The Study of - The Homeless Hub

Toward the
door we
did not open...
The Study of
"Homelessness" in English
and Media Programs in
Canadian Secondary Schools
the
homeless
www.homelesshub.com
hub
1
The Study of “Homelessness” in English and Media Programs in
Canadian Secondary Schools
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
2
Getting ready to Teach Homelessness
3
Framework
4
Lesson 1 (Grade 9/10)
12
Lesson 2 (Grade 9/10)
13
Lesson 1 (Grade 11/12)
14
Sample Discussion Questions
15
Lesson 2 (Grade 11/12)
16
Note on the Authors
17
The Study of “Homelessness” in English and Media Programs in
Canadian Secondary Schools
2
A NOTE to TEACHERS of ENGLISH and MEDIA
Down the passage which we did not take
Toward the door we did not open…
“Burnt Norton”, The Four
Quartets, T.S. Eliot
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
“Little Gidding”, The Four
Quartets, T.S. Eliot
Image provided by Photography and Story
(http://anagraphia.blogspot.com/).
“Homelessness” as a topic for study offers us, the teachers of English and Media, a
thought-provoking lens for considering anew many standard literary classics and, thus,
for deepening our perspectives on contemporary literature. Traditional universal themes–
revenge, forbidden love, the journey, for example–have stood the test of time as avenues
of approach for literary studies; now, despite its decidedly modern ring, “homelessness”
offers a less-traditional but universal theme, one attended by an array of social, economic,
political, and moral issues for consideration in our classrooms.
Issues related to homelessness are surely as timeless as the first cavewoman to strike out
on her own; and as the orphans of war across the ages; as timely as the plight of families
caught in the current vortex of recession, foreclosure and bankruptcy. Yet, homelessness
as a theme or issue for formal study in classrooms is still relatively new territory.
Perhaps it is the emotionally charged language used in magazines, tabloids and television
to depict homelessness–particularly the stereotypes–that has worked against broad
inclusion as a theme or issue for formal exploration in the classroom. Our hope is,
however, that you will consider travelling along with us “[d]own the passage which we
did not take / [t]oward the door we did not open.” If so, we trust you will find that your
own journey intrigues, enlightens, and even surprises. As we developed the unit of study
that follows, we sensed refreshment and deepening of our personal insights into an aspect
of the human condition we thought we understood. Should you join us in our continuing
consideration, you may–like us–arrive at a perspective on homelessness and “know it for
the first time.”
-Linda Goldspink & Sharon Carere-
Getting Ready to Teach Homelessness
3
Preparing to Teach
In order to effectively engage students in learning about homelessness, it is important for
teachers to prepare. The Homeless Hub provides a number of resources that educators
can use to learn more about the subject matter. These resources include special plain
language summaries of key issues and questions, an extensive resource library, videos
and arts-based research. It is recommended that all teachers explore these resources, and
familiarize themselves with the site. The key resources for teachers include:
•
Resources for Teachers - On the Homeless Hub’s Education
(www.homelesshub.ca/Education) page there is a tab that reads Resources for
Teachers. This tab takes you to a page with a large number of short, plain
language reports that highlight key information about homelessness.
•
Topics – The Homeless Hub’s Topics section (www.homelesshub.ca/Topics)
breaks down homelessness issues into key topics and subtopics. Each of these
includes a non-technical description and list of related articles that will enhance
the descriptive text provided. One can easily learn a lot about homelessness by
simply browsing through the topics.
•
Experiences - The Experiences section of the Hub (found on the Homeless Hub’s
Experiences page www.homelesshub.ca/Experiences) contains a number of first
hand stories and accounts from people who have experienced homelessness.
These are useful resources for educators, students and learners who want to go
directly ‘to the source’.
•
Research Library - The Homeless Hub has the most extensive research library
on homelessness in the world, with over 25,000 resources and counting. Search
for articles, reports, videos and other resources (www.homelesshub.ca/Library).
