Chaos Walking: Exploring Voice, Imagery and Suspense in The Knife of Never Letting Go Joanne Foley is a Teacher Candidate for the Master of Teaching (Secondary) at MGSE, the University of Melbourne. This unit of work for Year 10 English was part of her semester one assessment. Introduction The Knife of Never Letting Go, the first volume in the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, showcases literary devices such as voice, imagery and suspense. Many students’ writing is weakened by poor use of voice and imagery. This well-­‐written text highlights these techniques and the themes provide rich material for discussion and debate. The reader is kept in suspense and must construct aspects of the narrative from the scant plot and foreshadowing provided. The novel encompasses themes of colonialism, racism, friendship and betrayal, coming-­‐of-­‐age, choice, moral decisions, relationships between men and women, and information overload. At times the content is violent and frightening, paralleling brutal aspects of colonialism. While the themes are challenging, the literacy demands on less able readers are not over-­‐burdensome. The book does not use complex language, and the engaging narrative provides motivation to continue reading. The fast-­‐paced, adventurous text will likely appeal even to reluctant readers. Australian content is introduced when examining the techniques the author uses to dehumanise the Spackle (a group of people that have been colonised and have suffered greatly at the hands of their colonisers). Toward the end of the unit this is compared with how Aboriginal Australians have been and are still represented in the media. This unit is designed to be taught over four weeks, with four 50 minute lessons per week, totalling sixteen lessons. The intention in this unit is that students learn ‘by doing combined with reflection’ (Priest & Gass, 1997, p. 136), and that they learn and demonstrate the application of theory and literary techniques and also are provided with model examples. This text has been chosen and the unit designed to be used in a mixed ability classroom. Learning Goals Reading and viewing Students will be able to evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors. They explain how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style. Writing Students will be able to explain how the selection of language features achieve precision and stylistic effect and develop their own style by experimenting with language features, stylistic devices, text structures and images. Speaking and listening Students will be able to make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions building on others' ideas, solving problems, justifying opinions and developing and expanding arguments. Overview of aims and outcomes for three lesson sequence The overall aim of these three lessons is for students to be able to understand and identify aspects of voice and to be confident in discussing both orally and in written form how authors use voice. In addition, students will learn to use voice to strengthen their own writing. This sequence of lessons follow on from the two introductory lessons. These three lessons focus on voice and also introduce visualisation, which will be revisited in the unit. Revisiting techniques and theories is an aspect of this unit that is intended to deepen students understanding via a spiral curriculum that returns to concepts in different ways (Bruner, 2006, p.145). The content is also intended to progress incrementally so that the learning is carefully staged, which means that students can work at slightly different levels within the class (Evans, Midgley, Rigby, Warham & Woolnough, 2009). This and the activities are designed to allow for extension and support for those students who require it. Lesson 3: What is voice? ( ACELT1643) Aims • To introduce voice • To practise identifying voice • To practise using voice Introductory activity Purpose: to introduce the concept of voice by linking oral and written voice. Students close their eyes. Teacher walks around and taps one student on the shoulder. Student says, "Hi, it's me!" At this point other students try to guess who was tapped by the sound of their voice. Tell students that writing can have voice too and sometimes you can tell who wrote something because their writing has a special voice. (Adapted from V. Spandel). Define voice and possible voices Purpose: to introduce a broader definition of voice and give examples of voice in writing. • Class discussion: Ask students what is voice in writing? How can you tell? What characteristics does it have? Write responses on the board. • Make a list of the characteristics of writing that indicate strong voice. • Give students the handout that provides definitions and types of voice plus homework (Refer Appendix A). • Students practise in pairs reading any part of the text in a different voice, using examples of different emotions from the handout. Name that voice Purpose: Students develop the ability to identify and name unique voices in different works. Teacher and/or students read different short works or excerpts and ask students to name the emotions portrayed in the work and the overall type of voice (The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness p. 44, Undertow by Shaun Tan p. 37). Read the pieces twice. The first time students just listen, the second time they can listen and put their hand up if they can identify an emotion or voice in the scene. This can be modelled first by the teacher using The Knife of Never Letting Go. Write three sentences Purpose: This activity and the next are designed to illustrate the power of adding emotion to a piece of work and how that helps strengthen voice. • Students each write an emotion, a setting and a character’s name on three separate pieces of paper. These are mixed up, and then students are randomly given a setting and a character’s name and asked to write three sentences