Book title
White as Milk, Red as Blood

 

Author
Alessandro D´Avenia

 ​

 

 

Bibliographic information
Publisher: Algoritam

Translation to Croatian: Dubravka Oršić

11/2011.

220 str., oft cover

ISBN 978-953-316-167-9

 

 

Links (adaptations, reviews, full texts etc.)

http://movies247.net/watch/bianca-come-il-latte-rossa-come-il-sangue-9977

http://www.ss-industrijskoobrtnicka-vt.skole.hr/upload/ss-industrijskoobrtnicka-vt/multistatic/42/Alessandro_D_Avenia_-_Bijela_kao_mlijeko,_crvena_kao_krv.pdf

http://readersdoitbetter.blogspot.com/2015/03/bijela-kao-mlijeko-crvena-kao-krv-i-evo.html

 

Theme
The story of a young man Leo, who is in love with Beatrice, is written in the form of a Diary. It shows typical teenage as well as general problems between the young and old, search of identity, and facing death as well as loss.

 

Short summary

Leo is a sixteen year old who plays soccer, he doesn’t like school and doesn’t do well with adults. He is in love with Beatrice, a girl with read hear, he tries to collect the courage to come up to her and tell her how she feels. At the same time, he is figuring out who he is and what kind of a person he is, what really interest him and what he wants to do in life as he confronts his professors too. He finds out that Beatrice is sick which really affects him and his view of himself and the world. Facing the pain, professor Dreamer and his friend Silvia (met Beatrice with him) help him through. Leo and Beatrice connect and spend a lot of time together, learning a lot about life, themselves and start to affect one another. Unfortunately, Beatrice loses the fight and Leo has to face the loss of a loved one. This is a novel about growing up and facing the greatest loss of life – losing a loved one, the novel also consists various links with art – especially with Dante’s creativity inspired by Beatrice.

 

Why is the story appropriate for the targeted groups of RSP readers?

• It is written in simple conversational style which is easily understood and close with students, simultaneously very visual, metaphoric and symbolic.
• It is written from the perspective of a sixteen year old, which in a funny, rebellious but truthful way talks about typical problems of a high schooler (love, school, professor and parents)
• He talks about searching his identity and facing himself, his emotions, fears, and especially about illnesses and death.

 

What are the distinguished readers interests reflected by this book/story?
This is a love story which is not typical because it shows the growth of a young person and facing real life situations. From the perspective of high schoolers, he reevaluates about the existence, society, education, relationships between the young and old, dreams, God and religion as well as death and love.

 

Why is this story motivational for the pupils?
The theme and style make this book encouraging for both girls and boys. It is easy to relate with the main character and his problems, which motivates them to think about their own feelings, helps recognize and accept emotions of other too. Facing with the loss of a loved one is truly painful, it is a life changing moment in everyone’s life, and this book truly motivates to talk about such topics.

 

Is there a historical, political, multi/inter cultural, migrant or similar context recognized in this book/story? 
An educational-cultural context is visible – the students can compare the Italian school system with the Croatian one, they can think about the technological progress and everything that is available to them through education and life, and compare with the creation of live during the pre-renaissance period.

 

Is there a principle of inclusion reflected in this book/story and does it promotes understanding of cultural diversities and heritage? 
Enrolling a student in a regular school system – relationships between student and professor, breaking the stereotypes about teachers, as well as their interests and rebellious side of a student (often present in the emotional aspect of a student).

Book title
Marcelo in the Real World

 

Author
Francisco X. Stork

 

Bibliographic information

Algoritam, Zagreb, February 2011., First edition

ISBN 978-953-316-180-8

 

Links (adaptations, reviews, full texts etc.)

http://www.najboljeknjige.com/content/knjiga.aspx?BookID=801

 

Theme
The resourcefulness of Marcelo in the real world as well as having a lot of knowledge in different human emotions.

 

Short summary

Marcelo often talked about himself in the third person; he lives in a tree house and works with religion and philosophy. He often hears music in his head which no one else does, and he loves his school in which his distinctive feature is one of many there. He is excited that during the summer before the last year of school he will spend with horses used for therapeutic riding. Unfortunately Marcelo’s father asks him to work in his father’s law firm as he believes that that will help him learn what the real world is. Wanting to please his father, Marcelo accepts the job and makes friends with Jasmine and Wendell. As the summer passes by, he faces new emotions, ideas and ways of behavior and only time will show if he can deal with it.

 

Why is the story appropriate for the targeted groups of RSP readers?

