Teaching Discussion for 24 February 2020: Long Way Down

TORDA'S SUMMER 2021 TEACHING

Teaching Discussion for 24 February 2020: Long Way Down

2/24/2020

This week’s scenario is West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school. West Bridgewater has an enrollment—for both middle and high school—of 606 students. It’s a small school in a small town. Also, Plymouth county is one of the most politically conservative towns in the entire state. That doesn’t necessarily mean any one thing in particular, but the parents of these students live in this county and it’s these households they were raised in.

There is minimal information available about WB high. Here is what I could find:

506 verbal, 508 math, 496 writing 1510 total (2015–2016) If this matters at all, 500 is the cut off score in the old SAT for placement in ENGL 101. So, on the average, these students just barely place into 101.

I did find a little information about the town itself, which, again, can tell you something about who the students are who attend WB.

The racial makeup of the town (in the last census) was 96.40% White, 0.95% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 2,444 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,958, and the median income for a family was $64,815. Males had a median income of $41,863 versus $31,835 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,701. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

So, considering what we can know, what would be the joys and complexities of teaching this book?

41 Comments

Gabby Sleeper

2/26/2020 08:08:00 am

Teaching Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds to a class at West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school would definitely come with some serious challenges. I looked into poverty statistics in Massachusetts to put West Bridgewater’s stats into perspective and found that for the state as a whole, in 2017 about 10% of people were living under the poverty line, with about 13% of children living in those conditions. There is a pretty decent chance that you might be teaching this book to a class completely made up of white children living in the relative comfort of middle class. Students simply may not be able to relate to this story, especially in thinking about how Will’s community refuses to go to the cops when gun violence occurs. Encouraging the students to truly put themselves in Will’s shoes would be, I think, the biggest challenge. However, this challenge is exactly why reading a novel like Long Way Down is so important. Exposing students to works that tell stories that are radically different from their own is crucial. It boosts cultural competency and acceptance.
Of course, there is also the issue of this work being written in verse. For many students, especially those who do not like English to begin with, see poetry and immediately decide that the work will be too challenging for them to get through. With this in mind, I think that it is essential to read this novel later in the year, after they have had ample time to become at least a little more comfortable with reading poetry. Further, I feel that reading at least part of this novel in class is a must. For example, reading aloud “I’ve never been” is far more impactful than simply reading it off the page. Hearing the disjointed phrases really drives home how shaken up Will is and brings further power to the earthquake metaphor that Reynolds builds in this section. Also, reading as a group will help to minimize that anxiety that often gets associated with poetry.
For actually teaching this novel and planning activities around it, I think I would rely heavily on group discussions. After having finished the novel, I would put students into groups of about four and provide a list of questions for them to discuss (Do they think Will shoots Riggs? Is the community right in remaining silent when the cops come with questions? What do they think of the rules? Are Will’s ghosts real?). Then, we could come together to discuss these questions as a class. I would want at least one person from each group to contribute to each question, and then I would allow for debate among the students. Depending on how long class periods are and how much debate is prompted within groups, I would give time for this to span over a couple class periods. I think allowing students to work through these questions with each other (especially in thinking about the rules and how the community handles violence) would help with the potential culture shock of the novel and really put themselves into Will’s position.

Lauren Melchionda

2/27/2020 08:09:22 am

Hi Gabby,
I enjoyed reading your ideas for your teaching discussion this week. I love how you took the time to go out of your way and look up the stats on the town of WB and its class families. I strongly agree with you that this book may be a challenge since most students come from middle class families. However, some students do come from lower class families so we have to keep that in mind as we go about teaching this book as well. It is so important, like you mentioned, to have the students really put themselves in Will’s shoes. I had a similar idea where I wrote about this situation and it is just very important that the middle class students start to really understand what some of their other classmates may be going through because there is so much bullying today over study just like this.

Shauna Ridley

2/29/2020 11:17:20 am

Hi Gabby,
It's interesting to think about the fact that students might not be able to relate to the concept because of their economic class. The solution you provide seems like it would work very well. Reading out loud can bring out emotion and bring attention to points where the phrases are a little off. I think it'd be cool if you guys discussed the layout of the book and how that impacts the reader too. It might help students to better understand Will, where he is coming from, and what is happening. The structure would be beneficial to the class and hopefully intrigue them more into poetry or different styles of reading. Great post!

Lauren Melchionda

2/27/2020 08:05:52 am

When it comes to teaching in the WB classrooms of Middle-Highschool students, teaching the book The Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds could have both joys as well as complexities along with it. Challenges when it comes to teaching should occur regularly, especially with a classroom full of kids who may not be able to relate to this book along with Will’s character in it as well. Telling students to try and look at the story from Will’s point of view could be tricky, but not impossible because I am sure that would have had to do something similar in past classes or assignments of mine. I believe truly trying to picture your own self as the main character of any novel read is extremely important because that way, students can easily understand important details of the stories along with grasping a greater idea of theme and tone. As teachers, it is our job to expose our students to different life styles lived by different people. It will give them a perspective on how life is really like. There may even be some students in my class whom come from lower class families such as Will’s who may be able to relate to him. I think that is just so extremely important because now other students from middle class families can understand the struggle from some of these lower class family students. I believe that group discussion in this case would be a benefit to all, as I could make some diverse groups and in those groups those students can share with one another their thoughts on the violence and revenge themes of this novel. They can come up (as a group) with quotes form the passage where these themes are evident and connect it to an idea that they have as well. I would have each group work together to present these ideas, quotes and themes in front of the class so everyone can hear about the different ways of learning about this book.

