Moore, Lorrie, ed. (1993). I Know Some Things: Stories About Childhood by Contemporary Writers. New York: Faber & Faber, Inc., 256pp.
Grade Range: 10-12
Genre: short stories
Summary & Critique
In I Know Some Things, the authors depict the struggles of growing up. Throughout the book, the authors form a fraternity among each other because they all seem to believe that growing up is difficult, especially when young people have to rely on immature or emotionally unstable adults to guide them along the way. The endings of these stories have redemptive and uplifting qualities because of the often implied epiphanies that the narrators realize. Issues presented include coming to terms with one's sexuality, divorce, abandonment, and immigration.
In Glenda Adams's"Lies," a daughter's lies at first appear to destroy a family when in fact, she was protecting her family. Clara, in Sheila Schwartz's"Out-of-the-Body Travel," attempts to deal with issues resulting from her mother's negative psychological reaction to her father's estrangement, as well as her own drug use. In Spaulding Gray's"Sex and Death to the Age 14," an adolescent discovers sexuality.
Despite the difficulty some students might experience reading due to the mature vocabulary and rhetorical style that most of the authors employ, the authors present relatively common adolescent experiences in these short stories to which many adolescents can relate.
Themes/Topics
Friends and Enemies
Love, Sex, and Romance
Families
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Challenges and Triumphs
The Individual vs. Society
Editor Information
Lorrie Moore is a native of Glenn Falls, New York. She attended and received degrees from both St. Lawrence University and Cornell University. Currently, Moore teaches English at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
For more information on Lorrie Moore:
http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/NCW/lmoore.htm Brief biographical information, short bibliography, and an interview.
http://www.writers.cornell.edu/entirelist/#moore Extensive bibliography of Moore's works.
Media Connections
Movies
Big (1988) A preteen wishes to be big, only to wake up the next morning with the body of an adult man but with his same twelve-year old mind. This movie is an interesting connection to"Gryphon" because the characters in Baxter's story also experience having their fortune told overnight as Josh Baskin does.
Signs (2002) There is a scene in this movie in which the mother advises her son to"swing away," and this foreshadows the outcome of the movie. Since her ability to do this is not much different than Miss Ferenczi's ability to predict the future through tarot card reading, I thought this would be an appropriate and interesting connection to the story.
Pinocchio (2000) Students could compare and contrast Miss Ferenci with Pinocchio in terms of their physical appearance and the consequences of their distortions of the truth.
The Sound of Music (1965) A musical depicting a somewhat fictional account of the Von Trapp family singers and their escape from Austria before WWII. Allowing students to watch this musical (which relates to"Dog Heaven") will give them the opportunity to get a sense of what the anticipation of what the anticipation of World War II was like for people in other parts of the world.
Almost Famous. (2000) Since this movie is about rebellion, students can see how William, the rock journalist, brings out redemptive qualities in the other characters. This film relates to"Out-of-the-Body Travel."
X-Men (2000) To be used in conjunction with"Dog Heaven." This movie does a good job conveying to young people the importance of accepting others for their differences; especially if students consider Magnito's background with respect to the effects of World War II on his childhood, and his rhetoric in general.
Forrest Gump (1994) It would be interesting for students to compare the role of Forrest's mother to Uncle Kelvin in "Signs and Wonders" in terms of their use of similes and metaphors to explain some of life's most complicated issues.
Television
Miracles"The Ferguson Syndrome." Premiered on ABC, January 27, 2003. Is someone's ability to read tarot cards a miracle; especially if they can prevent someone from becoming ill or being in a car accident? This show is about an investigator of modern miracles and how these miracles renew his faith.
Music
"El Otro Lado Del Porton." Performed by Ramon Ayala. From El Numero Cien. 2002. Mr. Ayala does a fabulous job employing literary devices such as similes and metaphors to describe the loss of his beloved in the song. Having students who can appreciate Tejano music listen to this song can also help them understand the meaning of similes and metaphors.
"Como la Flor." Performed by Selena. From Ven Conmigo. 1990. The title itself is a simile in Spanish, and this song should be included also because it speaks to a female audience, unlike the Ramon Ayala song cited above that is more appropriate for a male audience.
