Fantasy in the English Classroom

So, as you might have noticed, I changed my topic. It was suggested to me to do something that I'm really interested in, and there's nothing I enjoy more than fantasy and science fiction. I wish they were used more in the English classroom because they're interesting and enjoyable to read and talk about. Through my research, I've discovered that others feel similarly about this genre. Many say that this genre is only a frivolous one that doesn't carry much depth or importance, but some of the research that I've found states otherwise. This excites me, because I would love to be able to teach some of my favorite fantasy novels one day to students.

So far, I have three articles that support using fantasy and science fiction in the classroom, but I need to find an article or two that goes against this. What I would like to do is present my multigenre paper as an adventure-fantasy novel, but I feel like this will require more time and effort than I can currently give. I've just gotten sick, so now my time is much more constrained than it was (and it was already pretty tight before!).

Below, I will post some genres that I have already created but am unsure about using in my paper. While I believe they solve the problem and state what I'd like them to, I'd like them to be more polished and, if possible, relevant to the adventure-fantasy theme that I'd like to establish.






"...the entertainment value of fantasy is one of the factors that draw so many students to the genre..."

For many years now, I've found myself
Attracted to reading fantasy in my free time.
Now, I must learn how to
Teach it to high school students in a way that
Allows students to be entertained by reading for
School, as well as outside of it. For
Years I've wanted to try this!

This quick poem-type-thing is what I first wrote when I discovered my topic. I don't think I'll actually use this in my paper, but it was a good way to get the ball rolling. I think, instead, I'd like to start with a descriptive narrative from either a real or made-up fantasy novel, showing how interesting reading the genre can be. This will help support the quote above.





"When children read about a fantastical world... it is much safer to think about issues of loss, betrayal, and change."


May 7th, 2013
      I want students to be invested in the characters they read about. I want them to feel like they personally know the characters, as if they're reading from the character's diary rather than a story. I find that I am most interested in a story or character when I relate directly to it.
     To do this, I want students to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling. I know this book is immensely popular in our culture; more importantly, it's an immensely popular fantasy novel. I want students to relate to Harry's hardships: death in his family, unfair parental figures, new friendships, following school rules, curiosity, etc. Because Harry Potter is so popular, students will want to read it and get involved. But because of the really deep questions the book asks for the reader - How does one deal with death? - students will be learning about themselves and the society around them.


While this is not a bad genre, I don't see it fitting in with the theme of my MGP. Perhaps I'll need to rethink the theme, and instead create a more modern adaptation of a fantasy novel. Or instead, do the MGP through a character's point of view that is similar to mine: a nerdy, future teacher that wants to get students as excited about reading as she is.

I was also thinking that instead of creating a diary entry, I would take excerpts from the first Harry Potter book and do a more critical analysis of each excerpt and how it pertains to loss, betrayal and change. The only problem with that is I left my copy of the book at home this semester.

Annotated Bibliography That I Will Edit Later

http://www.jstor.org.webdb.plattsburgh.edu:2048/stable/41483395?seq=2&Search=yes&searchText=fantasy&searchText=Using&searchText=literature&searchText=teach&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff&prevSearch=&item=8&ttl=7512&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null This talks about the benefits of teaching fantasy to students and how that genre isn't simply for pleasure.

http://www.jstor.org.webdb.plattsburgh.edu:2048/stable/41404645?seq=3&Search=yes&searchText=fantasy&searchText=Using&searchText=literature&searchText=teach&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26la%3D%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26acc%3Don%26vf%3Djo%26bk%3Doff%26pm%3Doff%26jo%3Doff%26ar%3Doff%26re%3Doff%26ms%3Doff%26gw%3Djtx%26Query%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26sbq%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26si%3D26&prevSearch=&item=36&ttl=7512&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

http://www.jstor.org.webdb.plattsburgh.edu:2048/stable/819230?&Search=yes&searchText=fantasy&searchText=Using&searchText=literature&searchText=teach&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26la%3D%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26acc%3Don%26vf%3Djo%26bk%3Doff%26pm%3Doff%26jo%3Doff%26ar%3Doff%26re%3Doff%26ms%3Doff%26gw%3Djtx%26Query%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26sbq%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26si%3D26&prevSearch=&item=50&ttl=7512&returnArticleService=showFullText This article is about how science-fiction is a legitimate genre.

http://www.jstor.org.webdb.plattsburgh.edu:2048/stable/998458?&Search=yes&searchText=fantasy&searchText=Using&searchText=literature&searchText=teach&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26la%3D%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26acc%3Don%26vf%3Dall%26bk%3Doff%26pm%3Doff%26jo%3Doff%26ar%3Doff%26re%3Doff%26ms%3Doff%26gw%3Djtx%26Query%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26sbq%3DUsing%2Bfantasy%2Bto%2Bteach%2Bliterature%26si%3D26&prevSearch=&item=30&ttl=7512&returnArticleService=showFullText Education and Fantasy

Multigenre: Literacy

We wear the mask that sighs and groans,
It greets assignments with more moans, -
This debt we pay to lit'racy;
With weary, heavy hearts they be
Ignore responsibility,

Why should English be otherwise,
In reading, grammar, and criticize?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We frown, but oh great Christ, our bliss
To thee our love to read amiss
We write, but oh paper is cruel
Beneath fingers, and lacking fuel,
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!







