Hello again, Everyone!
I would like to touch briefly this morning on a point that Atwell brings up in chapter 6: Minilessons. Atwell begins by talking about third graders and how they begin to become aware of their audience when they are completing creative works and how instead of creating work that is based in their creativity and spontaneity, they begin to create works that they believe are acceptable to their audience (i.e. teachers, peers, parents, etc.). Piaget refers to this phase of a child's development as sociocentricity. Whereas when they were second graders- free to express themselves with creativity and little fear of judgment- by the time they hit this state of sociocentricity they cater their work to the criteria they expect their work to be judged by.
Now, skipping ahead ten years. How do we get students to re-capture that creative flair they had in their youth and undo years of writing to please the teacher. Well, the anwser is: We don't. You see, there is no way to go back and change ten years worth of influence and adjustment. YET, there is still something that can be done as a high school teacher to undo some of the damage. We can create assignments with rubrics that are clearly understood by the students that call for a recapturing of that creative spark of the students' youth.
I understand that not every assignment can be a creative assignment. There is still the need to teach and assess students' understanding of formal writing styles such as book reports. But when we do assign a creative project or writing piece, we can establish clear expectations in the rubric that creativity and spontaneity of thought are important elements of the grading system for that assignment. If a teacher is able to show the students that these sorts of assignments are not just a trick to give them a bad grade, but a chance to really let their creativity flow unhampered, I believe that we may see more success when trying to get students to show some of their creative flair in their assignments. Once again, the key to this, I believe, is giving the students a rubric that shows how heavily stressed creativity is and then reiterating in class the large degree of creative freedom they have to write/present creative works. This may give them the confidence and security they need to relax a little and let their creativity flow.
These are my thoughts. Tell me what you think. And, as always, Keep it classy Kent State.
-Sam
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Blog #3 - Myers Article
Hello again, Everyone.
I would like to begin today's blog by saying: It's good to see how far we've come. In Myers article sent to us via email from Dr. Kist, an excerpt from Changing Our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy, Myers writes about some of the more antiquated tactics (to say the least) used by teachers to teach discipline and naturalization of American culture to students.
Myers writes that a very popular role of the teacher was "Drillmaster", a role in which the teacher would lead students through the lesson- providing the students only with the information the teacher deemed appropriate. Much more interesting than the role of the teacher in the classroom were the methods that teachers of the time employed to teach their lessons to students.
One method Myers gives us is called the "toe-the-line" method. This method required that students stand perfectly erect, with good posture, and read aloud to the class. This exercies was intended to increase students' mastery of volume control and oral recitation. And while yes, this is a somewhat silly sounding exercise, I believe that we still see its subtler applications in schools today. I remember many times when growing up when I would have to read aloud to the class for a length of time, whether it be for an in-class reading activity or reciting our papers to the class, we had to read aloud on many occasions throughout the school year.
Another tactic used by these "old-time" educators was a method used for voice control, called the "spelling board". The spelling board was a chalkboard, fixed on a fulcrum and able to spin, that the teacher would use to facilitate spelling lessons. If the board were positioned upright- students were to spell words quietly to themselves; if the boad was angled- in a low voice; if the board was flipped- students were allowed to shout the spelling words as loud as they liked. This kind of concept seems strikingly similar to methods I've seen used since I've began my student teaching. I haven't busted out any of my old pedigogy texts to sift through countless pages in order to bring this method's name to light for all of you; but I can describe it to you. The main idea that I see in this "old-time" method and what I've seen in our modern schools is this: It's a good idea to let students to raise a ruckus on occasion when it is discretely sanctioned by the teacher to do so. In other words, students often tend to be restless and easily distracted in school. If they are allowed to relieve some of that restlessness they will be more apt to pay attention when they are brought back to focus by the teacher. So, the teacher permits, rather encourages, the students to be loud and boisterous for a controlled length of time.
