EVALUATION REPORT:

BIFOCAL: IMPLEMENTATION IN A GRADE 7 CLASSROOM

Mary Clare Courtland

Faculty of Education

Lakehead University

Thunder Bay, ON

September 2009

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Arts and Humanities Discipline Group, Faculty of Education, for the

funding to purchase a class set of the novel, Bifocal, by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters.

I sincerely thank Pauline Fontaine, administrator and Grade 7 teacher, Lakehead Public

schools, and Ashleigh Crooks, teacher candidate, for implementing the novel study Bifocal in

Pauline’s classroom when she was completing her Bachelor of Education degree.

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Introduction

Bifocal: A Novel Study for Grades 7/8 was designed as a model unit for teacher

candidates in an elective course (18 hours), Literacy Teaching/Learning for Grades 7/8. The

unit is theoretically-based and draws upon the following constructs:

social constructivist learning theory (Bainbridge, Haydon, & Malicky, 2009);

reader response theory (Rosenblatt, 1978);

Eisner’s (2002) conception of curriculum as cognitive pluralism and his

dimensions of curriculum;

media and multiliteracies (Kist, 2005; Pahl & Rowsell, 2005);

critical literacy (McLaughlin & DeVoogd, 2004); and

transmediation (Leland & Harste, 2004).

The unit incorporates literature circles (Daniels, 1994) and scaffolding (Smagorinsky,

2002) to support students’ literacy learning. One strategy used to scaffold and to promote

critical literacy is juxtaposing texts (McLaughlin & DeVoogd, 1994) which support exploration

of the themes of racism and media representations. For example, picture books are used to

raise students’ awareness of the experiences of immigrant children in Canada.

The purposes of the evaluation of the novel study were: (1) to determine its

effectiveness in an intermediate classroom (Grade 7); and (2) to revise the unit following

implementation. Data included: the teachers’ observation notes, records of student-teacher

conferences, students’ work samples and collaboratively developed body biographies.

Participants were 30 students, 19 girls and 11 boys, enrolled in a French Immersion

program.

The report describes the novel study, implementation, conclusions and

recommendations for revision of the unit.

Description of the Novel Study

Bifocal (2007) is a Canadian multicultural novel for young adolescents. The novel

opens with a lockdown in a secondary school and the arrest of a young man of colour. The

story is told through the perspectives of two protagonists, Jay, a junior member of the

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football team, and, Haroon, a third generation Canadian whose family immigrated from

Afghanistan.

Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters are Canadian authors whose novels for young

adolescents are widely popular. Bifocal was their first collaboration.

The purpose of the novel study is to provide Grade 7/8 students with opportunities to

engage with and respond to the novel. Two themes which are illuminated in the novel are

racial discrimination and the influence of media representations on characters’

understanding. The novel study is intended to take place over a six-to-eight-week period and

involves the three overlapping phases depicted in Figure 1.

There are two components to the novel study: a study of the novel with the

culmination of a body biography, and an extension to the novel study which involves the

creation of videos based on the National Film Board Competition, Racism. Stop It!

The teachers implemented the novel study over a five-week period and focused on

the first component. Thus, the evaluation reports the findings for this portion of the unit.

Implementation

Implementation is a multifaceted and complex process. Successful implementation is

dependent on teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge – teachers’ understanding of

conceptual and practical tools (Grossman et al., 2000) to promote students’ literacy learning

as well as the capacity to monitor their understanding and respond to their instructional

needs. It is teachers, acting autonomously as curriculum decision-makers, who can envision

possibilities and have the capacity to transform curriculum units and resources into lived

curriculum that is relevant and meaningful to the unique individuals in their classrooms.

In analyzing the data, several themes emerged: the teachers’ organization of the

unit; role of the teachers; and students’ comprehension — their engagement with and

response to the novel and other texts. The names used for students are pseudonyms and all

quotes are reproduced as they appeared on work samples.

Organization of the Novel Study

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The teachers began each class with a read aloud from a picture book or poem or an

activity described in the unit. They used literature circles in which group members rotated.

The students read chapters and completed role sheets either in class or as homework. The

teachers found that assigning chapters for homework was problematic in that some students

read ahead and then did not remember the details and events in the chapters that were the

focus of the literature circle discussion. As well, some forgot the books either at school or at

home and fell behind in the reading.

