Students compared and contrasted the central characters in the two stories and talked about the authors' points of view. The lesson highlighted skills covered in class the previous week that the students would be expected to know for the PSSAs.
Hough said she had never encountered a Saturday school before arriving at Shoemaker in the fall.
"At first I didn't know if the kids were going to come," said Hough, a Philadelphia native who had taught at several schools in Atlanta. "It's something that is hard for them to do, but we push them. It's good, and we make it fun for them. I think they come, too, because they are doing better and it builds up their skills. They're successful now."