Book, Head, and Heart strategy

 

 

The novel, New Kid, by Jerry Craft tells the story of a student who has just entered an entire new world. The story is a graphic novel, from the perspective of all the characters but centered on the protagonist, Jordan Banks. The main character, Jordan, is artistically blessed, but his parent’s expectations and control lead him to a school that does not cater to his needs. He faces the wrath of a bully, his mother’s judgement, and a shady teacher all while trying to find his place at a new school. Meeting friends along the way, Jordan learns to bring together his support system, and even support seemingly undeserving characters. Craft, in this novel, is helping the readers understand this uncommon, yet common, issue, of being the only new kid at a school. Jerry Craft adds in the element of skin color and subtle, yet clear racism to realistically illustrate the hardships of being a new middle school student, especially of color. The author crafts Jordan in a way that helps the reader understand his point of view, but also the point of view of the other characters, especially with the book being a graphic novel.

Craft’s message to me, ask I read the novel, was to try and visualize the situation, but also pay attention to how the main character overcomes the situation, despite all the hardship.

 In my head, what surprised me about the novel was, that towards the beginning or so,   Jordan, the main character, was hesitant to connect his two new friends, Liam, and Drew. Although Jordan and Liam came from different backgrounds, they were one in the same, which makes him similar to Drew, in one way or another. This challenged my thinking because I had never drawn the thought of there being fear associated with introducing two opposites that are more similar than what meets the eye. The saying “opposites” attract kept playing in my mind as I read how the situation played out, Jordan eventually bringing them together. From this “episode” of the novel, I assume the author believes the reader to understand the feeling of nervousness when trying to make new friends and the deeper feeling that comes with trying to bring them together, to create a support group.

 The last component of being a BHH reader is a heart connection. After finishing the novel, I realized that I had never experienced what the main character, Jordan, had. Yes, I had been new at a job or the only person at an event, but I had never been new to a large group at such a young age. I worried if I would never truly understand the message the author was trying to portray, but I then realized that reading about something I have never experienced is a learning experience. It is an experience that will challenge me to think outside of my bubble, and rather, be open to understanding the journey of others regardless of my own.

            These strategies and connections encouraged me to always think deeper when reading. By the novel’s initial appearance, it seemed like just another comic with a simple solution to save the day. With the book, head, heart strategy, I learned that thinking beyond the book is part of reading. These connections taught me that although the book is telling me a story, it is also challenging and teaching me. While implementing the strategy, I also further understood that reading is a process and takes more than just finishing the book to genuinely finish the book. I learned to connect the practical, textual information to my emotions, which made reading and finishing the novel a better experience.

            In more common novels, those without graphics to aid with reading in between the lines, this book, head, and heart strategy would be tougher to implement. Deciphering the words without a visual image may take time, but once the story is finished, the “book” part should be easy. After reviewing the basic information, it is then that you take this and use it to ask questions. In stories with a lot of detail that is not o essential to the main plot, this can be challenging. Perhaps annotating or blocking the story into different sections will help jog memory at important parts that can be fallen back to. Remembering an episode can help jog questions necessary to think deeper. After asking logical questions and thoroughly thinking about them, it is then when you relate them back to your heart, or your emotions. All of the previous analyzing will make this process all the easier.

      Incorporating this into a kindergarten classroom will be a bit easier, regarding the types of book read and discussed in the classroom. However, going beyond the surface of the story may be hard for children of such a young age. Retelling the story and discovering the author’s purpose would be the first and easiest part, but asking further questions is where the difficulty lies. Asking students to do this on their own might result in slight confusion, but putting the kids into groups to bounce ideas, questions, and thoughts off each other might encourage the deeper thinking necessary for the “in my head” piece. Having the kids answer each other’s questions in the classroom, then sharing with students beyond their group gives way to even more connections that are beyond just one child’s thinking. In the final step, “in my heart,” young kindergarten students can be asked to put themselves in the main character’s shoes and then relate that back to their opinions and self. From previous questions, like “what is the author trying to tell us,” the kids can develop empathy for the character and their situation (that the author is trying to convey the solution to). Students can think on their own, which encourages a much wanted sense of independence that can also later be shared, if desired. Incorporating hands-on activities and projects that use these three ways of thinking is an even brighter possibility on how to teach young kids to read with purpose and compassion in their own way.