I am a teacher et cetera: Kite Runner

Showing posts with label Kite Runner. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2013

A sea of eager faces stare back at me, pens poised in anticipation. Then, from the back of the room a hand shoots up and a call echoes forth, "Will I need to include this in my paper?" As a tenth grade English teacher in a large suburban school, I struggle with encouraging my students to write authentically, to bring their connections, their voice into their written work. But when students write for real audiences, they begin to see themselves as writers. Writing for a real audience gives students a sense of purpose for their writing. By ensuring that our students have opportunities to have their writing read by real readers, we can grow student writing skills and their engagement in the writing process.

"Readers make writing deliciously worthwhile," states author and teacher Mem Fox. When students have an authentic audience and purpose for their writing endeavors, they grow as thinkers and as writers. Technology can help emerging student writers publish beyond the walls of our classrooms.

Last Tuesday, students in my tenth grade English classes used Skype to connect with a variety of experts in the publishing field. My tenth grade English classes have been working on bringing a writing piece from our Writer’s Notebook to publishable quality which we then submitted to a variety of places for publication late last week. But before submitting for publication, students in my second block course Skyped with the co-creator and Senior Editor at Teen Ink, Ms. Stephanie Meyer, who shared with students how pieces are selected for publication on both Teen Ink’s online site as well as in their monthly print magazine.

Then, students in my third block Skyped with the Production Manager of the Jenkins Publishing Group, Ms. Leah Nicholson, in order to learn more about how books reach publication. And at the close of the day, my fourth block class used Skype to connect with

Ms. Christine Weiser, the Executive Director of Philadelphia Stories who shared fantastic advice for revising both short stories and poetry, as well as details about what her editorial board looks for in the pieces that are submitted. Students had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of someone in the publishing field before submitting their own work for publication this week. What fantastic real world writing connections!

Later in the week, we again had an opportunity to connect with those outside of our classroom using Skype. I am not an expert on psychology, but I know a few people who are. So when my tenth grade honors students started to learn about psychoanalytic literary criticism, I decided to invite those experts into my classroom. And through the use of technology, I was bring those real world connections into our classroom virtually. Last Thursday my students had an opportunity to Skype with local psychoanalyst, Dr. Robin Ward, who spoke with students about Freud’s theory of the divided self and shared a case example of repression to illustrate some of Freud’s concepts. Students will be using this literary approach, among others, as they begin their student of Khaled Hoessini’s The Kite Runner in the coming days.

And this is why I am such a firm believer in using technology in the classroom. When used well, technology allows us to open up our classroom doors to the world outside, to explore real world learning, and to in turn, learn from experts in the field. Learning becomes purposefully, contextualized, and meaningful. Technology helps us connect our students with their world.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Even More Kite Runner Links