Resources for Students
Many of these resources found in the For Students section of the Hub
(www.homelesshub.ca/Education/For_Students) can also be used in as handouts and
teaching resources. This section provides a lot of easy to understand information on
homelessness, including short reports, Q and As, etc. Teachers are encouraged to direct
students who wish to learn more about homelessness to the Homeless Hub and use the
research library.
The RATIONALE: defining the purpose of study
4
As a topic for study in Canadian schools, “homelessness” is both timeless and timely. Its
presence in fiction, non-fiction and popular media suggests its validity as a relevant,
accessible and universal theme or issue for exploration in English and Media classrooms.
Homelessness, a universal aspect of the human condition, is readily observable in classic
and contemporary writing and other media, be it depicted through Oedipus or today’s
teenage runaway, King Lear or the abandoned child, the psychological and emotional
isolation of J. Alfred Prufrock or the physical displacement of people engulfed by
tsunami, hurricane, civil unrest or war. Its varied causes and effects, complex dimensions
and implications are also evident in the popular media that reveal the plight of the
homeless as a timely issue for all Canadians, from socially conscious individuals to
government’s collective concern.
The FOCUS: selecting a focus for study
Select a focus for study that suits the interests and abilities of your students as well as the
culture of the class/school. Using the sample lessons provided or creating your own,
support and guide students as they consider available resources and apply critical and
creative thinking skills to themes and issues.
Select the focus(es) through which your students will learn about homelessness by
• increasing personal awareness of related themes and issues;
• assessing its historical and contemporary dimensions;
• exploring its underlying social, economic and political causes;
• analyzing the complexity of its causes and effects;
• considering its moral and ethical implications; and,
• examining ways of responding to related issues.
The FRAMEWORK: using the framework to direct and support study
Use the planning FRAMEWORK to direct and support the focus of study, and to design
and structure your lessons. The FRAMEWORK (page 6) contains
A
B
C
D
E
F
Key Questions
Resources
Teaching/Learning Strategies
Assessment Methods/Products
Expanded Key Questions
Expanded Resources
The LESSONS: defining the purpose and scope of the lessons
5
Define the purpose and scope of YOUR OWN LESSONS and/or SAMPLE LESSONS
using the FRAMEWORK to direct and support
•
a brief stand-alone study
•
an introduction to further study
•
an extension/enrichment of existing work dealing with similar themes
•
a foundation for special projects
•
a link to cross-curricular studies
The SAMPLE LESSONS: implementing/adapting the lessons provided
Implement or adapt the SAMPLE LESSONS by
•
reviewing the FRAMEWORK, Expanded Key Questions and Expanded
Resources
•
selecting the two-lesson unit for Grade 9/10: one seventy-five minute lesson and
one follow-up lesson (length determined by teacher);
and/or
•
selecting the two-lesson unit for Grade 11/12: one seventy-five minute lesson and
one follow-up lesson (length determined by teacher)
YOUR OWN LESSONS: designing and structuring your own lessons
Design and structure your own lessons by using the FRAMEWORK to
•
select and adapt elements appropriate to the focus, purpose and scope of study
•
select and structure activities, strategies, resources, and methods for teaching,
learning and assessment; review Expanded Key Questions and Expanded
Resources
Implement your own lessons by
•
adjusting expectations to suit grade level(s) and students’ abilities/interests
6
FRAMEWORK
A
KEY QUESTIONS
Use key questions to structure teaching/learning. Questions are designed to act as
“throughlines” or a recurring focus to underpin and direct study. Use www.homelesshub.com
as a resource.
WHAT?
does “homelessness” mean: explore the
language we use to describe homelessness.
WHY?
does homelessness exist: explore its causes.
WHO?
are people who are homeless: explore the
identity of those who are homeless.
HOW?
does homelessness affect individuals,
families, society: explore its effects.
See EXPANDED KEY QUESTIONS
B
RESOURCES
Select and add resources appropriate for the purpose of study and grade/abilities of students.
