Book Bonanza
By Aaron Feldman
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As part of the Middle School curriculum students at Pressman Academy read and analyze novels as a class. This year, the 6th Graders with Ms. Butler read classic Greek Myths as part of their Greek Literature Unit. Accompanying the reading, the 6th Graders also dramatized one of the myths they learned. Also, students independently did a research project about a central figure, hero or god, in Greek mythology. This comprehensive essay was accompanied by a creative writing piece--”A Modern Myth"--where students wrote a short story in which the character they studied appeared in modern life. Having completed this unit, the 6th Graders read Sonia Levitin's engaging book The Return. This novel discusses a young Ethiopian Jewish woman's struggle with her family to escape from war-torn Ethiopia to the Promised Land--Israel.
The 7th Graders read classic 20th Century literature: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and teleplay Brian's Song. These pieces capture important eras in the course of America: migrant farm workers in the Depression and African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Of Mice and Men transports the reader into the midst of the Depression and into the lives of two simple wanderers: Lennie and George. John Steinbeck shows the loneliness of people in the Depression and the struggle to find companionship and stick together in the difficult times. To Kill a Mockingbird gives readers a look into the turbulent 1930s in the South through the perspective of a young girl Scout. This novel interestingly discusses themes of equality and racism which were controversial at the time of the novel's publishing in 1961. The teleplay Brian's Song is about an African-American and Caucasian football player for the Chicago Bears who become steadfast companions. The teleplay tells the true story showing readers and watchers a beautiful piece of hope and friendship.
The 8th Graders read The Diary of Anne Frank and completed a Shakespeare Unit. The Diary showed the effects of the WWII on a young girl. Throughout the novel, Anne's personality and outlook on the world changes. Her relationships with the others hiding with her in the Annex develop and she struggles to retain hope as the War progresses and conditions worsen. For the Shakespeare Unit, students in Ms. Butler’s class studied Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet as a class or, in Mrs. Pardo's class, had the option as to whether they wished to read Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, and/or Romeo and Juliet. The students utilized Sparknotes to have an easier version available for them to read. As a class, the students discussed the use of literary devices, the author's style, and what makes these plays so famous. As a final project, students created a court case for one of the murders in Hamlet or performed scenes from the various plays.