I learned a tremendous amount from this unit. The books that we read for this unit were Speak by Laurie Anderson, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, and The Austere Academy (Book the 5th) by Lemony Snicket. My favorite of these books were Stargirl and Speak because they were both books that really made me think and feel as though I was in the same situation as the main characters.
For our prompt on Speak we answered two questions in detail that I would like to consider for later use.
MY RESPONSE TO THE PROMPT:
1. Q: What do we know about Melinda so far? What does she say? do? think? How do others view her?
A: So far we know that Melinda has experienced something that has been very traumatic in her life. Melinda shows many signs of being an outcast, however, so far in the book the reason is not known. All that is known so far is that Melinda called the police at a party and that many people do not like her because of that. Melinda explains that she is longer friends with her old group of best friends and that she feels very alone. Melinda says, "There is no point in looking for my ex-friends. Our clan, the Plain Janes, has splintered and the pieces are being absorbed by rival factions,"(p.4). Melinda also seems to not have a very good relationship with her parents. One day when she was in the living room eating pizza on the couch, she made sure to be back in her room with the door closed before her dad got home. "By the time Dad unlocks the door, everything looks the way he wants to see it, and I have vanished,"(p. 15). This relationship that Melinda has with her parents seems very unhealthy and uncomfortable. She is often trying to avoid them and stays in her room most of the time. The things that Melinda says are very reserved. She does not know how to communicate and has trouble expressing her feelings and opinions. When Melinda walks around school she is very isolated and keeps to herself. Melinda's actions make it seem like she does not want to be noticed or ever heard. Melinda is an observer and over analyzes many of the things that go on at school. The way that Melinda thinks makes it evident that she has suffered from some kind of post-traumatic stress. She isn't very confident and is extremely self-critical. The only friend that Melinda has in the first half of the book is the new girl Heather. Heather is very fun, happy, and outgoing. When describing Heather, Melinda explains, "I used to be like Heather. Have I changed that much in two months? She is happy, driven, aerobically fit. She has a nice mom and an awesome television,"(p. 24). Others view Melinda as an outcast, a loser with no friends or personality. They view her as a troubled girl who has been ditched.
2. Q: What does the text seem to want its readers to talk about?
A: I believe that there are many things in this book that the author wants it's readers to think about. One of the main things that I thought about when reading this book were the use of symbols in the story that seem to represent broader ideas. Some of these symbols include how the mascots change, Melinda's lips, the closet, the tree, her sculpture with the turkey bones, the seasons, and mirrors. All of these symbols are used throughout this book in order to bring up deeper meanings. I believe that the author also wants the readers to talk about Melinda's personality and to think about what could of happened to her to make her act this way. It seems that Melinda sees her self worth through her grades that posted after each marking period. The text also wants the readers to talk about Melinda's identity and the role that school plays in her life. There is barely any parental involvement in school and I believe that this makes Melinda feel even more alone. They way that Melinda describes her teachers is a very important aspect of this book. Her teachers play a very important role in this story. All of Melinda's teacher who bother her or make her feel uncomfortable are not called my their true names. Melinda does not like her English teacher and explains that, "My English teacher has no face. She has uncombed stringy hair that droops on her shoulders. The hair is black from her part to her ears and then neon orange to the frizzy ends. I can't decide if she has pissed of her hairdresser or is morphing into a monarch butterfly. I call her Hairwoman, (p.6). The only teacher that Melinda has a good relationship with is Mr. Freeman. I believe this is because Melinda feels safe in his classroom and she feels like he understands her. She uses art as an outlet to express her inner emotions and as to explain who she is. Mr. Freeman plays a huge impact on Melinda at school and I believe that this is very important for the readers to talk about. Something else that I talked about with my group was that Melinda's identity and struggles are described by the change of mascots throughout this book. Melinda's attitude and personality reflects the constant change of mascots. One of my favorite lines in the book was when Melinda first introduced her school and how her mascot was recently being changed, "The school board has decided that "Merryweather High-Home of the Trojans" didn't send a strong abstinence message, so they have transformed us into the Blue Devils. Better the Devil you know than the Trojan you don't, I guess," (p.4). These lines really made me wonder how this could be related to Melinda's identity and also made me think about symbolism.
Questions to think about for Speak:
1. What do we know about Melinda so far? What does she say? do? think? How do others view her?
2. What roles are played by adults (parents, teachers…)?
3. What's the tone (the feel/mood) of the story?
4. Are you noticing symbols in the story that seem to represent broader ideas?
5. How does the school setting shape this text? What is the representation of school put forth by Melinda? Use examples from the text.
6. What does this text seem to want its readers to talk about?
7. What are the underlying theme(s) of the text?
I would also like to use the prompt for Stargirl for future use.
Prompt: What seems to be the purpose for the book? What do you suppose the author wanted his or her readers to “get” from reading the text? What evidence can you find in the text itself that supports this?
