D'oh!

Using "The Simpsons" to Improve Student Response to Literature

Author(s): Ginger M. Eikmeier
Source: The English Journal, Vol. 97, No. 4 (Mar., 2008), pp. 77-80
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30047251
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 GENERAL INTEREST

M. Eikmeier
Ginger

D'oh! UsingTheSimpsons
to ImproveStudent
Response
to Literature
Students inGinger highschoolclasseslinkthemesandterms
M. Eikmeier's from to
theirreadings
episodes of TheSimpsons.Becausestudents
are alreadyfamiliar
withThe Eikmeier
Simpsons,
believesthatusingtheshowsupports students' and retention

A
comprehension byactivating
prior
knowledge. itshows
Additionally, studentsthatshe caresabouttheirinterests
when designingthe
curriculum.

mongthemanycatchphrases from slotintowhichthestudent canplugthenewinfor-

the populartelevisionshow The
Simpsonsis Helen Lovejoy'sfrantic
line, "Thinkof the children!Oh,
won't somebody please think of the children!"
Although said satirically,this line encapsulates
whatwe teachersare supposedto do: thinkof stu-
dents' needs when we design instruction.One of
these needs,as recognizedby NCTE in the 2006
NCTE Principles ofAdolescent
Literacy
Reform:A Pol-
icyResearchBriefis forcontinuedliteracydevelop-
ment during adolescence. This need is often
overlookedand, as a result,moreand moremiddle
schooland highschoolstudentsare unableto com-
prehendcomplextexts(2). One strategy thatI have
forhelping studentsfurthertheir
foundeffective
reading comprehensionskills is using popular
media. For example,TheSimpsons providesa bridge
to connectstudents'readingto theireverydaylives.
ActivatingPriorKnowledge
Educational researchers have long recognizedthe
importance activatingpriorknowledgeas a part
of
of the readingprocess.This is based primarilyon
schematheory, the idea thata reader'spriorknowl-
edge of theworld forms"muchofthebasisforcom-
prehending,learning,and remembering the ideas
in stories and texts" (Anderson 594). As Jean
Kueker asserts,a student'sprior knowledge or
schema "providesthe pathwayto understanding
new ideas" (3). This schemaprovidesan existing
mationbeingread.Whenthishappens,informa-
tion can be processedeasily (Anderson598).
Withoutthispathway, however, a newslothas to
be forged,and the contentin the readingmaterial
is isolatedand less likelyto be understood or
remembered. Activating priorknowledge, then,is
a majorfactor ofreadingcomprehension (Christen
and Murphy). It is whatallowsstudents to create
meaning, to connect what they readingto what
are
theyalready know. The readingmaterialis thus
transformed from wordsona pagetoideasthatcan
apply to reallife-makingthemeasierto under-
standandremember.
WhyTheSimpsons?
While other televisionshows occasionallyair
episodeswithtiesto literature, TheSimpsons seems
toofferthemostpotential forlinking literatureand
students'knowledge of theshow. It is the longest-
running prime-time cartoonofall time(McAllis-
ter),so evenstudents whodo notregularly watch
theshowarefamiliar withitsmaincharacters. Most
studentscan vividlydescribecharacters and plot
lines(Hobbs 49). Afterall, thesecharacters have
permeated pop culture sincethe early 1990s, and
withtherecent releaseofa full-length movie, their
pop culturestatushasbeenelevated.The students
already havea slotforthisshowwithintheirindi-
vidualschemas. Additionally, sincethesecharacters
do notageorevolvemuch,andsincethereis little,

