Speculative fiction – apocalyptic, dystopian or fantasy – continues to grab the attention of middle and high school readers. ELA/EL teacher Dina Strasser also sees an opportunity for educators to explore current social issues that may be difficult to address otherwise.
In his ELA classroom, David Sebek focuses on four aspects of what it means to be a “good citizen” – truthfulness, justice, equality and responsibility – and uses whistleblower stories and dystopian fiction to explore the elusive definition of citizenship.
In Reading Unbound, reviewer Alexa Patterson says, Jeff Wilhelm and Michael Smith share student attitudes about reading and suggest ways to add favorite genres in the classroom, boost student interest in books, and make ties to the Common Core.
Jeff Wilhelm & Michael W. Smith’s findings in “Reading Unbound: Why Kids Need to Read What They Want and Why We Should Let Them” should convince educators to reconsider traditional assigned reading lists and open classroom doors to genre fiction, says reviewer Anne Anderson.