Shauna Ridley

2/27/2020 08:47:30 am

Teaching this book to students would be interesting because I don’t think it said if the characters were black or white. Considering that aspect I feel like students are thrown into a scene and it doesn’t matter what race they are but immediately they can feel remorse. Race could be an important aspect of understanding the text because most of the population at this school is white. For the age group I think that students would be able to handle the content and actually reflect on it. This book is a great start for critical reading in noticing context clues that are incorporated to help figure out a story.
When teaching this book I’d have students note the style of the work. Providing guiding questions such as: how does the narrator present the information? Is it a story? What is his thought process? What is the time span of the story? How do the elements of the story tie it together (Both physical look and content provided)? I think that students might struggle with this type of reading because there is such a need for close attention to detail. The fact that the story takes place in literally two minutes of his life is crazy because it seems much longer. From these critical questions we can have a class discussion about our answers and review as a class what the book is trying to get across. Afterwards I think it would be really fun to have students create a small version of their own story as a class. We can figure out what elements we want to incorporate and what direction we want the story to go in.
Afterwards to solidify their learning process, we would present this to other classes in the same grade level. My students can then explain to their peers the process they went through so that I can evaluate how well my students know how to critically read a text. This text could also be a gateway to experiencing all different styles of text and critically looking at them individually.

Caroline Keenan

2/27/2020 01:26:36 pm

Teaching the novel “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds to a class at West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school may be pretty challenging. These students at this particular school may not be able to relate to the novel as much as a student at Boston Public Schools may be able to relate. I say this because you often times hear about a lot of gun violence throughout the city of Boston. I know that the city of Boston is doing a lot to get guns off the street and to keep guns out of the hands of children and young adults especially which is why the book may be more relatable to them. These students living in Bridgewater might not hear about many acts of gun violence or understand how your supposed to deal with gun violence. For example Will is growing up in a community where there are certain rules that you should follow no crying, no snitching, and always seek revenge when someone is shot or killed. These students at Bridgewater state may not agree with these rules that are set in this neighborhood and would probably understand what the correct thing to do would be, call the police. If you are living in this type of community though like Will where these rules have always been the correct thing to do then it leaves you contemplating, and weighing your options. Yes, Will knows it’s the wrong thing to do but what if someone finds out in the community that you didn’t seek revenge? Will they go after you for not doing the correct thing? Will needs to weigh his options and think what is the correct thing to do? When teaching this book I would have the students read majority of the book in school as a class. I think it would be very important to have group discussions so that the students can talk more about the effects of gun violence. I would put students in groups and give each group a neighborhood with the population and information about the people living in the town/city. They would then need to use the clues I give them to come up with three rules in which they think this neighborhood would abide by based off the demographics and history of gun violence. I would have them write individual Reponses about the end of the book saying what would they do if they were in Will’s shoes, would they follow the rules or make a choice for themselves?

Natasha Cardin

2/27/2020 06:55:55 pm

Hi Caroline! I really liked how you mentioned that you would have the class discuss the effects of gun violence. I think that it's important that as teachers we have those kinds of discussions with our classes. I also find your activity to be really interesting and not one I would have thought of! I think it would be really interesting what rules they would come up with, as well as to see if those rules are reflective of their own demographic and personal histories surrounding gun violence. I also loved that you mentioned addressing the end of the book- that ending is one of my favorite endings in a novel. Leaving that question to linger was such a brilliant way to end.
I loved what you had to say!

Nicole Costa

2/29/2020 05:08:18 pm

Hi Caroline,
I love your idea of an open discussion about gun violence. In my response, I expressed my concern on how students would react to the nature of gun and gang related violence in the novel. Now, looking at your ideas it opened up a new avenue to deal with some of those complexities in teaching Long Way Down. Your inclusion of the students making up three rules is a great way to have students interact with the text. However, I think I would take a different approach when finding a parallel between Will and Bridgewater students. I think that we could find other avenues of connection. For example, the ghosts in the elevator pretty much force Will to contemplate the consequences of his actions. Initially, Will acts upon emotion and he aims to follow the Rules. Many young adults experience a time where they are conflicted on whether to follow certain rules or disobey them. I think as young adults, many students will be able to reflect upon a time where they acted without considering the consequences of their actions.

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2/27/2020 03:32:43 pm

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2/27/2020 03:33:17 pm

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Natasha Cardin

2/27/2020 06:50:17 pm

Teaching A Long Way Down in this school environment is going to come with both challenges and benefits. I think that the student’s ability to relate to this novel is going to be pretty low, however, I also think that it could be eye opening for them to read. I think the structure of the novel is something very unique, or at least I haven’t some across many novels written in verse. I think that the story is compelling so I do not think that there will be an issue with keeping the student’s interest. The story offers a lot of opportunities for close reading and really diving into what’s happening and why. The novel even has discussion questions in the back that students and teachers can utilize to help better understand and think about the text. I think reading a text like this can open the door for students, specifically the students in WB, to learn and better understand others. You can use the texts as a way to open up a conversation surrounding social classes, gun violence, family loyalty, etc. There are so many different ways to look at the text, you could easily spend a period a day talking about different views in which to read it. The teacher can also use this as a means to teach the students that there is not one right way to tell a story. You can be creative in your writing and experiment with different forms of storytelling. If the students had already spent some time learning about poetry, give them the opportunity to try and write a short story of their own in verse.

