Exploration+6

Exploration #6: 1. Select 3 items from Hirsch’s list of Core Knowledge. Fourth Grade Readings: POEMS

2. How do you think these items made it on to the list?

3. How might any of the special interest groups in Ravitch’s Language Police perceive these three items?

4. How might Bruner or Adler incorporate these three items using their knowledge-based frameworks differently from Hirsch?

I chose three of the poems: **Life Doesn’t Frighten Me (Maya Angelou)** Language Police possible perspective: The contrast of gender fears would present a potential for it to be considered "bias" in that it does illustrate a distinction between genders.
 * Clarence (Shel Silverstein)** Language Police possible perspective: This poem could be objectionable to the Language Police because of the "selling" of Maw and Paw being too similar to slavery. Also, the fact that it is set in the south and several southern slang words are used would further reinforce this perception, and the perception that southerners are "slow", plus not everyone lives in the south and Diane Ravitch illustrated this very narrow view, that stories should only be used in the context of a setting familiar to all students.
 * Things (Eloise Greenfield)** Language Police possible perspective: This poem, though it is never revealed the ethnicity of the voice, uses poor grammar "ain't" to create an image of a child who is very shortsighted and irresponsible. It "hints" of poor, ignorant and possibly black child. The Language Police could twist this into a bias.

Hirsch value for the list: All of the author's are well reputed authors of poetry and books. They are excellent examples of great works with a true deeper meaning, be it sociological, ethnic, or individually. All three were written for children and they show a fun use of language and words. They are playful and fun to recite. Additionally, they are illustrations of poetry construction. Greenfield reflects a positive perspective of African-american communities of the 1930's. I looked up the author because I'm not familiar with this poem and she is, in fact, african-american, and she wrote children's books for this purpose. It would be a wonderful representation of the way of thinking and the African-American culture of that time. Angelou is a contemporary poet and activist. This would be one of the reasons it made it to the core knowledge list, as well as the poem itself that is a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast lifes fears in regards to gender.Silverstein's creates imaginative fun. Encouraging the reader to imagine along with this preposterous story what they might do if they were dissatisfied with their parents. No child would ever consider this to be a "practical" solution. It is protrayed as a fun imaginative lark. For Bruner or Adler to incorporate this poetry into a knowledge-based framework it would be necessary to use the poems as tools to better understand some aspect of their learning quest; be it poem structuring, culture or ethnic perspectives of the characters, or learning about language. Ellis contrasts Hirsch who would perceive these poems as a product to read and know, with Bruner who would perceive the poems as only part of a greater process of discovering new knowledge for the student.