Patricia Forg
English Teacher
Project Ideas
building literacy
In my perfect semester, students will engage with subsets of literature by reading three novels (a class book, a book club book, and an independent "laundry basket" book) and creating a piece representative of their growing understanding about their overall theme or genres. I detail some of my dream topics below.
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In each of the following units, students would participate in collaborative group work, build their presentation skills, and practice their technical and creative writing. This work will round out into a final product for exhibition based on how the students interact with the work, their interests, and their ideas on how best to present their learning.
Zombies, ghosts, and vampires: life after death
Essential Questions
Why is life after death such a common recurring theme in literature around the world? How do different cultures interact with life after death, and how do we see their beliefs and practices reflected in fiction?
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Books
Our class book would be The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell. This is a heartfelt and thoughtful story written from the perspective of 15-year-old Temple, 30-years into the zombie apocalypse. Despite her surroundings, Temple is always able to find "crackerjack miracles" in the every day.
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In book clubs, students will be able to choose from a number of different books that tackle the subject. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo explores the Chinese afterlife after a woman agrees to marry a family's dead son. All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage follows a woman in a sinister relationship unearthing the story of the ghost that haunts her home. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas is the story of a ghost bonding with a brujo as Día de muertos looms on the horizon, threatening to separate them. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi takes place in a U.S.-occupied Iraq, where a man who accidentally creates his own Frankenstein's monster in an attempt to humanize the victims of war. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice follows Louis de Pointe du Lac through life and death in Louisiana as he grapples with immortality and his new relationship with God.
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Additional content
Throughout the semester, we will interact with a lot of history and deep dives into various cultural beliefs, including those not covered in the fiction we're reading. For example, we'll cover the Hindu belief in reincarnation, including the cycle of reincarnation (samsara) as well as the balancing of karma and dharma which ends that cycle (moksha). We'll compare this then to the Buddhist belief that Nirvana can be reached upon the realization that life is suffering, thus ending that suffering.
We will also read various non-fiction excerpts to further inform our understanding of the topic. We'll read excerpts from Erica Buist's This Party's Dead, which explores various "death festivals" around the world in places like Nepal, Sicily, Japan, Madagascar, and New Orleans.
Essential Questions
How do fantasy authors incorporate elements of their own culture into their storytelling, and how does this influence the overall narrative? How does fantasy literature provide an avenue for exploring universal human experiences, such as love, loss, and the quest for self-discovery? How does fantasy literature provide a platform for marginalized voices and narratives that are often overlooked in mainstream literature?
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Books
Our class book will be Lobizona by Romina Garber, a story that follows the life of an undocumented immigrant from Argentina named Manu. As she dives into the story of her family she learns that there is magic in her blood... and her existence is "illegal". This novel unabashedly draws a connection between a very real experience for Latin Americans in the United States to a fantasy world of werewolves and witches. This book has been banned in several states due to its radical honesty.
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In book clubs, students will be able to choose from a number of different books that tackle the subject. A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin takes place in ancient China and expands upon the traditional art of tea-making – and in this world, making tea is making magic. David Mogo Godhunter is an urban fantasy that takes place in Lagos and follows the story of a demigod and his motley crew as they try to save their home from an evil wizard. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James pulls from African history and mythology to tell the story of a shapeshifting mercenary on a journey to find a missing child. American Gods by Neil Gaiman pulls from religions and myths all around the world to tell the story of a man trapped in the middle of a war between "Old Gods" and "New Gods". Eye of the World by Robert Jordan is the first novel of a high fantasy series and combines elements from various cultures and beliefs to create a diversified story within a fantasy universe.
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Additional content
Throughout the semester, we will interact with a lot of history and deep dives into various cultural beliefs, including those not covered in the fiction we're reading. We'll discuss various fantasy elements that are seen across cultures, comparing and contrasting how different creatures are perceived. We'll put a special focus on the appearance and role of dragons across nearly every culture in the world, including the various studies and theories that attempt to make sense of this fantastic phenomenon. Additionally, we'll take time to discuss the origins of fantasy, why it's so popular, its role in escapism, it's role as realism, and what it means to us.