The third tactic used by the teachers of yester-year were mouth-movement exercises. This was an exercise in which the students would move their mouths to form all the basic sounds of the English language. Students with the best "mouth wagging" abilities would be complemented on their good form.
The interesting thing about all of these strategies in how "lower-order" they are in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy. Basically, the ideas only require that students be able to recite text, complete basic oratory motor functions such as voice control and sound articulation, and recall basic facts or lines of text from memory. These srategies reflected the notion of education at the time: Teachers are distributors of knowledge and students are to retain what they are taught and be able to recall it.
I think that it's safe to say that, in general, today's teachers have come a long way since the "oldin-days" of education. Thank goodness. Although, you will see a lot of similar exercises still used in modern ESL classrooms.
Keep it classy, Kent State.
-Sam
I would like to begin today's blog by saying: It's good to see how far we've come. In Myers article sent to us via email from Dr. Kist, an excerpt from Changing Our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy, Myers writes about some of the more antiquated tactics (to say the least) used by teachers to teach discipline and naturalization of American culture to students.
Myers writes that a very popular role of the teacher was "Drillmaster", a role in which the teacher would lead students through the lesson- providing the students only with the information the teacher deemed appropriate. Much more interesting than the role of the teacher in the classroom were the methods that teachers of the time employed to teach their lessons to students.
One method Myers gives us is called the "toe-the-line" method. This method required that students stand perfectly erect, with good posture, and read aloud to the class. This exercies was intended to increase students' mastery of volume control and oral recitation. And while yes, this is a somewhat silly sounding exercise, I believe that we still see its subtler applications in schools today. I remember many times when growing up when I would have to read aloud to the class for a length of time, whether it be for an in-class reading activity or reciting our papers to the class, we had to read aloud on many occasions throughout the school year.
Another tactic used by these "old-time" educators was a method used for voice control, called the "spelling board". The spelling board was a chalkboard, fixed on a fulcrum and able to spin, that the teacher would use to facilitate spelling lessons. If the board were positioned upright- students were to spell words quietly to themselves; if the boad was angled- in a low voice; if the board was flipped- students were allowed to shout the spelling words as loud as they liked. This kind of concept seems strikingly similar to methods I've seen used since I've began my student teaching. I haven't busted out any of my old pedigogy texts to sift through countless pages in order to bring this method's name to light for all of you; but I can describe it to you. The main idea that I see in this "old-time" method and what I've seen in our modern schools is this: It's a good idea to let students to raise a ruckus on occasion when it is discretely sanctioned by the teacher to do so. In other words, students often tend to be restless and easily distracted in school. If they are allowed to relieve some of that restlessness they will be more apt to pay attention when they are brought back to focus by the teacher. So, the teacher permits, rather encourages, the students to be loud and boisterous for a controlled length of time.
The third tactic used by the teachers of yester-year were mouth-movement exercises. This was an exercise in which the students would move their mouths to form all the basic sounds of the English language. Students with the best "mouth wagging" abilities would be complemented on their good form.
The interesting thing about all of these strategies in how "lower-order" they are in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy. Basically, the ideas only require that students be able to recite text, complete basic oratory motor functions such as voice control and sound articulation, and recall basic facts or lines of text from memory. These srategies reflected the notion of education at the time: Teachers are distributors of knowledge and students are to retain what they are taught and be able to recall it.
I think that it's safe to say that, in general, today's teachers have come a long way since the "oldin-days" of education. Thank goodness. Although, you will see a lot of similar exercises still used in modern ESL classrooms.
Keep it classy, Kent State.
-Sam
Monday, September 20, 2010
Blog #2 - In the Middle
Hello again Everyone,
Today I would like to talk a little about what Atwell has to say in Section 4 of her book, In the Middle: New Understandings about Writing, Reading, and Learning. Atwell begins the portion in section 4, Establishing Expectations, by saying that she has been teaching long enough know that a teacher shouldn't expect students' writings to be at the level of an adult. She says, "Although it would be nice some year to have perfect classes that intuited how to engage as writers and readers... it hasn't happened yet, and I'm not holding my breath."
