Using Literature to Bring Literacy Skills to STEM

The Raven

I am definitely not a fan of "teaching" The Hunger Games - at any level, and least of all at the HS level. But a literate, challenging (generally) Hunger Games' Science lesson from the New York Times Learning Network has got me thinking. 

First of all, it uses the film as the core text, not the novel. Whew!  A local HS teacher here in Maine is using the novel to teach government in a 9th grade class.  Now that's a stretch.  On the other hand, if the ELA teacher were doing a dystopian unit at the same time, it might make sense.

This NYT lesson (which can actually be considered a unit) makes sense all by itself.  Its focus is a specific "fanciful reality" (the mockingjay) investigated in various contemporary science/engineering updos and from various points of view, including ethics.  It assumes that HS students have seen the film or read the novel.  This is literate lesson-making. 

I wonder what other STEM topics might arise from high-interest novel-to-films of interest to MS and HS students?  Here is a peek at some current films that might be tie-ins to STEM topics.  Grades 4-6 (maybe 7) might find most of the topics interesting.  Problematically, many of the "novels" are originally in the graphic format. 

• Hugo (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) will interest students in the engineering of gears and robotics, especially since there is a body of historical robotics knowledge available online - also, of course, film-making itself
• The Amazing Spider-Man - the physics of walking UP buildings (it is done by both robots and humans) - the spider's web itself - when Peter has a child, will it have spider powers (why or why not?) - science of special effects
• The Avengers - pick a hero - what is the real science behind his/her powers?  to what extent are they possible? - what are the ethics of combating weapon-based terror with larger weapons?  are there other alternatives? - science of special effects
• The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey - genetics and biology of "persons of short stature" - science of special effects
• The Lorax - conservation of natural resources - urban development - species interdependency - science of animation
• Prometheus - origin of life on earth - interior geology of earth - science of special effects - myths connection
• World War Z - pandemics - are Zombies possible? (what is death?  how can life be extended with science?)

The best bet is The Raven (copy-cat killers - the science of some of the murders), which probably will not have much science in it, but which might at least inspire students to read some good literature.

My conclusion?  Using novel-based films is an interesting approach to STEM  topics, especially ethical topics, but as a rule it is a stretch.  As in all uses of technology and media, it is best to begin with the topic and then see if there is a film to back it up.  Kids see right through false attempts at engagement.

Another CCSS cautionary tale.

Dystopian Fiction Elimination Tourney

This wonderful idea came from Camile Bernstein. She posted, for fun, the Emily D. Poetry Smackdown Tourney.  I find this to be an inventive way to get readers to read/reread the poems deeply.  I suggest you jump in, if the tourney is still "live."

As you know, I stand against placing The Hunger Games in the 6-12 ELA canon, for a variety of reasons discussed in previous posts. But dystopian literature, as a genre, certainly does belong in the canon. This is my attempt to narrow the field. The titles have come from multiple best of lists, from serious commentary, from my own reading and teaching, and from the recommendations of my students. 

As much as possible, each pair of titles shares several similarities: plot, character, theme, setting, etc. Because of the inventive nature of the genre, however, and because of the wide range of publication dates, this is not always possible. 

If you want to take part in this elimination tourney, follow one or both of the following links.

• http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GX8GCX8 - 6-12 brackets, which are the white selections in the table.  These titles are most often taught 6-8, but are also found in 9-12 curricula.
• http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GN8DMPX - 9-12 brackets, which are the tan selections in the table.  These titles are sometimes read by 6-8th students, but they are best at the high school level.

Bookmark and return to this post (after 3/27) to take part in the next round of voting.  The current results will always be displayed here.  Clarifying Comments, which can be made to explain any answer, will be summarized and attached to this post. Alternatively, please comment below.

See links above to vote in this elimination tourney.  Next round begins 3/27.

May the best novel win!

Beyond the Hunger Games

[update: Read reviews of the movie from NPR , Hot Air and The New York Times. I could not find a glowing review, so I selected the literate ones.  Although the movie is really hot right now, it does not seem to be a candidate for serious inclusion in the ELA curriculum. But use the reviews for informational literacy!]

Enough already!  The Hunger Games may be the most-included fiction book in classrooms grades 8-12 this year. On the EC ning, teachers continue to call for lesson plans, engaging activities, and rationales for teaching THG (as it has come to be known, in the spirit of TKM).  The lexile of this novel is 810.  That puts its complexity in the 4-5 grade range, not even at the top of the "stretch" band for students in those grades. (If you don't believe me, refer to lexile.com's Text Complexity Grade Bands, redrawn to reflect the new Common Core and used to determine text complexity for the proposed 2014 testing.)

