Book title
Just let it move

 

Author
Davor Rostuhar

 ​

 

Bibliographic information

 

Publisher: Klub za ekpedicionizam i kulturu

2003., 2006., 2009.

256 str.; 154 photos

soft cover

ISBN 953-99434-0-X

 

Links (adaptations, reviews, full texts etc.)

http://ebook.arribadarlington.co.uk/7452940/by-ebook-arribadarlington-co-uk/samo-nek-se-kree.html

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7452940-samo-nek-se-kre-e

https://www.videoland.bid/?id=JoEGcqpgTYo

https://www.ngbuntovnici.hr/index.php/separatum-votum/izdvojeni-glas/692-uz-mjesec-hrvatske-knjige-knjizevne-preporuke?cookie_27803885cfd6a24a1a4d3c7723f4874d=accepted

 

Theme
Two friends, a twenty year old named Davor, also known as the writer, and friend Vedran decide to travel the Mediterranean by bicycle, riding 8000 kilometers in 283 days, passing through 12 countries on 3 different continents.

 

Short summary

Everyone dreams or has a dream already, someone dreams about new things, some dream about traveling. His childhood dream was shared with his childhood friend, and together at the age of twenty decided to go on a trip around the Mediterranean. That trip was a challenge in every aspect, but it brought them the ability to visit new places and countries, meet new people, cultures and traditions. Bicycling from Zagreb to Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Egypt, the author  questions life, religion, relationships between man and woman, the good and bad in people and other universal questions with which people can be occupied by. On the trip he questions himself, his limits with meeting new people – from poor Bedouins,  to odd people, and ascetic priests, as well as soldiers and rich people who all pass the valley of Ephrata, a dessert which continues up a mountain covered in snow, sleeping under the stars or small basement of abandoned buildings.

 

Why is the story appropriate for the targeted groups of RSP readers?
It shows adventure – a trip around the Mediterranean by bike from a twenty year old perspective.

• The readers can identify themselves with the writer who from first hand talks about how to organize a trip with a modest budget, how to manage and communicate in a culture totally different to the one they know, and that everything in life is possible and achievable
• The simple writing style is stimulating for the readers.

beneath the surface.

 

What are the distinguished readers interests reflected by this book/story?

Traveling was never accessible for young people as much as it is today, for that reason this book offers a remarkable experience and pleasure of travelling by bicycle. It shows that traveling doesn’t have to be to well-known places, staying in hotels and without getting to know the real world and culture of the local people – traveling offers coexistence, becoming independent as well as mature, as well as communication and interaction with indigenous areas and people.

 

Why is this story motivational for the pupils?
Students can easily identify with the writer who’s also around the same age, they come from the same or similar environment, and have interests and facts about realizing childhood dreams. The ease of reading this book comes from the simple and understandable language, as well as universal theme that promote getting to know the unknown and accepting the new.

 

Is there a historical, political, multi/inter cultural, migrant or similar context recognized in this book/story? 
Yes, during the ten month trip, the two young men faced and stayed in places that were unknown to them – the borders between East and West, division of Beirut in which they asked you to decide.  Arab, Palestinians, justice and freedom or Israel, America, Jews, money, brutality and crime, encounter with migrants, peace activists, cooperating with ecologists etc.

 

Is there a principle of inclusion reflected in this book/story and does it promotes understanding of cultural diversities and heritage? 

Yes, the protagonists are getting in touch with new situations and are taking to consideration the differences even though they have different beliefs – the openly talk about religion, and reevaluate the patriarchal society as well as rethink about the cultural differences where they try to understand all of it.  The two men do not accept the limits that can be created by the cultural and religious barriers, and thus accept the hospitality and society through every social status promoting multiculturalism and respect the environment they visit with its peculiarity.

