Pick of the Week- March: Book 3 (reprise)

is March: Book 3 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. The last installment of the graphic memoir of John Lewis finishes the epic arch of John Lewis' story from the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement to his witnessing the inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States. The most dramatic of the three books, March: Book 3 takes you through the most tense and violent period of Civil Rights struggle- the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, the murder of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Don't miss the epic conclusion of the masterpiece graphic memoir of a hero of the Civil Rights Movement.

March: Book 3 is being reposted since its unprecedented three ALA Youth Media award wins. Last year, it also won the National Book Award for best Young Adult Book.

7th grade Media Literacy

How well can you decipher information on the Internet? Last week, team Atlantis took a short quiz on identifying information from the Internet. We then discussed each item and how critical thinking about information online is an essential skill in the 21st century.

You can take the quiz below and see how well you did in comparison to these 7th graders.

Take the test here. Then click on the link at the end of the test to see a discussion of the answers.

This assignment was inspired by the work of the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). A summary of the report can be found here.

Pick of the Week- Between the World and Me

is Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This thought provoking book is and essential read to understand racism in the United States today. Coates won the non-fiction National Book Award last year for this work. Framed as a letter to his teenage son, it is a powerful and informative read that discusses Coates' experience growing up in Baltimore, his education at Howard University, and his understanding of what it means to be black in America. One of the most powerful stories is that of Prince Carmen Jones, a man killed by the Prince Georges County police in 2000. Because many deaths at the hands of police officers have been in the news over the past few years, some may think this is a recent phenomenon. Coates' visceral telling of Jones' story will disabuse you of that notion. Reading this book will show you an important perspective on racism in the United States.

Pick of the Week- Unbroken

is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This non-fiction book is about the life of Louis Zamperini and focuses on his time as a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II. Although he was troubled as a teenager, he dedicated his energy to track and field, which brought him to the Olympics in 1936. When the United States entered World War II, Zamperini signed up for the Army Air Corps and was deployed to the Pacific. This is when his thrilling tale of survival against all odds begins. Don't miss this remarkable story.

Pick of the Week- Every Exquisite Thing

is Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick. (I recommend this book for older readers or students comfortable with mature topics.) Through her junior year, Nanette is an excellent student, star soccer player, and model daughter in her upper class New Jersey neighborhood. Then her English teacher gives her an out of print novel, The Bubblegum Reaper that causes her to question what is important to her. Reading the book leads Nanette to make drastic changes in her life- she quits the soccer team and abandons her old friends for Nigel Booker, the author of the life changing novel. When Booker introduces her to Alex, another fan of the cult classic, she cuts class for the first time in her life and get dragged into Alex's radical ideology. When Alex gets sent away, Nanette must find her own path and reconcile external expectations with who she really is on the inside.