Pandemics in Literature- Aiden Markoff

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q5ZLgKfuH1z6bDAx5y1OjSVpjjreziIl1WTKAiO0sX8/edit  Today I completed the Class 9 agenda, which was heavily focused on an article featured in the The Washington Post, called "The Poetry Which Spoke Most to the Pandemic". Initially, I used this to find a suggestion for the daily poem, which worked perfectly as it was actually my Poetry Out Loud poem, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth. After reading that poem, I wanted there to be a brief class discussion on the poem, focusing on the concept of solitude, which is the central message of the poem. I decided to have the class then read the entirety of The Washington Post article. I was able to turn this into a reading and writing assignment, as the article suggests twelve other poems to read which spoke to the pandemic. The assignment is to read at least one of those poems, then write a 5 sentence reader response paper, (I included the rubric for that), as well as a th

While this week I officially declared my major at Union to be economics, my passion for English has always been, and will continue to be a massive part of me. The objective of this project was to experience what being an English teacher is like. As expected, there are elements which I love and others that have proven to be a challenge. First off, I love the creative aspect of formulating something new, with a precise attention to detail. Each assignment, note, discussion which I have created thus far has been done with intention as I constantly imagine a classroom setting where my class is actually taking place. I want the students to feel a way to process the collective experience of the COVID pandemic, and through that process reveals themes that can be carried forward with truths about humanity. That component of exposing themes is what has always drawn me to English, as I know that it is deeply applicable to understanding life itself. I myself have been able to take time to reflect

 Today I created Class 7 and 8 agendas. For the Class 7 Poem of the Day, I read through Pandemic Spring again looking for a shorter length poem, yet one that would still allow for conversation and analysis. I ended up selecting a short poem called "Graduating College During a Global Pandemic", and then asked for a discussion focused on the poem's structure and its effectiveness. Following the daily poem, I found two introductory videos after perusing to introduce Station Eleven finally. First I included an interview with the author, Emily St. John Mandel, to give an initial look to the text; secondly, I felt that it was important, (especially given that King Lear is not part of any other course at Proctor) to give context for the novel as it heavily references Shakespeare's King Lear. To help with this, I found a synopsis video which should help with at least giving a base level introduction to Lear.  Class 8 I intentionally kept simple; first, I found an article whic

 I decided to go back to look at Class 5 and 6 and found that I wanted to do some reworking to both. One of my favorite English class exercises has been the Socratic seminar. I felt that the introduction of intersectionality in 2020 would lead to a very in depth conversation, so I wanted to accommodate my class plans to fit that. I also added my own twist to the Socratic seminar format, including a "hot seat" in the inner circle which allows for the observer to jump into the active conversation. In order to accommodate the seminar, I added homework to class 5 in order to have students begin to draft discussion questions to be prepared.  I am considering diving the material from class 6 into at least another day and push back my plan for Class 7, which I have started with the Ulster University article and assigning Station Eleven. 

 Today I created class agenda 5 and 6. Class 5 I focused around the topic of joy. Using the poem "These Times" by Dan Szczesny, I wanted to emphasize the simple beauties of life which were a direct result of quarantine experiences. I connected this back to the previous class' brainstorm exercise, which was then used to assign the first poetry writing assignment. I deliberately did not require a specific form for the poem to take, as Covid Spring goes to show, there are so many ways to express the emotional experiences of COVID. For Class 6 I emphasized the intersectionality of race and climate change during 2020, as well as the direct connection to COVID. This focus was not only to have important discussions on this period of significant changes, but also to tie to the theme of dramatic changes which occur during a pandemic. 

 Today I received my second vaccine shot and was feeling under the weather. While trying to take it easy, I listened to Station Eleven on audio. I also researched for more video resources, mostly pursuing through TEDEd. I am considering implementing a piece on education reform based what has been revealed through the online transitions which took place during COVID. I also found an article from Ulster University which perfectly relates to my course objective as it delves into how literature has dealt with pandemics. The piece includes an article, video, and two radio discussions; I will most likely use the video and article in my next daily agenda.  https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0319/1124105-literature-culture-pandemics-plagues-death-disease/ https://www.ted.com/talks/nora_flanagan_what_covid_19_revealed_about_us_schools_and_4_ways_to_rethink_education?language=en#t-57956