Overview of the novel study

Figure 1. Overview of the novel study

Role of the Teachers

Read Aloud

Independent Reading: Bifocalpoetry picture books

literature circles

Scaffolding:

viewing film/videos research

For Angela Racism. Stop It! videos

Internet Print

Presentations: Response to Novel

(Body Biography)

Techniques and Tools: Video Production

Presentations: Videos

Phas

e I

Phas

e III

Phas

e II

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The teachers were model readers and facilitators who continually monitored

students’ understanding and progress through the unit. They read picture books aloud and

engaged students in prereading and during reading activities such as predicting and

discussion through thought-provoking questions. For example, when the teacher candidate

[TC] read From far away (Munsch & Askar, 2005), the students found amusing the scene

where the little girl, Saoussan, was frightened when she saw a Hallowe’en skeleton on the

way to the bathroom. This frightening image evoked her memories of war. Her teacher held

Saoussan on her lap and she urinated. The TC made the following observations in her

journal:

I stopped to ask Qu’s as I read the book = prompting/encouraging students to relate to character. Students laugh when character pees her pants.

Teaching moment – discuss how cultures vary. How Hallowe’en can be scary; how students have not had to feel that type of fear; discuss why Soussan is so afraid

Students forced to realize that their reaction is unsympathetic and begin to show some understanding

On the following day, the TC wrote:

Students return to floor and discuss rest of “From Far Away”

Students claim that they will have more understanding of students dealing with immigration to Canada

The TC also monitored students’ understanding and progress through three to four

student-teacher conferences with each student over the five weeks, checking and

responding regularly to the students’ role sheets and participating in literature circle

discussions. Scaffolding included not only timely interventions such as class discussions, but

also implementing a number of activities recommended in the unit to build and/or expand

and deepen prior knowledge of, for example, immigration, racism, and the Ontario Bomb

plot (Appendix #5.2 of the unit).

The TC continually reflected as she observed and monitored comprehension. When

she read, The eloquent young elephant (Fitch, 1997), she noted that “students had difficulty

understanding/grasping” the poem and wrote the following note to herself: “Allow time to

read and re-read with discussion and explanation throughout (Day 10).”

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The next day the TC used the “criminal” poster (Appendix #4) shown in Figure 2.

The excerpt from TC’s journal illustrates students’ engagement with and response to the activity:

“criminal” overhead students asked to describe man with no wording shown

o “scary,” “mean,” “criminal,” etc.o why – what makes man look this way?o students weren’t sure, but said “his looks”

I then showed most of wordingo “I knew it” said most of class

no students surprised about words, “rape,” etc. showed rest of wording

o students gasped -- very quiet

*GREAT learning/teaching experience definitely do again

o could do as silent exerciseo have students silently record thoughts/answers to above questions on paper

students continued in lit circles

Figure 2. Poster (Media Awareness Network, 2005). Reprinted with permission of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

The activity is intended to introduce students to the concept of racial profiling. It was

effective as a strategy for enabling students to contest their beliefs about judging human

beings on their appearance.

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The TC then asked all students to write definitions of racial profiling. The examples

below demonstrate the range of students’ understandings as they began to explore the

theme of racism.

Carl linked the concept to media representations: “Racial profiling is when the media

use pictures of different races to class crimes (telling age, race, appearance). It also tells of

if the media says it is a first nation people say oh that makes sense.” Carl’s understanding is

partial; however, his reference to media representations of First Nations persons is a critical

observation and occurs frequently in media in Northwest Ontario.

Several students, like Darryl, attempted to define the term in relation to the separate

words, “racial” and “profiling”: “I think racial profiling is what race you are. I think that is

what it means because racial has something to do with race and profiling is usually when

you put things into categories.” While this attempt to define racial profiling suggests a good

strategy for resolving vocabulary problems, the definition is literal and does not address the

sociocultural, political, and power implications of racial profiling.

Several students connected the term to the incident in the novel where Haroon’s

uncle is prevented from flying from the United States to Canada. Annie was the only

individual who made a connection between the “criminal” poster activity and the concept:

I think that racial profiling means when we discriminate someone because of their race. Like on Friday, we saw a picture of the face of a man who apprehended some criminal (names forgotten) and we saw that his skin was black. The words beside him explained the man he apprehended but we thought that it was words to describe him. Often we profile people because of their race and also what words near by say. Without even acknowledging it, we often are racial profiling, another form of racism.

Students’ understandings of the term and implications of racial profiling ranged from

no or literal understanding to more sophisticated understanding. The “criminal” poster

activity was a successful strategy to enable students to begin to develop awareness; writing

the definition enabled some students to make connections to incidents in the novel and/or in

society.

Comprehension

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Students were enthusiastic about participating in the novel study. All had had several

experiences with school lockdowns. None had participated previously in literature circles.

The findings below are based on the TC’s journal, her notes from student-teacher

conferences and the literature circle role sheets. The findings are described in relation to

Rosenblatt’s (1978) theory of reader response as involving iterative phases of engagement,

interpretation, re-interpretation and representation.