• encourages the development of social interaction
• Brings up the question of identity – encourages the reader to think about their identity, identity of their peers (the ones that want to separate themselves from others), the question of would they accept someone that is different rises, or do they choose to stay with the ‘perfect’ person who would be the leader and direct.
• Encourages the understanding of differences among their peers.

 

What are the distinguished readers interests reflected by this book/story?
This story shows an individual who is aware of his differences and accepts his father’s request of joining him in the real world. This is a challenge of itself with facing the life of adults, accepting responsibility without any parent protection.

 

Why is this story motivational for the pupils?
The story can be interpreted in different ways – family relationships, the rough world of working in the lawyer world, and rush of emotions – facing emotions (friendship – love – sexual pleasure).

 

Is there a historical, political, multi/inter cultural, migrant or similar context recognized in this book/story? 

• Educational-historical context – today, the main focus is in the integration and inclusion of personal and professional development in regular programs due to the socialization aspect.
• The possibility of comparing school systems here and in the Anglo-Saxon countries.
• At the end of the 80’s and beginning of the 90’s in America – policy for funding funds for kids with Autism (help in education and everyday lives)

 

Is there a principle of inclusion reflected in this book/story and does it promotes understanding of cultural diversities and heritage? 
Inclusion is present by attending regular school. Encourages understanding and tolerance in joining already existing system.

Students can examine the American educational system, and compare lives of their peers ( becoming independent, work, life with parents…)

Title of Activity
Who will join my group of friends?

 

Description of educational activity
Duration: 2 x 45 minutes

Student age: 16-17 year olds

Student Class organization: group work

Lesson goal:

• Analysis of the relationship between literary characters, empathy development,
• Encouraging critical thinking about the relationship between peers and group pressure in their own environment

 

Support materials:

• Internet
• Magazines containing topics from teenagers' everyday life, TV series

 

Highlights:

• 3 texts
• sticky notes

 

Activities:

reading, interpreting and discussing the text, watching and discussing video clips

 

I. Activities before reading

• Thematic approach: "Santana vs. Beethowen "- explore the influence of rock music and classical music on cognitive and affective abilities, attitudes, style, subculture of youth
• Thematic approach: "You instead of me" - explore how children with this cognitive disorder often call themselves by their name
• Thematic Approach: "Life with Parents during 35" - Using TV series to compare the lives of peers, becoming independent and employment opportunities in Republic of Croatia

 II. Activities during reading.

The 1st group gets job lists - they will read:

• episode with dad - students in the group read the default part (Chapter 3) and answer questions using the Placemat method - a sublayer, the goal: the group should noticed the problem of communication between Arthur and Marcela, the problem of unrealistic parenting
• Forming groups to discuss whether Marcelo should stay in Paterson or go to a regular school in the final grade?

 

The 2nd group gets a working paper, will read:

• episode with Wendell - the students in the group read the given chapters (chapters 8, 9 and 13) and solve the tasks using the method of reciprocal reading as well as discussing the problems that are observed in the texts - problem of student violence, communication problems, loss of self-confidence and motivation

 

The 3^rd group gets a working list, it reads:

• episode with Yasmine - the students read a part of the text (Chapter 24), dramatize it and determine the pool of emotions in Marcel's head - Friendship, Sexual Pleasure, Love.

 

III. Common activities after reading.

• a debate on Marcelo and Ixtel - Victims and / or Heroes? - The students put forth their arguments and explain them, answering questions: How are the heroes of this story exceptional and different from other characters? Do they remind us of people of the real world? Ex. events and people we hear over the media?

 

Evaluation and Assessment Method:

• Teacher Role - Prepare Materials and act as a Moderator
• Method all around - Group work activity, used in the evaluation phase - one paper and pen is sent from member to member in the group - during which evaluation is written.

 

Students are evaluated on the basis of the following:

• knowledge of the content and forms of literary texts from different regions and cultures
• engagement around the idea of ​​writers and their approach to the topic and the handling of the text
• Recognizing the ways in which texts relate to broader contexts
• empathy, recognition and appreciation of a wider context

 

The Impact of Activity on Reading RSP Readers:

Practices initiate a process of thinking in the students minds leading to what may be called greater cultural sensitivity, increased awareness of cultural differences and cultural communities - not only for race but also for gender, social classes, etc

 

Connection to curriculum

Class: sophomore year

Curriculum:

World Literature - reading for pleasure

Civil upbringing and education - developing conflict resolution strategies, peer violence

English Language and Literature - US writer Stork

Musical Arts - Classical Music, Rock Music

 

Knowledge:

• broad and universal issues
• better understanding of yourself and the world around you
• enjoying the experience of reading literary literature
• Understanding the problem, answering questions related to the position of young people, influence of music, student relationships, identity issues
• Critical thinking about the world, family, work

 

Skills:

• Collecting, selecting and evaluating background information
• reading, interpreting and evaluating literary texts
• Effective collaboration in groups
• Empathy during groups works
• preparation and performance of "role play"
• improvisation, especially in speech
• discovering the possibilities of one's own learning during active participation
• mastering the elements of debate

 

Competence:

• Intercultural and Communication Competences
• Understanding cultures as a comprehensive approach to literacy.
• a positive attitude towards different ways of thinking / prayers / clothing style or behavior, openness and tolerance

 

Bibliographic reference to be used during the activity

Francisco X. Stork: Marcelo in the real world

Algoritam

Zagreb, February, 2011.

