I think I might be the last to write about this reading...can you tell I'm a procrastinator? (Note that there's only an hour from the post date to the time class is supposed to start.)
I agree with all the enthusiasm everyone's given this chapter - the use of YA and graphic novels, tips on drama and poetry, and the reader response standpoint. I think the only thing I have to add is that when I was in high school, English classes were divided into "American Lit" and "English Lit", and so I tend to think of my own classroom that way. I just remember leaving these two classes with no more ideas about "America" or "England" than I had when I went in. Yes, all the books were by American authors, but I didn't know where they fit in to the culture or the country - they were haphazardly thrown together with no background information. I don't want to provide too much historical info if it's not relevant, but I think most of the time, it IS, especially since the issues of the past rarely stay in the past. There's the connection - students see the historical significance and respond to that issue as well as the text itself. As much as I love books, I love ideas more, and "experiencing" a text seems pretty useless to me if the student can't apply it to issues in his/her own world.
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Hi, Katie,
I'm reading this the morning after class, and one sentence stuck out for me: "I didn't know any more after I left the class."
That harkens back to the assessment piece. What will students know when they leave? And, is it any different than when they came in?
I totally agree Katie. The history of a text makes a huge difference to me in how I relate to the reading, author, and the assignments that go with it. I don't want to put too much historical knowledge in their little brains either, or do I.., it only benefits their intelligence, eh? It makes the text more interesting to know the history of the author. It helps you relate to the reading on a personal level.
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