So, the book is written, but unpublished, the website is almost done, or done soon... by July 1st for sure... and I have to figure out business cards, except this is not a business, this is a method...
Let me back up.
Hi! My name is Sandy Williams. I am an English Teacher (kids, don't try this at home...) and I believe that we are failing to make Language Arts relevant to students today. What I mean is that we are teaching 18th Century Literacy, not 21st Century Literacy.
We can't explain to these kids why they need to be in school and why they need to study (as my students call it affectionately), "This Stuff!" We are not making it relevant to them and we are not including the literacy skills and awareness that they need. So, I had this idea...
It started out small, but then I was only a first year teacher (this was back in 1999). I was fascinated with FanFiction. (Ahem) FanFiction is consumer generated literature based on popular media. Doesn't that sound academic? People told extra stories about the things they liked to read, watch and participate in media-wise. I did it in high school during winter hiatus of my favorite TV shows as a way to avoid doing my trigonometry homework (which may be why I got bad math grades and now teach English) and sometimes whey I was bored in an English class or two. Lots of people did it, though I didn't know any at the time. However when communities developed on the Internet FanFiction exploded as a media... People were writing, they were talking literary themes and they were editing each other... I was fascinated and convinced that with a little work teachers could tap into the potential and enthusiasm online and really do something about getting kids reading, writing and interacting with literature again.
This began a grand adventure involving The WB's "Roswell," Jason Katims, Jonathan Frakes, Karen Wyscarver, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Studios, but that is another story for another post... It was also a matter of me thinking way to small. There was an important leap to be made yet, and it took me ten years to make it.
Good TV is Good Literature. Television can be viewed as the next evolution in literature, like poetry and drama before it. With that reality in mind I went from a short series of lessons to create interest to an entire CURRICULUM using TV as the base to teach critical thinking, critical watching, critical reading and critical writing (as well as research skills, creative writing, traditional literature's and writing conventions). Then I just needed a show to use as my model.
The CW's "Supernatural" was the perfect fit. Forty episodes from the first two seasons were some of the best television for drawing student interest, teaching literary concepts and just generally being a perfect vehicle for the idea.
So now I have written the book (with a little help from a friend) actually it's more of a glorified lesson plan, but at 350 pages book is the better word. I have applied (and been accepted)to present at a national education conference (HSTW) and am going to be actually teaching a class with the method this fall (2011).
The book is called Teaching Literature Supernaturally. You cannot buy it, yet, and I will need to know who has it and what they do with it, so I am still figuring out how that works...
There will be a website (tls4students.org), and business cards and presentations.
This is a blog specifically to record my experiences the first year.
There will be more coming.