Megan Shaughnessy

2/28/2020 09:42:56 am

Hi Natasha,
I love how you mention the uniqueness of the verse and how Reynolds chose to portray this story. Also, I agree with noting that I, too, do not think many WB students will relate to this, but it would be incredibly eye-opening. I feel like these are novels that are missing in the classroom. Students are used to reading texts they can relate to so they can understand and dive into all aspects of literature more. But I feel like taking more time to understand the characters, and this process will be just as informative. So many kids do not go onto college and are thrown into the world where they are faced with eye-opening things everyday when we as teaching can be making students aware of the surrounding societies and cultures in the classroom.

Maddie Butkus

2/27/2020 07:11:16 pm

When it comes to teaching The Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds to a class in West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school, I can definitely see some potential hardships. With these hardships, I do also see chances to enrich and expand students’ knowledge in some very exciting ways. Most importantly, I would want to teach my classroom about this book in the same way I experienced reading the book. This ultimately means that I would start off by having my students dive right into the reading, with little to no background on what they are about to read. This may sound shocking I know, but that is how I approached reading this book and I believe it made it that much better. One of the potential hardships that comes with this is that I know a majority of my students will be white and not really be able to relate to the situation that happened to Reynolds, but in one way or another, they should be able to relate to the emotions felt throughout. Many, if not all, of my students will be around the same age that Reynolds was during this story so they can relate to the stress that comes with following the rules and just trying to do what they think is best. For me personally, when I read through this work, I kept thinking of how I would feel if I was surrounded by all the loved ones that I lost, speaking to me about the person I had become and the decisions I have made/were going to make. Just this thought alone can bring an abundance of emotions to mind and if any of my students thought this way, they too could have these emotions pop into their own minds. However, it is entirely up to each student in how they perceive The Long Way Down and once they have all read through it, I would have each student write a brief 2-3 paragraph response about how in fact they did perceive the story. This response would allow me to see how students felt while reading it, if they related to Reynolds in any way, if they even liked the work at all and so much more. Once these have been written and collected, I would then hold a classroom discussion in which we talk about the style of the book. I would want to ask students questions like: What is the significance of having the story set up in this format? What is the time frame of this work? What do you think the final question “You coming?” is referring to? It is through this discussion that I want to stress to students how important the attention to details are when reading a work, especially this one. The fact that this whole experience for Reynolds happened within a two minute span makes the read that much more suspenseful and overall fascinating. Additionally, since all of my students (I hope) have never been in this type of situation, I would want them to reflect on how lucky they truly are. I want to educate them on the fact that there are students their age who have come in contact with these types of struggles and live in places that may not be safe for their wellbeing. I believe that it is important to express to students just how lucky they are to live where they live and get the education that they do because not all people their age have this type of luxury. Finally, to close out this discussion, I would want my students to write a short story, in a similar format as Reynolds did, about a hardship they had to go through but then overcame. I would provide them with specific guidelines for what I am looking for but stress that this does not have to be as major of a hardship as Reynolds faced. It could be about the time they lost their championship basketball game, how they lost a loved one, how they fought with a best friend and thus how they overcame this hardship. It is through this assignment that I want my students to understand that although their hardships may have been different from Reynolds, the emotions felt can still be the very same. That is how we as readers are always able to relate to literature in some type of way, no matter the situation that is being portrayed.

Maddie Butkus Response to Natasha Cardin

2/27/2020 07:40:14 pm

Hey Natasha! I’m glad that you mentioned that at the end of the book there are discussion questions that both students and teachers can use to help better understand and think about the text as a whole. I have the book on my iPad and my version does not come with those questions but I am thoroughly intrigued! Even though I can not see them on my end, I am sure they would be very helpful when used for classroom discussions as a way to start and thus continue conversation about the text. Furthermore, I definitely agree with you that this work can open a wide variety of doors for students to learn about the world around them. It will make them think about the hardships that some people have to face that are related to aspects like gun violence, social classes, and family loyalty like you had mentioned. It is with all this in mind that, with the right background knowledge, students could write their own short story in verse while being their own creative selves! I think this would be a great classroom assignment and I would be very interested to see what the students come up with. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your response!

Megan Shaughnessy

2/28/2020 09:37:41 am

After reading the details on students at WB high, I feel confident in saying that there would be immense value in teaching this novel to this specific population. With West Bridgewater's High School culture, like Gabby, said, there will be a "decent chance that you might be teaching this book to a class completely made up of white children living in the relative comfort of the middle class." These students cannot relate to the elevator scene. Violence in WB is rare, murder in WB is rare, a child walking around with a gun is rare, siblings and parents getting shot and murdered are rare, to which everything Reynolds embodies in the elevator is rare to these students and many other students. But what Will embodies is real, it is life, and is something all students should be able to understand and relate to. Will was told to follow three rules in life, no crying, no snitching, and always get revenge. While these are not the rules for most adolescents, all adolescents have some rules they follow, and that ultimately will be their morals. But what happens to Will happens to everyone, his morals and his rules were challenged. Now the question is what does one do when their morals are challenged? I think there is so much to do with Reynolds work just in the fact we can dive into poetry the rules, the style, the meaning, and everything else. BUT, what I would have my students do is understand each character. Question why their rules may differ from others and how poetry can give a character a persona? With that being said, I would give each student a different character, a different person they need to understand. They then would go through all the poems on their character and cite important lines that showcase what their character embodies, who they are. After students understand their character, they will then write their own narrative, prose, or whatever they feel will best showcase their characters perspective. Students will share their writings in the hope that this lesson will make students aware of how readers understand characters, and how short lines of poetry can give you immense insight to the mind of someone else. After students dissect their poems and share their own writing, which of course this would take a couple of class periods, I'd hope to discuss their findings and prompt them with the question of --What does Reynolds's choice of verse do to the plot and theme? The goal is for students to understand how different perspectives can have a massive impact on a person, where they live, what they are around, who is in their community. What's right to some people is not always right for all people. Having students enter the mind of someone else who has a different perspective than them, for them to write about and share it will open so many other possibilities of understanding for students because there are infinite perspectives that are crucial in understanding the world.

