At some point in life, everyone wonders who they are, where they have come from, and why are they important. All boils down to them in search of their identity; begins in the classroom.
Now a days, there is great racial diversity within the classroom both among the students and between teachers and the students. A majority of the teachers in America are white, female. This now challenges teachers in providing ways to be able to relate and reach students no matter the differences that may be in tact. One solution in order to reach all of the students is through the incorporation of a variety of literatures that give students different people for them to be able to identify with. It is important for teachers to be educated on the different literature materials and why and how they should be used in the classroom.
Both of these books are great educational resources for the classroom because .....
1. The historical references that these books make.
2. The literary techniques used in the writings.
Watsons Go to Birmingham
1. Comparison: "I bet we looked like the solar system, with me being the sun and Byron being the orbiting earth."
2. Analogy: Larry, the bully, takes Kenny's gloves and then shoves snow in his face - compares to a Maytag Wash - "With a Maytag Wash you had to go through all of the different cycles that a washing machine did."
3. Onomatopoeia - "Whack!" - page 59
3. The Personal challenges the 10-year old's face - anyone can identify with - builds engaging relationships with the characters
I identify with the movie Frozen because of the character Anna. She is a white female, with a bubbly and outgoing personality which is very similar to how I am. She is also has sister just like me. Because I identify with her and who she is, I really enjoy this movie and story line and love being able to tear it apart in order to learn from it. I would also use something like this in the classroom in order to engage more students in my teaching. This is not necessarily a scene from the movie but was a video I came across when searching for short videos about overcoming obstacles. There are two characters, who both have differences but are trying to accomplish the same goal by overcoming the same obstacle. They are created differently, and therefore have their own personal obstacles. They each try to think of their own way in order to get the carrot which is something that is needed for both characters. At the end, one comprises for the other showing an act of love. I see this as also being related to the Civil Rights Movement as there was fighting between two sides, but neither wanted to give in to the other's desires. Martin Luther King Jr. though fought for love something that would outcast the hate in America.
Links Dealing with some of the Topics Discussed in the Presentation:
https://www.the74million.org/article/whats-the-racial-breakdown-of-americas-public-school-teachers/
https://www.oaklandcountymoms.com/bullying-then-vs-bullying-now-26829/
https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-bullying-victims-middle-age-20140418-story.html
http://theconversation.com/what-it-means-to-be-black-in-the-american-educational-system-63576
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/09/the-1960s-a-decade-of-promise-and-heartbreak
Credits:
Created with images by Syda Productions - "friends or students covering faces with papers" • WavebreakMediaMicro - "Hands on globe in classroom" • alexlmx - "Sun and planets of the solar system, 3D rendering" • Javier C. Acosta - "Noah's Ark Bible Story" • WavebreakmediaMicro - "School friends bullying a sad boy in corridor"