EnglishJournal Vol. 97, No. 4 March2008 77

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 D'oh! Using TheSimpsonsto ImproveStudentResponseto Literature
if any,season-longplot development,any student
can watch an individual episode withoutfeeling
lost. The studentswho rarelywatch The Simpsons
seem to get as muchenjoymentfroman episodeas
thestudentswho are avid fans.
WilliamGolding's
Introducing
LordoftheFlies
Before watching The Simpsons,I have students
brainstorm what would happen if theirclass were
strandedon a desertedisland withoutany adults.
They discusswhat typesof rules,if any,would be
needed and whether they
Additionally,sincethese would care more about their
charactersdo notageor own survivalor aboutthesur-
evolvemuch, andsince vival of the group. This dis-
there ifany, cussion activates whatever
is little,
season-long plot priorknowledgethe students
have about survival,which is
development, anystudent
useful for viewing the "Das
canwatchan individual
Bus" episode of The Simpsons
episodewithout feeling and reading William Gold-
lost. ing'sLordoftheFlies.Sincethe
studentshave mostlikelynot been strandedon an
island before,however,theirprior knowledgein
thisareais somewhatlimited.
In "Das Bus," Bartand Lisa areon a fieldtrip
with theirUnited Nations club. The bus crashes
and the childrenend up on a desertedisland. Bart
has all sortsof ideas about the fun theywill be
able to haveon the island,so he naturallybecomes
the leader.Lisa also takes on a leadershiprole in
herinsistenceforrules,logic, and order.Unfortu-
nately,theyboth become the targetsof the other
childrenwho are upset about the resultsof a trial
held forMilhouse,who was accusedofeatingall of
the group'sfood. These childrenchase Bart,Lisa,
and Milhouse in a hunt similarto Jack'shunt of
Ralph at the end ofLordoftheFlies.The huntends
when the group stumbles on the actual eater of
their food, a wild boar that they cooperatively
roast in a feast.A voiceoverannouncesthat the
childrencreateda "society"and were eventually
saved by Moe.
"Das Bus" clearlyhas ties to issuesthatwill
appearin LordoftheFlies.To help surfacetheseties,
I ask studentsto compareand contrastBart'sand
Lisa's attitudestowardsurvivalon theisland.They
78 March2008
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
thenhaveto choosewhichpersontheywouldrather
followand why.Interestingly, despitethe factthat
he is moreself-centered in his view of survival,the
majorityof the studentsusually side with Bart's
attitudebecausehe has morefun.Finally,I ask stu-
dents about the end of the episode and whether
they agree that the childrencreateda society.If
theyagree,whatqualitiesdefinethatsociety?
This episodebuildsa bridgebetweenthestu-
dents'priorknowledgeof survivaland TheSimpsons
to somekeyissuesthatwill serveas priorknowledge
forthe readingofLordoftheFlies.Justas Bartand
Lisa have differing attitudestowardsurvival,Jack
and Ralphalso havedifferences. Althoughmoststu-
dentssidedwithBart,fewwill side withJackin his
self-centeredness.While the cartoonepisode has a
nonsensicalhappy ending,the book exploresthe
more real consequencesof differences in leadership
and the eventualdeclineof order,and thisis where
studentscan move into a deeperlevel of thinking
and understanding. In TheSimpsons, theself-centered
viewofsurvivaldoes not trulyharmanyonebecause
the kids are easilyrescuedwith a voiceover.In the
book,however, theboysareonlyrescuedaftertwoof
themhavedied.The situationis nowtakento a more
extremelevel,and thestudentsrecognizethatin the
realworld,selfishness has itsconsequences.
the Conceptof Irony
Reinforcing
in "The Monkey'sPaw"
LordoftheFliesis nottheonlytextthatcan be con-
nectedto TheSimpsons. AnotherepisodeI haveused
is "TreehouseofHorrorII," whichcontainsa section
thatconnectsto theshortstory"The Monkey'sPaw"
byW. W. Jacobs.Likethefamilyin thestory, Homer
a
acquires monkey'spaw that allows his familyto
make wishes.Also like the familyin the story,the
wishes do not turnout as each Simpsonintends.
Sincewe focuson theconceptofironywhenreading
thisshortstory,the episodeis greatto watchwhen
we arefinishedreading.The studentsareable to pick
out numerousexamplesofironyin thebriefclip.
The structureof this lessonis different
from
that used with Lordof theFlies, but it servesthe
same function.FirstI build priorknowledgewith
thestudentsbydefiningirony and givingexamples.
Then we read "The Monkey's Paw," specifically
lookingforirony.Finally,we watchthe episode of
 GingerM. Eikmeier

