No more reading from the dead white men stuck in our department's novel closet.
Our students attend a large rural high school in West Virginia.
Many of them have faced situations similar to the characters of these two novels. Others will be in situations related to underage drinking, driving under the influence of alcohol, teen suicide, and bullying.
My Project
Thirteen Reasons Why and Looking for Alaska are two award winning novels that my students can immediately relate to. Not only are the topics relevant to their lives, but the language is accessible and undirected discussions are prominent.
I have suggested these novels before for independent reading. Our book talks really took a turn for the better as students began recommending the novels to other students. I can hardly keep copies in my room.
I use novels and writing assignments to teach our state's content standards. The assignments are less "cookie cutter" and typically better received by my students. From past experience, I know these two novels are engaging to students. I plan on using classroom sets of the novels for student directed discussions, multi-genre writing projects exploring theme and incorporating research, and also as a way to get students to be more willing to read.
I have great students, but many of them are not the "honor" student.
Most are typical teenagers who say they plan on going to college, but are unwilling to read a novel. I need your help in providing the materials to help them see that not all writing is as formal and difficult as Shakespeare nor is it all "fluff" like Twilight. Adolescent novels can be academically valuable as well as enjoyable.
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