Engagement. Most of the students enjoyed the novel. Three explained that they were

confused by the style in which points of view shifted between Jay and Haroon. As one

commented, “I like how two people talk/but sometimes confusing” (TC’s conference notes).

Four believed that “everyone should learn about the themes in the book” (TC’s conference

notes). One added that “multiculturalism should be taught in schools” (TC’s conference

notes). Several students noted on the Connector role sheets that they had read other

novels by Deborah Ellis or Eric Walters.

Interpretation. The literature circle role sheets provide evidence of students’

interpretations of the novel.

The role of Discussion Director is an important one because the director’s

questions facilitate discussion. Many of the questions were opened-ended and led to in-

depth discussions. For example, Craig asked the following:

How would you like to go to this school? What do you think about racism? In your opinion, is Jay racist? How would you feel if you were the veiled woman in the Wal-Mart parking lot? How do you feel about the things that people assume about people with different

cultures [For example] They said that all of those people were terrorists or immigrants.

Some questions, however, invited a literal response or a yes/no response:

Do you believe that Azeem might be responsible? (dichotomous) Do you like the book so far? (dichotomous) Who were they throwing eggs it? (literal) Who’s house got a flowerpot through the window? (literal)

In reviewing the questions on the Discussion Director role sheet, a number of sample

questions are dichotomous. These need to be revised because the students use them as

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models. In addition, teachers might build in a lesson on “excellent” questions so that

students develop a metacognitive awareness of how to construct open-ended questions that

promote in-depth discussion.

In the Connector role, students articulated self-to-text connections based on

personal experiences evoked through reading the chapters, text-to-text connections which

described connections to song lyrics or movies and self-text-world connections. Scott’s role

sheet described text-to-text connections to other Eric Walters’ novels:

This book doesn’t really remind me of anything going on in my life. Although since terrorism is one of the big themes of the book I guess it makes me think of 9/11 and the war.

I’ve read some other books by the same author; Eric Walters not Deboroah Ellis. They are Camp X and Camp 30. Although, Camp X and Camp 30 dealt more with war then terrorism they’re kind of alike. I have also heard that the book Run by Eric Walters is pretty good. It’s about Terry Fox.

Jody articulated a self-text-world connection:

Todays reading reminded me of other real life experiences. Terrorism attacks that happen across the world 911 other horrible attacks, to subways and trains and airplanes. I havent read another book like this and I cannot really relate to any of this other then the stuff thats happened in the world. I could never ever imagine being in this position. To be scared like some people are when people bomb and kill other people.

The Connector role enabled students to reflect upon and articulate connections evoked by

reading the text.

The Word Wizard role required students to select and define unfamiliar words that

they encountered in the novel. Many of the vocabulary words focused on Muslim religious

beliefs, culture and traditional clothing; other word choices included words such as jockeyed,

companiable, unity, controversial, nook and banter. A number of the students were able to

research four or five (of six) vocabulary words. Given the amount of time it takes to research

these words, it would be less time-consuming for students to be expected to define four or

five. Students had opportunities to practice the new vocabulary by adding to the word wall

and doing the body biography. Teachers might provide students further opportunities to use

the words by having students complete a crossword puzzle or by adding them to a personal

vocabulary list.

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The most popular topic for students in the Investigator role was biographical

research on Deborah Ellis and/or Eric Walters. Several students discussed the Ontario bomb

plot on which Azeem’s role was based. One investigated Muslim religious beliefs and

Ramadan; another investigated S.W.A.T. teams.

The Literary Critic role provides students with opportunities to consider the

significance of a section of the novel, literary elements, and/or themes. Fred wrote about the

theme of coming of age:

These chapters fit into the novel because Kevin picked Zana’s house. He picked her house because they got in a fight and he was being racist. This part is significant because it’s when Jay grows as a person and tells Haroon the truth. After Jay told Haroon about what he did to his house they started to trust each other and became friends.

Patty incorporated the language used in question #3 about Canadian identity and

multiculturalism to respond:

This section is significant because it’s the part near the end and endings in books are the most important parts. Also because some members of the football team including Jay egged Haroon and Zana’s house.

These chapters illuminate themes or issues related to Canadian identity and multiculturalism because Kevin chose to egg Haroon and Zana’s house because Kevin & Zana got into sort of fight started by Kevin because of her identity.

Matt, too, recognized the theme of racism in the text:

In chapter 14 people write camel parking and sand monkeys all over Brown Town. This section of the book is significant because it talks about the big issues with racism at this school. This theme and setting were a big part of this book because this book is about multiculturalism. I’m sure a bunch of people can relate to this weather ther in middle school high school or university.