wherestudents
TheSimpsons, areableto practice ironyafterwatching"TheMonkey'sPaw."As the
whattheyhavelearned.Theycan makeconnections andI listthedifferent
students examples in
ofirony
to theknowledgethatwas built beforereadingand the episode, studentslaugh,
to theirknowledgeof the show. This shortstory even at examples no one Ifthestudents
thinkthat
mightthenfitintotwodifferent slotsin a student's laughed at during the actual whattheyarereading
schema-one forironyand one forTheSimpsons- episode, because they now relatesto TheSimpsons,
increasingthe likelihood of comprehensionand understandthe humorof the a popular,
funny,hip
memory.I havefoundthaton ourfinalshort-stories show-they understandthat
it relieson a contrastbetween
show,thentheyaremore
test,thestudentsconsistently remembertheevents
of thisstory,even thoughthisis one of the earliest what we expect and what interested
inthereading
storieswe read.On thedistrictassessmentoverthe reallyhappens.
itself.
elementsof fiction,the studentsalso consistently
demonstrate a firmgraspoftheconceptofirony.
AdditionalConnections
I have also found the studentsto be more
engagedin thislessonthanwithothershortstories. Therearemoreepisodesbeyondthesetwothatcan
When the firstgroup of studentscomes into the be used withliterature. Aftersearching through
classroomand sees "The Simpsons" writtenon the episodeguides forthe first
ten seasons(theonlysea-
assignmentboard, I often hear responsessuch as, sons currently availableon DVD), I foundthe
"We're actually going to watch The Simpsons episodesin Figure1 containing extended parodies
today?"When the secondgroupof studentscomes of or references to literature.However,thereare
intotheclassroom,theyhavealreadyheardthatwe additionalepisodesthatcan be usedin theclass-
will be watchingtheshowand areexcited. room(likelyincludingsomefromseasonseleven
This is where it becomes clear that besides through nineteen).Mostofthehumorin TheSimp-
activatingpriorknowledge,thereareotherbenefits sonsrelieson irony,parody, andhyperbole,
satire, so
to usingTheSimpsons withliterature. Ifthestudents almostanyepisodewouldbe a usefultoolforteach-
think that what they are reading relatesto The ing these literaryconcepts.To findadditional
Simpsons, a popular,funny, hip show,thentheyare episodes,I would recommend searchingonline
more interestedin the reading itself.The show, archives oftheshow.TheSimpsons ArchiveWebsite
then, can increasestudentmotivation.As Mitzi (http://www.snpp.com) and TV.combothcontain
Witkinsimilarlydiscoveredwithherstudents,"lit- detailedepisodeguidesthatlistreferences andallu-
eraturegains statureif valued by the media" (32). sionsineachepisode.
Therefore, theshowcan also supportthevalidityof Usingone oftheseepisodestakeslittleclass
reading such classicpieces of literature.I tell stu- time.Sincemostepisodesarearoundtwenty min-
dents thatone reasonit is importantto readthelit- utes,a lesson using The Simpsons could easilybe
eraturewe do is thatit will help themunderstand completed inonefifty-minute classperiod-orless.
what theyread and watchoutsideof school.Liter- WhileI usea wholeclassperiodfortheLordofthe
arythemesand references areprominentin pop cul- Fliesepisode,"The Monkey'sPaw" episodeonly
ture, and without the knowledgeof the original usesabouttentofifteen minutes. Yetthebenefitsof
we cannot
piecesofliterature,
in
fullyparticipate thiscul-
ture.In otherwords,under- FIGURE1. ConnectingThe Simpsonsand Literature
standing bookssuchas Lordof "TheTelltaleHead" (Season1) Heart"byEdgarAllanPoe
"TheTell-tale
theFliesandshortstorieslike
"TreehouseofHorror" (Season2) "TheRaven"byEdgarAllanPoe
"The Monkey'sPaw" will
understand"Lisa'sRival"(Season6) Heart"byEdgarAllanPoe
"TheTell-tale
helpthestudents
television showssuchas The "Treehouse ofHorror V" (Season6) "A SoundofThunder" byRayBradbury
Simpsons. am remindedof "Treehouse
I
Miller
thiswhenI thinkaboutthe
ofHorror VIII"(Season9) TheCruciblebyArthur
wehaveabout "LisatheSimpson"(Season9)
classdiscussion FlowersforAlgernonbyDanielKeyes

