My students need the chapter books "Ghost" and "Goodbye Stranger." The characters in these books struggle with growing up in a world of social media, guns, and bullying, yet find worth and hope in their future.
My students attend an inner city school whose student body is diverse, both academically and socioeconomically. My classes have high percentages of both English Language Learners and Special Education students.
Reading chapter books for my students is a daunting task.
Without practice reading, students struggle with comprehension and critical thinking skills. For most of my students, core classes pose a difficulty because of their ongoing language acquisition. For many more, language is not the issue; they struggle instead with reading deficits, processing issues and lack of recall. I want my students to connect and relate to the characters in books, to fall in love with the characters.
My Project
I want my students to learn about life through the characters in these books. I want them to relate to the characters- to fall in love with them. Through group readings of these books, I want to create safe and reflective discussions about tough real-life situations.
"Ghost" is a young adult novel about a seventh-grader Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw as he joins a track team and struggles to deal with his past and his present.
As a child, Ghost had to flee his apartment with his mother when his father, in a drunken rage, tried to kill them.
"Goodbye, Stranger" takes place in middle school. Bridget has survived a terrible accident and wonders why she is alive because middle school is not easy. The story follows Bridget and two of her best friends, Emily and Tab. The three of them vow to be a set of friends who never fight. The story is filled with real-life situations which our current teens are dealing with - selfies, texting, social media, image and finding one's self. Through it all, the three try to stay close to one another while also building up their relationships with mentors, new friends, parents and siblings.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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