The Hunger Games
By Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Copyright date: September 2008
Number of pages: 374
Age Level: 12-17
Young Adult Fiction
Panem is made up of 12 districts and every year each district must provide two tributes, one male and one female, to the capital for the Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen ends up volunteering after her little sister was randomly selected as the female tribute to represent District 12. She is joined by the male tribute, Peeta Mellark. The Hunger Games is a game that is televised to the entire Panem to watch. The Capital watches for entertainment while all the districts watch in horror as their loved ones fight to their deaths. Only one can survive.
The Games are held in a forested arena where all aspects of the Games are manipulated by the Capital including weather, food supplies, survival supplies, animals and insects, fires, and more. Every night faces of the tributes who have died show in the sky. Katniss must rely on her hunting skills and sharp instincts to survive.
There are so many ways The Hunger Games could be used in the classroom. I think this would be a terrific book to use in English class. I would have the students read it then do a short rewrite of it from a different perspective; perhaps from the perspective of Peeta or even someone in the Capital. This is a great way to teach perspective. I also think this book is a great way to engage those students who have difficulties getting interested in reading a book. This book is full of action and can definitely keep the attention of its readers. I also think this could be used in geography. It would be a fun and somewhat challenging project to have students create a map of Panem based on the context clues given for each district and its people. While I can think of many ways to integrate this book into my classes, I'm a bit uneasy about using it due to the amount of violence. If I were to use this book, I would definitely want to get all the parents and Principal on board before beginning.
I like the ideas you have on incorporating this book into a classroom. My favorite is your idea on writing from different perspectives. I think it would be interesting if a group each had one chapter, and each person in that group had to pick a different character and write from their perspective. After that was completed they could get back together and compare and contrast their varied perspectives.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great idea Sabrina! Teaching perspective is a difficult topic to teach!
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