Margaret Atwood and Multimodality

"Significant Moments in the Life of my Mother" possesses some potential for multimodal teaching in the classroom. Given that the text reads somewhat like a series of connected vignettes, it can be easily divided into recognizable section. As such, a possible project for the students is for them to break into groups with each group assigned a section of the story. They are then required to do a brief storyboard of their section. After which, each storyboard can be pieced together as a class to create some sort of pictorial (or even film) adaptation of the story.

This, I found, is quite interesting as it brings up several discussion points such as how text differs from graphic or film representations. As the students are required to pick out the most significant scenes from the story to put in their storyboard, it inevitably means that some scenes are left out. Discussions about how having to read between the lines in text differs from reading the empty "spaces" in film can also take place. The difficulty of representing certain things in the storyboard might also surface for the students - how to represent internal dialogue/feelings, for example. Later when the students try to piece their storyboards together, they might feel that the order presented in the text might not work as well in the medium of film or pictures and decide to switch it up.

Like Brennan mentioned in his post, it is certainly important to keep the text central especially when bringing multimodality into the classroom. Such an activity, then, can highlight how text and multimodal representations can contain different meanings, forms and structures. This should (hopefully) get them to think twice when they watch a film adaptation of another lit text and assuming it equates reading the book. More importantly, this project also encourages independent thinking and creativity in the students by giving them "creative control" over how they decide to depict the text.

Multimodality, Margarent Atwood and Modern times (just for the alliteration)

Margaret Atwood’s short story “Significant Moments in the Life of My Mother is rich both in terms of narrative and multimodal possibilities. Because of its quilted nature—its interweaving of a multitude of stories—one way might be to come up with a histogram charting, chronologically, the occurrence of the stories that the protagonist’s mother tells in the short story. Students could get pertinent quotes from the story and arrange them according to the order that they occur in the mother’s life. Not only would this be multimodal, but it would also require the students to study the text thoroughly. I've provided an example (very very rough draft) of what such a graphic organizer might look like.

If there was more time, it could even be possible to get students to create a histogram and fill it up pictures representing the various stages and incidents of the mother’s life. They would have to justify and provide their rationale for the pictures that they’re using in reference to the text.  

This activity got me thinking and returning to the question of the tension between multimodality and the importance of keeping the text front and centre in the classroom. It might perhaps be possible to get students to engage with excerpts from the text, say one particular scene from Hamlet for example and set them a multimodal activity (pictorial representation, shooting a short film, creating a diorama etc.) that they have to envision from their perspective. This would maintain the centrality of the text while at the same time engaging the students’ multimodal perspectives.

So perhaps the question shouldn’t be if the text is important (it is always important) but how to set multimodal activities that engage the students without letting them forget about the importance of the text. 

multimodality and the short story

Read Significant moments in the life of my mother by Margaret Atwood. What multimodal possibilties are there for studying this short story? Also, what other thoughts do you have on multimodality in the Literature classroom?

Megalai's E Learning Assignment

I came across the British Council website which is very useful for a teacher as it provides a wide variety of resources comprising of lesson plans, activities and worksheets. Although the website is to assist teachers who teach English, there is a section called BritLit that provides resources to teach literature. I also feel that these resources are appropriate for secondary level students who will eventually be sitting for the GCE O Level examinations.

URL of Website: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/britlit  

1) http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/britlit/my-daughter-fox
This is an extremely useful pack of resources which I feel will be ideal to teach unseen prose. There are three activities for the students to complete, pre-reading, reading as well as post-reading which are well-focused on aspects like perspective and focusing on contextual clues which are skills required by students when they do the unseen. There is also an audio version of the text available, which the teacher can play while the students attempt the pre-reading activity, this injects fun into the lesson as students are engaged in the audio clip that dramatises the text. After looking at the prose, the post-reading activity offers other works in the same theme, a poem for instance, for the students to look at which is also helpful.

2) http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/britlit/fish-swimming
This is based on a poem by Moniza Ali called 'Fish Swimming.' I would use this poem and the accompanying worksheets to teach students metaphors, similes and imagery as a result of that. There are links to two flash animation presentations done up by students from other schools on the site. These visually represent the poems and help the students to visualize it as well. This would enable them to grasp the concept of imagery easily. As the fish is compared to other things in the poem, they will be able to understand how these metaphors and similes contribute to imagery and hence meaning in the poem. The poem is not too long, so it is easy to work with. I would follow up the poem by getting students to use a photograph of their own and compose their own poems based on it. This lesson would have a creative writing element to it.