Savannah Resendes

2/28/2020 10:28:20 am

When teaching "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds to the students of West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school, there are some pros and cons to teaching this particular book in this particular demographic. Considering the demographics, there is a good chance that you will be teaching this book about an unprivileged, lower class teenager to a classroom full of white teenagers living in the comfort of middle class. They may not be able to relate and understand the circumstances surround William Holloman’s life, such as the gang violence or living without a father versus the New Bedford public schools or Fall River Public Schools system. However, it is important that these types of situations are exposed to the students. It may seem that “this only happens in movies” to the students but it is the reality for a lot of people living in this country and it is important that the students understand William and his understanding of “The Rules” because of his community and his living situations. One thing that I think will be useful when teaching this book will be the language it is written in. I grew up in a community that was not so different from William’s and the language he uses when narrates is close to the diction of a teenager having a conversation with a friend. It is easy to understand, and it felt as though this was a friend telling me a story rather than a book describing plot and scenery in full detail, which can be overwhelming to students, especially those who struggle with ELA. I feel like students would have an easier time to understand the plot of the story and it will allow them to have conversations about it a lot easier than a “normal” text. With the ability to understand what is happening in this text, as a teacher that allows you to get into deep discussion about issues that come up in this novel, such as gang/gun violence, community, family dynamics, death, and grief. I feel this would be interesting to teach to this particular group of students to see what they think about this living situation and their opinions on what William was going through since it would be different to their own lives for most students.

Samantha Colon

2/28/2020 12:46:44 pm

Hi Savannah,

I definitely agree with you when you say the students may not be able to relate and understand the circumstances in Wills life. Most of what Will has encountered most of these kids has only seen in movies or sometimes the news and has not actually experienced hardship or the circumstances he has throughout his life. I also talked about fearing students wouldn’t understand and I liked how you mentioned language and how the diction was understandable and as if talking to a friend, I did not notice that and I think its going to be quite helpful for the students to better process the novel.

Samantha Colon

2/28/2020 12:35:17 pm

When teaching to a class at West Bridgewater high school the novel Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds it may be a bit challenging to teach to the students. Because these students in West Bridgewater come from different backgrounds and likely different experiences than the ones seen in the novel and most students most likely may find trouble relating to the book than students in other rural areas. The best part when reading a book is relatability and being able to put ourselves in the characters shoes and this may be the most challenging part for some not all students. I’m mainly worried and at the same time excited about the students relating to the novel. I’m excited, because my students will be exposed to something rawer and newer to them while being worried because I’m not sure if this loss of connection and newness will affect their understanding of the book. To teach this book we would be reading this together as a class to avoid confusion if read at home. While reading this book we are going to be focused heavily on group and class discussions. In groups, I want students to focus and discuss anything they were confused about and discuss the rules throughout the novel as I think this may be confusing or odd for them. I want students to answer whether they feel Will has an actual choice and whether it is wrong for him to follow the rules in the community. Afterwards, as we reach closer to the end of the book, I want the class to focus on what would they do if they were Will and explain why they choice what they chose. I think it would be quite interesting to see what students think about these certain circumstances and what they would do if it was up to them.

Ethan Child

2/29/2020 09:29:31 am

Samantha,
I echo a lot of what you say here in my post below, as I agree that "relatability," as you describe it, would pose both challenges and exciting opportunities for learning with this specific group of students. I think it can be limiting to the learning and reading process, however, to simply put ourselves into the characters' shoes, as you suggest. While this is a popular approach to YA literature, it demands that young readers understand literature by using their own experiences as a reference point, which is not always the most effective way to learn about someone else's experiences that might be totally different than your own. Asking students what they would do if they were Will is a complicated question. In this hypothetical, do they carry with them their personal backgrounds and experiences? Or are they to imagine that they are taking on Will's entire background and upbringing? If the former, aren't we undercutting Will's experiences and how they might impact his decision? If the latter, aren't we just speculating an experience that might be very foreign to us? I don't disagree with your approach, but I think these might be some important questions to consider. Thank you for suggesting a lesson that inspired me to ask some of these complicated questions for myself!

Ethan Child

2/28/2020 06:22:33 pm

Teaching Long Way Down in a class at West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School would bring challenges. As evidenced by his mini biography in the back of the book, Jason Reynolds is writing for readers who, he hopes, will see some aspect of themselves reflected in his book. Given that this class is, likely, majority-white, it is unlikely that the students in this class would immediately identify with Will Holloman. While this might pose a challenge, it is a challenge worth encountering. Diverse literature that represents people from marginalized cultures or communities is not only beneficial to students from those same backgrounds but to all students. It could be exciting for these West Bridgewater students to explore, through literature, a cultural experience that is very unlike their suburban lives.
A consideration for helping these students engage with Long Way Down could be to have them examine what connections they are able to draw between their own lives and the novel. A significant theme in Long Way Down is the concept of social “rules” or expectations and how they get passed down from generation to generation within a culture or community. Will refers to them as “The Rules,” with a capital “R,” but we understand that these rules are not written down or otherwise documented. As Will refers to rules that are specific to his community, I would encourage students to write about “rules” that have been imposed on them in their own communities. This connection can help students understand Reynolds’s theme.
Long Way Down provides an exciting opportunity for students to engage with poetry that is more current and relevant than the standard, traditional canon. Reynolds not only brings a new cultural experience as subject matter, but he also challenges traditional forms of poetry. He places text on the page in unusual patterns with unusual spacing, including as a concrete poem consisting of a single word (296). This challenges students—as it would any reader—to reconsider how, exactly, we are supposed to read this series of poems. Lessons for Long Way Down might, therefore, consist of analyzing how Reynolds deconstructs traditional forms of poetry. So that students gain an “inside-out” understanding of Reynolds’s form, I would have them write a series of poems that captures a narrative using some of the devices that Reynolds uses.

