The Gilded Age: Find A Passion For Reading And History!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Have you ever been captivated and amazed by a story? Has a book ever changed your outlook on the world? Imagine reading a story that entrances you from first page to last and leaves you craving more reading, science and history.... and best of all, its a TRUE story.

The sophomore students in the honors American literature class at The Pinnacle Charter School are an amazing group of individuals.

These young adults come from racially and economically diverse backgrounds. As honors students, they have excelled academically in their high school careers and thrive when challenged. They have an extremely wide range of interests and internalize information at an amazing rate. Many of these students speak English as a second language, provide financial support for their families and deal with the many challenges faced by kids growing up in a tough urban environment.

My Project

During the 2009-2010 school year, I was able to teach a unit surrounding the nonfiction masterwork, The Devil in the White City. By borrowing books from public libraries and purchasing a few copies on our own, my class was able to acquire enough books in the final weeks of the semester. Typically, the end of the spring semester is a difficult time to engage students. While reading this novel as a class, I witnessed an amazing amount of engagement, enthusiasm and learning. Because of the responses I've gotten from the students regarding this book, I think that it is important that I find the funding to purchase a class set. I hope that I can teach this remarkable account of a pivotal moment in our nation's history to the future classes of sophomore American literature students.

My students need a class set 27 copies of Eric Larson's non-fiction, masterpiece novel entitled, "The Devil in the White City." Students will learn how the forces of science, politics, art, engineering, language and historical figures intertwine to change the course of history.

They will be captured by the glory of America's Gilded age and learn about the 1883 World's Colombian Exposition. Investigating the black and white faces of nineteenth century Chicago will stimulate discussion, improve critical thinking skills and encourage inquisitiveness. Most of all, this book is can spark a life-long love of learning.