Title of Activity
1^st class: narrating in first person, R.L. Palacio, Miracle
2^nd class: World in rainbow colors: same but different

 

Description of educational activity
Duration: 2 x 45 minutes

Student age: 15

Student Class organization: group work, individual work, frontal work

 

Lesson goal:

• Encourage students to express their own literary work experience: how and to what extent does literary work influence the design of one's own attitudes and values
• to perceive the ethical level of literary work
• to perceive the purpose of the literary work: to stimulate feelings, empathy and human responsibility
• repeat the role of narrator in 1st person
• Identify the ethical characterization of the character
• encourage reading of a full literary work
• Apply appropriate learning strategies
• to develop peer relations

 

Support materials:

• Internet - video clips, movie (trailer, animated film Tolerance)
• Notes during reading
• The book cover Wonedr

 

Highlight:

• My Name Is August Paragraph

 

Activities:

looking at illustrations, focused conversation, reading with understanding, interpreting less well-known words and discussing the text, watching video clips and animated film Tolerance

 

I.      Activities before reading

• serve as a preparation for reading the paragraphs and motivates for reading the whole comprehension, remembering of their own situations that will serve for better understanding of the character and identifying with the image, and to see how different we are in the same situation

 

1.    Conversation:

Get back to the moment you first went to school and the feelings you had. What were you happy / excited about? What did you fear? What did you want / wish for? Active listening, comparing experiences and detecting differences. Comparison with going in the first grade of high school.

 

2.    The students look at the cover of the book Wonder (Illustration). They try to discover the theme of the novel before reading, based on an illustration: making an opinion, comparing it with the observations of other students. According to the illustration and possible subject, a different title is proposed for the novel.

 

II. Activity during reading.

• Common reading of the fragment.
• The text is given to the students: My name is August in which: 

a)    Gather less familiar words or expressions

b)    Separate the sentence you would like to discuss in the classroom after reading the text.

 

III. Activities after reading.

a)    Interpretation of less known words or expressions, such as absolutely terrified.

b)    Students read the sentence that encourages them to think and would like to discuss in class, for example

 

Here's what I think: the only reason I'm not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way. 

Or

If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all.

 

The sentences written on the pieces of paper are inserted into a box from which they will pull out two sentences that will serve them for the next class of oral expression (discussion on the subject).

 

c)    Discuss about what you read: What make Auggie normal and not normal ten year old kid? , what makes him feel stranger and fear (identification)? Recognizing the narrator in the 1st person (the role of such narrative), the use of contrast in the characterization of the character.

 

d)    Working in groups: In the text, Augie presents himself. The task is to in pairs introduce each other as they have never met before. They share to the class the things they remember about their pair.

 

e)    State which words would Auggie encourage himself with before he entered school and which words would discourage him.

Propose solutions to the actual situations in which you felt personally rejected as Augie, ridiculed, differently, unaccepted (if the students wanted to share.)

 

f)     Watching the animated film Tolerance, talking about the theme of the movie, Comparison, and connection to what is read. 

 

For the end of the 2h movie, watch the trailer Wonder.

 

 

Evaluation and Assessment Method:

Role of Teacher - Provides feedback during the activity and upon completion of each activity. Encourages students to ask questions.

 

Students are assessed on the basis of their abilities:

observing and evaluating students during certain activities in which they have been particularly prominent; reading comprehension, selecting sentences from the discussion on the default topic, etc.

 

The Impact of Activity on Reading RSP:

By Comparing a Breakdown of the Novel Wonder and animated Film Tolerance, students recognize the problem of disadvantaged students and all people who are different, it stimulates thinking about the problem, seeks solutions and encourages to think about themselves: Who I am and how I behave in similar situations ?

 

Connection to curriculum

Class: 1.

Curriculum:

Literature - narrator in 1st person, character and novel characterization

 

Knowledge:

- literary terms: narrative type, ethical characterization of the character

- the role of narrator in 1st person in the development of the plot development

- details on the inclusion of children with disabilities in regular schools in the Republic of Croatia

 

Skills:

• reading comprehension, noting the important information’s
• detecting and solving problems
• time management in task solving
• applying an appropriate learning strategy

 

Competence:

• IT competencies
• communication competence
• social competence: to develop student relations

 

Bibliographic reference to be used during the activity

Publisher: Fokus komunikacije

03/2016.

