Appendix T
Rote Memorization in Making Meaning: Poe, The Raven, The Simpsons,
And Critical Thinking
Unit Overview
“Kids need both […] poetry and […] memorization. As educators have known for centuries, these exercises deliver unique cognitive benefits, benefits that are of special importance for kids who come from homes where books are scarce and the level of literacy low. In addition, such exercises etch the ideals of their civilization on children’s minds and hearts. Without knowing it, a child who has learned a scrap of verse has been drawn into the civilizing interplay of music and language, rhythm and sound, melody and words” (Beran, 2004).
For the past three years I have taught a unit on elements of poetry, poetry analysis and evaluation and Edgar Allen Poe. The instructional materials that I use include The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, an anticipation-reaction guide, print biographical information on Poe, an internet scavenger hunt that asks students to locate specific information about Poe, and a video of The Simpson’s (Groening, 1990) take on the poem.
Instructional strategies include; rote memorization of the first stanza of the poem, poetry analysis using guided questioning which transitions to student-generated questioning and multi-directional discourse among students and between students and me. An anticipation-reaction guide asks my students questions such as; have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night?; have you ever felt lonely?; have you ever lost a friend or a loved one? Discourse continues as we explore and examine information about Poe using print biographical information and the internet. We develop criteria for the elements that identify or exemplify good poetry. My students have already learned about various poetic devices, such as rhyme, meter, metaphor, alliteration, etc. and will retrieve and build on this knowledge within the context of the unit of instruction. I also teach my students about how to evaluate poetry, or anything else, in order to develop their evaluative skills. To do so, we first develop criteria for the elements of a good chocolate chip cookie. We take several different brands of chocolate chip cookies and evaluate them using the criteria we agreed upon. The same technique is then applied to poetry and specifically to The Raven.
I usually show my students The Simpsons (Groening, 1990) version of the poem, narrated by James Earl Jones, at the end of the unit. I have shown the video at the beginning of the unit as well with past students. The reason that I think it is more effective at the end of the unit is that 1) I use an anticipation reaction guide at the beginning of the unit in order to activate prior knowledge, and, 2) my students really take pride in all that they can do at the end of the unit ie: analysis and evaluation as well as retrieval of a great deal of information about E.A. Poe and I think that showing the video first might mitigate some of that well-deserved pride, and 3) the video is a great culminating activity that also includes a Poe celebration with food etc. on November 7th, which is one month after Poe’s October 7th, 1849 death.
It is amazing to me how students automatically analyze and evaluate the video based on what they have already learned. Most students catch the omitted stanza, and occasional missing words in the video. Further, they notice and recognize that the books that fall of the shelf in the video are all works by Edgar Allen Poe, that Maggie and Lisa are the Seraphim who swing the “unseen censer” (Poe, 1845), and that the windows in the cartoon are framed in purple curtains, “and the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” (Poe, 1845).
For some reason, possibly related to the cognitive processes of adolescents, Poe’s tragic life and death as well as his writing really appeals to, and engages 7th grade students. “Most students are fascinated by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and his macabre exploration of the human mind and madness. The "goth" movement and its themes of horror and the occult have inundated the modern teen, influencing contemporary movies, television, and music” (National Endowment for the Humanities, 2002). Motivation has not been an issue for this unit, CMT prep is another story. I think that by infusing CMT skills, for example, developing a critical stance and personal response, into a unit of instruction, rather than as stand alone activities, is much more effective with regards to student motivation.
Analysis and evaluation skills are integral in developing a critical stance on a given text. As my students slowly move from initial understanding into comprehension to developing a critical stance, I understand the merit of Lovett and Pillow’s (1995) statement that “some strategies aid both recall and understanding (e.g., relating new information to prior knowledge). Perhaps because of this covariation (with respect both to task goal and to strategy factors), children may come to distinguish between the two processes in a relatively slow and gradual manner; they may develop the ability to make some kinds of distinctions far in advance of others.” I see the truth of this statement within the unit of instruction. When I first read The Raven aloud, it is as if I am speaking a language that my students do not understand. However, as we work our way through the unit, slowly and gradually, bewilderment turns into comprehension and then into personal interpretation and critical stance.
