Leverage

Leverage

By Joshua C. Cohen Penguin Group, Inc. ISBN: 978052542306

Leverage is a fictional story of a high school athletic program that may as well be a major university. Performance enhancing drugs, brutal hazing rituals, and sadistic teenagers surround the two protagonists,  Kurt Brodsky and Danny Meehan. Kurt is a new transfer/recruit to Oregrove High School (where football is religion), who is “a physical specimen and an animal on the field” in the eyes of his coaches.  However, Kurt’s stuttering problem diminishes his football prowess and his peers often assume he is just another dumb jock. The novel’s second and also detached narrator, Danny, is a tiny freshman who expresses a fear for his life, as any 9th grader would in this intense football-fueled environment. Leverage depicts the struggle of two boys attempting to fit into a culture that promotes bullying, violence, and winning with little thought or consideration of the consequences. No one is immune from the football team’s wrath--even a gymnast and a friend of Danny’s, Ronnie, tragically falls victim to the brutal bullying and hazing that occurs at Oregrove High. In Leverage, unlikely friendships form even when considering the highly contentious relationships that exist at Oregrove High. This is a timely book that really connects to a male audience and touches on very “real” issues that a young man experience in a testosterone-driven culture.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--870L; ATOS--5.2

Qualitative: Told in alternating narrative voices, this book may prove difficult for a more inexperienced reader. Chapters alternate between Kurt and Danny’s points of view, allowing the reader to see what’s going on at Oregrove High through different lenses. Students may struggle with piecing the narratives together in order to make sense of the plot, but part of the beauty of this narrative style is that allows the reader to connect to both the buff athlete and the demure underdog. The realistic high school dialogue which includes slang and profanity makes this a book more appropriate for the upper grades, but the vocabulary itself could be accessible by junior high level students. With cultural references to YouTube and other modern media, students can really connect with the social media elements the book presents. Leverage touches on complex issues such as: bullying, hazing, performance enhancement drugs, adult responsibility, disabilities, teen violence, and teen suicide.

Content Area: English; Health--Healthy Relationships; Physical Education

Curriculum Suggestions: I see Leverage being used in a 9th grade health class. With the book’s emphasis on bullying, teen violence, and steroids, Leverage would prove a useful tool when addressing these topics in a high school health class. The book is particularly appropriate for 9th graders since incoming freshmen tend to lack the tools needed to cope with issues such as the ones presented in Leverage. Teachers could use Leverage as a means of introducing real-world examples of similar situations such as the incident between two Miami Dolphins football players. Other books to explore: Friday Night Lights, Gym Candy.

Common Core Standards:  RL.9/10.1-6

Additional/Digital Content:

• Miami Dolphins bullying controversy-- http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/04/243058164/miami-dolphins-suspend-richie-incognito-over-slurs-threats

• Teens worry about performing at an elite level- http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high-school/teens-big-worry-high-school-athletes-steroids-rage-article-1.275874-

• Derrick Jordan, UMass basketball star, comes out-- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/sports/ncaabasketball/umass-guard-derrick-gordon-joins-list-of-openly-gay-athletes.html?_r=0

• Jason Collins, NBA player, comes out-- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/

Personal Thoughts: Leverage is a great book for boys, especially those interested in sports related narratives. I have recommended this book to many boys and they come back saying the same thing, “I couldn’t put it down!” This book really captures the fanatic nature of football, a billion dollar industry in the United States.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure HS/MS” requirement

Matched

Matched

By Ally Condie SPEAK (2010)   ISBN: 9780142419779

In Matched, set in a futuristic dystopian society, choices are dictated by the totalitarian government rather than the people. Cassia Reyes, a 17-year old girl, had never questioned her lack of free will--until she gets “matched” on her birthday, a ritual that determines if someone will be paired with a person for the rest of one’s life or remain single. Luckily for Cassia, her best friend, Xander, is her match. However, there is a glitch. Xander’s face fades to black and another match is announced, Ky. Before this malfunction, Cassia trusted the Society to make the best decisions for her. After the “matching,” Cassia finds herself thinking about Ky and feeling conflicted about which boy is her true match. Soon, Cassia and Ky begin spending time together--hiking, sharing secrets, questioning the Society’s motives and intentions, and falling in love.  Cassia must choose between Xander and Ky as well as obedience and rebellion.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--HL680L; ATOS--4.8

Qualitative: Matched poses little difficulty in the area of language; however, due to the novel’s futuristic setting, new terms and  practices introduced may pose some difficulty for novice readers. Some of these challenges arise from: characters’ dialogue, technology, ever-present government officials, and geography. Thematically, Matched presents complex issues that offer multiple access points such as government control and the concept of free will. Cassia is both an insider and outsider to the Society’s conspiracies, which students will need to track not just through Matched, but through the other two books--Crossed and Reached--that comprise the trilogy.  