Then, much to my suprise, Atwell extablishes an extensive list of expectations for writing that are hard even me, an adult and proficient writer, to grasp the breadth of. A few of the expectations are what I would consider to be reasonable for high school students: Find topics and purposes for your writing that matter to you; try new topics, purposes audiences, forms, and techniques; listen to, ask questions about, and comment on others' writings.
But I noticed that she a couple of expectations that seem pretty weighty for high school students. These include expectations such as: Produce at least three to five pages of rough draft each week; create a handbook of writing and reading minilessons, recorded chronologically, with a table of contents; keep an individual proofreading list that you check your writing against when you edit and proofread.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel that some of these are asking a lot of students. This would definitely be a blog that I would like to see replies to because I would like to see what the rest of you think on the matter.
Sam P.
Today I would like to talk a little about what Atwell has to say in Section 4 of her book, In the Middle: New Understandings about Writing, Reading, and Learning. Atwell begins the portion in section 4, Establishing Expectations, by saying that she has been teaching long enough know that a teacher shouldn't expect students' writings to be at the level of an adult. She says, "Although it would be nice some year to have perfect classes that intuited how to engage as writers and readers... it hasn't happened yet, and I'm not holding my breath."
Then, much to my suprise, Atwell extablishes an extensive list of expectations for writing that are hard even me, an adult and proficient writer, to grasp the breadth of. A few of the expectations are what I would consider to be reasonable for high school students: Find topics and purposes for your writing that matter to you; try new topics, purposes audiences, forms, and techniques; listen to, ask questions about, and comment on others' writings.
But I noticed that she a couple of expectations that seem pretty weighty for high school students. These include expectations such as: Produce at least three to five pages of rough draft each week; create a handbook of writing and reading minilessons, recorded chronologically, with a table of contents; keep an individual proofreading list that you check your writing against when you edit and proofread.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel that some of these are asking a lot of students. This would definitely be a blog that I would like to see replies to because I would like to see what the rest of you think on the matter.
Sam P.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Blog #1 - In the Middle
Hello again all,
I know, I know- it's been way too long since we've conversed. But the good news is that now we're back in full-force, and ready to become full-fledged teachers!
In my first blog of the new school year I would like to address the very first page of Nancie Atwell's book, In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and Learning. No, this is not a ploy meant to avoid any type of lengthy reading. It just so happens that I feel that the book opens with one of the most important point to learn when trying to become a better teacher. And here is that point, as recollected by Atwell in her book:
"I didn't learn in my classroom. I tended my creation (her curriculum). Today I learn in my classroom... I've become an evolutionist."
The reason that I believe that this quote is so important is because I have spent the last several weeks witnessing first-hand the validity of this statement. Watching my cooperating teacher do her lessons, and even facilitating a few lessons myself, I have seen that no matter how much myself or my superior may feel that a lesson is going to be a smash hit, sometimes it may crash and burn in epic flames. This is why it is so important to be able to adjust and evolve your lesson in mid-stride. I've even learned that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to completely scrap a lesson and head in a entirely new direction with it. The reason good teachers will make these adjustments to their precious, sacred lesson plans is because: It is not about you as the teacher. It is about the student and their learning.
If an element of a lesson is not working, and you know it, it is an injustice to the students to continue without making some attempt to make the lesson work for the students. This definitely takes a little bit of humility and quick thinking on a teachers part, but ultimately it is a teachers job to do what it takes to make sure that the lesson is learned, not just taught. At least that is my take on it anyway.
Signing off for this week, this is Sam P., and as always- Keep it classy Kent State!
I know, I know- it's been way too long since we've conversed. But the good news is that now we're back in full-force, and ready to become full-fledged teachers!