Many of my students are intimidated by poetry, unless it is of the Shel Silverstein variety. So, after I read the poem aloud we begin a line by line translation and analysis of The Raven with me as facilitator and guide. This activity enables my students to see that with some thought, a dictionary, and guiding questions/scaffolding from me that they actually understand what Poe is writing about. Further, this exercise empowers them as readers of poetry, and teaches them how to work through a tough text, using collaboration and other resources.
Focus
According to our text, constant rehearsal and repetition are crucial for keeping information in an individual’s working memory, but less crucial in long-term memory. More important for long-term memory are meaning and organization (Bruning, Schraw, Norby & Ronning, 2004). Thus, one of my focus objectives will be to try to understand how my students develop their own interpretations/meanings from the texts, and whether or not the planned instructional strategies help them to develop their interpretations. Additionally, by taking into consideration the concept of schemata, or the mental frameworks my students already use to organize and interpret knowledge as a means of scaffolding or activating prior knowledge, my aim for this unit is to move my students beyond initial understanding toward thinking critically about Poe and his work (Bruning, et al., 2004). Just as important is facilitating continuous, multi-directional discourse that encourages students to make connections between different texts and between texts and their own lives.
My intent for this project is to provide a rationale for each learning activity in the unit of instruction. First, to discuss what aspect(s) of the cognitive process I believe that the activity addresses, in order to decide if this was my intention when planning the activity. Second, I would like to determine if the activity needs to be modified to be more effective, or possibly eliminated from the unit of instruction as unnecessary or irrelevant to my learning objectives. Finally, I will reflect on what I have learned from this process about my students as learners and about myself as a teacher and learner. I hope that through this project I will begin to better understand how my students take in, process, store, and retrieve information. I will learn what motivates them throughout the unit. Additionally, I will examine what learning and teaching strategies I should utilize to better assist them in understanding their own cognitive and metacognitive processes.
Discussion
Rationale for activities in the unit of instruction
Anticipation Guide Rationale-
“Students learn more effectively when they already know something about a content area and when concepts in that area mean something to them and to their particular background or culture (Peshkin, 1992; Protheroe & Barsdate, 1992; & Lee, 1992). When teachers link new information to the student's prior knowledge, they activate the student's interest and curiosity, and infuse instruction with a sense of purpose. Prior knowledge is a powerful resource students use to understand text. The Anticipation Guide is normally used prior to reading a passage. It can be used with expository and narrative text. After the students fill out the choices, discuss for possible correction of misconceptions, prejudices, or simple errors. Challenge students’ preconceived notions about a subject, author, or idea. It will cause students to examine their attitudes, knowledge, assumptions and/or understanding of the given subject” (2004, FOR-PD).
This activity enhances schema activation, and metacognitive skills, as according to our text prior knowledge directly influences perception, pattern recognition and assignment of meanings (Bruning, et. Al., 2004, p. 22). Further, the anticipation guide directly correlates to what Bruning et. Al. calls “advance organizers” which are introduced in advance of learning and are “presented at a higher level of abstraction, generally, and inclusiveness than the subsequent to-be-learned reading materials” (p. 276).
Analysis of The Raven Rationale- The objective of poetry analysis is to teach students to understand that poetry has two levels: literal and figurative. Moreover, it is my belief as an educator that I should teach students “how to think rather than what to think” (Bruning, et. Al., 2004, p. 180). As a component of critical thinking, poetry analysis “enables [students] to identify and select relevant information” (Bruning, et. Al., 2004, p. 183). Further, as I mentioned earlier, my students move from merely decoding the poem as they read along while I read aloud initially, to understanding the poem in both literal and figurative senses as they translate each line into concepts and sentences that have meaning for them. I believe that my passion and enthusiasm towards Poe’s work has much to do with my students’ motivation at this point in the unit, as this is probably the most difficult task. In the past I have shown The Simpsons (Groening, 1990) version of the poem after the analysis and it has worked well. I believe that this is because students now have a better understanding of the meanings attached to each word, line and stanza in the poem.
