Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Teaching Beyond the Borders of "Traditional" Curriculum: Using Appalachian Literature and Studies in a High School ELA Classroom
Session Abstract or Summary
Many high school students living in Appalachia today still only know a single story of our region. Despite being a place of extreme beauty and diversity, young Appalachians tend to be unaware of the complexity and richness of Appalachian literature, music, art, and activism, and many high school curriculums do not include relevant or contemporary Appalachian literature. At Spring Mills High School in Martinsburg, West Virginia, students in eleventh grade Honors English and Advanced Placement Language and Composition English explored beyond the borders of this traditional curriculum and these stereotypes in their introductory unit on rhetoric and argument. Students studied the poetry of Frank X Walker, Nikki Giovanni, watched and analyzed the Appalshop documentary, Sludge, listened to West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Inside Applachia, read selections of and Robert Gipe's Trampoline to identify stereotypes and then dispel them. Additionally, students also focused on form, analyzing the rhetorical situation of each piece, and identifying key rhetorical concepts in the poetry, prose, and media of this unit. Finally, students were asked to work in teams to pitch presentations for the Appalachian Studies Conference. Teams were asked to think about the rhetorical situation of the conference, consider what we studied in class, and finally put together a presentation that connected something we had studied in this unit to what they thought the attendees at ASA would want to hear from high school ELA students living in and studying the region. The five best proposals were selected to participate in this panel discussion.
The presentation is structured as follows:
- Introduction of speakers and explanation of the unit
- Presentation from each team of students
Q&A/discussion with attendees
Presentation #1 Title
Teaching Rhetoric through the Lens of Appalachian Studies
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Jessica Saflia will walk participants through the planning and implementation of her Appalachian Studies Unit. This activity led to her 2016-2017 students being asked to help organize and present the Friday night plenary of this year's conference. Then, she will introduce the 2017-2018 11th grade students currently in her class who were selected to participate in this presentation, introduce each group of student presenters, and they will share their "take-aways" from this learning experience and their presentations. Each group will present a specific focus that was inspired by one of the lessons or learning opportunities they were given in this course.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Jessica Salfia is a teacher, writer, and activist, currently teaching AP English Language and Composition and Creative Writing at Spring Mills High where she is also serves as the SMHS Diversity Committee chairperson and SMHS Diversity Club Advisory. Jessica is a public educator, an adjunct English professor at Shepherd University, and a writer of both fiction and poetry. She was the 2016 winner of the WV Fiction Competition, selected by Charles Frazier and was also the 2016 Berkeley County Teacher of the Year. Additionally, she is the current President of the West Virginia Council of Teachers of English. She and her husband have three children, and make their home in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Presentation #2 Title
Student Presentations
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Students in Jessica Salfia's Advanced Placement and Honors English classes at Spring Mills High School will present research studies, art projects, and writing projects that are inspired by what they learned in their introductory Appalachian literature and studies unit.
Conference Subthemes
Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Teaching Rhetoric through the Lens of Appalachian Studies
Jessica Saflia will walk participants through the planning and implementation of her Appalachian Studies Unit. This activity led to her 2016-2017 students being asked to help organize and present the Friday night plenary of this year's conference. Then, she will introduce the 2017-2018 11th grade students currently in her class who were selected to participate in this presentation, introduce each group of student presenters, and they will share their "take-aways" from this learning experience and their presentations. Each group will present a specific focus that was inspired by one of the lessons or learning opportunities they were given in this course.