"Lost Ones." Performed by Lauren Hill. From The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. Sony, 1998. The students could compare what Hill says in the song about communication with what Scout (in"Gorilla, My Love") says about it in the story. This connection between Bambara and Hill also seems appropriate because they are both African American artists.
Online Resources
http://www.catharton.com/authors/387.htm This Web site provides links to interviews with authors so that teachers can read and learn about the motivation behind their writing in order to help students understand the overall meaning of particular texts.
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/shortstories.html This site provides a list of short story anthologies of various topics for young adults.
http://www.allyoucanread.com This site provides links for parents, teachers, and young adults to read non-fiction literature in magazines such as Guideposts for Teens , Teen Voices, and HM-18; and newspapers that might contain information on their respective concerns and issues.
http://www.scbwi.org Since the book I Know Some Things contains autobiographical accounts of young adults who grew up to become professional writers, this site is appropriate because it provides useful information for people who are aspiring to become writers.
http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/adamsg/adamsg.html This site contains biography of Glenda Adams, a bibliography of her works, and quotes, excerpts, and dust jacket synopses of her most popular works.
http://www.childabuse.org This is a site for parents, kids, prevention advocates, educators, and victims to receive information about child abuse prevention and treatment.
http://www.mythicalrealm.com/creatures/aerie.html This site contains historical, biological, and mythological information about gryphons and other mythological creatures that might interest students and teachers.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/ This site is useful for students to learn about the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. This type of information might provide them with the insight that is necessary to help them determine the integrity of Miss Ferenczi's attitude towards math in the story.
http://www.alcoholismtreatment.org Since this story (like so much other young-adult literature) concerns alcoholism, this site serves as a supplement to"The Point" because it contains information about alcoholism as a disease and forms of intervention.
http://www.freetobeme.com/ This site might help reader of this story sort out their feelings about sexuality even if they cannot identify with the protagonist.
http://www.milbrats.net/ The purpose of this site is to serve as a database for people raised by Canadian military parents. Its main aim is to help them find childhood acquaintances.
Related Texts
Kafka, Franz. (2000). The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. New York: Penguin. 216pp. The students learn the lifecycle of insects at the end of Baxter's story, but it also serves as a metaphor for how change is important for people to live out their fortunes. in "The Metamorphosis," Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning in an unfortunate situation and also undergoes a metamorphosis.
The National Enquirer. Any issue of this tabloid newspaper will work. The purpose of using this as a related text is for students to realize why Tommy, the protagonist, mentions it with respect to Miss Ferenczi's teaching.
Kincaid, Jamaica. (1997). The Autobiography of My Mother. New York: Plume. 228pp. Students who acquire an interest in Kincaid's rhetorical style by reading"Gwen" will appreciate this novel about a Carib woman's definition of love, and how it relates to her idea of sovereignty.
Rico, Gabriele. (1983)."This Is a Poem for My Son Peter." (By: Peter Meinke). Writing the Natural Way. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 45-48. This selection is useful to expose students to a different type of literature written by the same author of one of the short stories that appears in I Know Some Things.
Seixas, Judith. (1979). Living With a Parent Who Drinks Too Much. New York: Greenwillow Books. 116pp. This text serves as an introduction to alcoholism, the behavior of alcoholics, and the problems of living in a family with an alcoholic as in D'Ambrosio's story. This book also gives children of alcoholic parents: information about how to handle their feelings, how to seek help for themselves and for their parent(s), and ways to make life more bearable.
Kingman, Lee. (1970). The Peter Pan Bag. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Unlike young Schwartz, the narrator of the story from I Know Some Things, Wendy, the protagonist in Kingsman's novel, runs away from home. Wendy stays with her friend's older brother, Peter. Peter and Wendy stay with some of his friends, one of who is a drug-using Vietnam veteran. The protagonists are alike because while they are away from home, they experiment with drugs, and eventually realize that this lifestyle is not for them.