Rote memorization rationale-
“Verse teaches children something about the patterns and relationships that bind together the words of which it is composed. Poetry sets up an abstract system of order and harmony; the rhythm and the rhyme scheme are logical structures that a child can comprehend even before he understands the words themselves, just as he can grasp the rhythmic and harmonic relations of a piece of music. What the child discovers, in other words, is not only aesthetically pleasing, but important to cognitive development. Classic verse teaches children an enormous amount about order, measure, proportion, correspondence, balance, symmetry, agreement, temporal relation (tense), and contingent possibility (mood). Mastering these concepts involves the most fundamental kind of learning, for these are the basic categories of thought and the framework in which we organize sensory experience. Kids need to become familiar with them not only through exercises in recitation and memorization, but also, as they proceed to the later grades, by construing, analyzing, and diagramming particular verses. […] And of course memorization is a kind of exercise that strengthens the powers of the mind, just as physical exercise strengthens those of the body” (Beran, 2004).
Needless to say, Beran’s (2004) statements reflect my views on the value of memorization by rote in education. Particularly with kids who come from homes where reading is not a priority and literacy is low (Beran, 2004). Most of my students are African-American and/or recent immigrants from the Caribbean. There are a high percentage of students who do not read on grade level and who struggle as readers. Thus, this exercise combined with analysis empowers my students in their beliefs about their own reading and comprehension abilities. Not only do they know what the words mean, they can also recite the words from memory! It is my belief that this exercise in rote memorization addresses students’ self-efficacy beliefs in a positive manner.
Internet scavenger hunt rationale-
“How do educators help our students make truly satisfying choices? […] We can "hand students over to themselves. We can engage them in the joys of learning, of making meaning, of being part of something larger than themselves, of testing themselves against authentic challenges. We can shift them from passivity and consumption to action and creativity. And, believe it or not, the New WWW can help us” (March, 2006).
With this activity I take a more constructivist approach to instruction. I give students a list of questions about Edgar Allen Poe and his works. I also give them a list of reputable websites that have information about Poe and his work. Further, I allow them to search for information on other sites with the caveat that they must prove to me that the site is reputable. We had a lesson on how to judge the accuracy and integrity of internet sites in an earlier lesson. See http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/bonsai.html which is a website that gives instructions on how to produce bonsai kittens as a reference to what took place in the earlier lesson. Additionally, the internet scavenger hunt provides students with an opportunity to explore the internet in order to build on their knowledge of Poe. They are fascinated by all of the misfortunes that befell Poe during his short life. Students also like any opportunity to use computers and the internet, so they are highly engaged. This activity focuses their use of the internet within the structure of the unit on Poe. The product of this activity involves students writing a one-page biographical essay on Poe that asks them to answer the following questions. Why do you think Poe’s writing uses so many dark and scary themes? Do you think that the events from Poe’s real life affected his writing? Explain your answers using the information that you learned about Poe’s life through the internet scavenger hunt. This essay asks students to develop a personal response based on what they learned about Poe, his writing, and his life. Personal response is an aspect of critical thinking that is directly related to CAPT and CMT response to literature skills.
Develop criteria for evaluation/multi-directional discourse rationale- Evaluation is an important aspect of critical thinking and is directly related to CAPT response to literature questions. CAPT questions include “should this poem be considered “good” literature? Briefly make up your own definition of what makes a piece of literature “good,” and then explain how this poem does or does not fit your definition” (Canty, 1996).
For this portion of the unit I needed to enable my students to understand what it means to evaluate and how to establish criteria with which to judge their subject. As a whole class we came up with the following definitions for criteria and evaluation. Criteria is a standard, rule or test on which a judgment or decision can be based. Evaluation means to examine or judge carefully. We tested these definitions using chocolate chip cookies. First, we established a list of criteria for what aspects make up a “good” chocolate chip cookie. We then applied our criteria to several different types of cookies and judged how they fared based on our standards for “goodness.”
Next, we used the same process to develop criteria for what makes up a “good” piece of poetry. After the criteria were established, I asked my students to evaluate The Raven based on our standards. As a whole class, we went back into the poem and discussed it based on our criteria. For the most part the poem got good reviews from my students. However, this past year, one student pointed out that there seemed to be a problem with the last stanza:
“And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!” (Poe, 1845).
