Background Activity #2 Lesson Plan
One Day
(Combine with Background Activity #1 if Possible)
Step 1:
Answer the following questions:
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Step 2:
Discuss students' prior knowledge with partners and as a whole class. |
Step 3:
Read the interview responses below and answer the questions next to them. |
Step 4:
Discuss student responses with partners and as a whole class. |
Interview Responses from Walter Dean Myers Throughout the Years
Interviewer: "Do you think books can do something for kids like that?"
Myers: "I think so, if nothing more than to recognize how they feel. The letters that I'm most touched by are from kids who simply say that the book describes how they feel. It removes the sense of isolation. That isolation is what make us all unhappy in the end. And when kids find that book, find a good character who makes them say look, here I am in a book, this guy feels the same way that I do - it's reassuring. It takes away, at least for the time being, that sense of loneliness. That's how you get into books as a young person, when you pick up a book and you discover hey, here's my life in this book. Here's what I'm about." -Quote provided from Roger Sutton's article, "Cultural Threads in Our Fabric" |
What is Myers' goal in writing? Who is he often times trying to reach through his books? Why? |
Myers claims that much of his ability to connect with his readers comes from a shared struggle to find an identity. Do you believe Myers is correct in sensing that this is still a problem for young people today? Explain. |
(In response to a question regarding how Myers connects with his audience so well)
Myers: "My own teen years, especially from 13-17, were filled with doubt and angst. I had invested heavily in my hope for intellectual identity and, when it became clear that my parents could not afford to send me to college, the uncertainty as to who I was became overwhelming. In conversations with young people today, I sense the same doubts." -Quote provided from an interview completed by Keith Miller and Allison Parker in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy |
References
Miller, Keith, and Allison Parker. "Interview with Walter Dean Myers." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 50.8 (2007): 688. Educators Reference Complete; Gale. Web.
Sutton, Roger. "Threads in our Cultural Fabric: A Conversation with Walter Dean Myers." School Library Journal (June 1994): 24-28. Print.
Sutton, Roger. "Threads in our Cultural Fabric: A Conversation with Walter Dean Myers." School Library Journal (June 1994): 24-28. Print.