that describe a situation from before, during and after any event. • Write three sentences in the voice you are given • The emotion card is now played. Students are given an emotion randomly, and swap the setting and character to write three sentences using a voice to match the emotion, but not that word itself (the emotion word given to the student) (i.e. Show don’t tell). Teacher models first using the board to write up the sentences. Homework: Reflection: Read your sentences aloud. What emotions can you notice? Compare the three emotion-­‐charged sentences with your first effort. What is different? What development can you see in your writing? Why do you think voice is important? Lesson 4: How can voice be developed? (ACELY1749, ACELA1567) Aims • Students learn to identify key elements of portraying voice • To introduce students to techniques to strengthen voice using visualisation and by examining Ness’s techniques Class discussion Purpose: to review the learning in the previous lesson and extent ability to identify voice. • Teacher reads paragraph from p. 13 of The Knife of Never Letting Go.(Refer Appendix B). • Class looks at pages 20 -­‐ 21 of The Knife of Never Letting Go which provide a visual representation of noise in different types and sizes of font. • Class discussion identifying elements of voice and how it is established. Imagine yourself as... Purpose: to introduce students to techniques that can strengthen voice, metaphors and verb use. Students are provided a visual image (The Spider and the Fly picture: see Appendix C). They are asked a series of literal, evaluative and inferential questions related to the picture. Students then close their eyes and imagine themselves in that place in the picture, and as one of the characters. They are taken through a guided visualisation task asking sensory and emotive questions. Students imagine a change in the external environment. Students take notes after this process and search for the appropriate verb to use to represent the change. Students consider the imagery they have experienced and how best to represent that using novel metaphors. Students write a short poem e.g. haiku. Look at how the author does it Purpose: to practise understanding elements of voice and for students to consider some of the themes that will be revisited later in the unit, and to teach students to be critically aware as readers. This activity is designed ‘To empower pupils by teaching them to examine texts as being culturally produced’ (Davison & Dawson, 2003, p. 110). This activity is based on constructivist theories of learning. Using partner and group work allows students time to discuss and rehearse their thinking and reinforce their learning. Classroom talk is the ‘most important educational tool for guiding the development of understanding and for jointly constructing knowledge’ (Mercer & Hodgkinson, 2008, p.xi). Teacher involvement in writing activities is based on the theory that doing activities with the class allows for scaffolding concurrently with learning (Raban, 2001). •
In pairs, students find a section in The Knife of Never Letting Go that portrays the Spackle and answer the following questions. •
How does the author use voice to convey meaning and emotion in the story? How are the Spackle represented? What language is used to discuss them? How does Todd know anything about the Spackle? How does the reader know anything about the Spackle? •
Students then find another partner group. One person reads the selected passage, imitating the voice they think is appropriate. The other partner answers the questions. Then swap. Lesson 5: Write a short story (ACELT1815) Aim: Students demonstrate their understanding of voice by producing work that showcases elements of voice in a character Purpose: to develop a voice different to the student’s own, and to assess students understanding of voice and how to use it. Assessment: A 400 word short story in the voice of Eric Activity • Teacher and/or students read ‘Eric’ by Shaun Tan. • Students are taken through a guided visualisation process then asked to write a 400 word story that either details Eric’s latest adventure or recounts his time on foreign exchange (Summative assessment). This activity is designed to get students thinking creatively. It is based on Bloom’s taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) in that the questions begin at a literal level and move to evaluative and inferential levels. Misson suggests that getting students to write can help students understand their potential, to ‘become aware of the possibilities within themselves’ (2004). The visualisation activity is designed to help students imagine themselves both as characters and to immerse themselves in feeling something and writing about it. Students are given assessment criteria based on use of voice, choice of metaphor and verbs. Unit overview: Chaos Walking: Exploring voice, imagery and suspense in The Knife of Never Letting Go Lesson Lesson focus Assessment/ AusVELS link Activities 1. Introduction to this ACELT1643 unit Starting point – First sentences. Introduce eavesdropping (on strangers preferably on the train/ at the supermarket etc). Homework: note down any sentences that would make ideal openings for novels. Reading in class -­ a variety of activities including silent reading and reading to the whole class dependent on class make-­‐up. 2. First sentences The meaning of noise Group work -­‐ teacher monitors (F) ACELT1642 Eavesdropping activity: Students choose their best potential opener, form groups and make a short story. (Bassnett and Grundy, 1993) Group discussion: The nature and meaning of Noise. Students read the part on p.13 about Noise. What do we know about Noise and how does the author tell us this? Reading in class. ACELT1643 Aims • To introduce the concept of voice to the class in a concrete way • To practise identifying voice in a structured way • To practise using voice in a simple way 3.
