We will share most of our work in a Google+ Community. We can upload images, respond to each other’s ideas, and share links and artifacts here.
Course calendar can be found above and HERE.
We created a playlist featuring music from Eleanor and Park, similar to to the mixtapes the characters made for each other in the book.
https://soundcloud.com/park-sheridan/sets/eleanorandpark
I read a few of the books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I’d seen many students read them, so it was fascinating to find out what they’ve been enjoying and laughing at all this time! I liked that the Wimpy Kid books reflect middle school life in a way I think most people can relate to. It brought back memories from my own middle school years, and also from the time that I interpreted at middle schools, such as of line dancing units in PE. The constant humor used allows the books to present issues that many students face in a gentle way.
I think upper elementary school students and middle school students would particularly like this series. As an adult, I also think that parents and teachers–and, well, many other adults–would enjoy it as well!
My only concern with these books is that I haven’t noticed the POV character, Greg, expressing remorse. I do appreciate that this book doesn’t preach to its audience, and I think it’s possible that Greg feels regret but presents his feelings differently in his diary. Nonetheless, I felt somewhat disconnected from Greg because of this. I’m optimistic that I’ll get more insight into his conscience as I read other books in the series in the future.
I really like that these books could encourage students’ self-expression. In class, my group has talked about asking students to keep a journal in class. We think it would be helpful to read Greg’s journal entries before we write our own. I really like that Greg uses both pictures and writing to talk about his experiences. For many students, drawing a picture could help students to launch their ideas.
I think it would be neat to also have a discussion about how Greg continues to journal throughout middle school, what his motivation is, and how journaling might be helpful to him. One site online suggested a class discussion about what would change if Greg published his journal entries publically, either with his name or anonymously. Would it affect what he writes? How might people respond?
The cover of the ninth Wimpy Kid book will be released in April–which turns out to be Wimpy Kid month–and another great idea I found online is to have kids design their own covers for the book. I’ll be keeping this idea in mind for future series that are popular among my students.
My favorite story is “The Tale of the Voice.” It’s unique in that it’s introduced as a tale of a woman who is owning up to her mistakes. I particularly like that the “witch” character is realistic and straight-forward, and she resigns herself to letting the woman find herself through the mistakes she’ll make. I’m impressed that the witch isn’t necessarily a villain; I was able to side with her.
“The Tale of the Voice” also captures the situation of many women today. I think a lot of women can relate to both the “Ariel” and “Ursula” characters. At first, Ariel struggles with a need to mold herself to fit in and to meet others’ standards, and it takes her some time to find her voice. Ursula is all for women putting themselves out there, being who they are, and finding someone who likes that.
I interpret “Kissing the Witch” to mean setting aside others’ expectations and doing what’s right for you. I also found that these fairy tales sometimes feature women, or supposed protagonists and antagonists, supporting each other in some way. In that sense, the title could represent a sort of connection between characters that aren’t traditionally on the same side. Kissing is often something ones does with someone they know well, and “Kissing the Witch” gives us as readers–and also some characters–an inside look into the witches of fairy tales.
Disney seemed to make a bit more of an attempt to make Snow White a sympathetic character for traits other than beauty. I was surprised that in the Grimm’s story, the cottage was “spotless” when Snow White first arrived, and that she went straight to bed. Disney’s Snow White found the cottage to be filthy. I don’t know whether her motive was to earn a place as a parental-figure or to simply help, but she voluntarily cleaned the cottage before going to bed.
In the Grimm’s story, the queen wanted to eat Snow White’s lungs and liver, whereas in Disney’s, she wanted her heart and did not share any plans to eat it. The Grimm’s queen was also more desperate than Disney’s. She was willing to give up her own life for her cause.
While Disney didn’t add much to Snow White and the prince’s courtship, they did at least have them encounter each other towards the beginning of the story.
I was surprised that, rather than by being revived with a kiss, the Grimm’s Snow White woke up when the prince’s servants tripped on a shrub.
I think one of the theme’s of the story could be the importance of having a support system. While the queen is only second in beauty, she is still discontent, and seems to have only a mirror for company. Snow White, on the other hand, charms animals and people into helping her throughout the story.
The story also brings up the question of what it really means to be “fair.” Is beauty all there is to it, or does Snow White’s personality also factor in? Though in that case, the queen ranking at #2 makes me wonder what the commoners were like!