All students demonstrated understanding of the theme of racism. Lorraine also

demonstrated her ability to read critically, to challenge assumptions in the text:

This part is the most significant part because even when Jay commited an act of racism but Haroon still gave him an extra chance. This showed Jay that Haroon is a very nice person and not going to cause any harm. Also, Haroon learned that simply because Jay’s football player doesn’t mean he won’t help when he’s done wrong.

Stereotyping also comes in when the vandalism happened they automatically thought that it was the football [team]. Simply because they’ve done something harmful before doesn’t allow the principal to be prejudice.

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Although all readers knew that Kevin and members of the football team had perpetrated the

vandalism on Gate night, Lorraine challenged the principal’s assumption that the football

team was to blame.

The Illustrator role provides readers with opportunities to represent their

interpretations visually. Figure 3 illustrates some of the students’ visual representations of a

character(s), scene or chapter in Bifocal. The Illustrator role enables students to interpret a

text in another sign system. Transmediation (Leland & Harste, 1994) promotes

comprehension. Most of the illustrations depicted in Figure 3 as well as other illustrations

suggest that students comprehended the text and the theme of racism.

Re-interpretation and Representation. The culminating activity for the novel

component of the unit was the creation of a body biography. Students worked

collaboratively to select and visually represent a character. Figures 4 and 5 depict four body

biographies. It should be noted that the visual representations were sketched on brown

butcher block paper, thus making them difficult to reproduce. As well, students did not

include written descriptions of the symbolism and re-interpretation of the character. A

recommendation for the unit is to ask students to write a description of their biographies so

that their meanings are accessible to viewers who were not present for the verbal

explanations. The discussion that follows is an interpretation of students’ re-interpretations.

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Figure 3. Visual representations created in the illustrator role.

One body biography depicts

Azeem. He is portrayed as a

criminal with name and number

on his chest. The word

“arrested” describes his status

as does the chain on his hands.

The bomb likely refers to the

Ontario bomb plot for which

several juveniles were apprehended. Down one leg is written “Reach for the Top.”

Haroon is illustrated as an A+ student. The glasses suggest a studious and serious

youth. The words “Brown Town” suggest his affiliation with people of colour. A police car,

prominently displayed, hints at the dramatic opening of the novel with the police raid and

school lockdown; at the same time, it suggests the racial profiling he experienced when the

police assumed that he had information to give them because of the colour of his skin.

Friends’ names are depicted as are the word “Ramadan” and symbols of his involvement in

the Reach for the Top competition. There is also a flower pot, possibly referring to the

defacement of his home. Lastly, one arm is inscribed with part of the motto he created after

he reflected on the cause of the racial tensions in his secondary school.

The body biographies of Jay and Zana also demonstrate the depth of students’

comprehension of the plot and characterization and the theme of racism prevalent

throughout the novel. This group project provides an excellent vehicle for students to

represent their understanding as well as data for teachers’ assessment of the specific

expectations.

Conclusion

Overall, the students enjoyed the novel, Bifocal. Their literature circle role sheets and

the body biographies indicate that students comprehended the novel, the characters and

the predominant theme of racism. Their understanding of the concept of racial profiling

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ranged from little or no understanding to more sophisticated meanings. The issues of racism

and racial profiling relate to an awareness of social justice, a theme which should be

emphasized in both Intermediate and Senior divisions.

The novel study provided resources and strategies which the teachers were able to

use to implement the unit. The literature circle role sheets proved effective in engaging

students in different types of tasks, reading for

different purposes, and interpreting through

print, digital and/or visual modes of

representation. The recommendations which

follow focus on specific revisions that have been

incorporated into the unit.

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Figure 4. Sample body biographies (Azeem and Haroon)

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Figure 5. Sample body biographies (Zana and Jay)

Recommendations

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1. The novel should be read independently over time in class where a teacher’s

schedule permits.

2. Where possible, keep each literature circle group together for the unit so that they

can work collaboratively to construct shared meanings.

3. Build into the unit an activity on asking “excellent questions.” Questions on the

Discussion Director role sheet should be revised to include only “excellent

questions” as models for teachers/students

4. Students should write brief descriptions of their visual representations on the

Illustrator role sheet and the body biography.

5. Limit the number of vocabulary words on the Word Wizard role sheet to four or five.

6. Develop a monitoring sheet for teachers to keep track of the student work that is due

and has been completed.

7. Teachers may wish to provide additional practice with vocabulary by creating a

crossword puzzle or by having students add words to their personal dictionaries.

8. Where teachers observe the students experiencing difficulty comprehending the

novel because it is written from two points of view, they may wish to build in a drama

activity in which pairs of students representing Jay and Haroon interview one another

or do a venn-diagram webbing activity. The body biography assignment also works

well in getting students to identify distinguishing characteristics of characters.

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National Film Board: National Video Competition 2008

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