Reading for some 7th graders is their favorite activity. Getting them interested in The Alchemist and Santiago's journey will be easy. However, some 7th graders have grown to hate reading, which is why The Alchemist: Graphic Novel will help them build an interest for the epic tale.
My 7th grade Individuals and Societies (similar to social studies) classroom is full of students from all backgrounds.
We have a diverse set of learners that cooperate to create an active learning environment. Our school is striving for more and better readers and the Alchemist provides an opportunity for students to practice their reading outside of their English and reading classes. Some students will breeze through the graphic novel and come back looking for the full text version, while others will be reading the novel with me as we inch our way across Spain and Northern Africa
My Project
Students will be using the graphic novels to read the tale of The Alchemist. As a group, we will be following Santiago's journey across Spain and Northern Africa. During this unit students will tracing Santiago's journey as well as creating their own personal journey maps. In my Individuals and Societies class, the Alchemist will be used to incorporate map skills, geography, and introduce Islam.
We are also collaborating with the Language and Literature class as they will be doing text comparisons between the graphic novel and the actual novel. After completing the graphic novel, students will be writing their own personal narratives with the maps as the cover pages.
Middle school is a difficult time for most students.
When classes and teachers can make connections between subjects explicit this teaches students to be looking for connections across other areas of their lives. The more times students can connect to a topic the deeper a student's understanding will become. This project will help the 7th graders draw connections between Individuals and Societies and Language and Literature classes.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Travis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
