Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons / Edition 1

by Carol Jago

Overview

Reading the classics isn't easy. Students often balk at the difficult syntax, unfamiliar settings, and descriptive passages. Length alone keeps some books out of the curriculum. For a teacher to persist - sometimes coaxing, sometimes driving - requires an act of will. In Classics in the Classroom Carol Jago provides practical ideas for making these challenging texts come alive for contemporary students.

Continuing in the tradition of her popular book With Rigor for All, Jago argues that all students, not just those enrolled in honors classes, deserve to read great literature. To make this happen requires artfully crafted lessons that address specific textual challenges. In Classics in the Classroom Jago shares her lesson plans and materials for teaching:

• vocabulary
• character study
• story grammar
• literary elements
• metaphorical thinking

Jago also offers practical wisdom for helping all students learn and enjoy great literature. Simply assigning books is not enough. Teachers need an instructional plan that makes difficult texts accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780325005904
Publisher:	Heinemann
Publication date:	02/11/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Carol Jago has taught English in middle and high school in public schools for 32 years and is associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA. She served as president of the National Council of Teachers of English and as chair of the College Board's English Academic Advisory committee.She has published many books with Heinemann including The Book in Question: Why and How Reading Is in Crisis. She is also author of With Rigor for All and Cohesive Writing: Why Concept Is Not Enough and published books on contemporary multicultural authors for NCTE. Carol was awarded the International Literacy Association's Adolescent Literacy Thought Leader Award and the CEL Exemplary Leadership Award. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Association of Teachers of English. Carol has served on the National Assessment Governing Board and currently serves on the International Literacy Association's Board of Directors. She is also the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Squire Award given to honor an individual who has had a transforming influence and has made a lasting intellectual contribution to the profession.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Literature Instruction at a Crossroads
Seven Guiding Principles for Literature Teachers
All About Words
Choosing Which Books to Teach
How Stories Work
How Poems Work
Lesson Design for Classical Literature
Literature, Knowledge, and the High School Graduate
Appendixes:
A. Recommended Classic Texts
B. Classic Bestsellers