nrohrer

Please post your diverse text assignment here

** Annotated Text Set **
 * Nicole Rohrer **
 * Prof. Julie Coiro **
 * EDC 448 **
 * Spring 09 **
 * Context for using the text set: This text set is designed for an advanced 9th grade English class. The topic of study is flashbacks.  Flashbacks are used in many different texts to communicate different information to readers.  Students should be aware of and be able to process the meaning of flashbacks as they read.  Two-to-three of these texts may be challenging for certain students, but I have included other texts to make learning opportunities equal.  **
 * A. Print Resources: **
 * Text #1: Wuthering Heights **
 * Citation: Bronte, E. (1988).  //Wuthering Heights.//  Edited by Heather Glen.  London and New York: Routledge.
 * Text Summary: This novel is mainly told from the perspective of Nelly Dean, a housekeeper at a manor called Thrushcross Grange. A resident named Lockwood records her story in his diary.  Nelly tells Lockwood the history of his landlord, Heathcliff, and of the strange residents of Wuthering Heights.  The story progresses from past to present.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because it features a story told through interesting flashbacks that are not necessarily in chronological order. The readers gain information and piece things together about the characters through the flashbacks.
 * Use of text: I would probably asks students to use this text to focus on the flashbacks and think about how different the story would be if Nelly’s flashbacks were not included.  The text also might be used to have students piece together sequence of events from clues in the text, since the flashbacks are not in order.
 * Attachment: This text is 390 pages, so it is not attached.
 * Text #2: Death of a Salesman **
 * Citation: Miller, A. (1949).  __Death of a Salesman__//.//  The Viking Press.
 * Text Summary: The play starts off in the Brooklyn home of main character Willy Loman. Willy expresses his disappointment in his son, Biff, who is over thirty years old and unemployed.  Biff and Willy’s other son, Happy, reminisce about their adolescence and think of a new job for Biff while Willy experiences flashbacks into the past, to when the boys were younger.  Biff pursues his career and Willy ironically loses his own job.  The father and son become frustrated with each other and soon after Willy begins acting delusional.  Willy, under severe stress, ultimately experiences a breakdown and commits suicide in hopes that his insurance money will give Biff a fresh new start.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because it has some very powerful flashbacks in it. The flashbacks are crucial to the play and they add a special twist for the reader/viewer.  Because the flashbacks are in play format, it allows the audience to have a peek into what’s going on in the character’s minds.
 * Use of text: I would probably ask students to use this text as a classroom reading activity.  It would be fun for the class to participate as characters in the play to get a feel for the different points of view in the text.
 * Attachment: This text is 139 pages, so it is not attached.
 * Text #3: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! **
 * Citation: Scieszka, J. (1989).  //The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!//  Illustrated by Lane Smith.  New York: Viking Penguin.
 * Text Summary: This text is a picture book, which puts a twist on the classic “Three Little Pigs” tale. It is told from the perspective of Alexander T. Wolf, notoriously known as the Big Bad Wolf.  In the book, Alexander, or Al, defends his actions against the three pigs.  He claims he was making a birthday cake for his dear old granny and seeking sugar, came upon a house made of straw.  With a sneeze, he demolishes it.  Empty handed, he moves onto the next house to seek sugar.  The next house is made of sticks.  He, with a sneeze, demolishes the stick house as well.  He then finds the brick house, and the pig living inside rudely denies him sugar.  The pig even insults the wolf’s grandmother, which enrages the wolf.  The cops witness this and arrest the wolf.  The story ends with the wolf in jail, asking for sugar.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because it is appealing to all levels of readers. Students should have no problem understanding the plot or vocabulary in this book because it is very basic.
 * Use of text: For this text, I would ask students to recall what they know about the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs.  I would then ask them to focus on the flashback in the text as they read.  The flashback is key because that is how the wolf tells his side of the story. I would also take advantage of the opportunity to touch on point of view with this story. Everyone is used to hearing this particular story from the points of view of the three little pigs, but this book lets the reader see the wolf's side of things.
 * Attachment: This text is over 25 pages, so it is not attached.
 * Text #4: Monster **
 * Citation: Myers, W. (1999).  //Monster.//  California: Hampton-Brown.
 * Text Summary: This book tells the story of a sixteen-year-old young man named Steve Harmon who is on trial for murder. Steve is innocent, but only one person believes him.  That person is his mother.  To be cleared, Steve needs to convince the jury of his innocence.  He needs to show that he is a good person, but his appearance is a setback.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because it was one of my favorites when I was younger. It is very engaging because it is set up as a screenplay.  The flashbacks in this text are shown, not necessarily as Steve’s memories, but as scenes that are out of order.  The flashbacks are considered reliable because they are presented as fact.
 * Use of text: In a classroom setting, I probably ask students to read this in sections on their own at home.  That way they can interpret meaning on their own and share with the class.  I think this is the type of text a student would be motivated to read at home on his or her own time.
 * Attachment: This text is over 200 pages, so there is no attachment.
 * Text #5: ‘Twilight’ Stars Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz Describe New Flashback Scenes **
 * Citation: Vineyard, J. (September 15, 2008).  ‘Twilight’ Stars Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz Describe New Flashback Scenes.  MTV.com.  Retrieved February 28, 2009 from []
 * Text Summary: This article, published on the MTV website, explains the flashback scenes in the upcoming Twilight sequel. One of the actors describes the flashbacks as a way to let “ people actually have a sense and a vision of really what it was about ”.
 * Rationale: The title mentions Robert Pattinson, a very popular young actor. This is sure to catch the student’s attention.  This article connects the use of flashbacks to a current hit movie, which many students have probably seen.  This article will appeal to students who are not likely to want to read the other novels I have selected which feature the use of flashbacks.
 * Use of text: I would probably do some sort of pre-reading activity with the students before reading this article. I would ask students if they could connect the use of flashbacks to something they have seen or read.  After reading the article, students would surely make a solid and meaningful connection.
 * Attachment: To open this, please click the link above.


