In my Writing Through Literature classes, I scaffold assignments so that a series of activities leads up to and support students as they write papers based on literary interpretations. Particularly early in the semester, I want students to have "rehearsed" the act of interpretation in a number of modes before they offer interpretations in a high stakes assignment - an essay that I will mark and grade. These modes include journal writing and threaded discussion on the Blackboard Discussion Board.
Students write in their journals before posting what they write. This generally means that what they post on the Discussion Board is a revised piece of work. The revision is fueled by the fact that classmates will be reading and then possibly quoting posted work in their upcoming essays. I also adjust the settings on the Blackboard Discussion Board so that students can edit their own postings. Implicit in this activity is the idea that what students post is an important resource for classmates.
The posting of interpretations on the Discussion Board also makes it evident that there are many possible interpretations of a literary work. This relieves an anxiety students often feel in ENG 102 classes: "What if I don't have the correct interpretation?"
The value of the posting on the Discussion Board has been reflected in students' essays. Many students have quoted other students' postings and have responded to those postings in their papers. I have not systematically evaluated how this work has contributed to the quality of students' literary interpretations. Certainly, this would be an important step to take to measure the effectiveness of this pedagogical practice.
Activity Overview
Before students responded to the Blackboard prompt (below), I asked them to select one passage that appeared early in Kafka's The Metamorphosis that is important to their understanding of the novella. I then asked them to copy that passage in their journals and to explain, in writing, why that passage is important.
Here are the instructions given to students on the Discussion Board:
Please share part of what you wrote in your journal in regard to The Metamorphosis. An important part of writing essays about works of literature involves "grounding" an essay in specific passages. Generally, stronger papers are based on close readings of those selected passages.
Please help your classmates by sharing with them one of the passages you wrote about in your journal. Place the passage in quotation marks, and in parentheses indicate the page number it appears on. Then, write what you found important about the passage.
Please read and respond to postings of at least four classmates. I suggest you start by reading and responding to postings by group members. When you respond, you may want to add to or disagree with a classmate's interpretation of a passage. If you disagree (which is very OK to do in a literature class; generally there is not ONE interpretation), offer an alternative interpretation.
You will see that the upcoming essay assignment requires you to quote a classmate's remark on the Discussion Board in your paper. I will ask you to attach a print-out of the comment you quote. So, if you see a comment that catches your attention, feel free to print it.
Materials and Resources
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Three Related Assignments: A Journal Assignment, the Discussion Board Assignment, the Essay Assignment. The Journal and Blackboard assignments are included above. Here is the related Essay Assignment:
The Metamorphosis, Essay 1, Version 1
Please finish reading the novella. In your essay of at least 500 words, I would like you to respond to the following topic based on your reading of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
Much of The Metamorphosis is set in Gregor's room. What do we learn from looking closely at Kafka's description of that room? What does Gregor's room represent? (I encourage you to write about a part or parts of Gregor's room. It could be difficult to write about the entire room in 500 words.)
The essay will be based on a close reading of the novella and the comments of your classmates. You are required to have two items in your Works Cited list: the novella and the Blackboard Discussion Board. You should include at least two direct quotations from the novella. You should also include a quote from the Discussion Board or in-class oral discussion.