significant. I want the students to take note of how these themes have changed overtime and of Dorians journey through his identity, depression, and cultural crisis. I think it would be best to pair student in groups to talk about this then discuss together as a class what we thought and discussed about the text for the day. Overall, I want students to be able to be able to write an analysis paper based off these themes or something they noticed and want to talk about. (There will be some flexibility) I think the only thing that might be hard about the text is that I’m not sure how some students may react to it, it can be successful pick or some students may feel related or feel targeted. I’m not sure but I think with all pieces of literature we don’t know how students will react but the goal is what they can learn from it.

Samantha Colon

4/30/2020 06:37:07 pm

Hi Becky,

Great post! You mentioned Monday’s Not Coming as a bridge text for The Scarlet Letter and I think that’s a good example to use in comparison. However, instead of reading Monday’s Not Coming as a bridge text to The scarlet Letter I think it could be interesting to assign half the class or groups The scarlet Letter and the other Mondays Not Coming. This way students could kind of do a project where they teach the class about what they read and both groups can compare and contrast themes in both books. (Students will still have to read both but have. A project on one) I think this could be interesting to see how students read and how they understood things.

Teaching Darius and Monday

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