This should have been the title of my i-search paper. My topic was young adult literature and other than the fact that I had to work, I actually doing walking through this topic and paper. I chose it b/c Chapter 1 of Christenbury, when she quotes a student who said, "English class ruined every good book I read," I couldn't get past it. Partly b/c its my story. Partly b/c I have heard that same echo way too many times. And partly b/c if there is one goal that I have as a teacher, its that my students will never be able to make that comment. And somehow I felt as though part of the answer to this dilemma is found in YAL.
Everything I read supports the notion that YAL should be present in some form within the classroom setting. There was some argument as to what that would look like practically speaking, but the truth remains the same - if students are going to enjoy class, feel engaged in what they are reading then we have to do more than just shove Chaucer and Shakespeare down their throats. They need to feel some freedom to choose to read what they want to read, not what we want them to read. And in most cases, students are going to want to read things that would fit more in the YAL genre.
I really didn't find a lot of practical applications other than "use it" but the more I think through it, the more some of those ideas come to me. For example, within the context of a unit plan, I would like to incorporate a classic or a higher-level reading book and then maybe utilize literature circles as students can choose a second book to read in the unit that would fit the theme and give them a choice.
I'm also taking a YAL class correspondence and so I get to choose the books that I read, which I am having a ton of fun with. And I'm finding that the stuff they are reading is way different than the feel-good "Babysitter Clubs" of my days.
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4 comments:
I like that idea - using YAL beside texts like Chaucer or Shakespeare. I feel like students could get bogged down with the language or ideas of classic writers (because I do!), but if they were able to have other texts, that they find interesting, is more at their level and that enhances these types of writings, it could be something that they really enjoy!
I don't know much about literature circles, but the more I hear a little bit about them and the different ways that it could be beneficial to the classroom, it sounds like a good idea, and if YAL helps the process of a difficult read, it could make my life easier!
I agree that literary circles will be a great outlet for student's personla interest because we must shove books down their throats, that we might not even enjoy. I'm not that much of a fan if the Canterbury Tales myself.
~Stan
Personally, I enjoy my Young Adult Lit class, because it wasn't the "feel good" Baby-sitters Club type of work.
The more I observe students in high school English classrooms, I think that its not that they don't want to read (or learn for that matter), its that they don't seem to see ANY connection to some of the text in which we require them to look at. We have to find ways to connect them to concepts and literary works and using YAL is a great way to do that!!!
I think it is important that we have students have some say in what they are to be reading in class. I know for myself that during High School and even until recently I would never dare pick up a book. I always thought books were boring because those were the types of books that were introduced to me. Many of the books are classics, that have been taught through the decades. Those books are bad but what if the teacher also gave a book that was more modern in time to read as well.
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