Colby Nilsen

2/29/2020 07:10:01 am

There can be indubitable joys and complexities when teaching this book to a demographic of middle-class suburban white students that seem to be on the cusp of struggling with reading and are under the requirement of writing. From a purely academic standpoint, having a text that does not seem very daunting, and is different from the conventional novel in its form can be a relief to some students. The words that are used and the straightforwardness of the story that is also told in a linear fashion could be great for students who do not enjoy very “wordy” books where someone’s dress can have half of a page of description just to essentially say nothing in terms of the actual story (yuck), this book is all driller no filler. I believe that this is a perfect book in terms of the reading and writing level scores posted due to this “transparency” in the content and the spacious form with easier words. Furthermore, I would utilize the heck out of those discussion questions at the end. Students would greatly benefit off of repeating this comprehensive reading/writing assignment. It would help them dive into the practice of analyzing literature and I would encourage them to do such a thing with the next book by thinking of discussion questions while reading (and probably would assign that for homework’s).
And in terms of the content, I feel a bit fearful that not many students would relate to or understand the context of socioeconomic struggles and internalized oppression of African-Americans based on the doings of White people in the past. I would have to explain a little bit about why there is so much gun violence and so little opportunity to thrive in such places, and that an institution or system has been set up in the past for African Americans to struggle. I would fear they would not understand this and assume that this is a normal thing for African-Americans to do to each other, and in turn perhaps become a bit racist (a lot of people around here are already, and many parents probably have prejudices too…not assuming this either, I have seen it.). Furtermore, this demographic has a substantially high median income, meaning poverty and desperation will not relate to these students the way the characters in the story would understand. I would hope my students can empathize with this story and see how Will being resistant to it shows an inherent flaw in society, not necessarily any individuals in this book.

Gabrielle Boutin

2/29/2020 08:10:19 am

Hi Colby!
I completely agree with you about the “transparency” of this text. I think one of the best parts about this novel is the fact that there is no filler (I also love how you said that this book is all driller no filler; that was great!). I think high school students can easily get frustrated with a text that is too wordy. I think this novel does an amazing job of delivering heavy emotions and a difficult message without going overboard. It is simple and straightforward but it hits readers. I think that it is so straightforward, that it is a great opportunity for readers to analyze the deeper meaning of the text without getting lost in it. I also agree that it is a very tricky text to get a mostly white and middle-income classroom to understand. I think giving a lesson on the background of the novel and prompting independent research would be the best way to go. I think this novel surrounds a very heavy topic, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be explored by high school students. Exposing them to topics like this and engaging in meaningful discussion can help them bring what they learned into the real world.

Gabrielle Boutin

2/29/2020 07:45:03 am

When teaching a novel like Long Way Down, it is crucial to understand who you are teaching it to. For example, if you were teaching it in a classroom that the main character Will would be in, there would be many students who understand what Will is going through. It would be relatable to them and that would be difficult because of the strong emotions that go with the novel. However, when you are teaching it to a classroom where the students are mostly white from a middle-income house, it will be tough for them to connect to it. I would first present real-life stories where students went through something like this (news stories, articles, etc.) and maybe even promote students to do this research themselves. I understand that high school students operate in their own world and sometimes it is hard for them to see the real world (I know that because when I was in high school, I operated like that unfortunately). I think giving students the opportunity to research present, real life situations takes them out of their own world. After doing the research, I would have them read the novel and promote discussion groups. I would ask them to create their own discussion questions to switch among the groups in order to turn their discussions into something that interests them. These discussions wouldn’t be long (maybe 20 minutes at the beginning of class) and then it would turn into a whole class discussion; almost like a book club. From the classes I’ve been in, the discussions that mimic a book club are the ones I’ve enjoyed and learned from the most. As far as the structure of the book, I think a novel like this would be the best way to help students that struggle in English reach the poetry requirement. I always struggled with poetry myself, but I really enjoyed the novel. It was written in verse, but it followed a fluid story. It was relatively easy to understand the plot/conflict in Long Way Down and the heavy emotions that go with it. I think a novel like this would be the perfect way to bring verse into an English course where the students struggle with English. It is easy to read, but the emotions and the content are still very heavy.

Jailyn Tavares

2/29/2020 11:08:14 am

Hi Gabrielle!

I think your discussion post is great. If you were teaching this to a group of students who could relate to Will, it would be a much easier teach. This group of WB students poses a challenge that can take these students out of their own world and force them to understand and see the real life of others in different communities and households. This will be a challenge as you stated but definitely a challenge worth taking. Having students do research on other types of stories like this is a great idea and can also help them realize that these situations aren't limited in the world today. This book really does make it easier for students who may struggle while still keeping the heavy emotions and mature content. I wrote the same thing in my discussion as well. I personally get bored and lost in some books and this one had me so hooked that I read it from beginning to end in about an hour.

Shaun Ramsay

3/1/2020 10:16:06 am

Hi Gabrielle!

Totally agree that there is an inherent difficulty of getting the full impact of this novel across to a group of students who most likely could not relate to Will's position. I know many students struggle with poetry, but you point out that Reynolds novel is very readable, Reynolds definitely creates poetry that everyone can appreciate in its simple language but effective messages making it very appealing to students who may be intimidated by some other poetry.