A good starting point is www.homelesshub.ca which is in the process of adding titles of preand post-1900 fiction, non-fiction, and media.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
• poems
• lyrics
• stories
• plays
•
•
•
•
novels
essays
movies
television
•
•
magazines
websites
See EXPANDED RESOURCES
C
TEACHING/LEARNING STRATEGIES
Select strategies to suit age/grade of students; culture of school and class; teacher-student
relationship; different learning styles and types of thinking; length and pace of study. Add
your own strategies.
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES
• prior-knowledge teacher-led discussion
• prior-knowledge fill-in chart
• think/pair/share
• cooperative learning configurations
• sharing personal experiences
• reflection/journal entries
• connections
D
7
EVIDENCE of LEARNING/ASSESSMENT METHODS
Select methods/activities to reflect diagnostic, formative, and summative purposes
appropriate to stage(s) at which students will demonstrate their learning: What do we already
know about homelessness (d)? What do we need to know (f)? What have we learned (s)?
METHODS/PRODUCTS: Examples
• scale: holistic,
•
analytic,
dichotomous
•
• rubric addressing
provincial standards
•
• survey/questionnaire
E
written report, poem,
essay, letter to editor
oral debate, seminar,
speech
instrumental music,
song, choral reading
•
•
collage, cartoon,
mobile, drawing,
diagram
skit, dramatic
monologue
EXPANDED KEY QUESTIONS
WHAT? - What does “homelessness” mean? Explore language used to
describe it.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
homelessness, n. Having no home or permanent abode (denotation)
Homeless Hub definition:
Homelessness is an extreme form of poverty characterized by the instability of housing
and the inadequacy of income, health care supports and social supports.
Usage
The connotation of a word often suggests an emotional, social or psychological
dimension.
Examples of Common/Idiomatic Usage
• interchangeable use of “home”,
“house”
• “home” used to suggest warmth,
protection, comfort, affection
• “home” used as an advertising
euphemism for more than just a
dwelling, e.g., happiness,
prosperity, renewal,
neighbourliness, enjoyment
• “I’m leaving her house now. I’m
on my way home.”
•
•
•
•
•
“My home is your home.”
“Her brother put her into a
home.”
“His parents bought him a
house.”
“She burned down the house.”
“She destroyed his happy home.”
WHY? - Why does homelessness exist? Explore some of its causes.
Causes of Homelessness
• family estrangement/dysfunction
• separation/divorce/abandonment
• extended child-custody suits
• mental illness
• disability
• cultural taboos/ostracism
•
•
•
•
•
8
war/civil strife
natural disasters: flood, famine
epidemic/pandemic
political/economic instability
political decisions: Aboriginal
residential schools
WHO? - Who are people who are homeless? Explore the identity of
homeless people.
“Homeless People”: Present Examples
• children in foster care/orphans
• wards of the Crown
• refugees/new immigrants
• elderly people
• people with disabilities
• child/teen “runaways”
“Homeless People”: Past Examples
• “filles du roi”/indentured
servants
• “Barnardo Children”
• “Butterbox Babies”
• children/adults of the Great
Depression
Stereotypes: Past and Present
• “hobo”, “tramp”, “bag lady”
• “barefoot contessa”, “bottle man”
•
•
•
•
those with psychiatric disabilities
Aboriginal women: off-reserve
loss of status
Aboriginal residential school
survivors
•
Holocaust/WW2 internment
survivors
Aboriginal residential school
survivors
•
“cart pusher”, “grate hugger”
HOW? - How does homelessness affect society? Explore some of its
effects.
Individuals and Families
• routines/customs/expectations
• identity/security/confidence
• affection/friendship/trust
• loneliness/disorientation/anxiety
• physical danger/fear for safety
• stigmatization/ostracism
Society
• shelters/food banks
• panhandling/sleeping on streets
• potential for crime: theft, assault, substance use, prostitution
Teacher Resources: To prepare, check the Background Document “What is
homelessness?” on the Homeless Hub (at www.homelesshub.ca/For_Teachers), as
well as the Hub’s Topics section (at www.homelesshub.ca/Topics).
9
F
10
EXPANDED RESOURCES
POEMS
“What Do I Remember of the Evacuation?”
