We run a risk when we tell our students we are about to read a book or a text and proceed to pass out a pile of books or papers from an old box before asking them to tell us the number inside the front cover of the book or packet we've just handed them so we can recollect them a later and place back in the storage closet for yet another year.
This takes our students into an uncomfortable, dreaded zone they do not want to share with us.
We imagine we are handing out a gift that they will enthusiastically receive. We see them opening the pages into realms and worlds that will forever stamp their lives as they turn the last page, inspired to be stronger, braver, and more resilient.
We think the pre-reading activities on the author's life and times will draw them in with curiosity when, in fact, they will groan. They will roll their eyes. They will not thank you. They will not see the black-and-white matter in front of them as a treasure. They will see it as work – as torture even.
Your students have been in digital media classes creating stop motion films; they've been in science conducting experiments, test-crashing little egg cars; they've just left theater where they were rehearsing their lines for the upcoming play; and some are on a high from completing a set of math problems with real concrete answers.
Now, they sit with you and a pile of words with instructions to find connections, abstract ideas, and examples of figurative language they are meant to "discuss" aloud with their classmates.
Silence reigns – or you find yourself talking up a storm and trying to convince them that the metaphor at the top of page 27 echoes the thematic elements the author clearly aimed for us to see.
Except for the few bookworms drawn to stories like ourselves – the thing that brought us to our profession – we are fighting an uphill battle.
I propose changing our approach to sharing texts with students. Begin by turning your classroom into a lab of sorts. It may be a coffee shop, a political campaign office, a living room, a kitchen, a desert, an abandoned castle, or a non-profit think tank. Take them where they need to go. I'm not talking about significant changes with lamps and coffee machines. I'm talking you changes. Where are you when you present the text to your students?
Wherever you are, take them with you. Today, I am bringing you to my lab: A non-profit organization dedicated to helping put sports equipment in the hands of young girls who otherwise could not afford it. I just made that up. It doesn't exist, but I want it to, and I will build it in my classroom.
What does this have to do with literature? Seventh-grade teachers across the country are preparing to read or have read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
A Long Walk to Water tells the story of Salva Dut. Salva, is a young boy from Sudan who is violently forced to flee his village during the civil war, and Nya is a fictional Sudanese girl who walks long distances daily to fetch water for her family who struggles with the issues surrounding lack of clean running water. The narrative follows both characters' struggles, highlighting the devastating effects of war and the lack of clean water, while ultimately converging as Salva, now an adult, returns to Sudan to build wells and improve the lives of people like Nya, showcasing the power of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.
This book is powerful. It sells itself. It is full of metaphors, allusions, similes, etc. You don’t have to look far to find figurative language:
"As the plane lumbered down the long runway as if it had to try as hard as it could to get into the air."
"Cars crawled along the road like ants.”
“The war had scattered them like the seeds of a dandelion in the wind."
You can teach those. Your students will find them. But let’s head back to my lab.
Salva Dut started "Water for South Sudan." You can read more about it here: https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org. There was a need in his community, and despite the incredible challenges he faced, he found a way to help his people. Our students may struggle to identify with what it is like to lack access to clean water. How will they connect?
Start the unit by looking at the needs in your community. What do people lack? What do people need access to? Is it health care, housing, clothes, shoes, backpacks, pencils? What organizations already exist in the community to help those in need?
Bring in someone who runs, works, or volunteers for a local non-profit organization to speak to your students. If possible, go sort food at the local food pantry. If possible, make essential bags for the homeless shelter. This is the work of preparing to read the novel. If that is not possible or in addition think about the following:
As a group, in groups, or individually, have students discover a need in their community and think of a way to meet it. Build a simple rubric based on what they will develop. What do non-profits do to raise money, collect donations, and do whatever they do to make a difference? Think about how this will cover writing, speaking, research, and collaboration — the list is endless. Have them present their ideas to the class and, if possible, act on them!
The scales can be small. Adjust as needed. I had a student who was very interested in Eddie Izzard’s “Mandela Marathons.” In February of 2016, Eddie embarked on an attempt to run 27 marathons in 27 days through South Africa as a salute to Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years of his life in prison in his fight against Apartheid. Throughout these marathons, Eddie visited communities, organizations, and families, all of whom have been helped by the work of Sport Relief.
Instead of running 27 marathons in 27 days. One afternoon, my student ran 27 laps up and down his long driveway, waving the South African flag. In addition, he collected shoes and donated them to a local agency that provides shoes for the homeless.
I encourage all of us to find a way to approach our teaching that turns our classrooms into interactive workshops and labs. Get out the books. Read the books, but make sure that when you hand them the book, they are ready to receive it.
Books that work well for a reading lab:
Walk The World’s Rim by Betty Baker: A 14-year-old Indian joins Cabeza de Vaca's 16th-century expedition through the Southwest. A vivid portrait of Mexican life and the harsh conditions of a primitive Indian tribe.
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry: The main character, Maftu was afraid of the sea.His mother had drowned when he was a baby, so though he was the son of the Great Polynesian Chief of Hikueru, and he was named Stout Heart, he was afraid of the ocean. When everyone branded him a coward, he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes. He decided to conquer that fear or be conquered, so he went off in his canoe. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home.
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins: Naima, a Bangladeshi teenager, sees how dire conditions are getting for her family with the possibility of her parents being unable to send her younger sister to school. She resolves to disguise herself as a boy and drive the rickshaw at night so her father can rest.
The Land I Lost by Huynh Quang Nhuong: Nhoung tells fifteen stories of his childhood in the highlands of Vietnam, next to the jungle teeming with wildlife. He writes about his encounters with tigers, wild hogs, and deadly snakes that were as much a part of his life as tending the rice fields while on the back of his pet water buffalo, Tank.
