Inspiring Kids to Read
Part I - A "Sweet Sixteen" Celebration
There is much activity afoot in the Alexander Hamilton English department, all inspired by the "smart goals" that the department adopted for the 2009-2010 school year. Teacher Carrie Silva and her colleagues are always striving to find new and exciting ways to bring literature into the daily lives of their students.
The teen novel "Sweet Sixteen" became one of those projects, which began with a donation from the PTW, and culminated in a book celebration on Dec. 18, with girls wearing pink, eating cake and talking about the book at their own pretend "Sweet Sixteen" party.
After receiving 50 copies of the Kate Brian book - which is billed as a novel about a young woman who is "obnoxiously rich, obnoxiously fashionable, and obnoxiously turning sixteen" - Ms. Silva decided to take a different tack than the usual "whoever wants them can have them" approach with donated books. She and reading specialist Donna Brenna registered 45 students to receive free copies of the book and commit to a "group read" for fun.
"Sweet Sixteen is really light and fun," said Ms. Silva. "It was donated by Books First as a result of the efforts of parent Silvana Zambrano, and turned out to be a great experience for the girls. The next book we have - which was also donated - is one that is more convenient for boys and girls." She said "Sweet Sixteen" has a nice message about materialism, self-awareness and self-worth all packaged in comedy.
The main character, Teagan Phillips, undergoes a Dickensian transformation - similar to Scrooge's in "A Christmas Carol" - after falling down the wine cellar stairs and being forced to face the choices she made that led her to be the person she is on her sixteenth birthday.
In honoring the moral of the story - our actions in life affect others, whether we realize it or not - the Alexander Hamilton book club girls were encouraged to "pay the book forward" upon completing the book. Their invitation to the party included the book club member and one guest.
In addition to reading, the students blogged about "Sweet Sixteen." They were able to post questions in a way that didn't feel like a classroom requirement, yet incorporated academic skills. Ms. Silva said blogging equips the students for using blog.blackboard.com and other blogs for college assignments. She also has a blog for her advanced placement and composition and literature students.
At last, the day to say goodbye to one book and welcome another arrived. (The club's next read is "The Lovely Bones," which will have its own culmination celebration when the girls go together to see the movie by the same name).
There was a playful atmosphere among the girls in the "Sweet Sixteen" club at their faux party, which was held in the Alexander Hamilton Library. Pink balloons and tablecloths decorated the room. The girls cut into a cake ceremoniously to celebrate the imaginary birthday.
Tenth grader Briana Zambrano was one of the club's members who "paid the book forward" and used the online message board to share her ideas and comments about "Sweet Sixteen" with her friends. "I liked the book a lot," she said. "It has good morals."
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Part II - The Graphic Novel is not Comic Book
English teacher Keith Egan wonders why we stop reading comic books as we get older, or any books with pictures for that matter.
This collector of classics such as the old "Superman" and "Batman" series doesn't believe that students should get away from imagery as they mature, but rather should have a more sophisticated version of picture books available to them. His students in the Alexander Hamilton High School 9 - 12 graphic novel elective course work from a syllabus of seven graphic novel titles, all of which return them to the world of literary imagery.
"We start by talking about what a graphic novel is, and what people think comics are," said Mr. Egan. "We also cover the history of comics."
His class began the year by reading and talking about the anti-hero who is fraught with moral and ethical dilemmas in "The Dark Knight Returns." This four-issue comic book series written and drawn by Frank Miller tells the story of a middle-aged Batman who comes out of retirement to fight crime.
"Then we got out of the 'superhero comic thing,' and moved onto more mature and philosophical material in Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman,'" said Mr. Egan. A World Fantasy Award winner and New York Times Best Seller, "The Sandman" is replete with Roman and Greek mythology.
One of the more modern stories on the required reading list is "Fables: Volume 1" by Bill Willingham. "It's all about fables from childhood," explained Mr. Egan, "but the characters are real and they're living in Manhattan. They've been exiled from their homeland." In this story, students can reconnect with Cinderella, Snow White, and even the Big Bad Wolf, who takes on a human appearance as the sheriff of the fictional Fabletown.
"Persepolis: The Story of Childhood" is the story of a French girl growing up in Iran under a totalitarian regime, and depicts the true life story of author Marjane Satrapi. Once the students have read "Persepolis," Mr. Egan will show them the movie based on the book.
To incorporate writing activities with the readings, Mr. Egan requires students to journal about each section of the graphic novels as they read. This journal eventually becomes an essay, such as the one the 12th graders wrote about "The Dark Knight." "There is a shift from the hero to the dark or anti-hero in this story," he explains, "one that deals with ambiguity, and the fact that life doesn't have cut-and-dry decisions." He finds that such essays challenge high school students to go on a deeper intellectual journey than the usual material they are asked to write about.
The graphic novel is one that appeals to all students - those who struggle with reading an endless series of words, and those who are voracious readers with sophisticated tastes. Mr. Egan offers a library of "classic graphics," among them abridged versions of Shakespearean plays and Alexandre Dumas novels.
"A lot of kids who are weaker in English are the ones who frequent my library," he said. "If I've got kids on a higher level, I introduce them to works that are deeper."