The first book I read was Monster by Walter Dean Myers. The book is written in the first-person from the point of view of an African-American high school student from Harlem, accused of taking part in the murder of a convenience store owner. The book is written as a movie script that flashes between scenes in the courtroom and prior to Steve's (the protragonist) arrest.
I was talking about this book with my mother, a former Madison elementary principal, and years ago, she was designated to show Walter Dean Myers around Madison when he was here on a lecture circuit (or something like that, I don't actually remember).
Either way, after seeing downtown Madison, Myers asked my mother, "Where are the ghettos?" This story doesn't really go anywhere other than an interesting question posed by a famous author, but it got me thinking about how I would teach this book in a classroom, especially one in Madison.
I think this book would be perfect to pair with a community service project of some kind, perhaps after researching an issue with crime or other community issues that students could address. Although most of our future students will not be on trial for murder, many will certainly come from underserved communities, and therefore will identify at least in part with this protagonist. It seems like a perfect opportunity to get students involved in the community. What do you all think? Are there any sorts of activities that jump out at you after reading this book?
I think that it's a great idea to have students really get involved like that. It would be sort of fascinating to take them to a real trial and see how it all really plays out. Not only is that a very educational experience (because, let's be honest, court tv and court based dramas really don't do reality justice-- pardon the pun), but it might open some eyes to consequences. A lot of times it seems like adolescents have a hard time acknowledging the reality of consequences, and to see someone on trial for something they did wrong, might be a useful strategy. I guess I should clarify that I don't mean this to be specifically directed at your assumption that your students will be under-served, I think this would be relevant to all students. Even follow a case as it plays out and have the students participate in community service if that's what the punishment is... I don't know! Maybe!
ReplyDeleteTim! Such a brilliant idea. This brings in to question how we teach something that is a bit foreign to us as teachers as well as the "us" that is the community of students we involve. If possible, it would be eye-opening to take a field trip into a city or community like the one portrayed in the book.
ReplyDeleteI think you're spot on with the idea that students won't realize the depth and profundity of the book if they can't personally relate to it. It's our job (wahoo!) as teachers to find creative ways to make those connections.