“Hiroshima Exit”
“He Sits Down on the Floor of a School for the Retarded”
“In Addition”
“Disabled”
“Neighbour”
“Death by Streetcar”
“Home”
“Heirloom”
“Joe Barr”
“Recuerdo”
“Old Woman Seated”
“Grandmother in White”
“The Wasteland”
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
“Ulysses”
Joy Kogawa
Joy Kogawa
Alden Nowlan
Milton Acorn
Wilfred Owen
Carol Shields
Raymond Souster
Karen Gershon
A.M. Klein
Al Purdy
E. St. Vincent Millay
Frances Gill
Daniel David Moses
T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Samuel Coleridge
Lord Tennyson
SHORT STORIES
“No Country for Old Men”
“Pigeons at Daybreak”
“The Edge of the Ceiling”
“New Girl”
“The Boarding House”
“Squatter”
Eric McCormack
Anita Desai
Alan Garner
Pauline Carey
James Joyce
Rohinton Mistry
NON-FICTION
Essays
“Sweeping Assumptions about Retirement”
“The Other Side of the River”
“Alone at Last”
“Missing: A Man with a Briefcase”
From “Marginalization” in Selling Illusions
From “Better or Worse?” in The Danger Tree
David Koulack
Dr. Robert McClure
Cheryl Merser
Susan Allen Toth
Neil Bissoondath
David Macfarlane
Books
All Our Sisters: Stories of Homeless Women across Canada
Raymond Carver in the Classroom: A Small, Good Thing
The Double Bind
All God’s Children
Street Stories: 100 years of Homelessness in Vancouver
Newman
“Homelessness and Language Arts: Context and Connections”
Susan Scott
Raymond Carver
Chris Bohjalian
W. Scott Johnson
Barnholden &
A. Carey Webb
F
11
EXPANDED RESOURCES, cont’d
NOVELS: 1900-Current
The Grapes of Wrath
On the Road
Of Mice and Men
The Great Gatsby
The Stone Angel
The Handmaid’s Tale
Lord of the Flies
The Catcher in the Rye
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Sweetness in the Belly
The Fisher King
A Fine Balance
NOVELS: Pre-1900
Moll Flanders
Great Expectations
Pride and Prejudice
David Copperfield
Wuthering Heights
Oliver Twist
PLAYS
Oedipus the King
Oedipus in Thebes
King Lear
Romeo and Juliet
Hedda Gabler
Danny, King of the Basement
MOVIES
Away
Rainman
No Country for Old Men
Nobody Waved Goodbye
Out of Africa
Ella Enchanted
Cinderella
Snow White
TELEVISION
Lost
Little House on the Prairie
Anne of Green Gables
Charlotte’s Web
The Englishman’s Boy
The Secret Life of Bees
The Red Tent
Oscar and Lucinda
A Map of Glass
The Stone Carvers
The Zoo Story
Away
Pilgrim
Atonement
All Quiet on the Western Front
Hard Times
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Frankenstein
War and Peace
Madame Bovary
Death of a Salesman
A Streetcar Named Desire
Dr. Barnardo’s Children
Homechild
Eastern Promises
Jesse James
The Stone Angel
Atonement
The Secret Life of Bees
Lord of the Rings
The Great Gatsby
Cathy Come Home (BBC)
12
Sample Lesson Plan – Grade 9/10: Homelessness – Lesson 1
Theme and General Goals:
Students have completed a study of To Kill a Mockingbird and will now begin a research
Media project connected to it. Working in small, collaborative groups, they will focus on
topics relating to the Great Depression with a focus on homelessness. For their
culminating performance, students will create a Media product and make an oral
presentation to demonstrate their learning.