My student asked how the raven, who was sitting on top of the door, could throw a shadow on the floor. That was a good question! We tried to figure it out by re-enacting the stanza using a stuffed animal, the door to my classroom, and different types of lighting. Literally, it was just not possible. So, we moved into the figurative meaning behind Poe’s words. What does it mean to have a shadow cast over you? I was very proud of my students at this point in the unit as they were really looking at the poem critically and working through problems on their own.
Conclusions
Do any of the activities in this unit of instruction need to be modified or eliminated to make the unit more effective?
Overall I believe that the unit is very effective. My objectives of activating prior knowledge, rote memorization, analysis/evaluation and personal response through a short biographical essay on Poe are all met through the activities within the unit. When I was recording my students’ recitation of the first stanza of The Raven I learned that the poem and many biographical facts about Poe had become part of their long-term-memories. They were able to retrieve and use their knowledge related to Poe and the poem eight months after we had completed the unit.
I think that I will revise the questions in the anticipation guide to focus more on literature. For example, I think that the following true/false questions might be more effective to introduce the unit and to reflect on at the unit’s end. 1) Authors often get their ideas from real life. 2) The plot of a scary story has several suspenseful events that lead to a surprise ending. 3) The place where a story takes place does not affect the plot of the story. 4) Characters can change from the beginning of a story to the end. 5) You learn about a character through his or her words, actions, and thoughts. I think that adding such things to think about to the anticipation guide would serve my students well in focusing their impressions and interpretations toward thinking critically about the poem.
I also might reconsider whether or not to show The Simpson’s (Groening, 1990) version of The Raven to an earlier stage of the unit. I believe that the video can be effective in the beginning in making connections and activating prior knowledge, but it is equally effective in the middle or end of the unit. Things that determine the placement of the video include; class overall ability level, motivation and self-efficacy issues, and whether or not the kids begin to understand the poem both literally and figuratively with relative ease or with a struggle.
Reflection
What have I learned about my students as learners and myself as a teacher?
My students are able, through guidance, scaffolding, autonomy and collaboration; to analyze, evaluate and think critically about a text. Further, if the topic is interesting to them, they will exhibit high motivation and exceed my expectations. By assisting and allowing them to see that they can unravel a difficult text, their beliefs in their own self-efficacy are increased.
As a teacher, I am able to motivate my students through passion, enthusiasm, and utilizing interesting topics and activities. I am also able to reflect on my own motives and objectives which drive a unit of instruction, through metacognition, in order to address student needs, meet district and state guidelines for response to literature skills, as well as to determine the efficacy of a given unit of instruction or an activity within the unit.
References
(2004, May 4). Anticipation guide. Retrieved June 27, 2006, from FOR-PD’s Reading Strategy of the Month Web site: http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/forpd/strategies/stratAnt.html
Beran, M.K. (2004, Summer). In defense of memorization. Retrieved June12, 2006, from City
Journal Web site: http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_3_defense_memorization.html.
Bruning, R.H., Schraw,Norby & Ronning (2004). Cognitive psychology and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.
Canty, L. (1996) The California literature project. Professional development proceedings (2004)
Groening, M.(Creator). (1990). Tree house of horror (The Simpsons Halloween special) [Television series episode]. In The Simpsons. Beverly Hills: Twentieth Century Fox.
Lovett, S.B., & Pillow, B.H. (1995). Development of the ability to distinguish between comprehension and memory : Evidence from strategy-selection tasks. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87(4), Retrieved May 25, 2006, from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier.
March, T (2006, January). The new WWW: whatever, whenever, wherever. Educational Leadership, 63 (4), Retrieved June 25, 2006, from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier.
National Endowment for the Humanities. (2002). Charles Baudelaire: The Poet of Sickness and Evil (http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=389).
Poe, Edgar Allen (29 Nov 2004). The Raven. First published 1845. Poetry X, edited by Jough Dempsey. Retrieved 24 May 2006 from http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/7860/