The Little Mermaid: A Treasured Tale for
Reading, Writing, and ThinkingSarah Conrad
Carolyn L. Cook, [email protected]
SoMIRAC March 30, 2012
Overview of the Session
• Connection to CCSS• Mermaid stories– Compare and contrast
• Critical literacy– What and why
• Activities– How to read, write, and think
Common Core State Standards
• Reading (CCSS 4.7)– Make connections between the text of a storyor drama and a visual or oral presentation ofthe text, identifying where each version reflectsspecific descriptions and directions in the text.
• Writing (CCSS 4.9)– Draw evidence from literary or informationaltexts to support analysis, reflection, and research
Andersen’s Original (1837)
Disney Version (1989)
little mermaid no name Ariel
Five sisters, father
Grandmother No grandmother
Sea witch – not evil Sea witch (Ursula) – evil and manipulative
Visits surface on 16th birthday Visits surface whenever she wants
Saves prince from a shipwreck
Seeks humanity for a soul Seeks humanity for love of the prince
Andersen’s Original (1837) Disney Version (1989)Potion from sea witch turns her fin into legs for the price of her voice
Prince marries another princess despite his growing affection for the little mermaid
Prince plans to marry the girl whom he thinks saved him, but actually is the sea witch Ursula in disguise
Sisters procure a knife for the little mermaid to use to kill the prince and return to them
Scuttle cracks the seashell hiding Ariel’s voice so it can return to her
Little mermaid sacrifices herself for the prince’s happiness and joins the daughters of the air to do good de eds to gain a soul
Triton grants her wish to be human after Eric defeats Ursula, so that she can marry her prince and live happily ever after
Goals of Critical Literacy
• Read, write, and think in a critical manner• Take a questioning stance on texts encountered daily• Consider social, political, and ethical issues in text• Learn to read the text beyond the words on the page• View texts from a new perspective• Analyze all texts
– Books, Movies, Signs, Artifacts, Magazines, Newspapers…
Critical Literacy
Encourages “students to use language to question the everyday world, to interrogate the relationship between language and power, to analyze popular culture and media, to understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and to consider actions that can be taken to promote social justice.”
(Lewison, Leland & Harste, 2008, p. 3)
9
Situated Context
Personal and Cultural Resources
Critical Social Practices
Critical Stance
(Lewison, Leland &
Harste, 2008)
10
Situated Context
More than just reading a book
11
Situated Context
Personal and Cultural Resources
TOOLS FOR LIVING:
Personal experiencesSocial issues
Popular culture/mediaSocial issues
BooksTextbooksOral textsDesires
Community concerns
12
Situated Context
Personal and Cultural Resources
Critical Social Practices
• Disrupting the commonplace
• Seeing multiple viewpoints
• Focusing on the sociopolitical
• Taking action to promote social justice
THINK
14
Situated Context
Personal and Cultural Resources
Critical Social Practices
Critical Stance
Taking a Critical Stance
• Involves an attitude, a way of thinking and teaching –Being consciously engaged–Trying new ways of viewing things–Being responsible to solve the situation–Being reflective to challenge common
assumptions
Critical LiteracyIs “a transaction among the personal and cultural resources we use, the critical social practices we enact, and the critical stance that we and our students take on in classrooms and in the world.”
(Lewison, Leland, & Harste, 2008, p. 5)
Consider Little Mermaid Text
• Read selected text from Andersen’s Little Mermaid
• Complete graphic organizer• Discuss findings
Reading, Writing, & Thinking withAndersen and Disney
Andersen’s Original (1837) Disney Version (1989)Potion from sea witch turns her fin into legs for price of her voice
Prince marries another princess despite his growing affection for the little mermaid
Prince plans to marry the girl who he thinks saved him, but actually is the sea witch Ursula in disguise
Sisters procure a knife for little mermaid to use to kill the prince and return to them
Scuttle cracks the seashell hiding Ariel’s voice so it can return to her
Little mermaid sacrifices herself for the prince’s happiness and joins daughters of the air to do good deeds to gain a soul
Triton grants her wish to be human after Eric defeats Ursula, so that she can marry her prince and live happily ever after
Consider Little Mermaid Movie
• View video clip from Disney’s Little Mermaid• Complete graphic organizer• Discuss findings
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyFVG4VfPmg&feature=related
Discuss and Write
Discuss- What did you notice?- What questions do you have?- What ideas have been challenged?
Write- How could you use critical literacy in your
classroom?Share
Using Critical Literacy• Reading and Viewing• Talking and Thinking– Text vs. Film– Role of Females– Differentiation of Motives
• Writing– Persuasion: tell Ariel what to do– Description: describe female role– Comparison: compare and contrast motives
Read, Write, and Think Critically
• Use critical literacy in all classrooms • Model taking a critical literacy stance with all
types of texts (books, media, advertisements)• Question assumptions, see other
perspectives, analyze language and power structures, seek to promote social fairness in all things
References
• Andersen, H. C. (1993). The mermaid In Andersen’s Fairy Tales (p. 9-29). Great Britain: Wordsworth Editions Limited.
• Disney, W. (2006). The little mermaid – 2 disc special edition [Motion picture]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Pictures.
• Lewison, M., Leland, C., & Harste, J. (2008). Creating critical classrooms: K-8 reading and writing with an edge. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
The Little Mermaid: A Treasured Tale for
Reading, Writing, and ThinkingSarah Conrad
Carolyn L. Cook, [email protected]
SoMIRAC March 30, 2012