1st Edition

Classic Texts in Contemporary Classrooms Engaging Today’s Students with Timeless Literature

272 Pages 8 Color Illustrations
by Routledge

Every Language Arts teacher knows the struggle: How do we make classics like Animal Farm , The Great Gatsby , and To Kill a Mockingbird feel urgent and relevant to students whose worlds of TikTok, influencers, and teenage angst feel so far removed from these celebrated novels? How do we honor literary heritage while honoring and amplifying contemporary student voices? Classic Texts in... Read more

1. The Big Fundamental Approach  Part I Whole Class Novel Study  2. How to Stay Gold: Coping With Trauma in The Outsiders  3. Easy Steps to Being an Influencer with Animal Farm  4. Beyond the American Dream: Revisiting The Great Gatsby  5. Haunted by Ghosts in To Kill a Mockingbird  Part II Book Clubs and Independent Book Selection  6. Who Controls the Narrative? Anchoring Book Clubs with The Giver  7. Finding Family and Your Footing with Of Mice and Men and Book Clubs  8. Your Book, Your Lens: Independent Book Selection  Conclusion  Appendices  Professional Bibliography  Blibliography of Connected Texts  Index

Biography

For two decades, Travis Leech has worked in various education roles, from middle school teacher to instructional coach and curriculum designer. He is a co-author for the Patterns of Revision and Patterns of Power series and shares practical literacy practices as a speaker and teacher educator. Travis lives in San Antonio with his wife and two rescue pups, where he enjoys experimenting with recipes and exploring Texas.

Sasha L. Jaramillo is the English Department Coordinator at Louis D. Brandeis High School in San Antonio. She has spent the last 24 years in Northside ISD. teaching all levels of high school English, including AP Literature and Composition, and coaching teachers. When she isn’t reading or listening to Brandi Carlile, Sasha can be found watching Indiana Fever or San Antonio Spurs basketball. She lives in San Antonio with her husband and three cats.

Anthony Perez is High School District ELA Coordinator for Northside ISD in San Antonio, in his 19th year of education. Passionate about bringing literacy's joy to students and teachers, he loved discussing stories and writing with kids as a teacher. Anthony enjoys playing basketball with his sons Dante and Manu, running with his wife, Laura, cooking, and cheering on the Spurs.