What is voice ? 4. How can voice be developed? ACELT1643 Aims • Students learn to identify key elements of portraying voice in different works • To introduce students to techniques to strengthen voice in their writing using the following techniques o Visualisation o Examining author’s techniques 5. Voice short story Assessment: Short story (S) ACELT1815 Aims: Students demonstrate their understanding of voice by producing work that showcases elements of voice in a character Lesson Lesson focus Assessment/ AusVELS link Activities 6. ACELT1815 Developing imagery techniques such as metaphors, similes etc based on visualising characters in an environment from a picture (picture from The Spider and the Fly by DiTerlizzi based on the poem by Mary Howitt). Finding strong imagery in The Knife of Never Letting Go and describing to your small group why you chose this imagery and why it is effective Write a poem based on an image using visualisation techniques Short story (S) ACELY1757 Techniques for revising work. Revise the short story from lesson 5 in class, focussing on imagery. Imagery 7.
Revising work 8.
Narrative structure ACELT1642 -­‐ suspense Watch part of a video that shows suspense (Lord of the Rings, the Flight to the Ford) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e7qhhLbAok Identify features of suspense in the video and in a selection of The Knife of Never Letting Go text Students find an example of suspense in the text and describe what techniques it uses 9.
Narrative structure Short story -­‐ Suspense (F) ACELT1815 ACELA1567 Write a short story in response to an image you choose (from a selection) using imagery and techniques of suspense. 10.
Spare lesson See how class is progressing or catch up on work. Introduce other aspects of structure, voice or imagery or other issues raised by students? 11.
Feedback and editing someone else’s work Short story (S) ACELY1757 Edit another student’s work prior to submission, providing suggestions and constructive feedback on narrative structure, voice and imagery. E.g. Read each other’s work to each other and comment on voice. Lesson Lesson focus Assessment/ AusVELS link Activities 12.
Literary analysis of ACELY1749 themes -­‐ racism and ‘othering’ Discussion of portrayal of the Spackle in The Knife of Never Letting Go. Representation of Aboriginals in the press, newspaper articles as well as historical examples What methods does the author use to represent the Spackle as ‘other’? How does this account relate to representation of colonised countries? Questioning the representation of stereotypes of people, cultures, places, events and concepts, and expressing views on the appropriateness of these representations 13.
Exploring essay topics and structure. Provide essay topics and assessment criteria. Brainstorming as a class on the essay topics Essay writing– provide ways to plan, introduce a visual style e.g. mind maps. Start essay planning Remind students of essay structure including TEEL procedure. Draft essay structure as homework 14.
Literary analysis of Debate (F) themes – ACELY1813 information ACELT1640 overload Discussion of the epigraph quoting George Eliot. How is this quote relevant to your world? How is the quote relevant to the text? Debate – information overload (topic to be developed) Continue essay development 15.
Start essay in class, ACELT1640 More literary ACELY1757 themes and techniques Teacher discusses one on one with students their approach, plan and key ideas. Provide feedback to each other on drafts 16.
Essay Finalising essay based on feedback. Questions to teacher and other students. ACELT1640 Essay (S) APPENDIX A: Voice Voice is a vital part of strong, interesting writing. A strong voice in a story sounds natural, and is what makes the story special or memorable. Voice is ‘what readers “hear” in their heads when they’re reading. Voice is the “sound” of the story. In every strong work of fiction, one voice rises above the din to unify the piece and lead the reader through the thicket of characters’ voices. This voice is the most important for the simple reason that, after you finish a good story or novel, it’s this overarching voice that continues to ring in the reader’s mind. And yes, you guessed it – the voice of a story is the voice of the narrator.’(Hardy Griffin. From the Gotham Writers’ Workshop, 2003). Some people get point of view and tone confused with voice. Point of view relates to the narrative style, i.e. first, second or third person narration. Voice is influenced by what point of view you choose (and other factors in a story). Tone refers to the mood of the piece. Sometimes voice is referred to as the personality. A strong voice has a number of features, including: •
•
•
•
It shows personality It sounds different from everyone else’s It contains feelings and emotions The words come to life Homework Think of a story or novel that has an interesting voice. What kind of voice would you call it? How do you think the author makes that voice? Read your two pieces aloud. Note what emotions are in either story. Compare the three emotion-­‐charged sentences with your first effort. What is different? What development can you see in your writing? Why do you think voice is important? Appendix B: Excerpt from The Knife of Never Letting Go and A Monster Calls And so I listen. And I listen. And I turn my head a little and I listen some more. There’s a hole in the Noise. Which can’t be. It’s weird, it is, out there, hiding somewhere, in the trees or somewhere outta sight, a spot where your ears and your mind are telling you there’s no Noise. It’s