Thinking Thematically

Almost two weeks after finishing my thematic unit on The Color Purple and culture, I am still reeling from the experience. I was so absorbed into the process of integrating so many different subject areas and cultural studies into one cohesive unit, that I didn't realize until I was done that I was having fun. I had read the novel several times, but I really don't think I got to know the characters until I finished writing activities and finding articles for students to read so that they could get to know the characters better. I learned in education class that the best way to learn something is to teach it, and I think this rings true even for lesson planning. Getting to know the music of the era, the fashion and the art was a real tool that helped me to understand the novel better. I loved assigning an essay that criticized the novel in order to give students a chance to look at it critically and make up their own minds. After learning how to write a thematic unit, I can't imagine ever wanting to teach literature another way. In the Lyon education program, we often talk about educating the whole student. The cross-curricular lessons I planned for the unit on The Color Purple are the first I have ever written that I think really do that. Now that I have learned how to do this, I am excited to put it into practice in the classroom, especially since I learned from my mentor teacher that I will have the opportunity to write two thematic units this upcoming semester!