Unit 7: Postcolonialism & the Graphic Novel
Length
31 days
Rationale
The final unit of this academic year will focus on the concepts of colonialism and post-colonialism and how they are represented in an alternative text format. Students have spent a majority of the semester working through colonial/post-colonial theory with texts that gradually increase in difficulty. This unit is significantly longer than others, but it is necessary to have enough time to examine the text thoroughly and engage in conversations that will undoubtedly be difficult and complicated in nature. I have chosen the graphic novel Palestine by Joe Sacco, a nonfictional account of the time Sacco spent in Gaza and the West Bank during the early 90s. In this intriguing retelling, Sacco highlights the voices of Palestine that does not often get much attention because they are drowned out by extremism.
Out of all the units in this yearlong plan, I identify this particular unit as having the most potential for being challenged. There might be people who interpret this study as promoting a particular agenda (i.e. a Palestinian state), to choosing a format that is somehow considered less worthy of study than traditional texts. It is no secret that the climate of the Middle East (and Israel and Palestine) is controversial. It is critical to examine the untold side of a story. Choosing the graphic novel as a way to study this complex topic is more enlightening than regular text because it show us things that we could never get from reading just words alone. Kathryn Strong Hansen writes: "[G]raphic novels can serve as a basis for writing and critical thinking assignments. They serve as a way of presenting information in an interesting and engaging manner to spark students’ attention, and such assignments demand that students actively produce the language not only to describe these visuals, but to interpret, critique, and analyze them" (60).
To read Kathryn Strong Hansen's full article, click here.
Out of all the units in this yearlong plan, I identify this particular unit as having the most potential for being challenged. There might be people who interpret this study as promoting a particular agenda (i.e. a Palestinian state), to choosing a format that is somehow considered less worthy of study than traditional texts. It is no secret that the climate of the Middle East (and Israel and Palestine) is controversial. It is critical to examine the untold side of a story. Choosing the graphic novel as a way to study this complex topic is more enlightening than regular text because it show us things that we could never get from reading just words alone. Kathryn Strong Hansen writes: "[G]raphic novels can serve as a basis for writing and critical thinking assignments. They serve as a way of presenting information in an interesting and engaging manner to spark students’ attention, and such assignments demand that students actively produce the language not only to describe these visuals, but to interpret, critique, and analyze them" (60).
To read Kathryn Strong Hansen's full article, click here.
Goals
Goal #1: Students gain a better understanding of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Goal #2: Students examine a complex topic from multiple perspectives.
Goal #3: Students discuss how their thinking has evolved on this particular topic from the start to the end of the unit.
Goal #4: Students describe the viewpoints of one side of a conflict that is often not heard or misrepresented.
Goal #2: Students examine a complex topic from multiple perspectives.
Goal #3: Students discuss how their thinking has evolved on this particular topic from the start to the end of the unit.
Goal #4: Students describe the viewpoints of one side of a conflict that is often not heard or misrepresented.
Standards
3.2.a.iv.: Students can collect, organize, and evaluate materials to support ideas.
3.3.d.: Students can produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
4.1.g.: Students can draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
4.2.a.: Students can analyze the logic (including assumptions and beliefs) and use of evidence (existing and missing information, primary sources, and secondary sources) used by two or more authors presenting similar or opposing arguments (such as articles by two political columnists that address the same issue).
3.3.d.: Students can produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
4.1.g.: Students can draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
4.2.a.: Students can analyze the logic (including assumptions and beliefs) and use of evidence (existing and missing information, primary sources, and secondary sources) used by two or more authors presenting similar or opposing arguments (such as articles by two political columnists that address the same issue).
Textual Materials
Palestine, Joe Sacco (graphic novel)
Excerpts from Maus, Art Spiegelman (graphic novel)
Selected passages from Orientalism, Edward Said (informational text)
"I Belong There", Mahmoud Darwish (poem)
Excerpts from Maus, Art Spiegelman (graphic novel)
Selected passages from Orientalism, Edward Said (informational text)
"I Belong There", Mahmoud Darwish (poem)
Activities
Poetry Spotlight: Students read Mahmoud Darwish's poem "I Belong There" as they read Palestine. Students process their own thoughts about the poem in relation to the text and then discuss in a small group of their peers. After students spend some time thinking and discussing this poem on their own and with others, the groups come together and facilitate a whole-class discussion based on observations of the poem and how it propels ideas presented in the graphic novel.