like a shape you can’t see except by how everything else around it is touching it. Like water in the shape of a cup, but with no cup. It’s a hole and everything that falls into it stops being Noise, stops being anything, just stops altogether. It’s not like the quiet of the swamp, which is never quiet obviously, just less Noisy. But this, this is a shape, a shape of nothing, a hole where all Noise stops. Which is impossible. (p 13., The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness) I have had as many names as there are years to time itself! roared the monster. I am Herne the Hunter! I am Cernunnos! I am the eternal Green Man! A great arm swung down and snatched Conor up in it, lifting him high in the air, the wind whirling around them, making the monster’s leafy skin wave angrily. Who am I? The monster repeated, still roaring. I am the spine that the mountains hang upon! I am the tears that the rivers cry! I am the lungs that breathe the wind! I am the wolf that kills the stag, the hawk that kills the mouse, the spider that kills the fly! I am the stag, the mouse and the fly that are eaten! I am the snake of the world devouring its tail! I am everything untamed and untameable! It bought Conor up close to its eye. I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O’Malley. (p. 44., A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness) Appendix C: Visualisation Visualisation script Teacher asks class: Have a good look at the picture. As you look, make notes on the following questions. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is happening in the picture? What is it about? What do you see? What else do you see? What kind of place is it? What kind of light is there? How do you know? Where is it coming from? How do you know? What time of day or year is it? Why do you think so? What part did you notice first? What colours stand out most? Why? What are the surrounding colours like? What colours are used more than once? Is the paint thick or thin, rough or smooth, creamy or runny? Does the surface look shiny and polished, or heavily textured? Can you see the brush marks the artist made? Are the edges of things clear and sharp, or soft and fuzzy? What is the mood or atmosphere of the picture? How is it created? (Adapted from http://www.curriculumonline.ie) Students are then asked to close their eyes and imagine themselves as one of the two characters in the picture. Ask students to imagine the sensory world of the character: what can the character see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Pause. Try to feel what the character is feeling, see what the character is seeing. Ask what the character might feel like. Are they light or heavy? Can they fly? What do their legs feel like? Are they sticky? Pause. Try to feel what that feels like. What might the character be thinking about? Worry about? Hope for? Do you think the character is clever? Do they have self-­‐control? Are they courteous? How would you describe them if they were a person? Can you empathise with the character? Something changes in the picture. What is it? It could be anything. Someone might trip on the carpet, open a window or sneeze. The weather could change. Someone else might walk in to the room. Can you see the change? Now what is your character thinking or feeling or worrying about? a) Eric’s story Students are taken through the same visualisation process as above after listening to Eric’s story and choosing a picture of him. Ask students to visualise all the sensory aspects of Eric’s adventure, including his emotions (as per activity above). Then write a short story based on the further adventures of Eric, focussing on using voice, narrative structure and unique metaphors based on visualisation. References Anderson, L., & Krathwohl, D. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing. New York: Longman. Bassnett, S., & Grundy, P. Language through literature. Essex: Longman. Bruner, J. (2006). In search of pedagogy volume II: The selected works of Jerome S. Bruner. New York: Routledge. Davison, J. & Dowson, J. (2003). Learning to Teach English in the Secondary School. London: RoutledgeFalmer. DiTerlizzi, T. (2002). The Spider and the Fly. Based on the text by M. Howitt. London: Simon and Schuster. Evans, C., Midgley, A., Rigby, P., Warham, L., & Woolnough, P. (2009) Teaching English: Developing as a Reflective Secondary Teacher. London: Sage Publications. Gotham Writer’s Workshop. (2003). Writing Fiction. New York: Bloomsbury. Mercer, N., & Hodgkinson, S. (2008). Exploring Talk in School. Los Angeles: Sage. Misson, R. (2004). What are we creating in creative writing. English in Australia, 141, 32-­‐40. MySchool website, Retrieved on 30 May 2013 from <http://www.myschool.com.au/> Ness, P. (2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. London: Walker Books. Ness, P. (2012). A Monster Calls. London: Walker Books. Priest, S., & Gass. (1997). Effective leadership in adventure programming. Champaign: Human Kinetics. Raban, B. (2001). Talking to think, learn, and teach. In P. G. Smith (Ed.), Talking classrooms: shaping children's learning through oral language instruction. pp.27-­‐56. Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association. Spandel, V. (2013). A beginning voice lesson. Retrieved from <http://1001teachers.wikispaces.com/ Teaching+Voice> Tan, S. (2008). Tales from outer suburbia. Crows Nest NSW: Allen & Unwin. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2013). AusVELS: The Australian curriculum in Victoria. Retrieved from <http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/>