Film Education | Resources | The Kite Runner | Background
'The Kite Runner' has many different layers, these include political policy and tribal and religious dimensions. To help to under these elements, Film Education spoke with Adbul-Rehman Malik Contributing Editor from Q News to help us understand the context behind the story. Q News is Britain's leading Muslim magazine, providing outside-the-box analysis of current affairs, culture, ideas and spirituality.
Kite Runner Lesson Plan
Links in the schedule connect to handouts and projects related to reading Kite Runner
Following Amir A trip to Afghanistan in which life imitates art
Amir will be the first to tell you that he is neither the noblest nor the bravest of men. But three years ago, he did something both noble and brave: He went back to Afghanistan, then ruled by the Taliban, to settle an old score. He went back after a 20-year absence to atone for a sin he had committed as a boy. He went back to rescue a child he had never met, and to rescue himself from damnation. The journey almost cost him his life. The thing is, I was the one who sent him. It was easy. After all, I created Amir; he is the protagonist of my novel, "The Kite Runner."
Curriki - TheKiteRunnerUnit
This table of contents provides an overview to the materials contained in this novel unit. The table is broken down into the Curriki folders found in this collection so all teachers can easily find all the resources available in this novel unit.
Spence's Stuff / The Kite Runner
Lesson plan for The Kite Runner
kiterunnerwebquest - The Kite Runner Webquest
Today starts the adventure of immersing yourself into Afghan life. As a youth, you spent many hours making, flying, and running kites. You knew that someday you would help your own kids enjoy these same activities, until 1994 when the Taliban stepped in and halted all kite flying. It's an important part of your culture; the significance of kite flying is an analogy to Afghanistan's history; you cannot let this interference continue.
CCHSEnglishII - The Kite Runner
Pre, during, and post reading activities for The Kite Runner.
The Kite Runner - English Companion
So many resources are mentioned in this thread found on the English Companion's Ning. Check it out!
Multicultural Literature - The Kite Runner
Synopsis / Description: The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a story about the past, and rectifying the mistakes of the past. The protagonist, Amir, grows up in Kabul, Afghanistan, before the Russian invasion of the land. As children, Amir and Hassan play with slingshots and kites, tell stories, make errands to the market. They are not unlike two boys playing in any part of the world. Students will hopefully notice that human nature is the same across borders of time and place. However, they should also notice and appreciate the differences in the customs, beliefs, and habits of Afghanis. In our current political situation, it's extremely important for students to humanize the people of Afghanistan, and see that people are all people; we all make mistakes, and we are not so different after all.
Literature from the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection
While our country is deeply involved in the Middle East, most Americans, including our students, lack knowledge about the region. Yet from Afghanistan to Palestine, from Morocco to Iraq, there is a vibrant and exciting literature by living authors that can bring the diverse experiences and perspectives of this vital part of the world to our classes.
Teach Middle Eastern Literature
Information, resources and suggestions for teaching literature and film from and about the modern Middle East in middle school, high school, and college. Supporting the 2009 NCTE presentation: "Who is a Terrorist? Teaching Contemporary Literature from the Middle East"
Khaled Hosseini Interview -- Academy of Achievement
Khaled Hosseini Interview Afghanistan's Tumultuous History July 3, 2008 Khaled Hosseini Interview
explore - cultural and educational films and photos
explore is a multimedia organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes. Both educational and inspirational, explore creates a portal into the soul of humanity by championing the selfless acts of others. explore's growing library consists of more than 250 original films and 30,000 photographs from around the world. We showcase our work at film festivals, on over 100 public broadcast and cable channels, and on numerous online destinations including explore.org, Snag Films, Hulu and TakePart.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Background Resources for The Kite Runner

I'm in the process of putting together my unit plan and curriculum resources for The Kite Runner. My tenth grade students seem to be genuinely excited about reading this novel; almost as excited as I am to teach it. As so many teachers are now incorporating this book into their curriculums, I thought I would share my developing list of resources. Teachers, be sure to check out my growing list of linked lesson plans near the end of this post.

Introducing The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:

Listen to this interview with the author to learn more about his background and his first book The Kite Runner.

And start your exploration by going right to the source - Khaled Hosseini's website!

Background on the Novel:

This is an excellent site for learning about Afghanistan's history, Hosseini's background, and the setting of The Kite Runner.

This is also a good handout on some of the novel's basic history.

Here is an indexed glossary of all the foreign terms used in the novel.

Learn about Afghanistan

This National Geographic site is a great place to learn more about the history, geography, and politics of Afghanistan.

The CIA World Factbook is another great resource.

Learn about the different ethnic groups living in Aghanistan
- A map of the distribution of the different groups living in Afghanistan
- The Pashtuns make up the majority and are most often Sunni Muslims
- The Hazaras make up about one-fifth of Afghanistan's population and are mainly Shiite Muslims
- Learn about the various groups in Afghanistan through this interactive map

What is Kite Fighting?

This is an interesting article by Afghan Magazine - "Afghan History: Kite Flying, Kite Running, and Kite Banning"

The Women of Kabul

A very interesting project sponsored by the Washington Post on the roles and history of women in Afghanistan. This site is loaded with images, video documentary, and a great interviews.

You've probably seen this picture before. It is one of National Geographic's most famous images. But who is this Afghani girl? Where is she now? What does she look like today? See for yourself!

Video Background