In my multigenre, I'd like to focus on specific activities that could help students read and write better. It can be from "reading carts" to interesting grammar lessons. I'm not so interested in getting students into specific works of literature, but literature as a whole. But I also want to combine grammar and writing with reading to increase overall literacy.




Barb: Hey wht u up 2?
Val: Not mch doing ths sheet 4 eng class
Barb: Y?
Val: Cuz I want a good grade
Barb: Kk. Wnna go out l8tr?
Val: Sur Ill txt you wen im dun

This is how students communicate to each other on a regular basis, whether via texting with phones or through instant messaging on the internet. I wish students wouldn't communicate this way, because it negates what they learn (or what I hope they learn) in class: proper grammar, interest in reading, and writing skills. Maybe, if I can figure out a way to make these things fun for students to do, they'd be more interested in practicing these skills on a regular basis. It might not change their habits when speaking to one another, but it will hopefully change their habits for reading and writing.

Essay Writing

"Our essay prompts should not merely be exercises in writing to a particular form, in revealing limited information learned specifically for a test. They should instead be opportunities for our students to create additional original thinking about literature," (Moffett 1983, 171).

I agree completely with this quote. Too often in my high school career, I was told to write an essay with a limited prompt with very strict guidelines to include certain parts of a text; I would feel stifled. I reveled in the ability to create a paper that no one else in my class would create, if only so that my paper would stand out in the sea of papers that the teacher had to read. Often, it was hard to do under the restraints of the essay prompts given because they expected a certain level of regurgitation of information. Many students' essays seemed to be about the same thing.

I enjoyed Romano's adaptation of an essay prompt. To include creative elements in an otherwise rigid structure allows for students to create their own, individual papers that will be unlike what anyone else writes.  I will definitely utilize the creative essay technique for my own classroom. Students will enjoy writing them because of the freedom they will have. If nothing else, this will allow for grading to be more entertaining because I will not have to read the same essay over and over.

Multigenre Topics

I was thinking about doing my multigenre paper on increasing literacy. I think that literacy rates are going down because of the prevalence of the internet, texting, and television. Students are less inclined to read books and learn proper writing processes when there are electronic options available to them. Literacy comes in three parts: reading, writing, and grammar.
I hope to do some research that will help me find ways to get students interested in reading again. I know when I was in school, my teachers used "reading carts", independent reading based upon a choice of books on a cart, to promote reading that interested my classmates and I. I'd also like to find some research about interesting ways to teach grammar, because half of literacy is proper language. Creative writing assignments were used in my high school to help us become better writers, but I feel like there are probably other ways to get students into writing properly.

I was going to continue the topic of ADD in this multigenre, because that was what I wrote my last one on, but I feel like there might not be enough research material for it. I know that when I did research last time, the articles were more based in the scientific and medical aspects of the disorder, rather than any practical applications for helping students with ADD learn. Also, with this topic, I don't really know what I would try to prove through my research.

Our Town: For or Against Humanity?

The third act of Our Town portrayed a negative side of humanity. Within the third act, the people that are dead discuss how the living don't appreciate the little things in life and don't try to enjoy every opportunity. I feel that this depicts the reality that people don't appreciate what they have. Usually, people are stressed, or worried, or disappointed about something and they don't take the time to appreciate what's around them because they are so distracted by the negative things in their lives. Society gets bogged down by all the negative things that they forget to think about the positives and enjoy them while they last. For instance, as a kid, Emily couldn't appreciate that her mother made her breakfast every morning, and that her father came home with a present for her. After her death, she is so hurt by the fact that she couldn't appreciate it then and she could so much now that she couldn't even face the event again. After she returns to her grave, Simon Stimson tells her that living is a waste of time because everyone lives in a self-centered way, which also lends to an accurate negative portrayal of society.

While the dead are sitting there during Emily's funeral, they are removed from humanity and the living and are waiting for the eternal part of their nature to occur. This is another commentary on society, saying that we are unsure about what happens after death, if anything at all. The dead have a sad existence, waiting for something that might never come. While they are removed from the living, they don't often associate with each other often either. There is nothing for them to look forward to, really, except for this eternal thing to happen them that might never happen.

HFPP Paper Blog

I know that I will not agree with the school board; Huck Finn should be kept in the curriculum.

I know that I will not focus strictly on the issue of race; not only is that too simple of a topic, but if that is the only defense for reading or not reading Huck Finn, the argument would never end because people can never agree about race.

I think I'd like to focus on childhood and how Huck Finn accurately represents children, even though the book is fairly old and was written in a different time. Comparing Huck to today's students could help show that children are the same despite time period, race, class, or any number of things. Which I guess would help lend to the topic of racial equality in the book and racial equality of today and how they differ or are still the same.

Or I could focus on how Huck defies the barriers set for him by his elders and society, and how he never actually conforms. It could help students develop their own individuality and sense of self while still having them engage in a literary work from the past. 

Most importantly, I need to focus on the fact that although the ELA classroom has changed through the use of technology and teaching methods, that students themselves haven't changed. They are still capable of being educated and interested in the same things students of the past were educated and interested in. Steps simply have to be taken to intertwine the modern classroom setting with works from the past to help enhance the learning experience. I could talk about integrating film into the unit, or the reenactment/exploration of scenes, or some sort of short video experience (youtube) that somehow incorporates Huck Finn.