to be the creator of a new world. English plays a vital role in the education

system for two reasons. First, it is essential for productive citizens to be able to

communicate through writing. Second, reading literature teaches empathy,

shows students from any home environment, the importance of compassion, of

being able to see a situation through the eyes of another individual. And this is

something society today hungers for. This is how literature can make a

difference, and how I plan to teach my students that they can make a difference.

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has

learned in school.”

or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few

A girl of about 4 years old sits on the floor of her bedroom with her Barbies and their

pink house. One Barbie stands in front of all the other dolls and shows them what each letter is,

telling them the name and what sound it makes. Teacher Barbie

makes the Kellys and Stacies repeat what she has taught them, and

they do it over and over and over again until they get it right. Now

this is a girl who is excited to start school in the fall!

That child was me. I would only play with my dolls if I

talked.)

My cousin never wanted to sit still for me to teach him. He was four years younger than I

was and had ADD, but Nicky would do anything to get to play with me. I taught him how to

follow behind me in the house parade – he had to stay two steps back and march in time with my

music. When he did something I didn’t approve of, he was thoroughly scolded. He wasn’t

allowed to run or yell. And in the end, I helped him with his reading when he started school.

Fast forward a few years to the fifth grade. I was in the gifted class that met one day a

week, but the rest of the week I always finished my class work early. My friends knew that if

they needed help with something, they could turn to me to help them figure it out. Soon enough,

Mrs. Muzzey figured this out, too. She saw that I could sometimes say something a different

briefly, when as a five year old I wanted to be an astronaut. I quickly remembered my fear of

heights). Teaching was the only thing I ever considered. I’d been telling people what to do and

showing them how to do it all my life. When I started filling out college applications, teaching

was the only thing I could think of that I even thought I would like to do.

I still feel the same way. Reading has always been my favorite pastime, so it’s no

wonder that I will teach high school English. I love being dumped into a new world when I start

a new book, having withdrawals from a great book’s world when I finish it. Reading is

important. It is only through books that any person can have the opportunity to examine the

thoughts of a person who is their opposite, to think in a truly radical new way without anxiety.

Through reading, I have learned empathy; I have learned that the feelings of others matter. I

have learned countless things about different places, people, or religions. Reading teaches what

it means to be human. And this is what I want to pass on to my students. Walking into my

Upon entering my classroom, there will be walls covered with bookshelves. These are

filled with books of all genres and interests. I have collected them ever since I started my job as

What’s important to me is that I can teach every individual I encounter something about

being a person, something that makes him or her think. I want all students to question their

behavior during each human interaction they have. Maybe they’ll consider why that girl was

Barnes and Noble, “Oh no…I don’t read.” Even if I can’t teach all of my students what it means

to love literature, I hope they can leave their time with me with the knowledge that words are

valuable, that reading is more than just letters thrown together on a page to give somebody a

headache. I hope I can impart that sometimes it’s only through an imitation of life that we can

learn anything at all about what it means to live.

Unit: Characterization in Literature

Class: Intro to Literature

Teacher: Becky Stiles

up to present behaviors and life choices. In learning about characterization, my students will

learn to be more empathetic citizens.

on their reading levels and complete lessons each day to help them explore the characterization

present in these readings. After completing the novels, they will be put into jigsaw groups (one

from each group), and explore similarities and differences between characterization of different

characters. Finally, they will explore characterization in their own writing. The unit will

culminate in a book of the class’ characterization pieces; each student will receive a copy of the

book, and they will be given an opportunity to sign their piece in their classmates’ books, giving

them a chance to learn about their classmates and form a better community.

Essential Questions:

characters.

well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

reasoning presented.

Literacy Strategies:

Assessments:

contains pieces of characters from multiple novels. The class will then reflect in their journals