"Reading with Calvin
"He's a first-grader who hates school, hates girls and has trouble with bullies. He's not any good at sports. He's a constant thorn in his parents' side. And, he has a wonderful imagination.
"Who else could it be but Calvin?
"'Those things sound so negative, but they're not,' said Tioga teacher Linda Holmen, who gave the above description of the comic-strip character. 'They're humorous.'
"Holmen and another Tioga teacher, Mary Santella-Johnson, wrote 'Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes.' The 200-page book is for teaching reading to students in grades four to nine.
"Holmen and Santella-Johnson began using the cartoon characters with children who have learning disabilities and language disorders. They found the students identified with Calvin, Holmen said.
"'The kids got hooked on him and it just wasn't work,' she said. 'Yet, the kids were working.'"
Minot Daily News
