Can Pop Culture and Shakespeare Exist in the Same Classroom?: Using Student Interest to Bring Complex Texts to Life

Expecting students to jump right into a rigorous literature discussion is not always realistic. Students need scaffolding so that they will be more engaged and motivated to read the text and think about it on a deeper level. This book shows English language arts teachers a very effective way to scaffold―by tapping into students’ interest in pop culture. You’ll learn how to use your students’ ability to analyze pop culture and transfer that into helping them analyze and connect to a text.

Special Features:

• Tools you can use immediately, such as discussion prompts, rubrics, and planning sheets
• Examples of real student literature discussions using pop culture
• Reflection questions to help you apply the book’s ideas to your own classroom
• Connections to the Common Core State Standards for reading, speaking, and listening

Throughout the book, you’ll discover practical ways that pop culture and classic texts can indeed coexist in your classroom. As your students bridge their academic and social lives, they’ll become more insightful about great literature--and the world around them.

Kristine Gritter teaches pre-service and in-service teachers at Seattle Pacific University and is a former middle school language arts teacher.

Kathryn Schoon-Tanis is a professor of rhetoric and composition of popular culture at Hope College in Michigan. She was previously a high school English teacher.

Matthew Althoff is a principal at Seattle Christian Schools and a former middle school language arts teacher.