Conclusion
The
opportunity to use Sherlock Holmes as a unit in a middle school English
class has been a tremendous opportunity for my personal growth as
a teacher.
This
unit was the first I created independently that conformed to New York
State reading and writing standards. It was possible because resources
were available, the students possessed the appropriate reading and
writing levels needed to master the material and ample class time
was available.
The
unit was successful because it provided students with numerous opportunities
to participate in discussions and work together to master the material.
The discussions, while helping the students, also helped me better
understand the stories which I read long ago because they provided
fresh views on the stories and characters. Previously, I had only
heard adults discuss the different stories and usually they also read
the stories in the past. Each discussion with the students also better
helped me better prepare lessons.
When
the unit was completed in June 2005, students left with a firm grasp
of a literary canon that has remained popular since its creation.
It was also the first time students had completed two novel-length
adventures and 11 additional stories by the same author with the same
characters. It is likely that they won’t encounter a similar
opportunity until they reach the college level.
The
unit is still developing and will undergo additions and adjustments.
I am planning to organize the time frame so that more adventures can
be included. Some stories I had hoped to cover had to be omitted.
The stories which were included needed additional time. I had hoped
to provide much more time to "A Study in Scarlet" and "Sign
of Four." I had to skip some adventures toward the end because
I felt it was essential to include "The Final Problem,"
the story Sherlock seemingly dies.
I intend
to include role-playing activities and guest speakers from the many
Sherlockian societies in the New York City area. I hope to include
guests from dog breeding associations to discuss the use of dogs to
track scents and a representative from the New York City Police Department
to speak about forensic science and crime-solving techniques. A representative
from the medical examiner’s office might also be asked.
Some
of the future lessons should involve coordination with teachers of
other disciplines. Biology, chemistry, geology and physics teachers
would be an asset to enriching lessons. It might also greatly assist
students in meeting the standards of those subjects.
This
unit will be adjusted to the high school and college levels. I feel
those populations are ideal to such a unit. Some colleges offer specialized
literature courses in their English departments and the Holmes canon
might be considered for a semester-long course.
