*8th GRADE READING LEVEL* Finally, a spare minute to write and reflect on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs! This book was slow paced but overall very steady and phenomenal. I can truly say that it is unlike any other book I have ever read and it kept me on my toes. While I enjoyed this book in my free time, it would be hard to use in its entirety in the classroom. Miss Peregrine's, MP, (as I will refer to it affectionately) is very lengthy and dense which would make it hard to use as a whole novel in the classroom. However, the ethical aspects it provides about mental disorders as well as the aspect of historical pictures is magnificent as a learning tool. There is also room for a science lesson! During the novel, the main character is conflicted about his health and personality. (SPOILER ALERT) He is convinced by his psychiatrist (the antagonist) that he is insane and certifiably unstable. In other words, the antagonist lets the main character believe that he has a mental disorder. However, the main character actually has a very useful and helpful trait; he is peculiar. This unique contrast of ethical ideas about whether or not the main character is peculiar (positive) or mentally unstable (negative) is presented by Riggs. The reader has to decide what the author's purpose is with the culture of "peculiar children" which is a good debate for the classroom. I would like to set up a debate about the ethics involved in the book, accompanied by a peace education lesson on inclusion and acceptance. I would also like to discuss the topic of People First language. On the debate about ethics and how society views mental disorders, I would love to incorporate CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1) Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. The students would have to use evidence and passages in the text that portray their opinion on how mental disorders are represented in the novel: positively or negatively. I would also have the students cite outside sources that support their evidence (peer reviewed articles/news articles/etc). I would also love to invite a specialist on mental disorders into the classroom to talk about mental disorders. This paper wuld also incorporate this standard along with 8.2 and 8.3. I would also like to do an activity with the students that incorporates science. I would have the students consider the following Next Generation Science Standard: LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared. (MS-LS2-2) In the part of the book where the antagonist begins murdering the civilians, I want the students to discuss and consider how his predatory interactions affected the ecosystem and the well being on the citizens. After considering this point, I want the students to consider how this change in ecosystem affected the novel's plot. How were the character's interactions interdependent? Were the interactions necessary for the plot? I would then have the students research and explore how predatory relationships work on islands like the island in the book and see how scientifically accurate the novel is. *7th Grade Reading Level* After finishing Origin this past week, I must say that 1) it was absolutely entertaining and 2) definitely usable in the classroom. As a YA novel enthusiast, Origin was unique and unlike current popular YA novels that I have read such as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Legend. Origin mainly took place in the Amazon rainforest which is a good starting point for integrating it as a tool for interdisciplinary science/language arts. The story included questions of ethics in science, ethic in human nature, the deceit nature of being naive, and an overall theme of defeating science.
First, I'll start out with the pros of using this book in a 7th grade classroom (the recommended reading level). In this review of the book, I will incorporate the CCSS along with why this book would be good to use. I like how Origin embraces the culture of the Amazon rainforest and the research Jessica Khoury did for the novel. The names of the Ai'oan people are inspired by another language which promotes diversity within the novel. The debate between ethics and success in the novel is extremely prominent and is an important conversation to have with students, especially adolescent students who are developing their own opinions on the world. Eio and Pia have a Romeo and Juliet-like relationship in the novel which could be used to relate old literature to new literature and show the relationship between continuing themes. Pia is a heroine in the novel, promoting feminism and Eio is a good example of a male character that does not indorse rape culture. Here are some CCSS I could use with Origin. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (Foreshadowing could be a great example from Origin) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. (Ethics vs. Success) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot). (Eio and Pia, Pia and Uncle Paolo, Pia and Uncle Antonio, Pia and Aunt Harriet) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. (A study of the created Ai'oan language from the Tupi-Guarani and its cultural significance and how Pia learns Ai'oan) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. (The mind of Pia vs. the mind of the scientists) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9 Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history. One con of using Origin is that it is a very long novel (about 300 pages) and may not be accessible for all students. To modify the novel, I could consider using excerpts from the novel compared to Romeo and Juliet to illustrate CSSS 7.9. Other than the length of the novel, I do not see any other problems with it. It is not overly controversial and would be appropriate for the school setting. Until next time, read on my friends. It's no secret that I always have and continue to love reading Young Adult (YA novels). Not only do I enjoy the easy read, foreshadowing, teen characters, and dramatic plot, I also love the fun of reading YA novels because it transports me to a time when I always had time to read for fun. Last summer I read the Divergent series along with The Maze Runner series and this summer I hope to read many more novels. While reading these novels, I realized how useful it would be for me too take notes and jot down ideas about how I could use these books in my future classroom and connect them to current events/society, science, and social networking. By enjoying these books myself, I can chat with students about how awesome they are during my students and build lesson plans for the future.
Here's a rough outline of the books I want to read this summer: Origin by Jessica Khoury Vitro by Jessica Khoury Witch and Wizard The Gift by James Patterson and Ned Rest The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart Champion by Marie Lu |