Debriefing the Texts

Critical Encounters In High School English:
Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents
by Deborah Appleman

Overall, I thought that this book was really benificial for any english teacher. I think that literary theory is very important to teach and understand at a young age and this book makes lesson planning easy. I think that every chapter is helpful and full of idea on how to teach literary theory. I really enjoyed the examples she provided and activities. Being able to read how her student's reacted to some of the lessons was also helpful. I was able to see how she handled tricky situations, like when the student pleaded about deconstruction. She used Hamlet for a lot of theory. Using the same text makes it easier for students to understand how to be critical. Being fully instructed at first, the students will then be able to apply different theories when necessary. Appleman's idea of using different stations around the classroom sounds fun, and i am looking forward to trying that in my own class. My favorite chapter had to be seven. It was very interesting and a good tactic to tie the book together. It also provides upcoming teachers inspiration to conduct a classroom like Martha's.

Literature and Lives:
A Response-Based, Cultural Studies Approach to Teaching English
by Allen Carey-Webb

I loved this book. I think that it is so fresh and beneficial for all teachers. Webb is very culturally aware and thinks outside the box. Webb's passion for teaching shines through in his writing. His narratives allow you to be put in the situations that he was in. We feel what he felt, and are able to follow along with his thinking process when figuring tough situations out. His book is easy to follow because it is consistant. I enjoyed that his book included a lot of political aspects because especially with the nation's present situation, it's important to teach for a well rounded understanding and awareness. Webb's inclusion of literary criticisms were beneficial as well. He made it easy to follow and was very descriptive with including activities in the classroom. His resources are awesome, they are definetely some that I will use. Having Allen Webb actually come visit the classroom was really neat. Never having met Webb, it was was amazing to meet him and actually talk about post-colonialism and open up for a Q&A. Overall, I think that this book has benefited the class and helped develop my teaching philosophies.

You Gotta be the Book
by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm

The title say it all! And I could not agree more. Wilhelm's book is great and is something that I will definetely use in my future classroom for reference. It is a great book to include in Engl 4800 course. I think that if you are an English Teacher and if you teach literature, this book is a very important read. I like how Wilhelm includes activites and examples to demonstrate the importance of Reader Response. He has great ways to get the students into the book; by using dramatization, writing from the perspective of a character, changing the ending, real-life role playing- we are able to read how the students react to the different activities. These are also great activities to use for my own classroom. Having a solid understanding of Reader Response is needed for students to continue learning other forms of literary criticism.