Conversations in Literature


About CONVERSATIONS IN LITERATURE Individual Program Descriptions 1. Responding as Readers 2. Envisioning 3. Stepping In 4. Moving Through 5. Rethinking 6. Objectifying the Text 7. The Stances in Action 8. Returning to the Classroom Support Materials Teacher-Talk

Introduction

Key Points

Learning Objectives

Background Reading

Homework Assignment

Extension:
Classroom Connection

Ongoing Activity

Additional Reading

Homework Assignment

Journal: List three ways that you as a teacher can help students enter a text for the first time.

Reading: In preparation for Workshop 4, you may want to read the poem "Lost Sister," by Cathy Song and the short story "All Gone," by Stephen Dixon. Literature selections can be found in Literature: An Introduction To Reading and Writing, 5th edition, Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs, © 1998, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-010076-5.

Some online resources related to the featured texts include:

Poem: "Lost Sister" by Cathy Song

The Cathy Song page.
A brief biography and links to other resources related to Cathy Song.

Short Story: "All Gone" by Stephen Dixon

A reflection on the author's works.
Biographical highlights and interview with the author.

Within the workshop session, you will be reading the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem can also be found in the anthology mentioned above. Some online texts and resources related to the poem and author include:

Online versions of the poem "Sympathy": http://www.educeth.ch/english/readinglist/angeloum/index.html, and http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap6/dunbar.html#sympathy.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar homepage.
A digital text library of the author's works.
An online library of poetry.
A summary of Dunbar's life and career by the Modern American Poetry web site.

If you have not already, you may also want to read Chapter 2, "Building Envisionments," pages 9-17, in Dr. Judith Langer's Envisioning Literature. This excerpt examines the process of envisionment building and defines the stance Being In and Moving Through an Envisionment.

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