One of my favorite lessons this summer was a compare and contrast lesson involving point of view. Last summer I traveled to China and so I gave the students two accounts of the same topic (a primary account and a secondary account.) The beginning of the lesson was spent really honing in on what exactly a primary and secondary account was. A primary account means that the individual writing the account was acually present. A secondary account means that the person was not actually present. What I wanted the students to understand was both the pros and cons of reading such an account. Together, we read two short passages, and I first let the students decide which one was the primary account and which one was the secondary account and why. Below are two short excerpts!

 

I walked into a beautiful bamboo restaurant. It smelled deeply of fried tomatoes, fish and urine. The floors were made out of cold cement. All at once I could hear individuals talking. It sounded almost like a buzzing coming through my ears.

Many individuals live in rural China. Most of these individuals live in houses made of bamboo. Some individuals make their living as fisherman and live in boathouses in the water. Unfortunately, many individuals living in rural China do not have a lot of income. Thus, most of their money comes from the crops they grow. 

The students greatly enjoyed reading my account of tasting turtle for the first time and smelling fish and urine together. Whereas, the second account, they agreed was not as magical to read. Why? Primary accounts allow us to read with feeling, anticipation and wonderment. We circled together (shared writing) the specific phrases that really spoke to us as people. For the most part, the adjectives that were interesting were the ones that appealed fully to the senses. 

I think the reason as to why this lesson was so successful was not necessarily the topic "China" but the fact that it was an event that had happened to me. In addition, it wasnt just any event, it was well, somewhat disgusting, "gross" or unpleasant. I think it is the lessons that make us feel raw and so uncomfortable that can actually have the greatest affect on our students. This is something for me to remember for the future.