Content Area: English, Social Science--Government

Curriculum Suggestions: Although this book is recommended for students in “upper grades,” due to its themes and access points, I would suggest teachers incorporate Matched as supplemental reading to deepen students’’ understanding of dystopian societies, free will, and arranged marriages, which is usually addressed in senior government classes.

An essential question a teacher might pose is: How do the fictional, futuristic dystopian societies compare to what we see in past and current governmental practices?

Students could explore, research, and address:

• Countries that have maintained similar totalitarian governments
• Countries that have or still do require arranged marriages
• Societies/cultures that rebelled against oppressive regimes

Common Core Standards: RST 11/12.1-5; 9

Additional/Digital Content:

• Matched, the Official Site--http://www.matched-book.com/

• Definitions of dystopias-- http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson926/DefinitionCharacteristics.pdf

• Arranged marriages and dystopian fiction-- http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/04/arranged-marriages-and-dystopian-fiction

• Modern lessons on arranged marriages-- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/fashion/weddings/parental-involvement-can-help-in-choosing-marriage-partners-experts-say.html?_r=0

Similar Reads:

1) The Giver, by Lois Lowry

2) The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

3) The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman

4) More suggestions--http://prettybooks.tumblr.com/dystopian1

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure HS/MS” requirement

Ted

Ted

By Tony DiTerlizzi   

A Laura Geringer Book (1998) ISBN:006026686

Ted is an enchanting story about the power of imagination. Ted, a raspberry colored imaginary friend, visits his boy friend on his birthday. Since it is the boy’s birthday, Ted presents lots of fun and often messy forms of play. From drawing a mural on the house’s walls to creating an indoor swimming pool, Ted inspires one unique idea after another. With each antic, the boy’s father becomes less amused finally forbidding the boy from playing with Ted. Upset by this, the boy runs away to join Ted at his home, the old playground. It is there that Ted reveals a huge secret--Ted knows the boy’s dad. The two used to play together long ago. Back then Ted went by Ned, and together “Ned” and the boy’s dad played space pirates with an Atomic Blaster. When the boy’s father arrives at the old playground, the boy shares his father’s secret. Surprised, the father’s imagination awakens with the mention of the Atomic Blaster. In the end, all three play “one mean game of space pirates-Monopoly-Twister.”

Quantitative: Lexile Level--570; ATOS--.5

Qualitative:  This story is not one of much complexity. What it does touch on is the power of one’s imagination to create something that is real and shared. It may be hard for students to identify with an imaginary friend, especially since technology makes it easy to get sucked into instantaneous entertainment rather than creating amusement.

Content Area: English; Art; Physical Education

Common Core Standards: RL.1.3; 6

Curriculum Suggestions: Ted emphasizes the importance of letting go and having fun--tapping into our inner child and not forgetting to “play”. The concept of “play” ties in nicely to what the library has to offer. The book offers a springboard for thinking creatively and coming up with all the different ways students can “play” and learn at the same time. This could be applied in any subject area, but subjects like art, science, English, and math would most likely have the best results for such an activity. Let the students play in class as long as it connects to the content. Let the students imagine ways to have fun with what they’re learning.

Additional/Digital Content:

• School Library Journal, an article about play pavilions-- http://www.slj.com/2013/08/standards/early-learning/design-to-learn-by-dynamic-early-learning-spaces-in-public-libraries/#_

• Create a Makerspace--http://makerspace.com

• Pinterest, makerspace ideas-- http://www.pinterest.com/cari_young/library-makerspaces/

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

By Laura Numeroff   A Laura Geringer Book (1998) ISBN: 006026686

In Numeroff’s narrative, she poses a hypothetical scenario--what if you give a pig a pancake? The story develops as a young girl proceeds to meet all of the pig’s requests. Upon receiving the pancake, the pig would like some maple syrup. The syrup makes the pig sticky, which leads to a bath. While in the bath the pig asks for bubbles, then a rubber duck. With each wish granted, the pig can’t help but to want more or something else in addition to what is has received, eventually ending right back where the pig and girl started--eating a pancake.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--570; ATOS--.5

