Teaching a text like Silverfin?
Yes I
highly recommend it. It is an exciting novel that engages young readers, boys
of course but also girls as they have met this kind of hero stories all their
life, from their childhood in fairy tales, novels and films.
Let us for example have a look at
“Svinaherden” the fairy tale, where a prince puts on a disguise of a pig shepherd
to come near the princess. He is smart enough to know that the only thing that
attracts the spoiled and conceited princess is materialistic things. The core
is that he, as a male, the superior gender and hero, teaches the rich,
beautiful but less smart and inferior gender , the right values in life. The
gender perspective here is just the same as in the James Bond world. It is and
has been the same in most of our literature through the years.
I strongly
believe that young people will find Silverfin
exciting and entertaining and reading the novel in class will give us a great
opportunity to point out and discuss the unbalanced perspective of both gender
, the superior/inferior question and the timeless story about good against evil.
Questions to discuss:
“The male
is the norm and female something less” Look at how men and women are described
in the story and what different roles they have.
Do we need enemies
and conflicts to make us together feel stronger, better and superior?
Why do we
often think other cultures are inferior and bad? Is the reason fear for the
unknown instead of courage?
Is there a
better way to reach mutual understanding?
What kind
of behavior is important for a humane future /love of all mankind in the
future?
Yes I also think this book appeals both boys and girls. Maybe reading a story being sure the students understand the plot may be a challenge just enough for a student in the 7-9 grade. It doesn’t all have to be about analyzing the story (which I however like to do). Instead it’s possible to bring up issues (connected to the plot) to discuss which may be of interest to the students. Why not give the students some questions where the they have to think by themselves and there are no right or wrong answers:
SvaraRadera-What do you think about the private school Eton? Would you like to go to a private school? Why/why not?
-What would you do when realizing your competitor was sheeting during a competition?
-What do you think about Wilder Lawless? What kind of girl are you? What kind of girl would you like to be?
I often find it hard to encourage the students to say their own opinion. They find it hard to “speak up”. It’s like they want ordinary questions where they can find the correct answer in a text because that is easier. I think we have to challenge them from the start with questions not having a suitable and correct answer.
Good points and suggestions!
RaderaI like the questions you suggest for discussion. And I also think we have to challenge our students with deeper questions where the answers are not to find in the book. It is our responsibility to raise this kind of questions after reading novels, watching films or reading news articles.
RaderaAs inhabitants in a democracy they need the ability and courage to say their opinion don´t you agree? but ofcourse sometimes it is hard to find time for it in the language class room
I agree with Malin, just reading the book is a task hard enough. I don't think this is a book you can read in the whole class, it is just too many pages. The plot being very predictive helps the pupils understand the plot and to follow the story.
SvaraRaderaI would like to discuss and continue working with the British class system, the British school system and Scotland for example.
For those pupils that will be able to read this book it is an excellent choice with all the cliff hangers, I can't wait to put it in the hand of these pupils!
Barbro, I agree with you that this would be a good book to read together with pupils, just as Malin and Lina also wrote. Maybe not with all of my pupils due to the many pages, but I think a lot of them would enjoy reading it. Since the book is a page turner, a lot of the pupils will read even though they will not understand everything in the book.
SvaraRaderaMalin, your views are also worth considering; you do not always have to analyze the books you read. Sometimes the goal can be to just read an English book. Open questions from the plot can then be discussed. The pupils can also write reading logs or simply work from Aidan Chambers four questions; What do I like in the story? What do I not like in the story? Was there anything that puzzled me? Can I see any connections? I find that usually works quite well.
I think my pupils will find the book very interesting to read. It is exciting and as you say a page turner. But I agree, there are too many pages. I am afraid that my pupils will give up and that is a shame because there are so many things to enjoy and to discuss afterwards.
SvaraRaderaI often use the shorter version of the most famous books. The story is the same but it is easier to read. I always use the shorter version of "Ondskan" for example. All my pupils have special needs and they often have difficulties reading and keeping up the motivation.The shorter version gives them the oppurtunity to get through a book. A good experience of reading makes them want to read more, which is the real purpose.
I haven't found these versions in English. Maybe they don't exist. Maybe it would be something for us to deal with.
It's interesting to read all thoughts. Me personally I like to analyze novels but I am not that kind of teacher who wants to shot the tatters from all the corners. Silverfin is that kind of book that you can read and enjoy the story, which I did. Perhaps you can discuss James Bond's childhood, can it be a true story, was it probably like this, as it was in Silverfin? Or as you did Barbro, talk about parallels between this novel and "Svinaherden."
SvaraRaderaI often use "text and thought" when I read Swedish literature with my students but I think you would have to narrow it down to real questions if you were to use it on this book. Otherwise they would probably just read it for fun, without any specific thoughts. As Ing-Marie wrote this is of course the most important when it comes to reading, to enjoy and long for more books. When you have come that far it is more interesting to look deeper into the books. The difficult thing is to find books that apeal to the students. Some of them will read and enjoy anything you hand them, but some students never do. I remember one of my student who in 9th grade was to speak about a book and I was so happy when he said that he had finally enjoyed a book. And believe me I had forced him to read a lot. I was also pleased to know that I was the one who introduced him to "the" book.
SvaraRaderaThere is a shorter version of Silverfin written as a graphic novel - that could be a version more suitable to the kids with less literacy or by mixing reading loud, by themselves and the graphic version.
SvaraRaderaOne other thing that could be discussed could be the fiction and reality. Is Bond's world more real than Potter's ... someone else wrote that they would prefer Hogwarths to Eton. I feel the other way around. Even though Eton is a totally male world at least you know the rules and how things work in the real world compared to the magic world of wizards and witches ...