“To be literate is not to be free, it is to be present and active in the struggle for reclaiming ones voice, history, and future.” ~ Paulo Friere
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Through these rich and diverse stories, it is hoped that students will develop a further understanding of how the wellness dimensions applies to their protagonist, applies to themselves, applies to their relationships, and ultimately how the importance of wellness applies to their community. It is hoped this will carry through to their lives where they can determine what it means to thrive.
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Alternative Voices . . .
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What we read matters. Literature provides us with the opportunities to see ourselves through the lives of fictional characters. When we examine the lives of relatable characters, we can find ways to rewrite our own stories. This was the focus of the English Language Arts classrooms at Central Memorial High School.
Students at Central Memorial are unique and rich in diverse voices. Our goal, as designers of learning, was to find literature that both represented diverse voices, but also that would allow others to understand this diversity. Our project “Recognizing Alternative Voices” allowed us to find rich literary texts that also had relatable protagonists. Students were introduced to new perspectives and asked to examine the diverse voices represented by these characters. Students looked at the 5 dimensions of wellness – understanding how the emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual aspects of the protagonists could relate to their own lives. Students became engaged in the literature – they demanded more of the protagonists and themselves. They were challenged to answer the essential question – what does it mean for a human being to thrive?
Students at Central Memorial are unique and rich in diverse voices. Our goal, as designers of learning, was to find literature that both represented diverse voices, but also that would allow others to understand this diversity. Our project “Recognizing Alternative Voices” allowed us to find rich literary texts that also had relatable protagonists. Students were introduced to new perspectives and asked to examine the diverse voices represented by these characters. Students looked at the 5 dimensions of wellness – understanding how the emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual aspects of the protagonists could relate to their own lives. Students became engaged in the literature – they demanded more of the protagonists and themselves. They were challenged to answer the essential question – what does it mean for a human being to thrive?
Just as the protagonists and students continue on their journeys, so do we -
Lorna Wick – a High School English Language Arts teacher who has moved onto the world of a Strategist for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students
Barb Stewart – an English teacher at Ernest Manning High School and is continuing the “Alternate Voices” novel project at Manning as an optional independent novel study
Karen Green - an English teacher and teacher-librarian at Central Memorial who is always on the look-out for new and diverse books that challenge the status quo.
Lorna Wick – a High School English Language Arts teacher who has moved onto the world of a Strategist for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students
Barb Stewart – an English teacher at Ernest Manning High School and is continuing the “Alternate Voices” novel project at Manning as an optional independent novel study
Karen Green - an English teacher and teacher-librarian at Central Memorial who is always on the look-out for new and diverse books that challenge the status quo.
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