In my first blog of the new school year I would like to address the very first page of Nancie Atwell's book, In the Middle: New Understanding About Writing, Reading, and Learning. No, this is not a ploy meant to avoid any type of lengthy reading. It just so happens that I feel that the book opens with one of the most important point to learn when trying to become a better teacher. And here is that point, as recollected by Atwell in her book:
"I didn't learn in my classroom. I tended my creation (her curriculum). Today I learn in my classroom... I've become an evolutionist."
The reason that I believe that this quote is so important is because I have spent the last several weeks witnessing first-hand the validity of this statement. Watching my cooperating teacher do her lessons, and even facilitating a few lessons myself, I have seen that no matter how much myself or my superior may feel that a lesson is going to be a smash hit, sometimes it may crash and burn in epic flames. This is why it is so important to be able to adjust and evolve your lesson in mid-stride. I've even learned that in certain circumstances it may be necessary to completely scrap a lesson and head in a entirely new direction with it. The reason good teachers will make these adjustments to their precious, sacred lesson plans is because: It is not about you as the teacher. It is about the student and their learning.
If an element of a lesson is not working, and you know it, it is an injustice to the students to continue without making some attempt to make the lesson work for the students. This definitely takes a little bit of humility and quick thinking on a teachers part, but ultimately it is a teachers job to do what it takes to make sure that the lesson is learned, not just taught. At least that is my take on it anyway.
Signing off for this week, this is Sam P., and as always- Keep it classy Kent State!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Teaching Reading in S.S. - Final Reflections
Hello again,
As the semester quickly draws to an end I look back and see that is has been quite a great year. I've had the opportunity to learn a lot from all of my professors, I've gotten to know a few of my fellow classmates a little better, we've had some great in-class discussions and educational assignments throughout the semester.
My Teaching Reading in Secondary Schools has definitely been one of the classes that I have gained a lot of very important information from. I found the most interesting assignment that we worked on in class this semester to be the unit on preparing to teach F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. I remember reading this novel back in high school and not being all that enthusiastic about it, but having a chance to come back to the text and re-read in in college has been awesome. Having the chance to evaluate my prior experiences with the novel and apply it to how I would design my classroom instruction for the novel has been a very enlightening and educational experience for me.
I also learned a lot of other, very valuable information from this class that will be very beneficial as a teacher. For instance, the time that we spent studying ways to facilitate more productive classroom discussions will come in extremely handy as a teacher. I felt that it was a very good idea to spend time on this subject. Preferably, I would have liked to have spent even more time diving into that subject a little more in-depth.
We also took a look at the different things that comprise the classic literary canon. It was interesting to study the different elements that define what qualifies a novel as classic canon. It makes me ponder the books that are being published today that will one day be considered classis literary masterpieces. I will be very interested to see what books are required reading in schools by the time I reach retirement. My hope is that in addition to some of the timeless works of writing that students read today we will see some new titles being read and studied in the classroom of the future.
Overall, I would have to say that Dr. Pytash's class, Teaching Reading in Secondary Schools, has been one of the most interesting and enjoyable classes I've had in a long time. This is saying a lot considering that class begins at 7:45am. I learned a lot of very valuable information in this class and had fun while doing it. To Dr. Pytash and all my fellow classmates - thank you for a great semester. Best of luck to all of you in your future endeavors!
I'll close this class's blog with the same sign-off as I have in my Multi-Modal class... You don't have to go homepage, but you can't stay here. And as always, keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
As the semester quickly draws to an end I look back and see that is has been quite a great year. I've had the opportunity to learn a lot from all of my professors, I've gotten to know a few of my fellow classmates a little better, we've had some great in-class discussions and educational assignments throughout the semester.