Step by Step Procedures:
5 mins
• Introduce the purpose of the study, a research project based on issues related to
the time and place of the novel: the southern United States during the Great
Depression of the 1930s
10 mins
• Have students reflect on WHAT? homelessness means and WHO? are homeless
people. They record entries in journals/reflection books or share observations in a
think/pair/share strategy to establish their prior knowledge, feelings, and
perspectives
20 mins
• Students may share their thoughts with the whole class
• You can use this activity as a diagnostic to gauge students’ ability to develop an
idea, to work in pairs, and to listen and speak during the class discussion
• You may choose to record responses on chart paper or have a whole class
discussion during which students add to their journal entries
• Students will return to their observations upon completion of the project to see if
new knowledge and understanding have changed their thinking in any way
30 mins
• You can use the information gleaned thus far for an interactive lesson on language
and the power of words, comparing the denotations and connotations of
“homeless” and their effects on thinking, feelings, and actions. The learning
gleaned from this activity may be linked to the ongoing study of vocabulary and
concepts that students have been engaged in throughout the year
• Students take notes during the lesson
10 mins
• Together review what they have established in the lesson and discuss what they
will need for the next lesson in the library/resource centre.
Required Materials:
• Journals or reflection books
• Chart paper
13
Sample Lesson Plan – Grade 9/10: Homelessness – Lesson 2
Theme and General Goals:
Using their completed study of To Kill a Mockingbird as a springboard, students have
discussed their awareness and perceptions of homelessness. Through discussion and
writing, they have also deepened their understanding of the power of language, focusing
on the denotative and connotative language used to talk about people who are homeless.
Students will now research a topic relating to homelessness during the Great Depression
of the 1930s to create a Media product and present their findings orally.
Note on Time: Teacher determines allocation of time according to need
Step by Step Procedures:
•
•
With the help of the Teacher-Librarian review the research process and introduce
students to available resources in library/resource centre.
Have students carry out some/all of the following activities:
• generate questions that will act as prompts and structures to give direction
to their research;
• use a selected media form–newspaper, magazine, history text, memoir–to
report their research using written text and visuals;
• use conventions appropriate to the medium and to language and writing;
• present their findings orally;
• return to their initial thinking about the topic and decide if it has changed
as a result of their research.
Assessment / Evaluation:
•
Assess the process and products in several ways.
Samples
• diagnostic
• formative
• summative
•
•
•
survey or discussion to access prior knowledge about homelessness
writing process for essay/report/poem/visual medium
cooperative group work: assembling material for project
written/visual/musical products: report/essay/poem/dramatic
performance/poem/drawing/song/instrumental
You can identify the purpose and criteria for assessment methods/activities in the
checklist, rubric or other instrument(s) to be used by students/teacher.
Students receive instruments or instructions on the demonstration activity /
performance in advance of the assessment/evaluation stage.
Students may also help to determine the criteria and engage in self and peer
assessment before the teacher’s summative evaluation.
14
Sample Lesson Plan – Grade 11/12: Homelessness – Lesson 1
Theme and General Goals:
Students have completed a formal study of Oedipus the King and/or King Lear and will
now write an academic essay. The teacher will review key features of the Extended
Definition Essay and students, working in small-group or whole-class configurations, will
create a collective, extended definition of homelessness depicted in one/both plays.
Students will take detailed notes during all class and group discussions. For their
culminating performance, students will develop an Extended Definition Essay of 750 to
1,000 words.
Step by Step Procedures:
45 mins
• Initiate whole-class/small group discussion of homelessness as reflected in the
popular media and everyday life; notes stereotyping.
• Students take notes.
• Prompt students to consider homelessness in the play(s).
• See EXPANDED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Support students as they create a collective extended definition of “homelessness”
for application to the play(s). The new definition features both denotative and
connotative meanings.
EXAMPLE: extended definition of “homelessness”
Homelessness, n. Having no permanent dwelling place; lacking familial security,
comfort, affection. See www.homelesshub.ca for further elaboration.
•
•
Introduce/review key features of the Extended Definition Essay.
Students work alone and/or with a partner using or refining the collectively
created extended definition of homelessness to develop a working thesis.
30 mins
• Students work alone in class/at home using their discussion notes and the primary
text(s) only to develop an essay outline and to prepare a draft for peer editing in
the next class.
SAMPLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Oedipus the King and King Lear
15
Introductory Questions
Why, do you think, are the words “house” and “home” used both interchangeably
and differently? Which word evokes more emotion? How? Why?
Bloom’s Taxonomy: optional “starting points” for discussion
Knowledge
In the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), “homeless” is defined as “having no
home or permanent abode”. Is Oedipus “homeless”? Is Lear?
Comprehension
Who can explain briefly how Oedipus becomes homeless? Lear?
Application
If the definition of “homelessness” were expanded to mean “lacking familial
affection”, how might we view Oedipus/Lear, Antigone/Cordelia?
Analysis
Oedipus the King: The family of Oedipus and Jocasta has been called
“dysfunctional”. Is it acceptable to describe the members of a (severely)
dysfunctional family as “homeless” according to our extended definition? Why?
Why not?
King Lear: Compare Regan’s and Goneril’s treatment of King Lear. How do their
words/actions relate to our extended definition of “homelessness”?
Synthesis
Oedipus the King: How do the Chorus and Jocasta each contribute to Oedipus’
decision to blind himself and wander the countryside?
King Lear: How do Gloucester and the Fool each contribute to our sympathy for
Lear’s “homelessness”?
Evaluation/Debate
Oedipus the King: Oedipus aside, who/what is most responsible for his
“homelessness”? Evidence?
King Lear: Lear aside, who/what is most responsible for his “homelessness”?
Evidence?
BONUS/DEBATE: Of the two plays, Oedipus the King and King Lear, which in
your opinion better (more effectively) depicts “homelessness” according to the
extended definition created by your group/class? Why? How?
Sample Lesson Plan – Grade 11/12: Homelessness – Lesson 2
Theme and General Goals:
Students have discussed and made notes on their expanded definition/understanding of
“homelessness” in Oedipus the King and/or King Lear. You have introduced/reviewed
key features of the Extended Definition Essay; students have developed/refined an
extended definition of homelessness, prepared an essay outline, and written a first draft
for peer editing.
16
Note on Time: Teacher determines allocation of time according to need
Step by Step Procedures:
•
•
•
•
•
Briefly review features of the Extended Definition Essay and provides familiar
rubric, scale, or other assessment instrument for use by students in peer-editing
activity
Each student peer edits drafts from two other students
Together discuss issues and questions raised in the peer edits.
Provide clarification as required.
Establish dates for teacher-edit of future draft and for submission of the final
essay and students’ process notes/drafts.
Assessment / Evaluation:
•
You may assess the process and products in several ways.
Samples
• diagnostic
• formative
• summative
•
•
•
survey or discussion to access prior knowledge about homelessness
writing process for Extended Definition Essay
timely submission of drafts for peer/teacher edits; final essay
Identify the purpose and criteria for assessment methods/activities in the
checklists, rubrics, or other instrument(s) to be used.
Students receive the instruments or instructions on the demonstration activity/
performance in advance of the assessment/evaluation stage.
Students may also help to determine the criteria and engage in self and peer
assessment before the teacher’s summative evaluation.
Note on the authors:
17
Sharon Carere currently coordinates the Learning Skills program at Havergal College.
Earlier, she was an educator in the former Toronto Board of Education as teacher, head,
pilot program developer, and board-appointed project officer. As an Education Officer in
the ministry’s Curriculum Policy Branch, Sharon held the English, Media Literacy, and
History portfolios. She has developed resources in English and Media Literacy and has
also consulted and given workshops on the writing process, reading, interdisciplinary
programs, assessment, and evaluation.
Linda Goldspink is currently Head of the Department of English and Drama at Havergal
College. For many years she was an educator with the Scarborough Board of Education
(now part of the Toronto District School Board). As teacher, head, program coordinator,
and senior coordinator/administrator, Linda has been involved with writing policy,
curriculum and assessment documents; supervising school operations; implementing
literacy projects; conducting research; and delivering workshops. She has consulted at all
levels of education including school, board, and ministry and with EQAO as a consultant,
writer and researcher.