Qualitative:  If You Give a Pig a Pancake is not complex when considering language, multiple access points, figurative language, and organization; however, the text posses great complexity with its purpose. When taken literally, the story is about a pig that takes advantage of a young girl’s hospitality. It seems fun and playful, but the intention of the book is to demonstrate the nature of greed. It is not insignificant that Numeroff uses a pig--why not a dog or a cat? The pig connotes negative feelings and the implication of those feelings lead the young reader to interpret that pigs take, emphasizing the saying, “I ate like a pig.” Therefore, people that behave similar to the pig are then acting like “greedy pigs” and they should be avoided. It is significant to note the hypothetical “if” of the narrative. The cautionary “if” leads to the inevitable “will” allowing the reader to connect the cause and effect relationship of giving a pig a pancake.

Content Area: English; Health

Common Core Standards: These standards are for students making connections to Othello and the portrayal of women--RL.11/12.2-4

Curriculum Suggestions: Although this book is recommended for students in preschool through first grade, I can see this being used to teach connotation and word choice. Immediately, I thought of connecting it to Othello, given the tragedy’s heavy use of animal imagery especially when describing Othello and his behavior. Additionally, students could also examine the portrayal of women. The permissive character in If You Give a Pig a Pancake is a girl and since this is a book about behavior, the implication is that girls are more enabling than boys. Again, this is another angle that can be applied when considering Othello--students could investigate the treatment of women, specifically Desdemona, through a sexist lens.

Additional/Digital Content:

• Laura Numeroff’s website--http://lauranumeroff.com/kids_fun/index.htm

• American Greed: The Dark Side of the American Dream-- http://www.cnbc.com/id/18057119

• Othello Navigator--http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com/othello/index.html

• Fighting Female Stereotypes-- http://www.wired.com/2014/02/secret-weapon-pics-of-women/

Personal Thoughts: This book made me giggle. Last year, my principal made a comment about me not becoming a “pig with a pancake” after he approved the addition of 17 new computers to the library. I find it amusing since the addition of the new computers meant that a whole class could access the lesson, rather than the students having to share a computer. If that somehow implies I’m a pig, I’m happy to be one!

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By Rebecca Skloot   Crown Publishers (2009)        ISBN: 9781400052172

When Rebecca Skloot was 16, she first heard of HeLa and the woman responsible for the immortal cells, Henrietta Lacks. Since that day, Skloot could not shake the desire to learn more about Henrietta and her mysterious cells. In her book, Skloot’s investigation of the world famous HeLa cells only led her down a path of discovery that goes way beyond the realm of science.

HeLa, represents the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks’ name. In the 1950s and just shy of her 30^th birthday, Henrietta was diagnosed with “Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, Stage I.” The fatal cervical cancer proved voracious, spreading throughout Henrietta’s body despite weekly radiation treatments. It was during her initial treatment that Dr. George Gey, head of tissue culture research at John Hopkins Hospital, extracted a sample of Henrietta’s tumor without her knowledge. Under Gey’s ambitious guidance, HeLa was born—the immortal cell culture that will lead to the discovery of the polio vaccine, various cancer treatments and AIDS (among others).

When Henrietta died, she left behind five children. Those children—now in their 50s and 60s and some gone from this earth—grew up poor, uneducated, abused, neglected, and totally ignorant of their mother’s cells being used for science. In fact, the Lacks children never saw a penny of the money made from their mother’s cells. Skloot exposes the Lacks’ children torment and distrust of white people associated with HeLa, unearths some of the ghastly practices of the pre-Civil Rights Movement era, and questions behind scientific practices.

Quantitative: Lexile Level--1140L; ATOS--8.0

Qualitative: Despite the quantitative reading levels, I find The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is so rich in language, history, and science that students ages 14-17 would be able to access the book better, depending on scaffolding. This book really tells two stories. The first revolves around HeLa and how it has been used for scientific advances. The second focuses on the Lacks family—what they endured after losing Henrietta, how they coped with the deception involved with HeLa, and why they never knew anything substantial about their mother. Because of the shifting narrative, this book may pose serious difficulty especially as a reader interprets both stories and how they truly do enhance one another. In addition, language in the form of scientific terms and the Southern dialect the Lacks family uses to communicate make The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks a challenge for any high school student.

