Making text-to-text connections

It's been a busy couple of days, filled with the practice of deep reading and making important textual connections.  After I modeled how to annotate a difficult text, students practiced annotating a brief excerpt from Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning.  This book is rich with important life lessons, including how your attitude (especially in the face of adversity) influences everything you do and achieve.  Once we shared and discussed the students' questions and notes, they began the task of connecting Frankl's words/philosophies to a character in Animal Farm.  I've included the full-text of one student's response as well as several excerpts from other student responses.  I think you'll agree that their responses are very insightful.

 

Mila S. writes, "Boxer often did extra work and volunteered to do more, even when he was injured.  He had a personal goal (to build the windmill), and he worked each day to achieve that goal.  This attitude embodies an outlook or ideal that Frankl observed in others who have endured great adversity--'There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings'."

Zachary L. writes, "I think Napoleon would react (to Frankl's work) by saying it is not true that your mind is the last place of freedom.  In the book (Animal Farm), Napoleon doesn't allow the animals the independence of mind they deserve.  He tricks their minds, so they always think he is right and that he is working for their best interest, even when he takes control of the farm."

Three Words to the World

For this year's summer reading assignment, the eighth graders read George Orwell's Animal Farm.  As a way to begin our discussion of the novel, I asked students to select a character and create that character's motto or "three words to the world."  For instance, Boxer's three words might be "Always work harder," whereas Benjamin's three words would be "Nothing ever changes."  This is a great way to not only review character traits and motivation, but also to get students thinking about their own life mottoes.  As a follow-up activity, students designed a butterfly and included their "three words to the world." The butterflies are displayed in the classroom (all year) and provide a source of inspiration. What would be your three words to the world?