Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/65746
there is a lot of action, while girls relate to the strong female heroine and a bit of romance, says Ahrens, a Black Oak Mine Teach- ers Association member. "I wanted to focus on the reality TV angle and why we keep watching these kinds of things. Why do we want to see the tears? Why do these things entertain us? In these types of shows, there is always an alliance and always a villain. We discussed many things, including trust and friendship. Even with the violence and craziness of the games, Katniss (the protagonist) builds trust in people. Palomar Continuation High School, used the book as a basis for writing and vocabulary lessons. First she Marylen Haines, a teacher at " The book appeals to boys because read the book aloud, and then had students continue reading during silent sustained reading time. She was impressed with the discussions that followed. "They talked about the government and what can happen when you don't use your right to speak out or vote, and what happens when the government makes decisions for you, Sandrine LeGrand and The Hunger Games helped them realize that their vote and their voice really mean something." Taking part in a Reaping Before reading The Hunger Games, Sandrine LeGrand's students took Haines, a member of the Sweetwater Education Association. "A lot of my kids are turning 18, " says part in a Reaping ceremony and had to enter their names in a class lot- tery based on their age and number of family members, as in the book. Names were selected for one male and one female student to become "tributes." They were asked to imag- ine being forced into life-and-death battles. Unlike the book, no one vol- unteered to take their place. "I definitely wanted somebody else to be picked," says Maurice Bara- jas, the boy tribute. "It didn't seem fair, because other students had their names entered more times than me. LeGrand, a resource read- " ing teacher for eighth-graders with learning disabilities at Leyva Middle School in San Jose, asked donorschoose.org to find a bene- factor, and soon 35 books arrived in the mail. Her students instantly felt a sense of "belonging" because they were reading the same popular book with other students. Sarah Gadye listens to a Hunger Games presentation by students Whitney Lim and Riki Eijima. 18 California Educator / May 2012