Teaching Ideas
(1) "'Me'Poster" The experiences of adolescence that the authors of the stories in I Know Some Things describe concern subject matter that is often uncomfortable to share with others. In stories such as "The Point,""Gwen," or "Dog Heaven," the protagonists of these stories must rely on the strengths of their personalities in order to help themselves or others deal with an uncomfortable situation such as adultery, alcoholism, or social acceptance. Therefore, this assignment is an appropriate way to allow students to experience a sense of accomplishment and faith in themselves while practicing the use of adjectives and illustrating abstract concepts.
In order to complete this assignment, the students must list at least ten descriptive words and phrases about themselves. Then, on star-shaped construction paper, the students copy the words from their lists. To show contrast, the students may mount their negative traits on small stars and their positive traits on large stars. After all their personal traits are listed on the stars, the students then decorate their stars and arrange them on a poster board so that it becomes a"me" poster. It is important that the word"me" appears on the poster along with the students'names. The students'final creative task is to represent the words that describe their personal traits visually using photographs, pictures from magazines and newspaper, their own drawings, or cartoon dialogue.
When the "me" posters are completed, students write a descriptive composition about their personality, while incorporating some of the words and phrases that they listed. The teacher should encourage the students to make their compositions lively and interesting; after all, each student is explaining what makes him or her a"star." Upon total completion, these compositions may be shared with the class as the students use their poster as visual aids. Finally, the teacher should display the projects in the classroom as a testament of all the stars that make up the class.
[Summarized/adapted from "Starring Me" by Verna Clark in Ideas Plus: Book Seven. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1989, pp. 62-63.]
(2) "My Identity" As in peter Meinke's story"The Ponoes," which appears in I Know Some Things, during high school students encounter peer pressure. Through poetry and other forms of writing, this two-class period activity allows students to explore their sense of themselves with and without the implications of peer pressure.
For this activity, the teacher uses the poem"Identity1" by Julio Noboa Polanco. Polanco is a Puerto Rican poet who was born in the Bronx, and he writes poems in English and in Spanish.
On the first day of this activity, read the poem out loud. Then let the students read the poem silently to themselves, choosing and marking lines that they find particularly interesting. Next, ask the students to share with partner their answers to the following questions: What is the poem about? What is the poet saying to you? Discuss what made you select the passages that you did. Explain why the poet would prefer to be a"weed" rather than a"flower." When the class reconvenes from their small group discussions, the teacher should tell the students what the poet said that the poem was about. Polanco claimed that,"The whole poem is a search for [his] individuality, finding [himself] as a person as opposed to being one of the crowd."
On the second day, invite the students to write about who they are—a weed, a flower, or some other plant form. Ask them to use images and vivid descriptions to explain what they chose and why, and to describe themselves as the week, flower, or other type of plant. Then the students can draw themselves as the weed, flower, or plant. After the students complete their drawings, the teacher should post these pictures in the classroom so that the students can consider how they and their classmates have maintained their individuality. This activity complements the themes of identity, individuality, and sense of self that appear in the book I Know Some Things, and in the lives of young adults.
[Summarized/adapted from "‘Identity'and a Sense of Self" by Edward Armstrong and Anne Fairbrother in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, October 1994, Volume 12, Number 1, pp. 1-2.]
(3) "Scrapbook Biography" The purpose of the biographical scrapbook project is to give students a new perspective on their lives and personalities, ask them to take a look into the future, and use ingenuity and imagination in communicating information about themselves, literature, news, and history in a variety of ways. The way in which students achieve the purpose of this project is by imaging that it is forty or fifty years in the future, and someone has chosen to write a biography about their lives. The antiquarian has asked them to provide information such as letters, memos, thank-you cards, newspaper or magazine clippings, press releases, shopping lists, transcripts, ticket stubs, receipts, and pictures that shed light on their past. The students'task is to compile a scrapbook of useful information from which the biographer can choose material to write their life stories.
The scrapbook must contain a minimum of eight items. Here are some ideas for what the students'biographical scrapbooks might contain: a letter, which reveals something about students'character—this letter can be written by their future selves; a description of a nighttime dream that they have always remembered; a favorite story that a relative or friend likes to tell about them; an account of an incident that was significant to the students in some way; photographs that depict how the students enjoy spending time or important moments in their lives; a family tree; a description of the person they admire the most and why; an item that serves as documentation of a memorable trip; or a note describing their future plans and why they think they will accomplish what they set out to do.