Jailyn Tavares

2/29/2020 10:42:16 am

Teaching "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds will definitely come with its challenges as well as its advantages. I particularly love to have students read this book because it was an eye opener for myself, never mind the impact it may have to the students of WB. The challenges faced with this novel and this specific group of students easily involves race and community. This is a group of primarily white students who live in middle class. The struggles of gun violence, murder, and gangs are not something these students have to face within their community. They live comfortable lives in a small area. This book could open their eyes that the world is not as wonderful as it may seem, through the perspective of Will. The books main point is "The Rules" and how Will and his community follow these rules that are passed down verbally and must always be followed. This group of WB students may struggle with being able to understand this type of lifestyle as it is not like their own. While there may be challenges with this novel, it is important to acknowledge the pros with teaching this. For one, it will open up their eyes to a new type of life and community that, while reading the book, they will have to put themselves in the shoes of the main character, Will. I also think that they style of writing used is very helpful to this who may struggle with reading or being able to unpack longer novels that take more depth in reading. I would love to discuss with students the impact of the way the poem type structure on the pages have an effect of the way we read it. For example, on page 13, Will describes that his brother was shot and states "but the ground definitely felt like it opened up and ate me." and the words in the book are written with a space in-between them like they were opening up. I would also have the students add on to the story. Did Will end up killing who he believes killed his brother or did he break the rules and not seek revenge? I would also ask if revenge is always the right thing to do in any situation.

Savannah Resendes

3/1/2020 07:34:28 am

Hi Jailyn!
I also really had an eye opening experience with this book. I felt like the book did a really great job of putting the reader into Will's perspective of his community what what has happened to him. I liked how you pointed out that the WB students are most likely going to not relate to this story. I also pointed that out but it is important that you open their eyes to the realities of the world. I also liked your idea of continuing the story for Will. We are left with unanswered questioned and I feel it would be a good discussion to have the students finish the plot with their understanding of the novel. Does he does actually follow the rules or if he stops the cycle? Great Job this week!

Hannah Brodeur

3/1/2020 07:45:54 am

Hi Jailyn! I agree, I think the importance of reading this text will outweigh the challenges of it. It is extremely important for students to learn about issues occurring in the world. English class is a place where those conversations can happen. I also agree that reading this text will allow students to open up their eyes to different lifestyles. When a child only knows of their own lifestyle it limits their thoughts and opinions. However, if a child is opened up to others, they can understand just how others life as well. I think your idea of highlighting the different spacing in the novel would be very beneficial for students. They most likely have never read a text like this, so it would be so important for them to understand the choices the author made and why. I also really liked your idea of having students come up with their own ending to the story. It would allow you as the teacher to see how students connected with the text. If they were able to connect with Will as a character or not. It would be a great activity for students.

Jess Rinker

2/29/2020 03:40:41 pm

The joys and complexities for Long Way down would be one in the same. Being able to discuss race and gun violence would be difficult but tremendously important. Given the demographic of West Bridgewater, it might be hard for students to understand the rules without judging them at first. Through reading the book and discussing it in class, though, I think students would be able to understand that Will’s world is too complex to have a straightforward, easy path to follow. Parents might take issue with their students reading a book about violence. It could be a touchy subject, and while I think that’s precisely why it should be taught, parents might not always be encouraging. This is when having open communication with parents would be especially important in explaining to them why this book is part of the curriculum.
The most important take-a-ways from literature are the themes, but analyzing syntax and form is also an important skill. While I know I would totally geek out as a teacher to present a book in verse, I suspect some students might struggle to follow some parts since it’s not the traditional prose they are used to. This book might be good to use after/during students have learned about epic poetry, to show how stories can still be told in verse. It might even be a way to lead students into creating their own narrative out of verse, maybe based on a time they were questioning what to do in their life.

Colby Nilsen

2/29/2020 07:05:08 pm

Hey Jess, I agree with your fear of having students be judgmental when we really need students to see it from a more empathetic and problematic standpoint in regards to something that should want to be understood and solved for future generations. I do think it can be hard to talk about such subjects, yet it is a reality that many face, and that is even harder. Furthermore, I like how you said "Will’s world is too complex to have a straightforward, easy path to follow." Parents may have an issue with such a subject as gun violence, yet as you know, and like i said, this is the reality of many young African-Americans and should be respected as a book that shows the ills of society, for it needs to be spotlighted to be stopped and not ignored.

Reply to Jailyn (from Jess)

2/29/2020 03:58:28 pm

Jailyn, you bring up a great point that students in West Bridgewater would not be familiar the issues of violence, murder, and gangs. As teachers, it's our job to fascilitate discussions that promote awareness. I like your idea of having students directly engage with the. story by considering what Will might have done. The tricky part about being a teacher in situations like this is making sure we don't unintentionally fall into curriculum racism by having students trying to take on Will's persona. Your idea of focusing on the topic of revenge and asking students if they feel it's ever the way to go is a great way to get them engaged with the text and express their own beliefs.

