Growing+Up

The story of a boy named Arnold growing up on an Indian reservation. Between having medical conditions and being Indian, he never feels like he fits in. He experiences friendship, bullying, and tragedies and learns he is a strong individual.
 * Growing Up **
 * Books: **
 * // The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian //** by Sherman Alexie
 * ISBN-13:** 978-0316013697

Four best friends since childhood are spending their first summer apart. The one of them buys a pair of jeans that magically fits each girl. They send the pair of pants to each other during the summer, with letters, to stay connected. The girls grow up over the summer and learn new things about themselves.
 * // The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants //** by Ann Brashares
 * ISBN-13:** 978-0385730587

Series:
 * **//The Second Summer of the Sisterhood//**
 * **//Girls in Pants//**
 * **//Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood//**

The story of a 15-year-old boy named Charlie. The book is written as a series of anonymous letters to someone that details Charlie’s life through high school, relationships with family, friends, and girls. It tells of his fears, hopes, and achievements and other milestones and obstacles in a teen’s life.
 * // The Perks of Being a Wallflower //** by Stephen Chbosky
 * ISBN-13: ** 978-0671027346

This is story of two best friends during their junior year of high school. The one girl, Scarlett, learns she is pregnant after her boyfriend tragically dies in a motorcycle accident. Her best friend Halley steps to support her because she has no one else. Throughout Scarlett’s pregnancy Halley supports her, while going through normal teen life.
 * // Someone Like You //** by Sarah Dessen
 * ISBN-13: ** 978-0142401774

Sarah Dessen writes many books with “growing up” theme. Here is a few:


 * **//The Truth About Forever//**
 * **//Just Listen//**
 * **//This Lullaby//**
 * **//Dreamland//**

The story of two rival gangs: the Greasers and the Socs. Their rivalry turns deadly one night when the Socs attack two greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, and they are forced to use self defense. While on the run, Ponyboy and Johnny turn into heroes. In the end, the greasers lose two members. Both groups learn that the rivalry between each other is pointless.
 * // The Outsiders //** by S.E. Hinton
 * ISBN-13: ** 978-0140385724

Glog: //The Outsiders//

//**Oh, the Places You’ll Go!**// by Dr. Seuss
 * Other books: **
 * //To Kill a Mockingbird//** by Harper Lee
 * //A Ring of Endless Light//** by Madeline L’Engle [part of a series]
 * //Persepolis: A Story of Childhood//** by Marjane Satrapi
 * //The Composition//** by Antonio Skarmeta

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) The Outsiders
 * Movies: **

Baines, Lawrence, and Anthony Kunkel. "Playlist for Holden: Character Analysis With Music and Lyrics." // ReadWriteThink.org //. International Reading Association, 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. O'Connor, Beth. "Censorship in the Classroom: Understanding Controversial Issues."//ReadWriteThink.org//. International Reading Association, 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. Roth, Sharon. "Cover to Cover: Comparing Books to Movies." // ReadWriteThink.org //. NCTE, 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2011.
 * Activities: **
 * 1) Students must choose one of the main characters from the book. They must then choose a perspective of the character and scenes that reflect this view. Afterwards, they pick 10 songs that they think are appropriate for the character. They must explain why they chose each song using textual support. They must make connections between the song lyrics and scenes and situations in the text. (Grades 9-12)
 * 2) Research why the book is banned/challenged. Discuss with class issues surrounding banned books and censorship. Give them opportunity to do further research with media bias and censorship. Have students pick a text and choose a position on censorship of the text. Have them create and ad campaign supporting their view. ( Grades 9-12)
 * 3) Compare text with movies. After students have read the book, watch the corresponding movie. The students use graphic organizers to make comparaisons between the two different texts and make hypthesises about the effects of the adaptation. They must note the differences between each and decide if the changes made in the movie had a positive or negative effect on the story. They may design new movie covers that reflect their reaction to the movie. (Grades 7-8)
 * Sources **