A client contacted me about an assignment to a 9th grade student. "Is this an appropriate assignment for a 9th grade student? I'm pretty conservative, but the sexual content seems a bit much." Not one to ban books in libraries, classrooms, or anywhere else, teachers need a decision making protocol to evaluate the choices they make for instructional materials.
For this blog, I will be using Chapter 2 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, "Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion"
Some basics before we begin.
Author: Thomas C. Foster
Summary: Foster explains in this chapter that when characters eat together, the author is using the meal to symbolize a the theme of communion: "...breaking bread together is an act of sharing and peace, since if you're breaking bread you're not breaking heads" and "Generally, eating with another is a way of saying, "I'm with you, I like you, we form a community together'" (paragraph 2). Foster then explains several texts that help the reader interpret why the author brings characters together to eat.
Genre: Nonfiction, Informative
Length and Complexity: It's 2411 words long. Reading at 199 words per minute, that would take 12 minutes. About four full pages at Times New Roman, 12 font. As for complexity, it doesn't do you much good to consider Lexile or any other mathematical construct. What makes this piece difficult is not the vocabulary or syntax. What makes this piece difficult is that it discusses texts we may or may not have read. It is also asking the reader to synthesize information about those texts and make inferential, analytical, and analogous interpretations about what eating a meal in them means.
Critical Consideration One: What is the purpose for using the text? What standards are to be addressed? Does the content of the text help deliver that purpose, or does it hinder the reader's acquisition of the concepts? If there are explicit concepts and situations, is there a text that would be less of a distraction to meet the instructional purpose?
It is not until 11th grade that students are working with nuanced meanings as opposed to nuanced words. Meals as an archetype of meaning would not be appropriate until 11th grade.
While this TEK could apply, the standard is not specifically mentioning archetypal constructions in text. And, since this text is explicit with explaining the connection of meals to themes in a literary text, does the standard actually apply? I'm pretty sure that the teacher using this text was wanting to show students how to write a literary analysis, not explain the explicit and implicit meanings of this text. Foster flat out tells us that meals equal communion. Students would not really be applying this skill/TEK until they encounter a text where eating is involved. Frankly, this text is about content - meals equal communion. The text does not offer the opportunity to apply the skill to a literary text.
While thisTEK could apply, the lesson and student activities would have a very different purpose. The students would be defending or challenging Foster's assertion that eating in a literary text indicated a theme of communion.
Different cultures are somewhat present in the literature Foster presents, but the culture is an undertone that would take much research to reveal. And again, this text is informational content about how to read literary texts. Students need to be able to understand what they are looking for, but this article is not where they learn to analyze how meals provide a theme within the setting. This text just tells them that when meals happen, the reader should think of communion themes. We do see the impact of setting in 6D for freshmen, but the contextual setting of meals is way more nuanced than what the TEKS guide explains we should be teaching here.
If the purpose of the lesson were to examine characteristics and structures used in informational texts, then this text is a good choice - especially in 11th and 12th grade because the Foster uses examples and non examples of meals as communion, summary of texts, and commentary regarding the examples.
Conclusion: According to the purpose of lessons and the standards this text could address, this text is better suited to the 11th or 12th grade.
Critical Consideration Two: For what purpose and audience was the text originally intended? Consider the background of the author. What audiences regularly consume the text?
Foster serves as the professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan, Flint. While there, he taught these courses: contemporary fiction, drama and poetry; creative and freelance writing. He has written about British and Irish literature and poetry. The text has become adult reading and very popular on the list New York Times best sellers for comparative literature, general books and reading, and literary history and criticism reference.
Conclusion: The book was written for adults. The author's expertise is at the college level and for British and Irish texts. Freshmen in high school are not adults. While standard 7A states that they read American, British, and world literature, the topic and focus of Foster's chapter two is not often the goal or content of freshmen coursework. According to state standards, freshmen generally do not study comparative literature, literary history or literary criticism. As an instructional text, this text is not suitable for freshmen.
Critical Consideration Three: What is the genre? According to the citation from the Library of congress targets this book as explication, criticism, and literary history.
Conclusion: This text would be appropriate in a study of informational texts, but does not fit with the other genres in the standards.
Critical Consideration Four: Does the text address issues and experiences similarly to how students are assessed at that grade level? STAAR does not use topics or genres of this nature. Students in AP courses may see similar content, but would be applying the skills in a literary text.
