November is “Catching Fire” Month on Teach.com!

Catching Fire, the film adaptation of the second book in the international bestselling trilogy The Hunger Games, comes to the big screen on November 22. This installment of the equally popular movie franchise, which tells the story of a dystopic future where the 12 districts of Panem rebel against a totalitarian Capitol, is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the season.

Students love The Hunger Games, but their fascination doesn't simply have to be an obsession with popular culture. Great teachers like yourselves recognize the potential to transform something entertaining into something educational, harnessing students' interests to engage them in productive learning.

In the spirit of turning popular culture into a teachable moment, Teach.com is proud to announce Catching Fire Month! In addition to our regular content, we are bringing you a series of blogs that explore the educational potential of The Hunger Games: themes that can be applied to history, literature, and science lessons, activities to cultivate analytical and critical thinking skills, and discussions on popular culture in general. All of this culminates in an amazing, original lesson plan created for Teach.com by Tracee Orman: Teach 100 blogger and curator of the site Hunger Games Lessons.

Tracee has been creating Hunger Games curriculum materials, lesson plans, and multimedia content since 2009. Upon reading the trilogy she recognized the opportunity to create resources that would help teachers get students excited about reading. Teach.com is thrilled to partner with her for this creative project.

But we also want to hear from you! As outstanding educators, how do you get students excited about reading? Do you teach The Hunger Games, or is there another book you use to spark a passion for learning in your students? Throughout the month, we invite you to share your own stories about a particularly innovative way you've made reading fun.

Tweet at us (@Teachdotcom) or post on our Facebook wall using the hashtags #hgteacher or #popreading to post links to your own lessons, tips and tidbits for fellow teachers, or pictures. If you'd like to write for us about The Hunger Games, education and popular culture, or reading lessons in general, we'd be thrilled to feature you!

Exploring the intersections of education and popular culture is an ongoing discussion for educators seeking to be change agents. As we look forward to the release of Catching Fire, join Teach.com in celebrating the impact this and other franchises have on education.

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