Nicole Costa

2/29/2020 04:33:03 pm

Teaching a high school classroom at West Bridgewater High Jason Reynolds’s “Long Way Down” would be an intriguing task. I found Reynolds's verse novel an extraordinary piece of literature and I would be excited to teach. However, as most of us teachers-in-training know, one of our biggest challenges will be active student engagement. Just because we enjoy a novel, that doesn’t mean our students will love it as well. Jason Reynolds, however, I think will be a novelists young students enjoy. For one, I visited Reynolds personal website jasonwritesbooks.com. Reynolds exclaims, “here's what I know: I know there are a lot — A LOT — of young people who hate reading.” On his website, I get the sense that Reynolds is talking directly to the kids he aims to not bore with his books. Before introducing the novel, I’d like the students to explore his website. In my opinion, “Long Way Down” lives up to Reynolds's goal of avoiding boredom;I couldn’t put the book down. His book reminded me of the novel that changed my life that I wrote about in my flash memoir: Nineteen Minutes. In both novels, there is an emphasis on the time and a shooting situation. I’d like to teach both novels back-to-back and compare and contrast them in the class. The ending of “Long Way Down” I think is open for interpretation considering it poses a question. Contrastingly, Picoult's Nineteen Minutes illustrates the fate of Peter and Josie after the shooting. Therefore, I would want students to explore the effects of an open ending story.
Is Will’s fate to join the ghosts in the elevator? As a lesson, I would split the class according to what they think happens to Will. Afterwards, each side would find textual evidence to support their argument of Will’s fate and conduct an informal class debate.
Although I’d love to teach this novel, one complex issue I think I'd face is the controversial nature of the violence or gang related context included in the novel. I’m curious as to how students would respond.

Justin Carpender

2/29/2020 07:10:08 pm

Hey Nicole!

I certainly agree with you that as time progresses it seems that students have an animosity towards reading, and that could be for a multitude of reasons. I personally believe that it is because assigned reading in school has a time crunch element to it, and that puts pressure on students to read for completion, missing out on what makes the story compelling to read in the first place. With that being said, I do not feel that students will have an issue with this text because of how fast it reads and how it is divided into easy to digest portions. I would tell the students in class that the book may look long, but it will not be a backbreaking task, especially if the book is assigned over a weekend. Honestly, I would even let them know that the audiobook on YouTube is an hour and fifteen minutes long and encourage them to read along with the audiobook to really hear the text. As for the discussion about violence/gang violence with the students, I find that it may be pretty empowering to turn the discussion towards gun violence in general, and potentially bring up the Parkland survivors. They are students, teenagers like in the class, who are advocating for gun reform to save lives in the future, and their stories are truly inspirational for the class, and that could be the topic of gun violence discussion in Long Way Down.

Thank you
Justin Carpender

Justin Carpender

2/29/2020 06:59:26 pm

Hello Everyone!

I personally loved Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. I thought that the story Reynolds created has a lot of political importance when it comes to gun control and gun violence in the United States. Unfortunately, fear in the classroom does exist in schools today because of the potential threat of a school shooting, and so this book could lead into an in-depth and difficult conversation about the issue of gun violence in America. I would pass out various articles about the Parkland students whose voices are resonating across the country while teaching this text. William in the book is fifteen, the same age as the students in my class, and has to make a choice about whether he is going to follow “The Rules” and cause more gun violence, or if he is going to walk away and stray from the social norm. The connection to the Parkland survivors would be that they created power within themselves to not seek revenge against the assailant, but used their voices to advocate for fundamental change in this country. A message about teenagers advocating for change, and getting their voices heard would be incredibly important for students to hear, to know that they are not powerless in the political system, even if they are not old enough to vote.
Additionally, I find the whole idea about pairing texts with each other to be incredibly rewarding to incorporate Young Adult Literature with the canonical texts that schools teach. As such, I would pair The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger with this text. In Catcher, Holden Caulfield’s character is defined by his grief over the death of his brother Allie, similar to how in Long Way Down, the story is controlled by William’s grief over the death of his brother Shawn. Both teenagers are handling the death of a family member in vastly different ways, but the motivations behind their actions are understandable to a reader. Holden isolates himself, wanting to be alone and being truthful to his own values. When I was in highschool reading Catcher for the first time, I understood Holden, but could not relate to him. I understood that he was grieving over the death of his brother, and the injustice in the world, but I had a hard time sympathizing with how he was handling the grief. My classmates scorned his actions and hated him as a character, and so I feel that pairing Catcher with Long Way Down will help the students in the class to understand that people, particularly young adults, handle grief differently. Ultimately, what I would hope to have the students get out of this lesson would be to understand that grief impacts everyone differently, and to not judge how they choose to grieve, but to be a supportive figure for them so that they can make the best decisions.

Thank you,
Justin Carpender

Gabby Sleeper

3/1/2020 05:34:18 am

Hi Justin!
I love how you thought to pair Reynold’s novel with articles and another novel. Although, I feel as though you might run into the same problem that you had when reading The Catcher in the Rye. Students may not sympathize with Will’s need to follow the rules and get revenge (although I do think that his questioning of those rules does make him a more sympathetic character). That might be a good thing, though, since you say that your goal is to show students that people cope in different ways. Getting students to empathize with both Holden and Will could be a fun exercise and teach students that people will think differently from them, especially when it comes to grief. Additionally, I like that you’re taking Long Way Down and using it to have students think about real world issues that are incredibly relevant to them. Just keep in mind that gun control is a sensitive topic and you will need to be careful to remain neutral, or you might run into trouble with parents.

