This blog represents the work I have done for my Young Adult Literature class this semester. I have enjoyed this class greatly, and learned a lot. When I enrolled in this class, my view of young adult literature was fairly narrow- I thought of young adult literature as something simplified for the masses, and even had doubts about whether it belonged in the high-school classroom. My work in this class has taught me otherwise; literature written for young adults in this century has reached a high bar. Within the category of "Young Adult Literature", one can find a multiplicity of styles and genres, from science-fiction to romance.
Although high-school students should have some knowledge of the literary classics by graduation, young-adult literature that correlates with these classics is extremely common; young adult authors have learned the value of creating works which act as lead-ins to their more adult counterparts. Little Brother is a great example of this, as it ties in so heavily with 1984. The George Orwell book can be intimidating to reluctant readers, but Doctorow's book is easy to read and engaging to the young mind, and could really get students interested in reading 1984. I was fascinated by dystopian literature when I was in high school; classics like Brave New World and 1984 inspired me to become a life-long reader, so I would love to find strategies for passing on this gift to a younger generation.
Another important thing I have learned this semester is the value of incorporating a visual element into literature for young readers. Often, what makes a student a reluctant reader is their orientation towards a more visual mode of learning. Students who excel in Art often have difficulty in English classes, and the inclusion of a visual element can act as motivator for these students to get interested in literature. I conducted a snap-shot survey about the advantages of using graphic novels in the classroom and found that many students would react positively to this medium, especially those who have an interest in art. My analysis of the survey is included here under the heading "Reading Survey". One thing that I find important to note here is that I do not believe graphic novels to be any any less "literary" than their written word counterparts. Graphic novels such as Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Art Spiegelman's Maus, and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis are representative of this: they explore mature literary and social ideas in a way that defies the label of mere comic, and they deserve to take their place among literary classics. A section of Maus can be found in the Norton Anthology of American Literature, and I would not be surprised if Persepolis found its way into an anthology like this as well.
I am glad that I had the opportunity to take this class. I feel that the knowledge I have gained will help me to be a better and more well-rounded teacher of English. Find included here an overview of the various assignments I have completed for the course, as well as short descriptions of each of the novels I have read. I think that the content here represents a diversified knowledge of the field of young adult literature, and people may even be able to use the material here to help in their own teaching efforts. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Discussion Board
I found the discussion board to be very useful for connecting with the other students in the class who had read the same books. The board allowed for a fuller discussion of the novels that would have taken up too much time to be done in class. Also, without time constraints, one could bring up deeper questions that were brought up in the novels. The use of a discussion board in conjunction with class time is a great idea, and I apprecited being able to post. Here are a few of the posts that I made.
| opic: | Perks of Being a Wallflower |
| Thread: | Untraumatized Readers |
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| Author: Daniel Andrew Scott | Posted on: 2-15-11 |
| The ending and it's effect on the reader I agree with your post. i really enjoyed this novel and felt that I could deeply relate to Charlie. Aside from a few warning signs, Charlie seems to be a perfect example of the smart high school student who is unable to relate to many of peers precisely because he is so smart. The ending came as a complete surprise to me (as the author probably intended). Unfortunately, it really decreased the identification I felt to the book. Having never been molested, I almost felt bad about identifying so deeply with the character because that occurence far outweighs any of the problems I had in high school. Nonetheless, i had a deep emotional connection with this book, and it is my favorite that i have read in this class so far. |
| Topic: | Little Brother |
| Thread: | Connection to 1984 |
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| Author: Daniel Andrew Scott | Posted on: 4-12-11 |
| Connection to 1984 The title of this book is clearly a reference to George Orwell's "1984", and I really enjoyed how it kind of turns Orwell's idea of Big Brother on it's head. Thousands of kids with superior computer skills to their elders turning the internet against the government is an exciting and inflammatory theme. This book has tie-in to other great literature as well, such as Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" and Allen Ginsberg's "Howl". This book would be great to start a reading ladder that leads to the aforementioned books and poem. I think that a lot of teens would really connect with this novel- it is exciting and even somewhat subversive. I really hope that this book is not censored in schools- students would have much to gain and be inspired by in this excellent novel. |
Book Talk
I really enjoyed doing my Book Talk. I chose Ender's Game, one of my favorite books from childhood, as my topic. Ender's Game has a huge focus on technology and video games, so I decided to bring in some of the video game controllers I have collected ever the years to demonstrate how fast technology advances, and to engage my audience in my topic. I think that this strategy worked well. I have included below some of the responses that I received from my presentation.Cute props with the controllers. Wow- the thought that you are only allowed to live because of your level of intelligence. The excerpt you chose makes me want to read the book and I don't always gravitate towards science fiction. -Danelle
Nice hook. You certainly got all of our attention. Funny too. Sounds like a good book. -Hilary
Excellent use of visual elements! Using the game controllers to explain some of the sci-fi elements of the book was a great choice. This is one of my favorite novels and I think you did well in summing up the complexities of the story in a few minutes -Jenifer
Spent a lot of time explaining your tie-ins instead of the game. -Zach
Controllers, innovations, video game techonology, population control- tie to The Giver Detailed information was very interesting. I am happy you didn't give away anything about the ending. -Amanda
Reading Survey
My intention with my reading survey was to try to gather some information on the impact that the introduction of graphic novels would have on the classroom. The questions that were most important in my mind at the time were: would students be interested in reading graphic novels? If students were offered a graphic novel version of their text as a supplement, would they still read the main text? Also, is there a correlation between students who are artistically inclined and those who would be interested in reading a graphic novel? Although my sample group was fairly small, I was able to glean quite a bit of information. I have included a copy of my survey questions and the text of my Survey Analysis below:
