"The Library that Target Built," by teacher-librarian Rachel Cloues, reveals what happened when Target donated a library "makeover" to a San Francisco elementary school: the district's anti-branding policy wasn't enough to keep the students from being engulfed by corporate messaging.
That's just the beginning of Rethinking Schools' summer 2014 issue, "Targeting Books and Films." How are media affecting students, and how can we engage students to explore social justice themes?
In "'May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor': Teaching Class and Collective Action with The Hunger Games," Elizabeth Marshall and Matthew Rosati base a role play on the wildly popular novel in order to deepen students' understanding of social class and its impact on alliances and resistance.
Then Linda Christensen shows how she uses Myrlin Hepworth's poem "Ritchie Valens" to teach cultural history, "raise the bones" of a biographical poem, and inspire students to write their own poetry. You won't want to miss her article, "Singing Up Our Ancestors."
On the policy front, we are honored to share "Colonialism, Not Reform: New Orleans Schools Since Katrina." This interview with parent activist Karran Harper Royal is a disturbing warning for parents and educators everywhere.
Other articles in this issue include:
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Disarming the Nuclear Family" by Willow McCormick.
Most children's books-even those with animals as the protagonists--portray families with two heterosexual parents. A 2nd-grade teacher has her students create a book that represents their own more diverse families.
"Independence or Catastrophe? Teaching Palestine through multiple perspectives" by Samia Shoman. A social studies teacher uses conflicting narratives to engage students in studying the history of Palestine/Israel, focusing on the events of 1948.
"Carbon Matters: Middle school students get carbon cycle literate" by Jana Dean. A 6th-grade teacher uses the carbon cycle to help students understand climate change. Along the way, she deals with a parent who wants her to give equal time to "climate change is a myth."