My Teaching Reading in Secondary Schools has definitely been one of the classes that I have gained a lot of very important information from. I found the most interesting assignment that we worked on in class this semester to be the unit on preparing to teach F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. I remember reading this novel back in high school and not being all that enthusiastic about it, but having a chance to come back to the text and re-read in in college has been awesome. Having the chance to evaluate my prior experiences with the novel and apply it to how I would design my classroom instruction for the novel has been a very enlightening and educational experience for me.
I also learned a lot of other, very valuable information from this class that will be very beneficial as a teacher. For instance, the time that we spent studying ways to facilitate more productive classroom discussions will come in extremely handy as a teacher. I felt that it was a very good idea to spend time on this subject. Preferably, I would have liked to have spent even more time diving into that subject a little more in-depth.
We also took a look at the different things that comprise the classic literary canon. It was interesting to study the different elements that define what qualifies a novel as classic canon. It makes me ponder the books that are being published today that will one day be considered classis literary masterpieces. I will be very interested to see what books are required reading in schools by the time I reach retirement. My hope is that in addition to some of the timeless works of writing that students read today we will see some new titles being read and studied in the classroom of the future.
Overall, I would have to say that Dr. Pytash's class, Teaching Reading in Secondary Schools, has been one of the most interesting and enjoyable classes I've had in a long time. This is saying a lot considering that class begins at 7:45am. I learned a lot of very valuable information in this class and had fun while doing it. To Dr. Pytash and all my fellow classmates - thank you for a great semester. Best of luck to all of you in your future endeavors!
I'll close this class's blog with the same sign-off as I have in my Multi-Modal class... You don't have to go homepage, but you can't stay here. And as always, keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Multi-Modal - Final Reflections
Hello everyone,
It's been a great semester where we've been able to learn a lot of great ideas and tactics for teaching. But unfortunately, like all good things, this semester must also draw to an end. So, this shall be my final Multi-Modal blog hitting the blogosphere. I will conclude our cyber communications with a final reflection of our Multi-Modal class.
The first aspect that I would like to discuss is the different multi-modal forms that I liked and why I will consider using them in my future classroom. the first thing we learned in class that I really liked was the blogging. I like this activity and will consider having students in my classroom maintain prompted blog entries because I like how it is one more way of getting students to expound upon ideas that are being discussed in class. I also that it is good for getting students to interact with and react to eachothers ideas. I also liked the Wiki assignment that we did this year. I don't believe that I will have students in my future classroom create Wiki's, but I will definitely come back to the one that we created this year for lesson ideas and supplemental materials if I end up teaching any of those books in my classroom. I am also a big fan of the video assignment we are currently working on. It can be kind of difficult to get everyone's schedules alligned, but the project is a lot of fun to work on.
I feel that this course has helped to teach me a couple of new ways to interact with people. I've realized that technology can be a great way to communicate what you are trying to teach to students in different audio and visaul ways. For students who may be visual or audible learners, technology can be a great resource for helping them learn the materials. Also, just through sharing ideas and opinions in our class discussions I have gained more confidence in my ability to speak in front of a group.
After reviewing my blogs throughout the year I can see that I was very intimidated by the idea of using technology as a teacher at the beginning of the year. Thankfully, though, as the semester progressed I noticed that my blogs started to seem more like critical reflections on the technologies that I did and did not like, instead of rants about how I don't like technology. So, I would say that this semester has done a great deal to improve my confidence and comfort in the idea of incorporating technology into my future classroom.
Well, it's never easy saying goodbye. So, I'll leave you all with this: You don't have to go homepage, but you can't stay here!
To all of you, I wish you safe and happy summers! And, as always... Keep it classy Kent State.
-Sam P.
It's been a great semester where we've been able to learn a lot of great ideas and tactics for teaching. But unfortunately, like all good things, this semester must also draw to an end. So, this shall be my final Multi-Modal blog hitting the blogosphere. I will conclude our cyber communications with a final reflection of our Multi-Modal class.