Survey Questions
Survey Questions
1. How much time would you say that you spend reading each week? Include magazines, internet, comics, newspaper, etc.
A. I don’t read B. Less than one hour C. 1-2 hours D. 2-4 hours E. 4 or more hours
2. Of this time, how much time would you say that you spend reading magazines or comics?
3. How much time would you say you spend reading books?
4. Do you read comic books regularly?
5. How much time per week would you say you spend on reading for school?
6. If you were given the choice to read a novel in its original written form or read a comic book that was based on it and told the same story, which would you choose to read?
A. Both B. Just the novel C. Just the comic D. Neither
Survey Analysis
My intention in selecting the questions for my survey was to determine what high school and middle school students’ reaction would be to supplementing novelistic reading with graphic novels based on the original novels. There is an increasing trend towards creating graphic versions of classic novels, with novels such as Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Dark Tower by Stephen King now available in graphic format. Both of these graphic novel translations were created with the involvement of the authors, which shows that many authors are willing to see their work translated into graphic context. The potential for motivating readers by offering graphic novels as supplementary material is huge, in my opinion, but it comes with inherent dangers as well. Some students, having been offered a shorter and less reading intensive alternative, may choose to forgo reading the novel altogether. However, for students who associate better with visual stimuli and don’t enjoy reading, these graphic versions could serve as a jumping off point for getting into books. Imagine a kid who enjoys reading comics but lacks the motivation or attention span for more “serious” literature. Giving them a comic book that allows them to more easily connect to the story could actually motivate them to read the novel if they found the story interesting, and that experience might re-motivate them to read books. It was with these questions and considerations in mind that I constructed my survey.
The first eight sources on my data sheet were drawn from a Sophomore homeroom at Denver Academy
The first question I asked was the estimated amount of time per week the students spent reading. As one might expect, the two youngest readers estimated the lowest amount of time, with one 14-year-old answering that he doesn’t read at all. (Interestingly enough, when given the choice between art and literature as his preferred class, he answered literature). The most common choice for amount of weekly reading was 2-4 hours, while the second most common was 1-2 hours. This shows, within my limited sample, a trend towards two predominant types of readers- those who read fairly often and those who read infrequently. Within the 2-4 hour group, there was an even split between students preference for art or literature class.
Two students responded that they read for 4 or more hours per week. One of these students expressed a preference for art over literature, and the other responded that it depends on the teacher. I had expected to find that the most avid readers would express a preference for literature, but this assumption turned out to be wrong.
The two most important questions on my survey concerned the use of graphic novels in the classroom. The first of these questions was a straightforward choice: If you could choose to read a novel in its original form or read a graphic novel which was based on the book and told the same story, which would you choose? I found an almost even split on this question, with one student claiming no preference. The second of these questions was a 4-way choice: If your teacher asked you to read BOTH a novel and a comic book interpretation of the novel, would you read neither, just the comic, just the novel, or both? The greatest number of students answered that they would read both. Among those who would read just one or the other, the general preference leaned slightly towards just reading the comic. Among those who expressed a preference for art over literature, the majority (3/5) claimed that they would read just the comic, while the remaining two students said that they would read both. None of the students who prefer art would read just the novel, but would read both, as they had been asked, or read just the comic. Within the admittedly limited scope of my survey, this shows that students who prefer art would be interested in reading graphic interpretations of novels.