 * B. Media Resources **
 * Text #6: The Sandlot **
 * Citation: Evans, D. M. (1993). //The Sandlot. //U.S.A.: 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation.
 * Text Summary: In this film, Scotty Smalls, the new kid in his neighborhood, wants to play baseball. Smalls is mentored by “baseball guru” Rodriquez, and gains the friendship of other neighborhood kids.  The movie follows the neighborhood kids’ adventures.
 * Rationale: I chose this film because the entire movie is set up as one big flashback to childhood. It will engage the students and show them that a flashback can last throughout a text or film.
 * Use of text: This film can be showed either at the beginning of the unit, or as a wrap up.
 * Attachment: This text is a movie. It is not attached.
 * Text #7: Love Story **
 * Citation: Swift, T. (2009).  Love Story.  //Fearless. //
 * Text Summary: This text is a song by teenage songwriter and country performer named Taylor Swift.
 * Rationale: I chose this text because it features the use of a flashback to create a scene for the listener.
 * Use of text: This text may be paired with the audio version of this song. The students will generally enjoy listening to the music while following along with the lyrics.
 * Attachment: See attachment #7 for the song lyrics.
 * C. Online interactive resources **
 * Text #8: Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis **
 * Citation: Teachers’ Domain. //The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. //(2008). Retrieved February 28, 2009 from []
 * Text Summary: This is a video of a U.S. Veteran’s account of the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
 * Rationale: This video features footage used as flashbacks of this Veteran’s memories. We hear what he is saying and see corresponding footage that is visually pleasing to the eye.
 * Use of text: This video could be shown at any point in the unit. I would use it to show that memories can be flashbacks. The person in this clip happens to have war flashbacks.
 * Attachment: To open this, click the link above.
 * Text #9: Inspiration for Writers: Flashbacks and Foreshadowing **
 * Citation: Tritt, S. (2001).  //Inspiration for Writers: Flashbacks and Foreshadowing.//  Retrieved from []
 * Text Summary: This interactive website gives students tips on how to write flashbacks and how to use foreshadowing.
 * Rationale: All of the other texts I have for the flashback unit have to do with reading about flashbacks. This is a great way to get students thinking about writing their own flashbacks.
 * Use of text: I would have students take a look at this website before having them write a short story which includes a flashback of their own. This would probably come toward the end of the unit to ensure all students have a firm idea of what a flashback is and how it works.
 * Attachment: To open this, click the link above.


 * D. Instructional Resources **
 * Text #10: Christmas Carol Chronology **
 * Citation: Gibbs, J. (2008).  //Christmas Carol Chronology.// Retrieved from []
 * Text Summary: This is a lesson plan that is based on Charles Dickens’ //A Christmas Carol.//  It is a way for students to develop strong comprehension in various ways.
 * Rationale: This lesson plan is a good way to get students to focus on flashbacks. One of the elements of this lesson plan is to have students examine the flashbacks in the story to determine a timeline.
 * Use of text: I would use this lesson plan around mid-December because that is when the story is set. The students would have already established a firm grasp of the use of flashbacks in text after reading it and through classroom discussions, so this would be a fun way to close the unit. The Christmas Carol is widely known for the flashbacks featured in it and it would be a nice piece to wrap up with.
 * Attachment: To open this, click the link above.
 * Using these texts together in the classroom: I would use these texts in the classroom with more focus on certain texts than others. For example, I might not focus on the picture book as much as I would focus on the novels.  I feel as though every student at the advanced level would be able to read these texts without major difficulty.  There may be a little trouble with vocabulary, but that would be covered in class as well. **


 * Learning Objectives: **
 * 1. **** Students will be able to employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements (FLASHBACKS) appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. (NCTE Standard 5) **
 * 2. **** Students will be able to summarize or paraphrase key ideas/plot, with major events sequenced, as appropriate to text (State R-10-4.2) **

Attachment #7:

Jen Hawkins: Great job Nicole! It seems that you have a variety of texts that would be appealing to a diverse group of readers. I really liked the way that you are having the students write a flashback of their own. That is a good way of determining whether or not the students really get the concept.

Tom Beall: I was particularly interested in the video portraying flashbacks of USN Sailors who were onboard USS INDIANAPOLIS when she was sunk in 1945. This was a particularly horrendous episode because the survivors were left adrift for several days before they were found. Flashbacks to wartime experiences are little enough discussed in our society but increasingly important given the number of veterans of recent wars - some of whom may be parents or siblings of students we teach. Understanding the burden of memory they carry and the challenges they face will be an imperative for contemporary teachers. I would have been interested to know how you plan to incorporate this very interesting topic into a larger curriculum.

Brittany Hedger: I visited your diverse text set just to see how you would find all these texts to help students learn about flashbacks and how they are used. I think you picked some excellent material especially when integrating some things that the students will be familiar with. Two technology pieces that stood out for me were the Taylor Swift lyrics and then the movie Sandlot. These are two things students are probably familiar with and wouldn't have even realized flashbacks are being used. And then another one is using the flashback from twilight. For students who english may not be there favorite subject I'm certain that you have found a way to get them engaged.