World Literature Opening the global window David Nurenberg

World Literature Opening the global window David Nurenberg Concord-Carlisle High School 2007

WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?

WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO? A portfolio is a collection of lesson plans, assignments, readings, sample student work, etc. that constitute a teacher's practice in a certain course, unit, or department. It is a living document, continually referred to and modified throughout a teacher's career.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PORTFOLIO ?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PORTFOLIO ? -Helps a teacher stay organized and reflective

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PORTFOLIO ? -Helps a teacher stay organized and reflective -Can be shared with colleagues who are looking for ideas, can create consistency across a course taught by different teachers

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PORTFOLIO ? -Helps a teacher stay organized and reflective -Can be shared with colleagues who are looking for ideas, can create consistency across a course taught by different teachers -Provides evidence for certification, professional development, state standards, etc

Sample Portfolio: World Literature at Concord Carlisle High School

Concord Carlisle High School

Concord Carlisle High School - “Successful” school: > 90% college attendance, top echelon of MCAS (state testing scores), robust course offerings

Concord Carlisle High School - “Successful” school: > 90% college attendance, top echelon of MCAS (state testing scores), robust course offerings BUT…little to no Non-Western curricular focus!

Creation of World Literature – exploring “other cultures” through stories.

Literature is a window into the human experience, and by reading the literature of other world cultures, we can not only understand their experiences and worldviews better, but perhaps understand ourselves better as well.

FIVE YEAR PROCESS

FIVE YEAR PROCESS TAUGHT SINCE 2005

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective • Heterogeneous class (non-tracked)

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective • Heterogeneous class (non-tracked) • Course divided into five “units”:

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective • Heterogeneous class (non-tracked) • Course divided into five “units”: Africa

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective • Heterogeneous class (non-tracked) • Course divided into five “units”: Middle East/West Asia Africa

FEATURES OF WORLD LITERATURE • Semester-long 11 th/12 th grade elective • Heterogeneous class (non-tracked) • Course divided into five “units”: Middle East/West Asia Africa China

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Students will gain familiarity with major authors, texts, themes and literary traditions, both modern and classical, and relevant historical background of several non-Western cultures.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Students will gain familiarity with major authors, texts, themes and literary traditions, both modern and classical, and relevant historical background of several non-Western cultures. Students will be able to draw stylistic and thematic parallels, and note differences, between literary works of the West (both canonical and non-canonical) and literary works of various nonwestern cultures.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Students will gain familiarity with major authors, texts, themes and literary traditions, both modern and classical, and relevant historical background of several non-Western cultures. Students will be able to draw stylistic and thematic parallels, and note differences, between literary works of the West (both canonical and non-canonical) and literary works of various nonwestern cultures. Students will be able to understand concepts that arise in the literature we read, both as concepts themselves and in the context of each culture.

THEMES WE EXPLORE:

THEMES WE EXPLORE: • multicultural (versus ethnocentric) mindset • colonialism and literary responses • narrative theory • non-linear (including cyclic) narratives • the hero’s journey

Some of our texts include: Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) Master Harold and the Boys (Athol Fugard) Nervous Conditions (Tsitsi Dangaremba) Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi) Kitchen (Banana Yoshimoto) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie) Various poems and short stories by Israelis and Palestinians We watch several films including: Amandla (South Africa) Promises (Israel/Palestine) A Veiled Revolution (Egypt) To Live (China) Princess Mononoke (Japan).

The World Literature portfolio consists of readings and assignments. At the beginning of each unit or new book I deliver a lecture and Power. Point outlining some key historical and social issues…

The World Literature portfolio consists of readings and assignments. At the beginning of each unit or new book I deliver a lecture and Power. Point outlining some key historical and social issues… …and then as the students read and do the nightly assignments, we engage in discussions in class, either teacher-guided discussions or small-group Socratic circles where the students discuss on their own.

SAMPLE PORTFOLIO ITEM #1: The Nacirema Students read fake “anthropological” article, discover it’s about America. They then construct a “Nacirema” piece about their own lives. Idea of ethnocentrism vs. multiculturalism

SAMPLE PORTFOLIO ITEM #2: Narrative Theory Students compare different tellings of the same “historical” events, realize how history & identity is dependent on framing. They then write two divergent histories of their own lives.

SAMPLE PORTFOLIO ITEM #3: Independent Project Students pick a region or culture not included in our main curriculum from which to read a book, watch a film, listen to music, eat a traditional meal, and do some additional research tasks.

Assessments take the form of reading quizzes, end-of-unit essays, and a project fair where they present their independent project and the journals they kept while doing it.

We are always looking for new ideas as to how to help our kids broaden their horizons in a more global mindset… I am eager to hear what strategies and lessons others use! David Nurenberg dnurenberg@colonial. net 978 -318 -1400 x 7259