Conclusion: Foster's text would be appropriate as background context for literary reading in 11th or 12th grade.
Critical Consideration Five: What scaffolds will need to be in place to bridge maturity levels, language, culture, interest, and textual lineage? Scan the text for controversial issues and concepts that you will need to prepare/inform to your audience and parents. Do these concepts fit the maturity and culture of the students you teach?
Here are the ideas that jumped out at me: Sigmond Freud, cigar is just a cigar, Christianity, sexual meal, consuming desire, dope they smoked, cathedral/illicit drugs, the interloper, desperate drives and desires, resident drunkard...
Conclusion: Not all freshmen will know about Sigmond Freud or references to Monica Lowinsky. They will not all know the interloper. The mentions of sex, drugs, and religion may be concepts to cause parent concern. Should this text be used in 9th grade as an instructional text? It depends. But certainly controversial concepts warrant parent and administrative notice prior to using. Highly controversial texts in younger grades are probably more suited to independent reading rather than required reading with no other options to master the objective and teaching purpose.
Critical Consideration Six: What other literature is mentioned? Are these texts appropriate for the age, maturity and interest of the reader?
Foster uses Tom Jones by Henry Fielding; Cathedral by Raymond Carver, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler, and The Dead by James Joyce.
Conclusion: The texts referenced are used in college literature courses after 101 and 201. I'm not saying that we don't read things that might show up in another course, but the themes in the books listed above are more nuanced and could interfere with student's ability to understand the objective.
Critical Consideration Seven: What preparation would need to be completed to address areas in which students are ready/not ready for such material? What scaffolding will students need to comprehend the text before ever dealing with the teaching objective? Will you be spending more time explaining the sub content than teaching the main objective of the lesson? In this text, how important is it for students to know about Freud and cigars to grasp the concept of thematic archetypes?
Conclusion: Kylene Beers teaches these concepts as signposts. Eating a meal is a signpost for theme. It's probably more efficient to say: When writers have characters eating together, they are pointing toward a theme of community and connection. In Enemy Pie, the the father helps his son make and Enemy Pie. Throughout the process, the boy learns that eating together is something that friends do. Let's dive into Salt into the Sea. In this chapter, the refugee group arrives at the a formerly astounding Prussian estate. Let's look at what the author is leading us to understand with the description as the weary travelers enter for the evening... "
Frankly, the text in contention takes much longer for students to get to the learning objective. For freshmen reading at 199 words per minute in fluency, it would take 12 minutes to read this text. I can give a quick mini lesson in 10 minutes and get students into analyzing a literary text right away. This text doesn't seem to be worth the limited time I have to make sure students understand the concept and can apply it.
Critical Consideration Eight: What has been going on in the community regarding controversial texts? What steps would need to be made to prepare the community?
At this writing (January of 2022), there are many issues about censorship starting at the government and down to local families - representing both pro and con. Local communities and Facebook groups vociferously post their opinions about such controversial texts.
Conclusion: Be prepared. It's important to select the right text for the purpose, but if that controversial text is the right fit, then there will need to be parent and administrative preparation. Classroom protocols must be in place for how to deal with mature and controversial topics before they begin reading the text.
The Questions:
1. What is the purpose for using the text? What standards are to be addressed? Does the content of the text help deliver that purpose, or does it hinder the reader's acquisition of the concepts? If there are explicit concepts and situations, is there a text that would be less of a distraction to meet the instructional purpose?
2. For what purpose and audience was the text originally intended? Consider the background of the author. What audiences regularly consume the text?
3. What is the genre? According to the citation from the Library of congress targets this book as...
4. What scaffolds will need to be in place to bridge maturity levels, language, culture, interest, and textual lineage? Scan the text for controversial issues and concepts that you will need to prepare/inform to your audience and parents. Do these concepts fit the maturity and culture of the students you teach?
5. Does the text address issues and experiences similarly to how students are assessed at that grade level?
6. What other literature is mentioned? Are these texts appropriate for the age, maturity and interest of the reader?
7. What preparation would need to be completed to address areas in which students are ready/not ready for such material? What scaffolding will students need to comprehend the text before ever dealing with the teaching objective? Will you be spending more time explaining the sub content than teaching the main objective of the lesson?
8. What has been going on in the community regarding controversial texts? What steps would need to be made to prepare the community?
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