My Reflection

Working with a difficult text proved to be difficult. The text was dry and at times dragged on like a rusty tire behind a '72 Pinto. I would have put down this book, Not Without Laughter, after the third chapter had it not been for the group dependency on my interaction and the Blog created for the discussion of the book. I found that the discussion between myself, Annie, and Patty was very influencial in my understanding of certain aspects of the book. We each had difficulty, however we also each had a different perspective. It was the diversity of perspective that really furthered my engagement with the book. The exposure to that perspective was made possible through the blog. In literature circles or book group circles the convene to talk about a book after reading it, on the blog we were convening with each other through our immediate responses. Sometimes the blogging would be live, in that I would notice another group member posting at the same time as me. It was quite exciting. The use of hypertext, videos, connecting literature, and photos was highly influential in bringing the text to life.
The lesson plan really took shape after a long time of not knowing what to do. We liked the NCTE ideas on teaching Langston Hughes, however, we felt that the i-quilt idea was innovative and engaging in terms of the poetry. We also felt that using poetry rather than the difficult text would allow students not only to engage in the poetry but the text that requires some sort of introduction. Overall, I feel that our idea is highly developed and will prove to engage students in their learning.