324 pg., Soft cover

ISBN 9789533490090

Translation to Croatian: Tamara Kunić

 

In addition to the novel Wonder, which describes Auggi's experiences in the fifth grade of Beecher School, the writer R. J. Palacio also wrote the novel Auggie and I - three miraculous stories in which we learn more about his class colleagues. By the novel Wonder, a film was created with the same name.

Short description of digital sources  (applications, games, webpages, FB pages etc.)

The students watch the animated film Tolerance

 

https://meduza.carnet.hr/index.php/media/videos?pack=353

 and the official movie trailer Wonder

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsUKB4fh9fM trailer

 

Results

Expected outcomes:

Students will be able to:

• express their own literary text experience: how and to what extent literary text influences the formation of one's own attitudes and values
• perceive the ethical level of literary text
• recognize the purpose of the literary text: empowering emotions, empathy and human responsibility
• Explain the role of narrator in 1st person, the ethical characterization of the character

 

Recommendations

The book answers many questions: why is it important to go to school, to find and recognize a true friend, do I only have a problem with my brothers, whether I am accepted in family or in society, why this is happening to me ... In this novel, students can find the answer to many questions in seeking an identity and answering questions Who am I? and Who am I in comparison to others?

Book title
Wonder

 

Author
R. J. Palacio

​

Bibliographic information

Publisher: Fokus komunikacije

03/2016.

324 str., Soft cover

ISBN 9789533490090

Translated from English: Tamara Kunić

 

Links (adaptations, reviews, full texts etc.)

• http://www.bibliovca.com/2014/10/13/cudo-by-r-j-palacio-recenzija/
• http://www.najboljeknjige.com/content/knjiga.aspx?BookID=6188&tab=2
• https://citajknjigu.com/cudo-r-j-palacio/
• https://arteist.hr/chboskyjevo-cudo-poziva-na-empatiju-i-slavi-razlicitosti/
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsUKB4fh9fM trailer
• http://www.moj-film.hr/film/glumci/cudo/
• http://zagrebfilm.hr/film/tolerancija/
• https://meduza.carnet.hr/index.php/media/videos?pack=353
• https://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?id_clanak_jezik=181285&show=clanak

 

Theme
Auggie Pulman is a ten year old boy who lives with his parents and older sister in New York. He was born with a face deformity and was homeschooled his first four years due to various health issues. Soon, he will start the fifth year of school in Beecher and it will be his first time to be surrounded by kids his own age.

 

 

Short summary

There are books we read that we just forget the moment we are done with, and then, there are books which make us think even after we are done with them, well, Wonder is one of these books. Written by Raquel Jaramillo, under pseudonym R. J. Palacio.

This is a book about August Pullman, whose nickname is Auggie. He is a ten year old boy, who suffers from atypical problems. It’s not about normal girl problems, fights with parents, or school.. However, Auggie is starting school! Although he is ten years old, he spent half his life having operations due to his face deformity. He was homeschooled and lived under the rock.

Although Auggie is smart, heart touching and funny, the first thing people notice is his face, which he describes quiet openly and brutally. Due to the unavoidable reactions, as well as bullying, his parents wanted to protect him, which is the reason he was homeschooled. Fifth grade however, is the breaking point and Auggie is hesitating to go to a real school. 

You can just imagine what happens next – from pity to bullying, and acceptance and rejection. The fifth grade for Auggie is becoming a real life lesson, where he learns to fight for himself. Facing up to his peers and professors, who all have different reactions to his face, and Auggie finally starts to accept who he is. Not only is it helping him, but he is giving a lifelong lesson to others too.

(From www.najboljeknjige.com)

 

Why is the story appropriate for the targeted groups of RSP readers?
It teaches us to accept who we are

• How to overcome fear from the unknown
• It teaches us how to understand and accept differences: there is no easy way, we just need to act normal
• It raises up awareness that people don’t see what is important in certain situations, example: don’t judge a book by its cover, it is important what is beneath the surface.

 

What are the distinguished readers interests reflected by this book/story?
The book answers a lot of questions, even though Auggie is different, he faces problems like his peers do. Why do I have to go to school? How to know who is a real friend? Am I the only one who has problems with their siblings? Am I accepted in the family and society? Why me?