Only two students indicated that they read comic books regularly. Both of these students responded that if they were asked to read both mediums they would. One of these students expressed that if he was given the choice, he would read the novel.
Although it is difficult to draw any general conclusions from such a small snapshot, my results from this sample seem to show that the inclusion of graphic interpretations of novels would be positive. The majority of students, if asked, would read both mediums. There is a danger here as well- among those who would read only one or the other, slightly more responded that they would read just the comic. However, this amount was not overwhelming. The section in our main text by Bucher and Manning is consistent with my findings. Bucher and Manning stress that the graphic novel should not be written off as “mere fluff”, but can be a valuable teaching and motivational tool, especially for reluctant readers and visual learners.
Although this was just a snapshot, I was able to garner some useful information from this survey. I had been concerned that the majority of students would just read the comic if asked to read both, but the majority claimed that they would read both, so this concern seems to be unfounded based on the snapshot. I had expected that if given the choice, most students would prefer to read the comic because it would require less time and effort, but my results indicated an even split. Most students seem to be willing to read the novel, even when offered a less reading-intensive alternative. This survey was a valuable experience because it showed me that some of my concerns about including the graphic novel as a part of class might not be as grounded as I had thoughtLiteracy Narrative
The literacy narrative was a great way to start off the semester. It gave me the chance to share my reading background with the professor, as well as reflect on the book that have made an impression on me over the years. It was great to think back about books that I read young and will always remember: Ender's Game, the Lord of the Rings, 1984, and Brave New World, as well as many others. I have included the full text of my literacy narrative below:
I have been an avid reader since middle school. The earliest books I can remember enjoying are Ender's Game and The Hobbit. These books were fascinating to me because they allowed me to escape the mundane and sometimes unpleasant world of the American middle school student and experience fantastic realms where adventure is a given. I would view my reading during this period as a sort of escapism. My positive experience with The Hobbit led me to take on The Lord of the Rings as an 8th grader.
Although my younger years as a reader were dominated by science fiction and fantasy, the two books that influenced me the most as a reader were Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. These books appealed to me in high school, a time when I was heavily questioning the structures of the society I was living in. These books taught me that literature can be just as destabilizing and rebellious as the punk music that I loved so much at the time. Another book that I loved during this time was Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man. The introduction to this book affected me in a profound way: so much that I have remembered it ever since.
I studied philosophy my first time around in college, which introduced me to such fictional works as The Stranger and The Fall by Albert Camus, The Brothers Karamozov and Demons by Dostoyevsky, and The Trial and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Although these books are not commonly used in the high-school curriculum (I certainly did not encounter them until later in life), I think that most of them would have value to certain high-school students. With the exception of Dostoyevsky, most of these books are written in a very straightforward, easy-to-understand diction. The complexities of these novels lie in their subtle implications, which might be only partially understood by high-school students. To encounter these ideas early, however, would be beneficial to many students. Philosophy is all to often (read: almost always) overlooked in secondary education, and the introduction of books like these would allow students to encounter philosophical ideas early on without the benefit of a high school philosophy class, which is almost always absent in America.
In my later life, I have continued to read avidly. in my twenties I discovered such authors as Tom Robbins, David Foster Wallace, Cormac McCarthy, Kurt Vonnegut, and Phillip K. Dick. I would have to say that my favorite novel at the moment is Infinite Jest, although Philip Dick's Valis and Vonnegut's Slapstick are right up there. I hope that I have herein provided a general overview of my reading background. If there is one value that I see in reading, it is the access to an infinity of ideas inherited through writing and thought, in a way that movies and television can never really approach.
I have been an avid reader since middle school. The earliest books I can remember enjoying are Ender's Game and The Hobbit. These books were fascinating to me because they allowed me to escape the mundane and sometimes unpleasant world of the American middle school student and experience fantastic realms where adventure is a given. I would view my reading during this period as a sort of escapism. My positive experience with The Hobbit led me to take on The Lord of the Rings as an 8th grader.
Although my younger years as a reader were dominated by science fiction and fantasy, the two books that influenced me the most as a reader were Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. These books appealed to me in high school, a time when I was heavily questioning the structures of the society I was living in. These books taught me that literature can be just as destabilizing and rebellious as the punk music that I loved so much at the time. Another book that I loved during this time was Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man. The introduction to this book affected me in a profound way: so much that I have remembered it ever since.
