Adolescents on the Edge: Stories and Lessons to Transform Learning

"Literacy is freedom and everyone has something significant to say."
-Jimmy Santiago Baca

Fusing Jimmy Santiago Baca's talents as a writer of memoir with ReLeah Cossett Lent's expertise in building and empowering classroom communities, Adolescents on the Edge offers a completely new approach to reaching at-risk adolescents. Centered around conflicts and life-altering choices, Baca's gripping personal narratives-delivered through short stories and live-from-the-classroom videos-will resonate with students and provide rich opportunities for them to reflect on their own decision making. Through these stories and their accompanying activities, students witness the power of literacy and learn that their power, too, lives in the words they speak, write, and share with others.

Watch a video overview.

Adolescents on the Edge components

- The complete teacher's book, Adolescents on the Edge, describes the elements and professional understandings needed to cultivate transformative learning environments. After detailing the role of trust and dialogue in creating a classroom community, ReLeah presents proven strategies for engaging and motivating students.

The second half of the teacher's book provides new stories Jimmy has written especially for adolescents. Each story is reproducible and is supported by teaching strategies.

- An accompanying DVD welcomes your students into a real classroom to watch master storyteller Jimmy Baca in action. After the stories teachers can watch Jimmy and ReLeah lead students in follow-up lessons and reflect on their own practice.

The 10 stories from the teacher's book are also available in an optional book for students. Stories from the Edge enriches and extends Baca's critically acclaimed memoir A Place to Stand. In addition, Jimmy has written three more stories for students to read independently.

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