 

Why is this story motivational for the pupils?
The students can identify their own problems, and find answers to them by trying to find their identity and answering to the questions, Who am I? Who am I in comparison to others?

 

Is there a historical, political, multi/inter cultural, migrant or similar context recognized in this book/story? 
Multicultural context is visible in the story of Auggie because the novels setting is in New York, a multicultural environment, a city full of different cultures, race, religion, points of view (political and social), which is  visible in Auggies commute from home to school and surrounding.

 

Is there a principle of inclusion reflected in this book/story and does it promotes understanding of cultural diversities and heritage? 

The principle of inclusions is the leitmotif of this novel. Although the novel brings up many themes, the main theme shows a boy with difficulties in attending a normal school. It promotes understanding differences between people and the cultural differences which are visible in representing the characters that surround Auggie. His peers from class and school and their parents, professors, principle, neighbors who live differently, are raised differently, view the world differently and completely have different values in life.

Title of Activity
I fell in love

 

Description of educational activity
Duration: 2 x 45 minutes

Student age: 16 - 17

Student class organization: group work

Lecture goal:

- to recognize the problem of violence against children and the problem of corruption, the development of empathy, to analyze the narrator's position, to interpret the relationship between literary characters

 

Supporting materials

- Internet

- Magazines with everyday topics

Highlights:

- 3 texts

- sticky notes

Activity:

reading, interpreting, and discussing the text

 

1.  Activity before reading

Provide motivation and background information to facilitate reading and put text in a broader, non-literary and literary context

Thematic Approach: Who Is Andy Mulligan? - Explore all about the author and his published works.

Thematic approach: Do clothes make you a man? - the influence of the consumer spirit - the purchase of branded clothing that is burdened by today's society, the symbolic value of goods, the strengthening of self-confidence.

Thematic approach: Volunteering - whether we are volunteering, whether there is a volunteer association in our neighborhood, what it deals with and in what way.

 

2. Reading activity

groups get assignment papers, and will read:

• the text in which the narrator is Olivia Weston (Part 3, Chapter 1) - students will analyze the relationship between her and Rat that becomes interpersonal (1st is "sister" and then "mother");
• explore the symbol of the names of Rat, Gardo and Dante
• find resemblance with the Roma national minority - a village that gathers for an individual;
•  short paragraph about violence against children - narrator Raphael (part 2), students dramatize the fragment (within the group they share roles and perform it as a reportage from the field); 
•  short section on corruption - narrator is Rat (part 3), students need to detect the elements of the detective story through different tasks, shape the interview with the gardener, analyze the Annex of the book as proof of corruption.

 

3. Activity after reading

 

Talking about the events, does it remind us of some real life events? Do the characters remind us of some real life people?

Discussion about the end of the story - Did the boys do well? What could they do differently? Did you expect a different ending?

Comparison with the 2014 film of the same name (similarities and differences).

 

Connection to curriculum

Evaluation and Assessment Method:

Teacher Role - Prepare materials and act as a moderator

Evaluation – with the insert method, the students will mark what they are clear about, what they did not understand or expected and what should be further clarified.

 

Students are assessed on the basis of their ability to demonstrate:

• knowledge on the content and forms of literary text from different regions and cultures
• engagement with writers' ideas and dealing with topics
• Recognizing the ways in which texts relate to broader contexts
• recognition and appreciation of how writers create and shape meanings and effect empathy, through the re-creation of the voice and thoughts of the exalted character

 

The Impact of Activity on Reading RSP:

Practices initiate the process of thinking in 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 gender, social classes, etc.

 

 

Bibliographic reference to be used during the activity

https://www.mvinfo.hr/knjiga/9133/smece

film  TRASH , 2014., Great Britain, Brazil, 104 min.

https://mojtv.hr/film/38955/smece.aspx

1. Mulligan: Trash

 

Short description of digital sources

This paper uses books, films and book reviews from web pages.

 

Results

Students will be able to:

- Understand the importance of accepting others 

- analyze the views that arise from the texts

- interpret the intention of the author

- Make a lot of well-chosen references to text

 

Recommendations

Such forms of text work will increase students' interest in reading as well as understanding the role of language in the text and will form their own reading style.