I studied philosophy my first time around in college, which introduced me to such fictional works as The Stranger and The Fall by Albert Camus, The Brothers Karamozov and Demons by Dostoyevsky, and The Trial and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Although these books are not commonly used in the high-school curriculum (I certainly did not encounter them until later in life), I think that most of them would have value to certain high-school students. With the exception of Dostoyevsky, most of these books are written in a very straightforward, easy-to-understand diction. The complexities of these novels lie in their subtle implications, which might be only partially understood by high-school students. To encounter these ideas early, however, would be beneficial to many students. Philosophy is all to often (read: almost always) overlooked in secondary education, and the introduction of books like these would allow students to encounter philosophical ideas early on without the benefit of a high school philosophy class, which is almost always absent in America.
In my later life, I have continued to read avidly. in my twenties I discovered such authors as Tom Robbins, David Foster Wallace, Cormac McCarthy, Kurt Vonnegut, and Phillip K. Dick. I would have to say that my favorite novel at the moment is Infinite Jest, although Philip Dick's Valis and Vonnegut's Slapstick are right up there. I hope that I have herein provided a general overview of my reading background. If there is one value that I see in reading, it is the access to an infinity of ideas inherited through writing and thought, in a way that movies and television can never really approach.
Reflections on the main text
The main text for this course was quite useful for me. I plan to become a secondary English teacher and the information it provided seemed well suited to that purpose. I learned the definition of young adult literature (something which, surprisingly, I was unaware of). I have always been more interested in more adult literature, and I had thought of young adult literature as being something dumbed down for mass consumption. The discussion of young adult literature and its significance and meaning in the first section of the book helped me to see its value for teaching, and to realize that a knowledge of young adult literature in invaluable for anyone pursuing a teaching career.
Since I want to teach at the high school level, the primary importance of young adult literature for me is as a motivator or introduction to more advanced texts. Many of the books we have read this year fit this purpose perfectly.
The second section of the text concerned the many types of problem novels that exist and the advantages, criticisms, and classroom uses that they have. There are many types of problem novel, from those that deal with multicultural issues, to those which focus on the rapidly changing body, to those that deal with family or peer relationships. The chapter also discusses more optimistic novels, such as those about friendship and love, and novels whose protagonist allows readers to live vicariously through them. The chapter claims that these two types make up the majority of what is considered young-adult literature, but I think that there is literature from many other genres that could be put into this category, such as fantasy (Piers Anthony), sci-fi (Feed), supernatural (Twilight), or magic realism (Zora and Me). The author probably didn't include these categories because there are many other book in these categories that are adult literature, but I think it is hard to pin down exactly what makes something "young adult". Almost any genre could have books within it that could be classified this way.
The next section of the text dealt with censorship, an issue which is critical to the teachers of today. I appreciated the honest discussion of censorship that I found here. The book points out that those who wish to censor literature have rights too- their right to free speech gives them the right to hold whatever opinions they wish about what their children read, even when they may be mistaken about its content. Also discussed are many different types of censorship that occur, from directly taking a book out of the curriculum, to removing from library shelves, to more subtle types of censorship like passing over a book for your syllabus because you suspect that its subject matter may cause controversy. Censorship is something that has been happening for years, and will continue to happen, but it is a teacher's duty to stand behind a book if they feel it will benefit their students. The text gives some good tools for doing so.
The next chapter of the text discusses the benefits of using poetry in the classroom. I have always been interested in poetry as a writer and a reader so I appreciated the treatment that it got here. Poetry is often seen as something that the young won't enjoy, but there is massive evidence to the contrary. Kids all over the world are listening to hip-hop, which is certainly a form of poetry. The problem isn't that kids don't like poetry- it's that they are not being given poetry that they like. Books such as Crank, which I read this semester, may be a solution to this problem. The thing about poetry is that it relies so much on its surrounding culture for its resonance- modern kids want to read modern poetry, not Elizabethan sonnets.
The final section of out text focuses on comic books, magazines and graphic novels. While these formats have often been considered "low" by teachers, I believe there is an enormous potential for engaging teens who might otherwise be reluctant in their reading. Many students connect more to something they can see visually on the page rather than reading it and forming a picture in their minds. While some may say that the use of these mediums may undermine students imagination, I think that pictures are often more stimulating to the imagination than words. A huge multitude of artistic styles can be found in graphic novels and comic books. Who is to say that artistic literacy is any less important than reading literacy?
All in all, I thought that the selections which were chosen for our main task were engaging, useful, and appropriate. I have taken a lot from the text, as I am sure the other students in the class have as well, although it was definitely more inclined to those with teaching aspirations.
Since I want to teach at the high school level, the primary importance of young adult literature for me is as a motivator or introduction to more advanced texts. Many of the books we have read this year fit this purpose perfectly.