[Summarized/adapted from "Biographical Scrapbook Project" by Carol J. Schowalter in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, December 1996, Volume 14, Number 2, pp.1-2.]
(4) "Opening Sentence" The purpose of this lesson on creative writing is four-fold. First, students think consciously about introductions. Second, students are exposed to a variety of literature and literary styles. Third, they begin the process of writing fiction in a non-threatening manner. Finally, students offer and receive peer critiques in a non-threatening climate.
Since the author of this teaching idea thought that teachers should teach creative writing as a process, and realized that all stories begin with a sentence, he decided to start a lesson on creative writing at the sentence level. Teachers who believe Goodson's rhetoric should begin his lesson on creative writing by taking a bunch of their favorite novels, poems, and short stories in to their class one day. For the majority of the class period, teachers should spend time reading the first sentence of the texts to their students out loud. Next have the students discuss what they like and/or do not like about he selected opening sentences. Be sure to talk about the different styles—how some writers are more descriptive; how others jump into the action of the story in such a way that readers have to read the next the sentence; how some writers include details that foreshadow events to come; and how others reveal the persona of characters. At the end of the class period, instruct your class to go home and write one sentence—a really good sentence to the opening of a story. Also, tell your students not to concern themselves with what the story should be about. Their main objective is to create one good sentence.
Devote the next class period to listening to and discussing each student's sentence. Needless to say, the next task is to assign the students to complete the story. Students'efforts will be uneven, but creative writing is a powerful way to develop enthusiasm about language and story in students. In addition, teachers can connect many of the skills that students might learn by writing fiction to other more traditional types of writing and analyzing literature.
[Summarized/adapted from "The Short Story: Where to Begin?" by Todd Goodson in Ideas Plus: Book Fifteen. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997 pp. 25-27.]
(5) "Goodness" The author of this teaching idea argues that students'ability to recall the story"No Witchcraft for Sale" many years after they have read it is evidence that the author, Doris Lessing has incomparable skill in presenting values controversies. Since the English curriculum at schools such as Grand Island High School (where Droit teaches) revolves around the theme of goodness of people, life, and society, it is important for students to express their answers to challenging questions of cultural differences through writing.
In order to help students accomplish this rhetorical task, teachers could begin controversial discussions by introducing their students to the works of authors such as Lessing and Charles Baxter, the author of the story"Gryphon," which appears in the book I Know Some Things. When using the Lessing piece it is important for teachers to point out that s/he is committed to defending human rights and dignity. Baxter on the other hand believes that many people make their way through this world by telling other people things that are not true. Next, the students should read one of the stories and record their reaction in a reading journal. When the students have completed their reading and responding, the teacher should initiate discussion by asking the students to vote on the character's (i.e. Miss Ferenczi's) decision to impart her knowledge of Tarot Card reading to Mr. Hibler's students. The students should also reveal the elements of the story that led to their decision at this point in the discussion.
After this discussion, students assume the persona of one of the characters from the story and describe the incident from the character's point of view; explain how that character felt about Miss Fereczi's actions; and justify the character's opinion based on the evidence given by the author and the students'personal knowledge of the story's circumstances in their journals. The students then move into"persona groups" to share their reactions with students who chose to write using the persona of the same character, and to test the ideas they wrote down in terms of accuracy and voice. They then shift into groups in which all the personas of the story are represented, and again share their responses. The teacher allows the students to develop a fuller understanding of the different points of view by instructing them to paraphrase the feelings of the character from the story to their left. The class then reconvenes and discusses what transpired the group discussions. The teacher should end the class by asking the students to prepare a journal entry for class the next day in which they discuss the story in terms of the theme of what defines"goodness" in people, life, and society. Finally, the students are able to use class discussions and journal entries as sources for an essay in which they compare characters such as Miss Ferenczi with characters that they have met in other readings.
[Summarized/adapted from "Might Versus Right: Doris Lessing's ‘No Witchcraft for Sale" by Joan A. Droit in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, December 1994, Volume 12, Number 2, p. 12.]
(Review written by Jennifer Cárdenas and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)