Joy Hakim: Finding the Stories in Science and History

All of my books focus on subject matter. All of them put that subject matter into a story format. And all of them tie those stories to concrete learning activities. The idea is to engage readers, to make them want to turn the page, and to give them intellectual meat to chew on. Much school learning in recent years has been fact and test driven, with no narrative base. It hasn't worked. The way cultures have traditionally passed on their ideas is through story. The Greeks knew that, and so, too, did Mr. McGuffey, whose "readers" taught generations of Americans.

This is the Information Age. To productively handle information you need to research (read), process (think), and use (write). So reading, writing and critical thinking have become today’s essential skills. They are what I, as a writer, do as a way of life. It’s fun. And it's the kind of training that all our students need.

So, instead of teaching “reading” as an abstract decoding process, think of reading/thinking/writing as the core of all subject matter learning. No teacher should be able to say, “I’m not a reading teacher.” And no teacher should say, “I’m just a reading teacher.” Decoding skills are helpful, but that's not what reading is about. Reading is inextricably linked to what is being read. Content is what reading is about. Reading strategies may help some challenged readers, but the focus should be on meaning and use.

As for history and science, they both demand and enhance nonfiction reading skills. They teach critical thinking. I see them as the ultimate Information Age subjects. History is a great mother discipline—it brings all the others together. A curriculum without a strong base in history has little substance. And science, without its stories, is often shallow and hard to remember.

My husband and I now live in Colorado, but we raised our children in Virginia and have many ties to that state. I grew up in Rutland, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School. I earned a bachelor's degree in government at Smith College, a master's degree and an honorary doctorate from Goucher College. A perennial student, I've taken courses at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Bennington, Cornell, and the Wharton School of Business.

I've been a teacher: in Syracuse, New York, Omaha, Nebraska, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And I've taught in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in a community college.

I've also been a newspaper woman: a general reporter, a business reporter, and an associate editor and editorial writer at Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot. I was an assistant editor at McGraw-Hill's World News, and a freelancer for a number of publications.

We have three children and five grandchildren. Currently I'm writing about biology, it's an amazing subject. I'm having fun.

I get lots of letters (now most by email) from readers. It's a bonus I didn't expect. They're all wonderful; some are really special.

A third grader wrote to me and commented on my use of the second person. But the comment that always makes me laugh comes in the third paragraph...

(You may have to zoom to read the words).