Compare these versions of the same story:
The Original The Gift of the Magi
Simplified: The Gift of the Magi
I can think of a lot of reasons to use multiple versions of the same text: differentiation, ESL, comparison. But I'm always weirded out a little in thinking that some kids might miss out on the beauty and craft of masters like O. Henry. I strive to make complex texts accessible for all students. To do less seems a little like educational segregation or reading level racism.
Thomas Armstrong spoke at a New Jersey Writing Conference a while back. He spoke on how one would go about comprehending James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, a book Armstrong believes is one of the most difficult books to understand. Believe it or not, he put up a stick figure PowerPoint and explained the plot of one chapter to us before we ever read any of the words.
He really did. I was shocked too.
But the text would not have been accessible to me without this support. And my Lexile had nothing to do with it. You can debate about my intelligence another time. The conversations and rich discussion began from experiencing the plot in a simplified text. The conversations about craft and culture and nuance and ideas came after reading the original. To have stopped at the simplified version would have given us the "story" of the text that might be referenced in other literary works. But we would have learned nothing about finding our own meaning and interpretation of the text. We would have missed the quirky and complex reality of what it means to read James Joyce. Frankly, we'd miss the whole point.
Fast forward more years than I'd like to count. Two weeks ago, I watched a brand new teacher use the same strategy with her Sophomore students! Does she know that she is brilliant like Thomas Armstrong? Perhaps even more brilliant than Thomas Armstrong? The kids read the simplified version on the first day, learning about the plot, the culture, how much $1.87 cents was worth back then, connecting to their own culture and experience...
"Suddenly she turned from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brightly, but her face had lost its color. Quickly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its complete length. If a queen had lived in the rooms near theirs, Della would have washed and dried her hair where the queen could see it. Della knew her hair was more beautiful than any queen's jewels and gifts...So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, shinning like a falling stream of brown water. It reached below her knee. It almost made itself into a dress for her. And then she put it up on her head again, nervously and quickly." (Simplified version).
I bet when they read the second version, everyone was more successful with the original than they would have been without having read the first one for plot. And because they understood the plot, they probably saw a more vivid image the second time around. And imagine the discoveries the students would make!
"Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass, her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length...Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts...So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her.. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly." (O. Henry).
"...students can obtain the right schemas in order to come to their own deduction of texts, instead of resulting to unitary deductions devised by an author's style, intentions or societal norms...Using...theories in a classroom in tandem with fervid teaching can create a space that stimulates stronger, independent learners who respond dialogically to literature, thus continuing the intertextual conversation by coming to their own unique understanding. However, this process can only be accomplished if educators allow it. To build a dialogical classroom, students should become involved in the literary conversation in our classes while we inspire response through creative means. If we present enough information about each text encountered in a classroom, students will more easily understand interwoven meanings or contextual allusions. Once students have the tools to work with, response will come naturally, and understanding will erupt through creative conversation" (Whitley, 2016).
Fervid teaching...stronger learners...with the right tools...involved in the literary conversation...eruptive understanding.
Just Brilliant.
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