When I was first planning lessons for these stories, one activity I thought might be helpful was have the students create a concept map showing the different texts we had read and how they connected to one another either by themes, characters, settings, motifs etc. As my initial thoughts for this developed, I sketched the beginnings of a map with each of the titles we had read and a description of how one connected to another. In the first version of my lesson plan for this class, I was going to explain what I was looking for and why I thought it would be helpful for them, and then just hope that there would be a few students who could get things started and prompt the thinking of others.
After a few days of discussion on the stories, I knew that it might be difficult for students to think about the similarities without having been given any time to think beforehand. As the students read the final short story, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies,” for homework, I also asked them to write a paragraph identifying a connection between this story and one of the others we had read so far. I hoped this assignment would get them thinking a little more deeply about how the themes and big ideas we had been talking about related.
The next day I asked a few students to share what they had written about and made a list on the front board so that everyone could begin to see the connections between “Evil Fairies” and other stories. I then posed the idea of making a concept map and framed the activity as something that could help them see the relationships between the texts. Because the classes were shortened that day, there was only enough time for three or four people in each class to add something to the map, but I was happy with the initial product. I wrote the first title we read, “We Wear the Mask,” and then invited students to come up and write out their own connections. One aspect of this activity that was important to me was actually having the students write their ideas down themselves and then explain to the class what they were thinking.
While we only had time to begin the concept map, I am hopeful about it as I noticed students who were usually quiet in class raising their hands and volunteering to write down their ideas. Transparent teaching is largely about clarity and open communication so that students understand how each activity, reading, and assessment connect to one another and contribute to the overall focus of a unit, but I do not think it is about giving students the answers. I want to be clear about themes of texts and character development, and then give my students to tools or prompting they need to make the connections on their own. With this activity, I knew we had talked about each stories theme, symbols, characters, and settings, and it was up to the students to see the relationships.