 

Results

Expected outcomes:

Students will be able to:

• express clearly the critical / analytical and interpretative understanding of the text
• select the text references individually
• reacted to the way the language works in the text
• to respect the opinion of others, to clearly and precisely argue their own opinions

 

Recommendations

The text can help increase the interest of students to read. The elements of the detective stories may also be of interest to students to read the novel entirely.

Title of Activity
Culture collisions

 

Description of educational activity
Duration: 2 x 45 minutes

Student age: 18 – 19 (senior year)

Student class organization: group work

Lecture goal:

Shaping their own attitudes, explaining and proving them

empathy development

 

Supporting materials

• Internet
• Class leaflet

 

Highlights:

• 4 texts
• sticky notes

 

Activity:

reading, interpreting, and discussing the text

 

1.  Activity before reading

Provides motivation, allows students to share their own experiences/opinions, group cohesion

• The students are divided into groups of four. Each group gets one task.

Introductory text

INTRO (str. 5 – 8)

 

After common reading of the introductory text the students work in groups:

1. Outline 3 thoughts from the text that are stimulating and explain why.

2. Mention your childhood dreams and choose the ones that are achievable in the future.

3. Apply the sentence in the context of personal challenges: In the past, the whole world was explored; the highest mountains were concurred and the farthest points were visited. I knew I wasn’t doing something new, but for me, it was the start of discovering the world.

4. Presentation of group results and short discussion.

 

 

II. Activities during and after reading in group.

• The groups receive parts of the story and teaching leaflets (each group reads one part)

 

a)    Syria: Driving along the Euphrates (page 63 - 64)

Basic task: Describe the writers travel concerns and state the reasons. Explain how to reconcile their cultural heritage and cultural orientations of the new environment. Explain the possibility of intercultural understanding.

 

Analysis: male-female relations; gender equality; cultural differences; intercultural

 

b)   Syria: In Bedouin tents (page 75 - 76)

Basic task: Explain who the Bedouins are, how and what affects their nomadic way of life. Compare Bedouin's hospitality and their weak sense of ownership with Western culture.

 

Analysis: the impact of natural environment on people's lives; cultural differences

 

c)    Israel: For Peace! (pp. 162-164)

Basic task: Describe the life of refugees. Explain their sense of helplessness sense of never getting a break. 

Analysis: refugee status; meaninglessness of the war; (no) possibility of change

 

III.  Common activities after reading.

 

Presenting group work results.

 

Discussion: Be an observer or participant. Actualization of issues and updates 

 

Evaluation and Assessment Method:

 

Teacher Role - Prepare Materials and act as a Moderator

Evaluation of work in groups - questionnaire: evaluation and self-evaluation

 

Students are assessed on the basis of their abilities:

·         Reading with understanding and shaping their own opinions and arguments

·         Participation in a argumented discussion

·         presentation of group work - systematic and structured presentation

 

The Impact of Activity on Reading RSP:

Activities encourage intercultural understanding and development of students' empathy.

 

 

Connection to curriculum

Class: Senior year

Curriculum:

Language Expression - Discussion

History

Geography

Ethics

 

Knowledge:

- better understanding of yourself and the world around you

- Critical thinking about the world, society, religion

- Enjoyable reading experience

 

Skills:

• collection, selection and evaluation of information
• reading, interpreting and evaluating literary texts

 

Competence:

• communication competences
• intercultural competences
• ability to work in a team, and acceptance of someone different

 

Bibliographic reference to be used during the activity

Davor Rostuhar: Just Let it Move!

Publisher: Klub za ekpedicionizam i kulturu

2003., 2006., 2009.

256 pg.; 154 photographs

Soft cover

ISBN 953-99434-0-X

 

Results

Expected outcomes:

Students will be able to:

- clearly shape their attitudes and arguments

- actively listen to others

- use and accept etiquette communication  

 

Recommendations

The work is appropriate thematically and is content targeted to group of readers. It also motivates to select other works by the same author or similar works of another author.