Bring It to Class: Unpacking Pop Culture in Literacy Learning

Margaret C. Hagood · Donna E. Alvermann · Alison Heron-Hruby

Apr 2015 · Teachers College Press

About this eBook

Students’ backpacks bulge not just with oversize textbooks, but with paperbacks, graphic novels, street lit, and electronics such as iPods and handheld video games. This book is about unpacking those texts to explore previously unexamined assumptions regarding their usefulness to classroom learning. With a strong theoretical grounding and many practical examples, the authors speak to both skeptical instructors who favor traditional canonical literature and to technology enthusiasts who already use popular music or video in their classrooms. Each chapter includes teacher, administrator, media specialist, librarian, and student voices; classroom activities; adaptable lessons; and professional study-group questions.

Bring It to Class features:

A researched rationale for using pop culture in middle school and secondary classrooms as well as school libraries and media centers.
Field-tested teaching approaches that will connect adolescents with school-based learning and motivate their literacy practices in and out of class.
An easy-to-use format that includes classroom vignettes, sample lessons, and a glossary of key terms.

Margaret C. Hagood teaches courses in 21st-century literacies in the Department of Teacher Education at the College of Charleston. Donna E. Alvermann is a distinguished research professor in Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Alison Heron-Hruby is an assistant professor of English education at George Mason University.

“All students—not just the ones who struggle to read, but all students—will benefit from the critical, evaluative, collaborative, and creative thinking activities in this book…. Bring It to Class offers a ‘how-to’ guide about new ways to educate that offer new results.”

—From the Foreword by Kylene Beers, president, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

“Bring It to Class is just what English teachers need to build confidence using new instructional approaches, as it offers fresh and engaging strategies for meeting students where they live!”

—Renee Hobbs, founder, Media Education Lab, Temple University



“A must-read for teacher educators who have a responsibility to prepare present and future teachers to deliver instruction that capitalizes on their students’ rich, diverse experiences with popular culture texts.”

—Shelley Hong Xu, California State University, Long Beach

About the author

Margaret C. Hagoodteaches courses in 21st-century literacies at the College of Charleston; Donna E. Alvermannis a distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia; and Alison Heron-Hrubyis assistant professor at George Mason University.