Teaching the Selected Works of Gary Paulsen

"Over a writing career of forty-plus years, Gary Paulsen has published over 200 books. He has tried virtually everything in writing. Yet in all the variety, there are noticeable patterns in his work. An advantage of using Paulsen in the classroom is that the patterns are visible and common, and even fairly young readers will notice them. These patterns uncover some of what we want to teach students about both the pleasures and the intricacies of good literature."

Gary Salver...
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"Over a writing career of forty-plus years, Gary Paulsen has published over 200 books. He has tried virtually everything in writing. Yet in all the variety, there are noticeable patterns in his work. An advantage of using Paulsen in the classroom is that the patterns are visible and common, and even fairly young readers will notice them. These patterns uncover some of what we want to teach students about both the pleasures and the intricacies of good literature."

Gary Salver knows that no reading of Paulsen the writer is complete without reference to Paulsen the adventurer. In Teaching the Selected Works of Gary Paulsen, Salvner shows you how the themes of Paulsen's colorful life become discernible patterns in his writings.

Salvner brings alive many voices in this book. His email correspondence with Paulsen himself is quoted extensively, offering insights never heard before. Teachers who have successfully brought Paulsen's work to their students share their reflections. Even the words of students who make new discoveries about literature and the world around them are found all through Salvner's book.

Salvner shows teachers how literature circles and reading/writing workshop can work in tandem with Paulsen's writing to teach everything from point-of-view as a literary device to multiculturalism and identity. In each chapter Salvner presents a number of Paulsen's writings, offering an overview of storylines and suggested teaching techniques.

You'll find classroom-tested units of study, and individual lessons and activities to teach a range of themes and patterns:

• The Survival Theme
• The Coming of Age Theme
• The Social Justice and Multicultural Theme
• Recurring Character Types
• Recognizable Style Features

In Teaching the Selected Works of Gary Paulsen you'll find a variety of approaches to teaching reading, writing, and literary analysis through the work of a well-recognized master of young adult literature.