Hannah Brodeur

3/1/2020 07:45:10 am

In order to present the text A Long Way Down to a school such as West Bridgewater it would come with many challenges. One of them would be the parent backlash. Many parents would most likely not enjoy the fact that their children are reading a text involving gun violence. Many would complain because they do not want their child exposed to such events. However, it is important that they are because in today’s society children are already exposed to these events. Situations such as this occur every day and we see it through all forms of media. Therefore, one joy from teaching this text would be educating the students. This would open up a conversation where students could ask any question they wanted or explain any thought. Another challenge from teaching this text could also be the students’ reaction. While reading a text such as this it might open the door for very different views. For instance, the town of Plymouth County is very conservative, so these children have grown up in environments that reflect those political views. Therefore, there may not only be a push back from the parents, but it may cause fights in class. Due to some of these hardships and challenges I would adjusts my lesson plans to accommodate for the students in my classroom. Due to the fact that most of the children in the class would most likely be white and most likely come from a well-off home; therefore, they are comfortable. Before beginning to read the text, I would have students find a city that is extremely high on crime. I would then have them participate in a small project in which they had to research different items about that city. I would also have students read one personal story from a parent or loved one of someone who died. This way students could become more familiar with lives of other individuals and not just their own before beginning the text. Throughout the novel I would have many small group discussions. I believe small group discussions would work best in this situation because it would allow students to express their ideas. I would not focus on a full class discussion because it is a controversial topic, so it could get extremely heated. Therefore, I will also be walking around to make sure everyone is staying on task throughout discussion. I believe this novel could bring a lot of insight and information to students.

Molly Drain

3/1/2020 08:40:49 am

Hannah,
I had not thought about Parent backlash!! but you are so right!!! There is always a chance, when you are teaching a novel with a controversial topic, for parents to get upset or fight back about their child reading or being exposed to the topic. It is important to note that although gun violence is present in our society and rampages through our social media, that not all parents agree with "submitting" their child to these topics. It is important to think about this topic and if you were to teach it as you had expressed above that you educate your student on the dangers of gun violence as well as the dangers presented by following the "Rules" outlined in the text. It is also important to remember that with a text like this there is always a change that you have a student in your classroom who has experienced gun-violence or lost a family member to gun violence. Remember that your classroom is a safe space for students and to be aware that some students may be uncomfortable with this topic. Although you noted that discussion could get heated i would focus the chatter to the book and see if the students can make connections about the events that have occurred and how they effected those involved. Relating it back to the book is always a good way to stay away from discussion that could hurt a student or could bring up uncomfortable memories. Because again, although this is West Bridgewater, you never know what your students have or have not experienced.

Molly Drain

3/1/2020 08:26:43 am

Teaching Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down to this specific set of students would present some difficulties but at the same time this text could be great to use for this set of students. The text itself is set up in a manner that is not “normal” for most novels, which could present some difficulty to the reader if they do not understand why the author made this choice. I think it would be interesting to open up this discussion to the students as to why this author decided to use the structure of poetry and to what effect does this have on the reader. Tough topics are touched upon in this novel which could leave room for questions or uncomfortability depending on the student’s background. Since it touches upon death and gun violence there is always a chance that a student in the room has experienced something similar to what the novel presents. It is interesting that this book is a commentary on gun violence and is done so through the lens of a child. It can be a hard read if you are not paying close attention to the details that are provided. I would have the students make a timeline of events in Will’s life and with each event we could examine the effects it had on Will or the decisions in which he made following that event. I would also have the students look closely at the people Will mentions along the way. This could be done in small groups with a graphic organizer. I would have each group focus on a specific character and their importance/ maybe what they taught will, and then open it up to a group discussion. This discussion could be done in a circle so that everyone is engaged and could lead to larger discussions about intent.

Olivia Sweeney

3/21/2020 11:04:55 am

I definitely agree with your approach to teaching "Long Way Down" to this demographic of students. It will definitely present its difficulties, but will also have a positive insight for students as they will be able to understand some of the massive difficulties Americans face daily, that go along with the major themes in this novel. The notion of poetry in this novel is also important to discuss with students as Reynolds approached writing his novel in a unique way. I also like your idea of an in-class activity in which students in groups will each break down a character and open up a larger class discussion as the conclusion of the activity.

Shaun Ramsay

3/1/2020 10:07:08 am

Teaching this novel to a student base that lives in the suburbs and is mostly white feels kind of important; I think so many take their privilege for granted and to be exposed to the decisions and realities some have to face is sobering. I would give the students a week to read the book, and we would talk about it the following few classes. I would first have them write down whether they thought Will would go through with the deed or not, and ask them to provide textual evidence for why they think that way. Compare the cyclical nature of this violence to something in real life, what negative cycles have you experienced or seen in history where the negativity only creates more negativity. Why do you think Reynolds’ setting for the book is an elevator and happens over the course of a minute, how could this compact setting enhance the text? Compare this setting to another one in a book we’ve read in class, how do these settings reflect the characters and tone of the book/scenes? Once they answer these questions they could break out into groups to discuss with one another then a few groups could present their thoughts to the class.

Olivia Sweeney

3/21/2020 11:01:12 am

If I had to teach "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds to a class at West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, I would definitely have to approach it differently than I would if I were teaching it in a bigger city such as Boston, New York City, or even Chicago. This is because the class I would be teaching would be predominately white, and not understand the importance of themes in this novel. To have a greater understanding of the novel, prior to reading Reynold’s novel, I would provide students with articles on gun violence and how it affects us in our communities in the United States. These students at WB may not understand this concept as much in depth as other students would in cities such as Boston, NYC, and Chicago for example. Therefore, they would need to be introduced to these views and how it affects a community as a whole. Students will need to understand this and how it affects how people live, as in the novel, Will struggles with the rule of seeking revenge as he knows it is very wrong, but they are unsure of what will happen if they do not follow it. Society is a powerful thing, and my students would need to be aware of this prior to reading the novel. We would be reading the majority of this novel in class, to ensure students are actively reading and can ask any questions in class and discuss further in-depth some of the confusing points in the novel. This would also provide ample amount of time for bigger discussions in class to get students talking and engaged in the text.

Teaching Discussion for 24 February 2020: Long Way Down

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