Week 9 Term 1 - Context (Level 3 English - 91478 - Connections)

CONTEXT

the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood

Understanding the context of a written or visual text is important. Why? It informs the reader, the audience - whoever - on why the character behaves the way they do and why the plot is structure the way it is. Understanding the context around any text is beneficial for all students in that it not only broadens their perspective but it also enables them to experience the text through a more informed lens. 

AS: 91478 - CONNECTIONS

Respond critically to significant connections across texts, supported by evidence

This assessment is a written report. In this report the student is required to respond critically to to significant across texts. Key words - respond, critically, significant, texts. The premise of the assessment is based on the extended text The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien). The students are to read three short texts from the novel - Speaking of Courage, The Man I Killed, How to tell a True War Story - from here they are to come up with the thesis statement that highlights the 'significant' connection across each text. In order for the students to 'respond critically' and identify the 'significant' thread that ties each of the 'texts' together - it is vital that the context of novel is explored first and foremost. 

The first text that the students will read through is Speaking of Courage. They say that first impressions last and with this particular story, the first read can leave one with a confused impression. To quickly summarize this story follows the journey of Norman Bowker (a Vietnam War Veteran) post war. His journey on is return home, the change in relationships since returning home, the strained relationship with his father, the PTSD he experienced since returning from war and from not being able to save his friend Kiowa, finally to his want and need to talk to someone about his experiences of grief and loss in the war - are all profound stages that color Speaking of Courage. Norman Bowker describes 'courage' as "not always a matter of yes or no. Sometimes it came in degrees, like the cold; sometimes you were very brave up to a point and then beyond that point you were not so brave. In certain situations you could do incredible things, you could advance toward enemy fire, but in other situations, which were not nearly so bad, you had trouble keeping your eyes open. Sometimes, like that night in the shit field, the difference between courage and cowardice was something small and stupid." This quote embodies the very essence of Speaking of Courage. It describes Norman Bowker almost confessing that 'courage' is something that is not black and white. There are moments where you feel like you have it but then you may loose it. He is trying to justify to his father why he was not able to save his friend. The guilt that he has over this only makes him question his own sense of courage. 

Before I get carried away with this analysis of the quote, I am fully aware that this analysis is a result of understanding the context - which brings me to my next point - how do I get my students to critically respond to a text? Through pre-reading and viewing texts that explore the social issues in the text and that surround the setting of the text (the year it is set, the social expectations and events happening at the time - to name a few) I have found two that have been really helpful in getting the students to understand the context of not just Speaking of Courage but also the other two short stories. 

War Veteran: PTSD

This article gives an insight to Vietnam War Veterans and the PTSD that they have experienced since returning from the war. There is information on what PTSD is, how it has impacted the veterans and what they want in order to heal. I read through this article with my students before we even discussed Speaking of Courage. I asked them three guiding questions post reading: 

1) What is PTSD?

2) What is a Vietnam War Veteran and what did they do?

3) When did the Vietnam War take place? What was society in the USA like in the 60s? (focusing on gender expectations)

3) What is the relationship between Vietnam War Veteran and PTSD?

I really enjoyed going through this article and talking about these veterans and the pressure that was placed on them during and after the war. It was particularly interesting to unpack the social fabric of the USA in the 1960s and what gender expectations looked like then - even comparing it to how both male and female function in society today. This is great Segway into Speaking of Courage - especially in making connections to Norman Bowker's journey. 

This video is an extension of the article. We did not watch the full video but focused on the last three min (23min - 26min time mark). The story of war veteran Willie, his experiences of the Vietnam war and how he felt afterwards - although three minutes, his story is profound and helped my students to understand the context of this war and the impact that it had all those who served. 

Understanding the context of the text is like any relationship that we have. Our strongest relationships are a result of knowing who the person is, where they come from, what they like or dislike, what they believe in, what they aspire for - everything. These relationships are strong because there is an understanding of the who, what and why. In order to analyze a text, knowing the background information allows anyone to appreciate the text. It can be really easy for teachers to jump into assessments as deadlines and time constraints that are tied into NCEA can be daunting. My approach this year with my teaching is to really prepare the students for the assessment, to take my time with it and to help them appreciate the 'context' of the text - to broaden their learning and how they experience the learning.