Rationale: Book
Dogsong
is a story about a boy and the tradition of his people. Whereas my students may be able to identify
with the main character because of his dedication to the tradition of his
people, they would not be able to understand why he chooses to live a life that
is devoid of nearly all amenities that they are afforded on a regular
basis. My students are mainly Hispanic
or Creole. Because of this fact, many of
my students would not have any knowledge about the Inuit people. Dogsong
is a book that would help them to gain more knowledge about a culture that is
different than theirs, and would hopefully open up their eyes to the
differences and similarities between their culture and Russell’s culture.
Rationale: Activity Choice
Students are exposed to new words every day, some that they have never heard before, and many that are from different languages. When reading the book Dogsong, students are exposed to many Eskimo words that are very confusing to say, let alone understand! By exposing the students to pictures of these words, instead of the words themselves, students will need to use their own background knowledge in order to decide what word best fits the pictures. This will allow students to discover new words through visual aides while tapping into their abilities to connect words and visuals. In addition, students will be using visual understanding to unlock this information. Many students are Visual learners more than they are Auditory learners, so by enabling them to visualize a word, they are more likely to retain the information. Nilson and Nilson stated that “It is difficult for speakers to learn new words that they do not feel comfortable pronouncing. Speakers are more likely to learn new words when they are feeling playfully engaged rather than when they are feeling threatened and worried.” Working in groups to discover these new words helps the students to feel less stressed about the understanding, and opens them up to enjoy the learning that is taking place within the class. Also, by asking students to recall specific instances where the words were used in the books, they will be increasing their comprehensive knowledge of the book as well, thus helping them to better understand the context of the book.
Students are exposed to new words every day, some that they have never heard before, and many that are from different languages. When reading the book Dogsong, students are exposed to many Eskimo words that are very confusing to say, let alone understand! By exposing the students to pictures of these words, instead of the words themselves, students will need to use their own background knowledge in order to decide what word best fits the pictures. This will allow students to discover new words through visual aides while tapping into their abilities to connect words and visuals. In addition, students will be using visual understanding to unlock this information. Many students are Visual learners more than they are Auditory learners, so by enabling them to visualize a word, they are more likely to retain the information. Nilson and Nilson stated that “It is difficult for speakers to learn new words that they do not feel comfortable pronouncing. Speakers are more likely to learn new words when they are feeling playfully engaged rather than when they are feeling threatened and worried.” Working in groups to discover these new words helps the students to feel less stressed about the understanding, and opens them up to enjoy the learning that is taking place within the class. Also, by asking students to recall specific instances where the words were used in the books, they will be increasing their comprehensive knowledge of the book as well, thus helping them to better understand the context of the book.
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