The first aspect that I would like to discuss is the different multi-modal forms that I liked and why I will consider using them in my future classroom. the first thing we learned in class that I really liked was the blogging. I like this activity and will consider having students in my classroom maintain prompted blog entries because I like how it is one more way of getting students to expound upon ideas that are being discussed in class. I also that it is good for getting students to interact with and react to eachothers ideas. I also liked the Wiki assignment that we did this year. I don't believe that I will have students in my future classroom create Wiki's, but I will definitely come back to the one that we created this year for lesson ideas and supplemental materials if I end up teaching any of those books in my classroom. I am also a big fan of the video assignment we are currently working on. It can be kind of difficult to get everyone's schedules alligned, but the project is a lot of fun to work on.
I feel that this course has helped to teach me a couple of new ways to interact with people. I've realized that technology can be a great way to communicate what you are trying to teach to students in different audio and visaul ways. For students who may be visual or audible learners, technology can be a great resource for helping them learn the materials. Also, just through sharing ideas and opinions in our class discussions I have gained more confidence in my ability to speak in front of a group.
After reviewing my blogs throughout the year I can see that I was very intimidated by the idea of using technology as a teacher at the beginning of the year. Thankfully, though, as the semester progressed I noticed that my blogs started to seem more like critical reflections on the technologies that I did and did not like, instead of rants about how I don't like technology. So, I would say that this semester has done a great deal to improve my confidence and comfort in the idea of incorporating technology into my future classroom.
Well, it's never easy saying goodbye. So, I'll leave you all with this: You don't have to go homepage, but you can't stay here!
To all of you, I wish you safe and happy summers! And, as always... Keep it classy Kent State.
-Sam P.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Multi-Modal - Compare/Contrast Naruto Vol. 1 & American Born Chinese
Hello Everyone,
In today's blog I am going to do a little compare/contrast of two popular Manga books: Naruto Vol. 1 The Tests of the Ninja by Masashi Kishimoto and American Born Chinese by Gene Lucn Yang. Both books are of the Manga, Graphic Novel genre and are directed towards young readers.
Text and Dialogue:
I found the narration in American Born Chinese to be very easy to follow and very well written. This is in contrast to Naruto, which I found to be harder to follow and poorly translated. Whereas American Born Chinese was written in very good English, Naruto seemed to be a more crude translation to English, and often the wording didn't make sense.
The Balloons in American Born Chinese were very easy to follow and it was very easy to distinguish who was speaking because the balloons had leads that pointed directly to the speakers. Yet, in Naruto I found the balloons to be very hard to follow because the balloons were often times not even close to the speaker and the little arrow leading off of the balloon did not point to the speaker very distinctly.
I took notice in American Born Chinese that Emanata was not used to show internal thoughts of characters, but was used in a kind of "classic Batman" kind of style in which actions such as busting loose from a pile of stones would read: crumble, or wack or whomp. In Naruto I noticed that emanata was most used for the main character, Naruto, to emphysize his internal thoughts and emotions. This includes !!!'s and !?? kind of actions above the characters heads.
One similarity between the two books was the fact that there lettering was done in a San Serif font, making the text in both books easy to see and read.
Visual Features:
I found the characters in American Born Chinese to be not quite as "cartoonish" as the characters in Naruto; with the exception of Cousin Chin-Kee of course. The characters in Naruto for the most part, all had the typical anime haricuts that are spiked and unusual, whereas the characters in American Born Chinese looked more like normal people. I also felt that the objects and scenery in American Born Chinese were less cartoonish than those of Naruto. Also, having color pictures in American Born Chinese did a great deal to improve the visual appeal of the book. Perhaps if Naruto were illustrated in color it would have been much more enjoyable to look at.
When taking a look at the depicted action in Naruto I noticed that it was often very difficult to follow what was going on in the pictures. It seems to me that this is because the pictures are in black and white and the typically, the pictures depicting action were very hecktic and hard to decode.