I am losing faith in my ELA colleagues across this country.  In the past, I have championed dystopian literature, graphic novels, iJournalism in graphic form, and (often) children's books for use at the MS and HS level.  But I stop short of making a light read the focus of a serious, standards-based literature curriculum.

[update: If you do decide to teach the novel, you might be guided by some of the literate ideas in this New York Times Learning Network blog post]

That the Hunger Games appeals to student readers is not arguable.  But why does it appeal to so many ELA teachers?

I'm afraid that the answer is, "It's easy."  Easy to read and easy to teach, given the plethora of teacher-created unit resources being shared (sometimes freely, sometimes not) online.  Schmoop has a guide.  The movie has been made.  Hunger Pains, the graphic novel parody, has been written. An authorized graphic novel is probably in the works.  There are book-related recipes floating around.  There are classroom simulation activities available.  The novel has become the center of thematic units ranging from authoritarian societies to family.  Family??  Like a good Dickens, THG seems to be suitable for any MS or HS thematic unit.

I know this book.  I know its sequels.  It is NOT literature.  It is not Dickens.  A great story, yes, but the center of a serious ELA unit, no.  Teachers who believe that there is a deep ethical or moral dilemma played out in the novel are kidding themselves.  Nothing is played out in the novel.  Everything just happens, in a video game-respond-don't-think-way. The adult bad guys set up, pursue, harass, and are ultimately defeated by (or stale-mated by) the teen protagonist, who works with no or little adult support - at best with a poorly drawn mentor. Students are deeply engaged in a linear plot related in the 1st person present tense by an insipid and rather shallowly drawn narrator.   

Just happens is the essence of the average YA dystopian experience.  I understand this appeal.  I understand that today's students do not, for the most part, want to stretch themselves with a text. I understand that most kids do not want to exercise that "go back and reread" skill required by denser and more complex text.  If you are wondering about why, read through the discussion at this GoodReads forum: Dystopias and Social Critiques. 

I do NOT understand why so many of my colleagues have rolled over to the pressure to make students not have to stretch. While they sit around wondering "what kids need to grow up successfully and well into the 21st century,"  too many teachers are giving students no new or stronger insights into what it means to be an adult in an adult world. 

Middle Ground:  There are excellent dystopian novels out there for the classroom.  Not surprisingly, most of them have support materials available online and in print.  Teachers who don't want to be lazy - who are willing to risk the rolling of eyeballs - should lead their students in the direction of these literary dystopias.

A word about lexile measures - they are only one of three measures that should be made of a novel.  I personally don't give them more than a cursory glance, preferring to read several chapters (or the whole book) and then a few reviews before deciding how to match book to student.  I understand that this is not the way ELA reading selection is structured today, and I lament that.  I am not providing lexiles, I am providing recommendations.  These are literary titles that I know.  Forget the lexiles.  I would make the same judgement of THG (too fluffy for serious literary study) if I did not know its lexile.

Dystopian novels exist that are solid stuff, that will stretch most MS or HS readers, if not in terms of text complexity, then in terms of literary qualities (figurative language, style, tone, narrative, plot complexity and variation) and thematic depth.  Lexiles do not reflect these last two qualities.

Teachers - You have to read the books. Stretch yourselves to stretch your students!

Middle (7+) - Overall, the protagonist is a child, the antagonists are adult, but these deal with deeper issues that are not at all childlike. I might call them baby steps to growing up as a reader.

Coifer - The Supernaturalist -  future dystopia where unwanted children are...  also graphic novel
Ness - The Knife of Never Letting Go
Anderson - Feed  
Roth - Divergent (a protagonist more interesting than Katniss)
Pearson - The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Hautman - Rash
Card -  Ender's Game
Philbrick - The Last Book in the Universe
Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Levitin - The Cure
Golding - Lord of the Flies (not really dystopia, but so like one...)
Pratchett - Nation (not really dystopia, but so like one...)

Higher: - Overall, the protagonists are adults in adult worlds. Overall, the books are longer. These are for kids who are ready for the autonomy of growing up and thinking at the same time. 

Fialkov - Elk's Run - graphic novel - post-Vietnam utopia gone wrong - for those who have grown up after The Hunger Games  - MS
Bruchac - Killer of Enemies - deeply drawn futuristic dystopia with base in Apache culture
Wilson - Robopocalypse
Orwell - 1984 and Animal Farm
King - The Running Man
Kitano - Battle Royale (translation) - was this the idea for THG?
Wells - The Time Machine
McCarthy - The Road
Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz
Atwood - The Handmaiden's Tale
Gibson - Neuromancer
James - The Children of Men
Clifford - The Book
Wyndham - The Chrysalids
Moore - V for Vandetta (graphic novel)
Brooks - World War Z
Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  

As always, suggestions are welcome.