Walter Dean Myers is recognized as one of young adult literature’s most gifted authors. Yet his resume can seem almost too long. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Michael L. Printz Award, he has penned over 100 titles across a wide variety of genres. Teaching the Selected Works of Walter Dean Myers guides you through some of Myers’ finest books, helping you make the most of his rich, realistic narratives in your classroom.
In Teaching the Selected Works of Walter Dean Myers, Connie Zitlow offers ideas for teaching Walter Dean Myers that connect middle and high school students with his powerful novels. Beginning with Myers’ first book, Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff, and continuing on to his award-winning Monster and the poetic Street Love, she highlights how his rich imagery, ear for dialogue, and explorations with language and form attract students to the unique and universal aspects of his memorable characters. She even presents suggestions for a unit on war with Fallen Angels as the central work, giving you insight into its themes as well as practical advice for navigating its challenging imagery as you meet language arts standards.
Teaching the Selected Works of Walter Dean Myers includes instructional activities, examples of students’ work, and informal and formal assessments that can be taken directly into classrooms for use with Myers’ novels and even his poetry. With all this, an extensive bibliography of Myers’ works and resources for teaching them, useful background information on the author’s own life, and a wide repertoire of classroom ideas, Teaching the Selected Works of Walter Dean Myers is an ideal way to help inspire secondary readers with the dynamic artistry behind his writing.