General Layout and Design:
I noticed in both novels that the borders around the panels were a simple, black border. Also, the gutters in Naruto were significantly larger/wider than those of American Born Chinese. For the most part, both books had very standard, rectangular panels. Yet, there were a few scenes in American Born Chinese that made interesting use of space by using different shaped panels that fit together to form one, larger picture. Yet, i noticed the use of internal splash pages in Naruto, as well as the use of Open Panels.
Angles and Frames:
In American Born Chinese I noticed a good mix of different frame shots. There were many different shots represented including: close-ups, head shots, full-figure shots, longshot, etc. Yet, there was a lot of close-up and head shots used in the book. In contrast, there were more longshot and extreme longshots used in Naruto. There were very few close-ups used in Naruto, but there were many uses of Head-shoulder shots.
Rhetorical Techniques applied in text, visuals, and designs:
In American Born Chinese there was a lot emphasis put on identification and empathizing with individuals have a defining characteristic that makes them different from those around them. I believe that the main lesson to be learned from American Born Chinese is to learn to be OK with who you are, not trying to become something that you are not. This story also uses a somewhat complex combination of seeming unrelated story lines that don't come together until the very end. This aspect of the novel made it very interesting to follow the stories, wondering when and how the stories would come together.
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that has aspects that make it very realistic and others that make it somewhat satirical. The issue being addressed, being comfortable with who you are, is a very real issue people face and something that readers can relate to. Also, although the illustrations are done with cartoon style characters, they are relatively realistic in their appearances. Yet, the character of Chin-Kee, Danny's cousin, is portrayed as a very satirical rendition of an Asian person. Also, the Point of View of American Born Chinese is mostly that of an outsider, someone who doesn't feel as though they belong.
There were several rhetorical techniques employed in Naruto Volume 1 as well. For example, once again some readers will be able to empathize with the Naruto's character, who is an outcast and outsider. Naruto finds himself in an oppositional relationship with most of the other characters in the novel. Because he is shunned by the entire community for having a nine tailed, demon fox contained within him, Naruto sees no other option than to attain power and skill greater than all others in the clan to prove his worth within the group.
The structure of Naruto follows a fairly simplictic order, although there are some instances when there are references to aspects of the Shinobi ninja arts that are not explained until later in the novel. This aspect of the novel adds a little bit of complexity and disorder to the story line of the novel.
Overall, American Born Chinese and Naruto Volume 1 are two very different, but very enjoyable reads. I think that students would probably enjoy reading both of these books. As a teacher, I would probably not put a lot of emphasis on teaching proper writing structure, syntax, grammar, etc. into this book. Rather, I would probably focus more on themes and symbolisms in the book that could be used for literary analysis. Final thoughts: These are two very books that make for an enjoyable and fast read. Being so easy to read, these books could be good for struggling readers to help them become more enthusiastic about reading.
Stay Classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
In today's blog I am going to do a little compare/contrast of two popular Manga books: Naruto Vol. 1 The Tests of the Ninja by Masashi Kishimoto and American Born Chinese by Gene Lucn Yang. Both books are of the Manga, Graphic Novel genre and are directed towards young readers.
Text and Dialogue:
I found the narration in American Born Chinese to be very easy to follow and very well written. This is in contrast to Naruto, which I found to be harder to follow and poorly translated. Whereas American Born Chinese was written in very good English, Naruto seemed to be a more crude translation to English, and often the wording didn't make sense.
The Balloons in American Born Chinese were very easy to follow and it was very easy to distinguish who was speaking because the balloons had leads that pointed directly to the speakers. Yet, in Naruto I found the balloons to be very hard to follow because the balloons were often times not even close to the speaker and the little arrow leading off of the balloon did not point to the speaker very distinctly.
I took notice in American Born Chinese that Emanata was not used to show internal thoughts of characters, but was used in a kind of "classic Batman" kind of style in which actions such as busting loose from a pile of stones would read: crumble, or wack or whomp. In Naruto I noticed that emanata was most used for the main character, Naruto, to emphysize his internal thoughts and emotions. This includes !!!'s and !?? kind of actions above the characters heads.