The second section of the text concerned the many types of problem novels that exist and the advantages, criticisms, and classroom uses that they have. There are many types of problem novel, from those that deal with multicultural issues, to those which focus on the rapidly changing body, to those that deal with family or peer relationships. The chapter also discusses more optimistic novels, such as those about friendship and love, and novels whose protagonist allows readers to live vicariously through them. The chapter claims that these two types make up the majority of what is considered young-adult literature, but I think that there is literature from many other genres that could be put into this category, such as fantasy (Piers Anthony), sci-fi (Feed), supernatural (Twilight), or magic realism (Zora and Me). The author probably didn't include these categories because there are many other book in these categories that are adult literature, but I think it is hard to pin down exactly what makes something "young adult". Almost any genre could have books within it that could be classified this way.
The next section of the text dealt with censorship, an issue which is critical to the teachers of today. I appreciated the honest discussion of censorship that I found here. The book points out that those who wish to censor literature have rights too- their right to free speech gives them the right to hold whatever opinions they wish about what their children read, even when they may be mistaken about its content. Also discussed are many different types of censorship that occur, from directly taking a book out of the curriculum, to removing from library shelves, to more subtle types of censorship like passing over a book for your syllabus because you suspect that its subject matter may cause controversy. Censorship is something that has been happening for years, and will continue to happen, but it is a teacher's duty to stand behind a book if they feel it will benefit their students. The text gives some good tools for doing so.
The next chapter of the text discusses the benefits of using poetry in the classroom. I have always been interested in poetry as a writer and a reader so I appreciated the treatment that it got here. Poetry is often seen as something that the young won't enjoy, but there is massive evidence to the contrary. Kids all over the world are listening to hip-hop, which is certainly a form of poetry. The problem isn't that kids don't like poetry- it's that they are not being given poetry that they like. Books such as Crank, which I read this semester, may be a solution to this problem. The thing about poetry is that it relies so much on its surrounding culture for its resonance- modern kids want to read modern poetry, not Elizabethan sonnets.
The final section of out text focuses on comic books, magazines and graphic novels. While these formats have often been considered "low" by teachers, I believe there is an enormous potential for engaging teens who might otherwise be reluctant in their reading. Many students connect more to something they can see visually on the page rather than reading it and forming a picture in their minds. While some may say that the use of these mediums may undermine students imagination, I think that pictures are often more stimulating to the imagination than words. A huge multitude of artistic styles can be found in graphic novels and comic books. Who is to say that artistic literacy is any less important than reading literacy?
All in all, I thought that the selections which were chosen for our main task were engaging, useful, and appropriate. I have taken a lot from the text, as I am sure the other students in the class have as well, although it was definitely more inclined to those with teaching aspirations.
Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Rules of Survival is the story of Matthew Walsh and his two younger sisters, who survive through the emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon them by their mother Nikki. At the beginning of the novel, Matt is writing a letter to his younger sister Emmy outlining the "rules for survival" with their abusive mother. Matt and his younger sister befirend a man named Murdoch, who later becomes Nikki's boyfriend. Their relationship is short-lived however, and when Murdoch breaks up with Nikki she tries to report him to Social Services for abuse. When this doesn't work, she gets her friend Rob to beat him up, and both Nikki and Rob go to jail. Matt's father and Nikki's sister gain joint custody of the kids, but when Nikki gets out of jail she kidnaps her 8-year-old daughter and gets her drunk. The younger sister, Emmy, calls Matthew and tells him where she is, and Matt goes to rescue her only to be confronted by Nikki. Matt is about to kill his mother when Murdoch shows up and advises her to leave and never come back. We find out at the end of the novel that Murdoch's family was abusive as well. Matt decides not to give the letter to Emmy.Analysis: This is a very intense book, and perhaps one that should be kept in the library rather than the classroom. The issues dealt with in this book are unfortunately ones that may have a deep emotional significance to certain members of the class. While some students may be shocked by the actions of Nikki, others may find them all too familiar. The book is well-written but the subject matter is extremely negative and emotional. This book could be read by middle-schoolers, but the subject matter may be a bit too intense for kids of that age, so it might be better saved for high-school or even left out of the classroom and kept in the library.
Ideas: If a teacher does decide to use this book in the classroom, they should know their students very well. If you suspect that a child may be familiar with this kind of abuse, it is important to talk to them about it so that they are able to confront the issue rather than just feeling attacked. Kids may say, "No mother is that neglectful and mean", but some kids may already know that this is not true. This is an emotional novel, and if it is used, the teacher must be ready for a possible emotional reaction- if this occurs, it must be confronted rather than overlooked.
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