We chose to use October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard for our multimodal response.
Brief Summary:
This book is of a collection of 68 poems that are meant to be read as one body of work. Leslea Newman wrote these poems after Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old gay male at the University of Wisconsin, was murdered during the university's Gay Awareness Week. Newman was the keynote speaker for the week and she was haunted by this young man's death. The poems are written from multiple perspectives such as the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him, the deer that kept watch beside him, and Matthew himself.
Multimodal Response:
Option 1: After reading October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, the class will create an informational wiki about various GLBT matters. The teacher will initially create the wiki. Students will work in groups to research information on topics such as safe spaces, GLBT terminology, how to be an ally, bullying, and resources in the community, then present their findings on the wiki. When the wiki is complete it will be shared with the rest of the school as a resource for peers.
Option 2: Students will write an original poem on a GLBT topic of their choosing such as safe spaces, tolerance, and bullying. The poem will be written from a specific view point, like the author writes her poems in the book. The students will present their poems at a poetry slam, on a class blog, or publish them as a book and give it to a local youth center.
Option 3: Students will complete an open mind worksheet on October Mourning and GLBT topics. For this activity students will be given a worksheet with an empty head. Inside it they will draw any symbols, words, or images that are 'bouncing' around in their minds throughout the story. This will be followed up with discussions and a writing piece to explain and explore the responses.
Brief Summary:
This book is of a collection of 68 poems that are meant to be read as one body of work. Leslea Newman wrote these poems after Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old gay male at the University of Wisconsin, was murdered during the university's Gay Awareness Week. Newman was the keynote speaker for the week and she was haunted by this young man's death. The poems are written from multiple perspectives such as the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him, the deer that kept watch beside him, and Matthew himself.
Multimodal Response:
Option 1: After reading October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, the class will create an informational wiki about various GLBT matters. The teacher will initially create the wiki. Students will work in groups to research information on topics such as safe spaces, GLBT terminology, how to be an ally, bullying, and resources in the community, then present their findings on the wiki. When the wiki is complete it will be shared with the rest of the school as a resource for peers.
Option 2: Students will write an original poem on a GLBT topic of their choosing such as safe spaces, tolerance, and bullying. The poem will be written from a specific view point, like the author writes her poems in the book. The students will present their poems at a poetry slam, on a class blog, or publish them as a book and give it to a local youth center.
Option 3: Students will complete an open mind worksheet on October Mourning and GLBT topics. For this activity students will be given a worksheet with an empty head. Inside it they will draw any symbols, words, or images that are 'bouncing' around in their minds throughout the story. This will be followed up with discussions and a writing piece to explain and explore the responses.