3) http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/world-words/chain
This is an interview with author Keith Gray, who reads an excerpt from his novel, The Chain, and also goes on to talk about how he crafted the characters in his book. This activity could be done in a lesson to teach students about author's purpose and intention, which is a essential thing that they have to think about while reading in order to critically engage with the text. An interview with the author himself will help students think that books are accessible and relatable, therefore they do not need to feel intimidated while studying a text. Students will be able to understand after hearing from the author himself that there is always a reason and purpose for aspects of a text to be in a particular way.

Thank you.

Merlion Creative Submissions

Hi All,

In the spirit of bringing our peer teaching to a close, this is what we hoped to do eventually with the students' submissions. We'd take pictures of it and post it up on the class blog for posterity. Thanks for the cooperation and the help with the session! You guys made it a lot more painless than it could have been! :D







Best,
Melissa, Jiamin, Jason and Brennan

Book Review: The Colour of Magic

Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic, is epic. Terry Pratchett, needs no introduction. He is one of the most read contemporary writers of fantasy. The Colour of Magic is part of a series known as the Discworld. It was published in 1983 as a novel and in 1992 as a graphic novel. It is as a graphic novel that I read The Colour of Magic and I will be reviewing the graphic novel.

When I first read The Colour of Magic, we still called them "comics" rather than graphic novels. I feel this is a good text to teach in school at Upper Sec level, as it has different layers of meaning that might be a little too tough for Lower sec kids. Kids love reading comics/graphic novels, especially the Japanese-Manga ones, which can be quite complex. The Colour of Magic weaves a fantasy world that appeals to students, who seem to enjoy this genre, especially now with the Twilight generation.

The Colour of Magic is like an action adventure with two almost Quixotic characters going on a series of adventures. When a tourist from a more powerful universe comes to visit Ankh-Morpork, an incompetent and failed wizard is set by the ruler to take him around safely. As a result of a tavern bawl, the entire city burns down and the wizard Rincewind escapes with Twoflower, the tourist from the Agatean Empire. They embark on a journey that is quest-like and defeat different villains and help several people in the course of their journeys.

Unknown to the characters, they are being controlled by a group of gods playing a board game.

This text can be used to introduce many themes and values. One is of course the parody of the romance genre, where a knight goes on a quest and defeats villains in an effort to either win the favour of a lady-love or glory. This is more in the vein of a picaresque novel, with Rincewind as the picaro. The idea of the anti-hero can also be introduced through this novel, for neither the cowardly, inefficient RIncewind nor the whimsical Twoflower are what we would call, "heroes". They do not fit the category or the values of traditional heroes or even modern-day heroes and do not fulfill the criteria wherein one can look up to them in admiration.

They are at best misfits.

Another important point that can be covered here is the fact that Rincewind is always being reminded of his failure as a wizard. He was a drop-out and therefore was considered an inefficient wizard. However, gradually throughout the story, he gains in confidence as he learns to solve the problems and meet adversities. This is an important life lesson for our students, that we can use to connect to their own lives. Though sometimes, we feel that we are the pawns of destiny or bad luck or any such influence, one can overcome one's situation if one has enough perseverance and confidence in one's self.

Except for a few complexities, I feel this book could have been a great text for lower sec classrooms too.  

Reading a YA novel

Hello all,

Here is the blog post for discussing your reading and teaching of a YA nove (to be completed by 3 October, Wednesday). Post as comments under this blog post.

 After reading your YA novel, share if it is something that you would use in the secondary classroom. What are its potentials as well as pitfalls? Some guiding questions:

(1) How would you categorize this text (popular culture, classic etc)?
(2) Would you teach it to a lower secondary class? Why or why not?
(3) What are its possibilities as a set text? (e.g. thematic possibilities, areas of study, values education etc.)
(4) What problems do you foresee with introducing the text at lower sec?

Please feel free to include other thoughts about your reading and your thoughts on text choice and instructional practices.

Readings:

Applebee, A. N. (2000) Creating continuity and coherence in High School literature curricula. Research in the Teaching of English 34, 396-429.
Loh, C.E. (2009) Reading the World: Reconceptualizing Reading Multicultural Literature in the ELA classroom in a Global World. Changing English 16:3, 287-299.

NOTE: Other readings in course outline pertain specifically to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.