QUESTION: Next year, I'm teaching either Lord of the Flies or Catcher in the Rye...

[Rebecca Shirley]

I've got a 10th grade class of students with significant learning needs.  I need to make a decision about which of these books (Catcher or Flies) I'll teach, and I definitely want it to POP.  So if anyone has an opinion about which of these great novels has the most POP potential for low skilled and minimally motivated sophomores, I'd love any thoughts you might have.  We're going through "Program Improvement" and the push is on for all kids to work in the same curriculum. 

[Lindsay Lombardi]

Both books are really great for boys but I would lean towards Catcher, the story line and the narrative structure works better with LD/ED students.

-Lindsay

[Rebecca Shirley]

Thanks Lindsay. I love the book too.

[Judy Pollack]

It's a hard call - I prefer "Catcher in the Rye", but LOTF has the violence factor that seems to appeal more to boys (although the reading itself is more challenging.) On the other hand, the use of profanity in Catcher seems to make it appealing to either sex. I would go with the one YOU prefer.

[Rebecca Shirley]

I like them both, but Catcher maybe more. Thanks Judy!

[Ryan Goble]

Rebecca - I too would go with Catcher unless you have the option to use some newer less canonical stuff. If you go to the American Lit Group - you'll see I've tried to index resources for a few books that keep popping up under the group description. You'll see this - • Salinger, J.D. - Cather in the Rye 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

those numbers will be hyperlinked and take you to some pretty cool / interesting resources.

- I would suggest spending some time on the Geography of New York - maybe create a google lit trip around Manhattan? That depends on the type of students you've got - while they might struggle with academic skills they might enjoy hands on technology - just depends. If you need a guru to help you on lit trips - contact the media specialist Kelly Wood (see this) here on MC POP.

There is also a good article about lit trips - ARTICLES+WEBTOOL: Google Lit Trips of interest.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

[Rebecca Shirley]

Thanks so much Ryan...great ideas to give them the background knowledge!

[Lisa Fink]

Over at ReadWriteThink.org, we have lesson plans for both texts:

If a Body Texts a Body: Texting in The Catcher in the Rye
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/body...

and

Texting a Response to Lord of the Flies
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/text...

A common theme between the two :)

[Svea]

I've used Catcher on Sophomores and Flies is in our Junior curriculum. For Catcher, one of the end product choices is to do a psych eval on Holden. We've used the checklist the school psychologist uses when evaluating a kid for services. The students seemed to like it. I've also had them create a soundtrack and write a paragraph explaining each song choice. The connections they made were amazing. there is a movie called Igby Goes Down which most closely follows the book, but it's inappropriate for high school viewing. There is a scene though where he is chatting with Claire Danes' character in a coffee shop which you could show in class. It gives good insight to his motivations. Good luck with your kids!

[Ryan Goble]

Found this today too..

Taking a Walk Through J.D. Salinger's New York
Both J.D. Salinger, and his most famous literary creation, haunted the streets, hotels and schools of a vanished Manhattan.