Totally Rad Reading! #bookhenge

Poem? Where? Where? Darn it! I see the dedication but no poem. What the…? Perhaps if I click on the half wagon wheel image, I’ll see the poem. Stupid computer! I click. Spin, spin, spin, spin. Then spin seven more times and one lonely it spins. Huh? Is that it? What kind of poem is this? Sheesh! Radical change? I guess. Certainly a far cry from Whitman or Dickinson. Is this some sort of avant-garde technique that’s just too hip for me to understand? A collage of repetitive words? I hover the mouse over one of the spins. I click, fully expecting a definition of the word spin to pop up. No definition, but poetry. Oh, I see now. Each spin is a link to a piece of the poem. I start again at what I presume to be the beginning. I click on the far left spin. Then I click the next in the arc, moving clockwise. Wait… Am I doing this correctly? Maybe I should click the spins with the smallest font size first. Still, some are the same font size, so do I apply a second order and click font size first but continue to go clockwise? What about the solitary it spins? Is that first or last? Hmmm…  Maybe it’s up to me to choose the order. I’m now reminded of a book my daughter had when she was little that featured three different paths the reader could choose for the character. At each point in the story when the three different scenarios presented themselves, she would choose one and influence the outcome of the story. Even though she always chose the same paths so the story always ended the same, she could have changed the story if she pleased. I suppose consistency is comforting for a four year old.  O.k., so back to “Skeleton Sky.” What is the author’s intention? Does she intend for the reader to create the poem himself? Maybe, and why not? According to Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, “create” comes at the top. We want our students to be creators of knowledge, not simply consumers of knowledge.  In addition to Guertin’s  use of hypertext to encourage a new type of digital poetry, she encourages readers to create their own experience with the poem. I suppose you could call it an interactive poem, which would certainly fit with Dresang’s notion of “Radical Change.” The cornerstone of digital literacy is being able to read and synthesize information in a non-linear fashion.  Since the internet brings readers non-linear text, it is essential that literature follows suit. In its earliest inception, radical change signified a voice in literature that has not been heard before, and in a sense, the internet is a “voice” in literature that has not been heard before.  Dresang lists books chronologically from as early as 1928 that can be classified as examples of radical change. From early picture books like Goodnight Moon to the Diary of a Young Girl, written by 12-year-old Holocaust survivor, Anne Frank, literature has always been on the forefront of change. Even today, literature still strives to challenge readers with previously unheard voices. Two modern examples that come to mind are Monster and Will Grayson Will Grayson. I haven’t read the latter, but my understanding is that it is a novel for young adults featuring a gay main character, which introduces a voice that has been quieted for many years. Monster presents a new voice in two ways. First, the narration of the story comes from the perspective of a young criminal suspect, Steve Harmon. Second, the narration is written as a screenplay by the narrator while he awaits trial in jail. Persepolis, a multi-cultural graphic novel, gives equal weight to both a new voice and a new way to read literature just as Monster does. The rarely heard voice of a young Iranian girl coming of age during the Islamic Revolution offers readers a fresh perspective through an untold story written in a new and graphic way. As I embark on my next graphic novel (Persepolis was the first I had ever read), I will view it through Dresang’s lens of radical change.

Everything you ever wanted to know about YA non-fiction but were afraid to ask. Psych! But, three things you should know. #bookhenge

 #1: What’s the difference between text books and non-fiction?

Before I read the selected essays, my initial thought was, “Why would Aronson call non-fiction the neglected stepchild?” After all, non-fiction is a popular genre among YA readers. However, it wasn’t the readers to which Aronson was referring, but rather the genre itself. He says that non-fiction is the neglected stepchild because it is “’good for reports’ and not generally considered great literature” (105). Perhaps this is true of our students’ history texts, but there is plenty of read-worthy nonfiction literature lining the shelves of the library in the YAL section. And guess what? Those books are not sitting around gathering dust, either.  It’s not easy tracking down a checked-in copy of one of the YALSA’s award-winning non-fiction titles. But, Aronson does point out that there is a difference between the history text and creative non-fiction. Creative non-fiction can appeal to students’ interest in thinking while the tired textbook offers up only “factual” information, deterring the reader from drawing his own conclusions or forming his own opinion. I use the word factual loosely, hence the quotation marks, since I’m not entirely sure how cut and dry the facts are. In addition to Aronson’s points about the muddled memories and individual interpretations of history, we mustn’t forget the bias that goes into the textbooks our children read. Surely, it hasn’t slipped your mind that last year Texas, the nation’s largest buyer of textbooks, approved a curriculum change that would re-write American history to give it a more conservative slant. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html. Hmmm... sounds a little like the backlash against pamphleteering in the 1700s, no?

