Method to the Madness

A Common Core Guide to Creating Critical Thinkers Through the Study of Literature

By (author) B.H. James, Elizabeth James

Publication date:

08 April 2016

Length of book:

200 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475825374

This book is ideal for the thousands of teachers who entered the profession in the last ten years and taught prescribed curriculum geared toward end of year bubble testing. Its intent is to empower districts and their teachers to create their own (free!) curriculum that will exceed the expectations of Common Core assessments, as well as create life-long learners that are college and career ready. By employing inquiry based units of study that insist on the use of iconic literature at the center, students will be more prepared for what awaits them with Common Core exams.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter 1: Writing for Critical Thinking and Logical Cohesiveness (Or, How to Survive the Shift to Common Core)
Chapter 2: Begin with Close Reading
Chapter 3: The Great Gatsby: Applying the Skills of Close Reading
Chapter 4: The Taming of the Shrew: An Introduction to Shakespeare
Chapter 5: Teaching Hamlet: Or, How to Approach the Most Important Piece of Literature Ever Written
Chapter 6: Teaching Fiction Writing: The Importance of Allowing Students to Create, Revise, and Publish
Chapter 7: Slaughterhouse 5 and The Things They Carried: Appreciating Postmodern Approaches to Fiction
Chapter 8: Toni Morrison’s Beloved: Recognizing and Evaluating Theme and Purpose in a Complex Text
Chapter 9: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Abraham Lincoln: Designing a Cross-Curricular Unit of Study
About the Authors
Index

As we know, it's up to our high schools and the English teachers in them to figure out how to develop the critical thinking and deeper learning promised by the new set of English language arts skills that most states have adopted. Method to the Madness provides details for high school English teachers in any high school on the rigorous reading and literature curriculum the authors worked out for "credit recovery" classes in a California magnet high school, as well as the discussion questions and essay-writing activities they used to engage their students and develop their college readiness skills. What are some of the complex literary and non-literary texts English teachers can use for students like those in the James's cred recovery classes? Read Method to the Madness and find out what worked for these authors.