Think, Puzzle, Explore: This activity is used at the beginning of the unit to introduce and explore key concepts/ideas. This process activates students' prior knowledge and gets them thinking about the topics covered in this unit. This is a useful tool in gauging students' knowledge about a topic as well as uncovering misconceptions. I anticipate a number of misconceptions about the Israel/Palestine conflict and this activity serves as a useful tool for discussing those misconceptions. Students address the following questions: What do you think you know about this topic? What questions or puzzles do you have about this topic? How might you explore the puzzles we have around this topic? This activity can be done on an individual or small group level. (from Making Thinking Visible)
The 4 C's - Connections, Challenge, Concepts, Changes: This activity helps students synthesize and organize their ideas about a complex topic. Students make connections, identify key concepts, ask questions, and evaluate implications of certain subjects. This particular activity is helpful for students engaging in rich text; in this unit, it works well in conjunction for reading excerpts from Edward Said's Orientalism. Students address the following questions: What Connections do you draw between the text and your own life or other learning? What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or argue with in the text? What key concepts or ideas do you think are important and worth holding on to from the text? What changes in attitudes, thinking, or action are suggested by the text, either for you or others? These questions are a useful starting point for valuable classroom discussions. (from Making Thinking Visible)
Tug-of-War: This activity allows students to view certain topics from multiple perspectives, practice reasoning skills, and helps identify complexities in these subjects. First, students identify two opposing sides to a dilemma (i.e. existence of a Palestinian state). Students then generate "tugs" or reasons that support each side of the issue (sticky notes are useful for recording ideas). Students then determine the strength of each reason, placing the strongest items on either end of the continuum and the weaker ones near the middle. Be sure to document any questions that come up during this process. (from Making Thinking Visible)
Student Journal: Students will write about specific issues that arise from engaging with the texts as part of this ongoing activity.
Think, Puzzle, Explore: This activity is used at the beginning of the unit to introduce and explore key concepts/ideas. This process activates students' prior knowledge and gets them thinking about the topics covered in this unit. This is a useful tool in gauging students' knowledge about a topic as well as uncovering misconceptions. I anticipate a number of misconceptions about the Israel/Palestine conflict and this activity serves as a useful tool for discussing those misconceptions. Students address the following questions: What do you think you know about this topic? What questions or puzzles do you have about this topic? How might you explore the puzzles we have around this topic? This activity can be done on an individual or small group level. (from Making Thinking Visible)
The 4 C's - Connections, Challenge, Concepts, Changes: This activity helps students synthesize and organize their ideas about a complex topic. Students make connections, identify key concepts, ask questions, and evaluate implications of certain subjects. This particular activity is helpful for students engaging in rich text; in this unit, it works well in conjunction for reading excerpts from Edward Said's Orientalism. Students address the following questions: What Connections do you draw between the text and your own life or other learning? What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or argue with in the text? What key concepts or ideas do you think are important and worth holding on to from the text? What changes in attitudes, thinking, or action are suggested by the text, either for you or others? These questions are a useful starting point for valuable classroom discussions. (from Making Thinking Visible)
Tug-of-War: This activity allows students to view certain topics from multiple perspectives, practice reasoning skills, and helps identify complexities in these subjects. First, students identify two opposing sides to a dilemma (i.e. existence of a Palestinian state). Students then generate "tugs" or reasons that support each side of the issue (sticky notes are useful for recording ideas). Students then determine the strength of each reason, placing the strongest items on either end of the continuum and the weaker ones near the middle. Be sure to document any questions that come up during this process. (from Making Thinking Visible)
Student Journal: Students will write about specific issues that arise from engaging with the texts as part of this ongoing activity.
Culminating Text
Students produce a multi-genre writing project documenting the evolution of their understanding of themes/topics in this unit.
Assessment
The multi-genre writing project allows students to individualize and creatively express their understanding of themes/topics in this unit. Student projects include a set number of items written in varying genres. Additionally, students produce a reflective piece that includes a rationale for each submitted item highlighting the students' thought process and writing process.
The Writing Studio at CSU has compiled an extensive list of genres appropriate for the multi-genre writing project. You can view that list here.
The Writing Studio at CSU has compiled an extensive list of genres appropriate for the multi-genre writing project. You can view that list here.
Notes to Self
The multi-genre writing project seems to be a good choice for assessment, but would others work just as well? What about a research paper or an extended definition essay? Maybe students could produce their own graphic novels in groups?