One similarity between the two books was the fact that there lettering was done in a San Serif font, making the text in both books easy to see and read.
Visual Features:
I found the characters in American Born Chinese to be not quite as "cartoonish" as the characters in Naruto; with the exception of Cousin Chin-Kee of course. The characters in Naruto for the most part, all had the typical anime haricuts that are spiked and unusual, whereas the characters in American Born Chinese looked more like normal people. I also felt that the objects and scenery in American Born Chinese were less cartoonish than those of Naruto. Also, having color pictures in American Born Chinese did a great deal to improve the visual appeal of the book. Perhaps if Naruto were illustrated in color it would have been much more enjoyable to look at.
When taking a look at the depicted action in Naruto I noticed that it was often very difficult to follow what was going on in the pictures. It seems to me that this is because the pictures are in black and white and the typically, the pictures depicting action were very hecktic and hard to decode.
General Layout and Design:
I noticed in both novels that the borders around the panels were a simple, black border. Also, the gutters in Naruto were significantly larger/wider than those of American Born Chinese. For the most part, both books had very standard, rectangular panels. Yet, there were a few scenes in American Born Chinese that made interesting use of space by using different shaped panels that fit together to form one, larger picture. Yet, i noticed the use of internal splash pages in Naruto, as well as the use of Open Panels.
Angles and Frames:
In American Born Chinese I noticed a good mix of different frame shots. There were many different shots represented including: close-ups, head shots, full-figure shots, longshot, etc. Yet, there was a lot of close-up and head shots used in the book. In contrast, there were more longshot and extreme longshots used in Naruto. There were very few close-ups used in Naruto, but there were many uses of Head-shoulder shots.
Rhetorical Techniques applied in text, visuals, and designs:
In American Born Chinese there was a lot emphasis put on identification and empathizing with individuals have a defining characteristic that makes them different from those around them. I believe that the main lesson to be learned from American Born Chinese is to learn to be OK with who you are, not trying to become something that you are not. This story also uses a somewhat complex combination of seeming unrelated story lines that don't come together until the very end. This aspect of the novel made it very interesting to follow the stories, wondering when and how the stories would come together.
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that has aspects that make it very realistic and others that make it somewhat satirical. The issue being addressed, being comfortable with who you are, is a very real issue people face and something that readers can relate to. Also, although the illustrations are done with cartoon style characters, they are relatively realistic in their appearances. Yet, the character of Chin-Kee, Danny's cousin, is portrayed as a very satirical rendition of an Asian person. Also, the Point of View of American Born Chinese is mostly that of an outsider, someone who doesn't feel as though they belong.
There were several rhetorical techniques employed in Naruto Volume 1 as well. For example, once again some readers will be able to empathize with the Naruto's character, who is an outcast and outsider. Naruto finds himself in an oppositional relationship with most of the other characters in the novel. Because he is shunned by the entire community for having a nine tailed, demon fox contained within him, Naruto sees no other option than to attain power and skill greater than all others in the clan to prove his worth within the group.
The structure of Naruto follows a fairly simplictic order, although there are some instances when there are references to aspects of the Shinobi ninja arts that are not explained until later in the novel. This aspect of the novel adds a little bit of complexity and disorder to the story line of the novel.
Overall, American Born Chinese and Naruto Volume 1 are two very different, but very enjoyable reads. I think that students would probably enjoy reading both of these books. As a teacher, I would probably not put a lot of emphasis on teaching proper writing structure, syntax, grammar, etc. into this book. Rather, I would probably focus more on themes and symbolisms in the book that could be used for literary analysis. Final thoughts: These are two very books that make for an enjoyable and fast read. Being so easy to read, these books could be good for struggling readers to help them become more enthusiastic about reading.
Stay Classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
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