Creative project engages students

In the Contemporary Literature class at Susitna Valley High School we are reading the book Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. In pursuit of a better understanding of this book about a young Latin American boy, the class was divided into groups to create projects on the contextual aspects of literature.

Everyone was encouraged to steer away from the typical poster board style of project.

One group presented a visual family tree of the characters in the book. The group actually brought in a real tree with summaries and pictures attached to the branches. They gave great insight into the characters and family differences.

Another group enacted a play on the author's life and biography, while the landscape group created a clay model of the New Mexican setting of the novel. The last group presented photos and elaborated on the spiritual elements of the book.

All the presentations helped in diving into the culture show in Bless Me Ultima. Every group showed creativity and endless imagination, making what would have been an otherwise dull project, exciting.

Tamara Odden is a sophomore at Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School.