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Resources for “Big Read”

Resources for “Big Read”

The New Orleans Read

Purchase Options

Books may be purchased through your own channels or online.  If you choose, you may order books through Amazon.com via the NCGS bookstore. By ordering through Amazon/NCGS bookstore, 10% of all proceeds will be returned to NCGS and donated to the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans, a lead community service partner of Louise McGehee School and one of the participants in the NCGS Annual Conference.

Readers’ Prompts

While student discussions will clearly vary by age group, there are some central themes that run through the recommended reading list and that your faculty might consider raising with students.  These include:

  • Storytelling: What makes a good story and how can you ‘tell’it?
  • What are the unique elements of New Orleans’ culture?
  • What is improvisation? Why is it valuable for students, schools?
  • Hurricane Katrina aftermath:  reality vs. hope
  • What has Katrina shown us, if anything, about our understanding of and ability to act on concepts of service and social justice (especially for older readers)?

    Websites to inform your classroom activities and adapted for book discussions

    21st Century Schools:  curriculum unit on Katrina

    Facing History and Ourselves:  how one teacher used lessons from Katrina

    Score:  History and Social Sciences internet resources

    LitLovers/LitGuides discussion questions on Nine Lives by Dan Bau

    Guide to Katrina by Johnson University

    Related Activities

    The reading experience for students of any age can be enhanced through a variety of related activities or techniques that bring some of the themes to life.  These might include:

    • Use reading ‘buddies’ groups between upper and middle and lower schools
    • Teach cultural lessons on NOLA:  music, food, history
    • Study the science of storms and their environmental impact
    • Encourage alumnae, parents, trustees to participate in The New Orleans Read
    • Contact other NCGS schools to collaborate on a reading, storytelling project
    • View recommended DVDs:  for upper school students and adults

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