Building Literacy Through Pop Culture in the ELA Classroom

Jen McConnel teaches English at North Carolina State University, USA. She earned her Ph.D. from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and is also the author of Styling Your Writing: Mixing and Matching Academic Writing Techniques to Create Something Uniquely You (Routledge 2022).

Jen McConnel’s work offers an accessible and fascinating framework for evaluating pop-culture texts and integrating them into the classroom. It’s a wealth of pragmatic and exciting teaching tools, as well as an incredibly timely resource— a must-read for teachers working to engage their students with pop-culture at the high school and college level!Meghann Meeusen, Master Faculty Specialist, Western Michigan University, USADr. Jen McConnel's Building Literacy Through Pop Culture in the ELA Classroom: Strategies for English in High School and College is exactly what it aims to be-- a straight-forward, honest look at how we can engage our students in dynamic discussion and analysis by adding pop culture to our syllabus. Teaching popular texts and media does not mean diluting the traditional canon or dismissing what has been considered sacred. On the contrary, the inclusivity and relative allusions of pop culture can spark memorable connections. Dr. McConnel offers appropriate, meaningful suggestions and framework to make that happen.Melissa Ann Poff, High School English Teacher and Literacy SpecialistBuilding Literacy Through Pop Culture in the ELA Classroom by Jen McConnel is an indispensable resource for educators aiming to engage students with relevant and dynamic content. McConnel masterfully intertwines theoretical frameworks with practical strategies, providing a roadmap for integrating multimodal popular culture texts into high school and college instruction. This book is a must-read for teachers looking to enhance their literacy classrooms with culturally relevant and student-centered practices. Kirsti Cole, Professor of English, North Carolina State University, USA

• 1. Choosing to Teach with Pop Culture 2. Worldbuilding: Theory and Framework 3. Teaching on the Big Screen: Heroes, Villains, or In-Between? 4. Fan Practices in the Classroom: Shaping the Narrative 5. Teaching Shakespeare: Familiar Ground, New Adventures 6. It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: Digital and Critical Literacies in Contemporary Teen Fiction 7. Allyship in the Multiverse: What Rick Riordan Presents Can Teach Us 8. Pop Culture in the Pandemic: A Moment in Time