EnglishJournal 79

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 to Improve
D'oh! UsingTheSimpsons Student
Responseto Literature

using theseepisodesexpandway beyondthe little Skills.Mar. 1991. ERIC ED 328 885. 31 Oct. 2007
timeit takesto incorporate
them.Not onlydo they <http://www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Prior-Knowledge
.htm>.
aid in reading comprehension,engagement,and Hobbs, Rende."The SimpsonsMeet MarkTwain:Analyz-
informationretention,but they are also another ing PopularMedia Textsin theClassroom."English
way to show studentsthatwe do thinkabout their Journal87.1 (1998): 49-51.
Kueker,Jean."Prereading A KeytoComprehen-
Activities:
needs and interestswhen we design instruction- sion." Paper presentedat the Internatl.Conf. on
we arethinkingabout thechildren. LearningDisabilities,Austin,TX, 1990. ERIC ED
360 785.
MatthewP. "The Simpsons."Museum
McAllister, ofBroad-
WorksCited castCommunications 1st ed.
ofTelevision.
Encyclopedia
Anderson,RichardC. "Role of the Reader'sSchema in Chicago: Museum of BroadcastCommunications,
Comprehension, Learning,and Memory."Theoretical 1997. 10June2007 <http://www.museum.tv/archives/
ModelsandProcesses Ed. RobertB. Ruddell
ofReading. etv/S/htmlS/simpsonsthe/simpsonsthe.htm>.
and NormanJ. Unrau.5thed. Newark:IRA, 2004. NCTE. NCTE Principles ofAdolescent
Literacy A Pol-
Reform:
594-606. icyResearchBrief.Urbana:NCTE, 2006.
WilliamL., and ThomasJ. Murphy."Increasing
Christen, Witkin,Mitzi."A DefenseofUsingPopMediaintheMiddle-
Comprehension by ActivatingPrior Knowledge." School Classroom."EnglishJournal83.1 (1994):
ERIC Clearinghouse on Readingand Communication 30-33.

and speechat YutanHighSchoolinYutan,Nebraska.email:geikmeier@esu2.org.

GingerM. EikmeierteachesEnglish

CallforManuscripts:
SocialLiteracy
andClassroom
Communities

Fora book-lengthstudyofthistopic,we seekdiscussionon thefollowingquestions:

> How do youdeveloplearningcommunitiesin yourclassrooms?
> How is social literacyembeddedin yourschoolprogram?Yourclassroom?
> What are thehallmarksofqualityclassroomcommunity?
Manuscript deadline: 15 June 2008.
Send manuscripts
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El 60 YearsAgo
Usefulness
ofTeaching
SpellingListsIs Limited
Thisyearourpatiencewasexhausted. We resolved
to followthedictates
ofourconscience, and
experience,
common sense,instead
offearofcriticism.
We knewourformal oflistswasproducing
teaching noresults....
It was feltthatspellingweaknesswould notbe remediedin theuppergradesbythemasteringoflists,many
wordsofwhichwouldnotbe immediatelyused.Lackofspellingconsciousness
orlackofabilityto attacka
newwordthrough itsphonicelements
wasthetrouble.
Pupilsweakin spellingneededto be helpedin how
tospell,notmerely
withspecific
words.
Broehl."SpellinginSeniorHighSchools."EJ37.4 (1948): 200-02.
Frances

80 March2008

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