Guidebook to Coming of Age Novels Published

This semester I taught a literature and writing class at the Huckleberry Center for Creative Learning (for kids between the ages of 12-16) and after a lot of hard work, the students completed their class project book, "The Read to Write Guide to Coming of Age Novels."  For the class we read Great Expectations, Siddhartha, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  For each of the novels, the students took on one of five roles (Historian/Biographer, Character Analyst, Thematic Adviser, Symbolist or Passage Illuminator), switching for each novel, so that by the time the course was completed, everyone had a chance at each role.  They wrote an essay for each novel, based on their role and presented it to the class to help spark our discussions.  The Guidebook pictured here is the result of all their hard work and effort.  This format worked beautifully this semester and the students' writing improved by leaps and bounds as they learned from each other in class.  I guided them and helped them develop, focus and organize their work, but the hard work they did on their own.  They learned a lot about literary analysis, writing and critical thinking this semester and I'm so proud of all of them!

If you'd like to see a preview of their Guidebook, it's Available HERE!