Content Area: English; Health--Prejudice; Health—Deadly Diseases; Biology—Cells; U.S. History; Information Literacy

Common Core Standards: Since biology is generally taught in the 10^th grade, I have applied 10^th grade standards.

RI.9/10.1-9 (Skloot includes countless primary sources)

RH.9/10.1-9

Curriculum Suggestions: The most exciting aspect of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the angles and approaches to using it in the classroom. Here are some ideas:

• Because Skloot is open about her research process, teachers could use her explanation as a way to introduce the research process to students. By examining the types of resources and methods Skloot used, students can see how the book comes to be, especially since it all started with a question: Who is Henrietta Lacks?
• Explore Southern culture and race relations prior to the Civil Rights Movement—How were blacks treated? Why? What was the result?
• Examine aspects of medical practices including patient confidentiality, Nuremberg Code, Hippocratic Oath, research laws, or major medical cases that involved the mistreatment of patients including the “Night Doctors” myth.
• Investigate poverty and how it impacts communities.
• Investigate child abuse and the impacts in has on the children as adults.
• Students could engage in a family tree project where they research their roots, just as the Lacks children had to discover their mother’s story. Similarly, students might want to investigate a family mystery.
• Create an info. graphic related to any of the topics listed above.

This text lends itself very easily to cross-curricular collaboration and activities.

Additional/Digital Content:

• Lesson on Medical Ethics—http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/immortal-life-henrietta-lacks/
•  University of Maryland, Lesson—http://fyb.umd.edu/2011/lesson-plan-henrietta-lacks-context.html-
• Study: Stereotypes Drive Perceptions Of Race-- http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/02/11/275087586/study-stereotypes-drive-perceptions-of-race   

Personal Thoughts: First off, I didn’t include a ton of additional content since most of it is geared towards college-level students, which seems to be the place where teachers are utilizing the book most. I think this book is totally captivating. It can be used in full or in excerpts. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks allows teachers to use it as little or as much as they like in addition to targeting specific topics the text brings to light. With the CCSS emphasis on having the text take center stage, Skloot’s books is powerful example of how the CCSS can be addressed.

*Meets the “Meets the Science Title for HS” requirement

Francine Francine the Beach Party Queen!

Francine Francine the Beach Party Queen!

By Audrey Colman Frog, Ltd. (2003) ISBN: 158394074X

Francine is a spunky dog that lives with her owners, the Crabapple family. Francine, a fun dog, feels like she doesn’t fit in with her boring family. She complains about her owners don’t let her play, run around, and basically just be a dog. Francine, fed up with the Crabapple’s lack of acceptance, runs away. She meets new dog friends and she eventually wanders into the “Dance Fools Studio.” There, she is able to dance and express herself without fear of being judged.

Quantitative: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level--3.6; Flesch-Kincaid Easy--86.4

Qualitative:  Francine’s story is an excellent selection for the younger grades. Francine Francine the Beach Party Queen! could be shared with students as young as kindergarten. However, when examining the story’s message, students that are around 3rd grade would be able to connect with the themes of the book with greater ease. To tell Francine’s story, Colman uses a basic rhyme scheme that makes reading fun and lyrical for both the teacher and the students.

Content Area: English; Health--Prejudice; Health-Self-Esteem; Physical Education--Dance; Art

Common Core Standards: RL3.1-4

Curriculum Suggestions: This book allows teachers and students to learn about their own identity and individuality. Since the book  promotes self-expression, teachers could have students work artistically to express themselves while developing and strengthening self-esteem.

Additional/Digital Content:

• Exploring Dance: Movement, Space, & Poetry-- https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/elementary-school-dance-curriculum

• Encouraging Self Expression Through Art--http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/encouraging-self-expression-through-art/

Personal Thoughts: One element of the book that bothers me is that Francine runs away from her family. Yes, she is a dog, but I feel that having her run away doesn’t show young readers the value of communicating one’s feelings, especially when it relates to one’s identity. As a reader, I would have preferred that Francine somehow made it back to the Crabapples to share what she learned from running away and meeting others that love her and accept for who she is. This type of encounter is not uncommon for students, especially as they enter junior high and high school, to have with their parents.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement