Literature Across Cultures: Minkler, Kaetlyn

Friday, June 7, 2024

Minkler, Kaetlyn - Week 2 Blog Post

When reading the "From Borders to Bridges" article, I found it interesting that it included the perspectives of preservice teachers, as well as teachers who were earning their Master's degree. I felt like I could connect with the students that participated in the Multicultural Literature class.

One important piece of information that I read was that before reading the multicultural text, students are to be given background information. Once they have that background knowledge, they can truly make connections to their personal lives (p. 4). This was interesting to me, because I did struggle a little bit when reading The Way to Rainy Mountain. I believe this is because I have no prior knowledge on the topic, other than what I read on the back of the book. In order to understand the text better, I should have completed a web search of the Kiowa Indians and their beliefs, as well as of the author, N. Scott Momaday. I have never read another book like this. If I were to implement this book in my classroom, I would do an author's study and Kiowa Indian study with my students before ever looking at the text. As I am reflecting on this, it makes me realize that when I teach The Year of the Dog with my fourth grade students, our curriculum always starts with an author study. This is to provide that background information before students are even exposed to the text. Before, I never knew the importance of this extra step.

McKoy Lowery, R. & Sabis-Burns, D. From borders to bridges: making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education. https://moodle.morningside.edu/pluginfile.php/1430696/mod_resource/content/2/From%20Borders%20to%20Bridges.pdf

2 comments:

Allison MooreJune 8, 2024 at 1:58 PM
I like your personal connection you included. Providing background text and knowledge is so important when bringing in multicultural literature. This is where connecting content areas is super important. Our global studies class covers renewable and nonrenewable resources, and I am also required to per standards for Science. Since my students have guaranteed background information, I am able to hit deeper content because they understand.

Do you do a comparison project/writing piece between The Year of the Dog and the author study?
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JenJune 18, 2024 at 11:08 AM
I'm glad that thinking about your experience with Momaday gave you insight into why you have students complete the author background activity. While I never want students to equate authors with characters in fiction or authors with speakers in poetry (Momaday is different since he's writing a memoir.), it's helpful to know about the author's life and time period. It certainly adds to our understanding of what we're reading. I think it can also help to move us away from equating one narrative with an entire culture's experience. We're reminded that the text we're reading has an author who introduces us to characters whose lives we'll share for a time.
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Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.