MY RESPONSE TO THE PROMPT:
I believe that there are many purposes for the book Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli. From the beginning of the story, Stargirl is described as an outcast. She is very unique and has her own sense of style and personality. Stargirl is nice to everyone and seems to not care about what others think of her. From reading this book, you get the sense that Stargirl is an individual, and that she stands out because of her extravagant personality. All of the characteristics that Stargirl embodies are unlike any of the other students at school. Everyone seems to be fascinated by her and are constantly watching her to see what her next move will be. At a basketball game, Stargirl ends up cheering for the other team and comforts a player on the opposing team when he is injured. The student body does not understand why she would do this, and in a turn of events Stargirl soon becomes hated by everyone. When Leo helps Stargirl realize that she is not liked she goes on a mission to become "normal." Stargirl transforms into someone she is not and stops doing everything that had made up her unique identity. The student body does not even react when Stargirl becomes "normal" and her mission desperately fails. During this time, Leo starts to slowly abandon Stargirl as well and she becomes very unhappy. This is very unusual because she is always so cheerful with a positive outlook on life. Stargirl then shows up at the Ocotillo Ball as her extravagant self and she ends up being the life of the party. Everyone realizes why they looked up to her so much and that she is not meant to be "normal." The purpose of this book seems to be that you should always be yourself no matter what others think. You should also never change who you are in order to satisfy others. Being an individual and unique, while having a positive outlook on life are good traits to embody.
I believe that Jerry Spinelli wanted the readers to understand that it is okay to be different from reading this text. I believe that the author wanted the readers to understand that it is okay to be an individual and to stand out. The story of Stargirl explains that you should never change who you are in order to satisfy others. When Stargirl attempts to become "normal" her plan ends up failing and she is left unhappy and feeling more alone than ever.
When Stargirl tries being normal and it is not successful, she decides to give up. "The answer is yes. I'm giving up on trying to be popular and normal,"(p.16y). "Because we live in a world of them, right? You told me that once, "(p.162). Stargirl becomes very frustrated when she turns into someone who is "normal" and she does not get a reaction from anyone. Stargirl changes who she is in order to be accepted and it ends up backfiring on her. One of my favorite moments in this book is when Stargirl arrives at the Ball and parents are fascinated by her. "Beautiful. Unusual. Interesting. Different. Regal. These words will come later from the parents lining the walk. For now, there are only stares as she makes her way from the entrance to the ball,"(p.167). This is evidence that Stargirl is admired for who she is, even though she may be different and an outcast. When Stargirl transforms back into her extravagant self at the Ocotillo Ball, everyone begins to appreciate her again when she starts a dancing movement. "In the days and weeks and years that followed, everyone agreed: they had never seen anything like it,"(p.167). This moment shows that Stargirl finally gets accepted once again for being an individual and being unique. Everyone realizes that although Stargirl may be different, she is extremely caring of others and has a heart of gold.
After reading Speak and Stargirl, we had to create a visual map of either one or both of these stories. for this assignment I chose to make a visual map about Stargirl. I created my visual map by cutting out words and phrases from magazines that described Stargirl's personality and obstacles. The final product of my visual map turned out very beautiful and it really displayed my understanding of Stargirl. I thought that this was a very successful assignment because I was able to express my ideas and thoughts in a way that I would have not been able to in an essay.
--In the future I believe that visual maps would be a great assignment for children to do because they are able to express their ideas and feelings in a unique and beautiful way.
The Austere Academy by Snicket Lemony was definitely unlike Stargirl and Speak. I enjoyed readying The Austere Academy, however, not as much as the other two books. The Austere Academy was a very easy read and was entertaining, but it was a book that I could not relate to at all. The Austere Academy is more of a fantasy book than Stargirl and Speak. I believe that the reason why I loved Stargirl and Speak so much was because I could picture everything that I was reading. I have seen girls who are like these two girls and that is what makes these books so fascinating. After reading these two books I had a new opinion on being different and an individual. I began to admire Stargirl and Melinda for who they truly were on the inside and outsid.
RESOURCES:
Newberry and Caldecott Winners:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal.cfm
Michael L. Printz Award:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm
Jerry Spinelli, author of Stargirl:
http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_002.htm
Lemony Snicket, author of The Austere Academy:
http://www.lemonysnicket.com/
Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak:
http://www.writerlady.com/
So far this unit has been my favorite. I have began to release my inner love for reading because of this class. I never knew that I could be so into a character until I read Stargirl and Speak. I also enjoyed reading The Austere Academy and I plan on using all of these books in the future. I can't wait to see what else I learn in this class and I am excited to read the rest of the books that are required.
--I am happy that it is SPRING BREAK! Now it is time to start reading A Midsummer Night's Dream! Goodnight :)
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