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Imagine shark jaws measuring 10 feet wide and 8 feet tall, filled with 6-7 inch teeth! These massive choppers belonged to Carcharodon megalodon, the prehistoric cousin of the Great White, a shark that makes "JAWS" look like a guppy. The jaws, built and owned by fossil hunter Vito Bertucci (the teeth are all real) were on display at this year's National Education Association (NEA) convention in New Orleans, the largest gathering of teachers in the country. The MEG jaws were part of the Adopt-An-Author booth, a nationwide program designed to excite middle and high school students about reading. The program is free to teachers, and uses modern-day novels very popular among teens. Teachers have access to free curriculum, projects, and materials, while their students interact directly with the authors through e-mail, newsletters, visitations, and conference calls right into the classroom. Best-selling author Steve Alten's thrillers are at the heart of the program. His first novel, MEG, featured the 70-foot Megalodon shark and was rated #1 book for reluctant readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Alten explains, "Teachers have been amazed at how well their students have taken to Adopt-An-Author. The combination of exciting novels and direct contact with the author adds a whole new dimension to learning." Alten's background is in academics; he earned a Doctorate in Education and is certified to teach. Since 1975, a six-fold increase in funding has gone into our educational system and yet, NAEP reading test scores reflect no significant difference. Perhaps the real challenge is simply to make reading fun. Adopt-An-Author, while only in its third year, already has over 1,500 schools participating, and teacher, student and parental responses to the program have been outstanding. Alten's newest thriller, GOLIATH (TOR/Forge)was released in mass market paperback during the July NEA convention and is proving a popular addition to the program. The novel, written prior to the events of 9-11, is about a victim of oppression who hijacks the world's most dangerous sub in order to use its weapons of mass destruction to forge his own road map to peace...unaware that the bio-chemical computer on-board the Goliath has been programmed to learn. While Adopt-An-Author grew from the huge response to Alten's books, the program also recommends books written by various authors, which helps teachers educate their students in other academic areas. Teachers can register for free at AdoptAnAuthor.com.
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