This takes our students into an uncomfortable, dreaded zone they do not want to share with us.
We imagine we are handing out a gift that they will enthusiastically receive. We see them opening the pages into realms and worlds that will forever stamp their lives as they turn the last page, inspired to be stronger, braver, and more resilient.
We think the pre-reading activities on the author's life and times will draw them in with curiosity when, in fact, they will groan. They will roll their eyes. They will not thank you. They will not see the black-and-white matter in front of them as a treasure. They will see it as work – as torture even.
Your students have been in digital media classes creating stop motion films; they've been in science conducting experiments, test-crashing little egg cars; they've just left theater where they were rehearsing their lines for the upcoming play; and some are on a high from completing a set of math problems with real concrete answers.
Now, they sit with you and a pile of words with instructions to find connections, abstract ideas, and examples of figurative language they are meant to "discuss" aloud with their classmates.
Silence reigns – or you find yourself talking up a storm and trying to convince them that the metaphor at the top of page 27 echoes the thematic elements the author clearly aimed for us to see.
Except for the few bookworms drawn to stories like ourselves – the thing that brought us to our profession – we are fighting an uphill battle.
I propose changing our approach to sharing texts with students. Begin by turning your classroom into a lab of sorts. It may be a coffee shop, a political campaign office, a living room, a kitchen, a desert, an abandoned castle, or a non-profit think tank. Take them where they need to go. I'm not talking about significant changes with lamps and coffee machines. I'm talking you changes. Where are you when you present the text to your students?
Wherever you are, take them with you. Today, I am bringing you to my lab: A non-profit organization dedicated to helping put sports equipment in the hands of young girls who otherwise could not afford it. I just made that up. It doesn't exist, but I want it to, and I will build it in my classroom.
What does this have to do with literature? Seventh-grade teachers across the country are preparing to read or have read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
A Long Walk to Water tells the story of Salva Dut. Salva, is a young boy from Sudan who is violently forced to flee his village during the civil war, and Nya is a fictional Sudanese girl who walks long distances daily to fetch water for her family who struggles with the issues surrounding lack of clean running water. The narrative follows both characters' struggles, highlighting the devastating effects of war and the lack of clean water, while ultimately converging as Salva, now an adult, returns to Sudan to build wells and improve the lives of people like Nya, showcasing the power of resilience and hope in the face of adversity.
This book is powerful. It sells itself. It is full of metaphors, allusions, similes, etc. You don’t have to look far to find figurative language:
"As the plane lumbered down the long runway as if it had to try as hard as it could to get into the air."
"Cars crawled along the road like ants.”
“The war had scattered them like the seeds of a dandelion in the wind."
You can teach those. Your students will find them. But let’s head back to my lab.
Salva Dut started "Water for South Sudan." You can read more about it here: https://www.waterforsouthsudan.org. There was a need in his community, and despite the incredible challenges he faced, he found a way to help his people. Our students may struggle to identify with what it is like to lack access to clean water. How will they connect?
Start the unit by looking at the needs in your community. What do people lack? What do people need access to? Is it health care, housing, clothes, shoes, backpacks, pencils? What organizations already exist in the community to help those in need?
Bring in someone who runs, works, or volunteers for a local non-profit organization to speak to your students. If possible, go sort food at the local food pantry. If possible, make essential bags for the homeless shelter. This is the work of preparing to read the novel. If that is not possible or in addition think about the following:
As a group, in groups, or individually, have students discover a need in their community and think of a way to meet it. Build a simple rubric based on what they will develop. What do non-profits do to raise money, collect donations, and do whatever they do to make a difference? Think about how this will cover writing, speaking, research, and collaboration — the list is endless. Have them present their ideas to the class and, if possible, act on them!
The scales can be small. Adjust as needed. I had a student who was very interested in Eddie Izzard’s “Mandela Marathons.” In February of 2016, Eddie embarked on an attempt to run 27 marathons in 27 days through South Africa as a salute to Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years of his life in prison in his fight against Apartheid. Throughout these marathons, Eddie visited communities, organizations, and families, all of whom have been helped by the work of Sport Relief.
Instead of running 27 marathons in 27 days. One afternoon, my student ran 27 laps up and down his long driveway, waving the South African flag. In addition, he collected shoes and donated them to a local agency that provides shoes for the homeless.
I encourage all of us to find a way to approach our teaching that turns our classrooms into interactive workshops and labs. Get out the books. Read the books, but make sure that when you hand them the book, they are ready to receive it.
Books that work well for a reading lab:
Walk The World’s Rim by Betty Baker: A 14-year-old Indian joins Cabeza de Vaca's 16th-century expedition through the Southwest. A vivid portrait of Mexican life and the harsh conditions of a primitive Indian tribe.
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry: The main character, Maftu was afraid of the sea.His mother had drowned when he was a baby, so though he was the son of the Great Polynesian Chief of Hikueru, and he was named Stout Heart, he was afraid of the ocean. When everyone branded him a coward, he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes. He decided to conquer that fear or be conquered, so he went off in his canoe. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home.
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins: Naima, a Bangladeshi teenager, sees how dire conditions are getting for her family with the possibility of her parents being unable to send her younger sister to school. She resolves to disguise herself as a boy and drive the rickshaw at night so her father can rest.
The Land I Lost by Huynh Quang Nhuong: Nhoung tells fifteen stories of his childhood in the highlands of Vietnam, next to the jungle teeming with wildlife. He writes about his encounters with tigers, wild hogs, and deadly snakes that were as much a part of his life as tending the rice fields while on the back of his pet water buffalo, Tank.
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