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Welcome to What's in their Backpack? This month,
The Edge of the Forest talks with Cynthia Vaughan Granberg, English teacher at Grand Canyon High School in
Grand Canyon, Arizona, about what's hot with her young readers.
The Edge of the Forest: I understand you teach English to high school freshmen. Why did you decide to become a
teacher, and what drew you to this subject and age group?
Cynthia: Teaching is a third career for me, if you count motherhood—and I do. I started out in sales, retail and
real estate, but the more time I spent with my own children, the more I knew I wanted to be in the classroom. I actually
began as an elementary teacher, teaching all subjects, but I wanted to concentrate on reading and writing at a more
sophisticated level, so I moved up into middle school and high school. I love working with freshmen. They're just beginning
their secondary education. They're open to new things, and I relish the opportunity to get them off to a good start. One of
my primary goals is instilling good reading habits.
The Edge of the Forest: Please tell us a bit about Grand Canyon and the community of Grand Canyon. How many students
attend the school in all?
Cynthia: This is a rather unique situation. We're a school in a community located within a National Park. We have
303 students, and we are a K -12 school. Many of my students have limited English proficiency.
The Edge of the Forest: How many students do you teach?
Cynthia: I am a very lucky English teacher. I only have 75 students on my roll. However, I see some of those
students three periods a day. I teach a drama elective to both middle school and high school students, and we offer a
language arts course for students who struggle with literacy skills.
The Edge of the Forest: I’m curious about how you work. Please describe a typical day, and how does children's
literature fit into your curriculum.
Cynthia: In my English I classes, I use a literature-based approach. We are an IB Middle Years Programme school,
which also means I construct thematic units for delivery of instruction. This year my units include "Choice and Change,"
and "Seeing and Knowing," and "Identity." I use a combination of short stories, nonfiction pieces, novels, and, of course,
poetry. I also use picture books to teach specific elements, and as writing prompts. In my language arts course, we have
one period of ssr (silent sustained reading) per week. I also use the Reading Writing Sourcebook from Great Source. It
helps them practice active reading strategies and includes selections from Young Adult writers such as Walter Dean Myers.
My students are also responsible for an independent reading requirement ranging from 400-700 pages, and the completion of
an annotated bibliography each semester. They meet this requirement by reading self-selected books.
The Edge of the Forest: I'm told you've stocked your classroom with a library's worth of children's book titles. How many books
line your shelves?
Cynthia: Between 350-400, and I'm always on the hunt for more.
The Edge of the Forest: Wow! How do you decide which ones make the cut?
Cynthia: To be quite honest, I'm not completely selective. I try to offer a broad range of materials that are both
interesting and accessible to my students. I have kids who are voracious readers and kids who only read because they have
to. I have students who are reading at college level, but many of my kids are reading more than two years below grade level. First,
I have to get them reading. If that means RL Stine, then so be it. Once I get them going, I work at placing quality books
in their hands. I am constantly on the lookout for titles for my at-risk kids that will hook them and keep them reading.
The Edge of the Forest: Which books or types of books are most popular with your readers? Have you noticed any
preferences among gender or cultural lines?
Cynthia: This year realistic fiction seems to be the most popular, though in the recent past, fantasy, and
historical pieces have dominated. Last year everyone read A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray, and
A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly. This year The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson is going
everywhere, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Behind You and I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This, by
Jacqueline Woodson, and Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger, are popular as well. It's still early in the school year,
and some of the new things I've ordered haven't arrived yet (it's great to actually have a budget this year); so, this
could all change pretty quickly.
The Edge of the Forest: What books are you recommending to your students and why?
Cynthia: I tend to start the ball rolling based on the reading level and particular interests of students, and then
the students take over passing books around from hand to hand.
I am expected to teach things like Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, Antigone—things that are
often inaccessible to my students, so I try to make up for it by handing them books by Jackie Woodson, or
Chris Cutcher, or Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, or A Room on Lorelei Street, by Mary E. Pearson.
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