#2: Why boys hate books

Well, they don’t really. They just don’t care for the typical choices found in a language arts class.  Boys turn their noses up at poetry, fiction, and folktales, but please don’t take it personally, English teachers; their intention is not to send you into early retirement. Sure they may have funny nicknames for you or tell you how totally lame your class is, but it’s only because boys are wired differently.  You see, boys seek out knowledge to help them gain physical confidence. They long for articles about autos, discourse on deep sea fishing, and books about baseball.  Since our primary goals as English teachers are to engage our students in reading and teach them to think critically, why not set aside Shakespeare, and give the boys some reading that will pique their interest?

#3: Why you should not neglect non-fiction  

Non-fiction in an English class? Someone alert the history teachers, quick!  The English teachers are teaching non-fiction. Some may even be teaching history! And why shouldn’t they? Aronson implore us not to forget that children love to learn facts. Not fun facts or factoids but real worldly knowledge.  He suggests that perhaps the best way to accomplish this is through creative nonfiction, an accurate yet readable account of history that challenges students to think critically. Don’t think your students will be engaged by non-fiction? Consider Mark Twin’s famous quote, “Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.”

Can Young Adult Literature Promote A Better Understanding of the Classics? #bookhenge

Romeo and Juliet, Beowulf, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, these are what high school English classes are made of. Most English teachers force feed the classics to their students in an effort to create young connoisseurs of classical literature. Perhaps that is why it is not unusual to find so many high school students who despise reading. Instead of providing students with texts that engage, we serve up traditional adult fare that does not appeal to young adolescent appetites. By offering a more palatable assortment of novels, such as those found in the young adult literature genre, we can entice both experienced and inexperienced readers to become more enthusiastic about reading. Including young adult novels in the English literature repertoire will result in a more immersed, receptive reader. 

Gibbons, Dali, and Stallworth (2006) point out that among the research that supports

 this notion is Reed's (1994) conclusion that the young adult novel specifically:

·         helps improve the reading skills of adolescents and allows all readers to read good books;

·         allows adolescents to interact with books as equals, thereby developing both reading skills and critical and creative thinking abilities;

·         encourages adolescents to read more books, thereby improving their abilities to read;

·         allows teachers to incorporate more books of interest to adolescents into the curriculum, thereby avoiding the non-reading curriculum or workbooks and lectures;

·         allows teachers to organize classrooms into reading workshops in which students respond to, experience, and share books; and

·         facilitates the development of an inclusive curriculum in which a variety of books on a variety of themes and in a variety of genres introduce students to themselves, their world, and the worlds of other cultures. (p. 53)

Developing Critical Literacy Skills

With Reed’s observations in mind, it is easy to imagine how far we can stretch our students’ willingness to read, interpret, question, and connect to not only young adult literature but canonical literature as well. Young adult novels can help develop critical literacy skills, which allow students to view critically and evaluate modern societal issues and institutions (Coffee, n.d.).  King (2000) supports Coffee’s theory noting that “if the goal is to teach critical thinking skills in the language arts classroom, research shows it is more effective to begin with young adult literature (YAL) and use it as a bridge into the classics. Furthermore, experienced and inexperienced readers many times disengage when presented with classic literature, further alienating them from the reading experience” (p. 6). I am guilty of disengaging my students with classical literature. For example, while teaching Lord of the Flies as a student teacher in a tenth grade World Literature class, I dutifully stopped at significant points in the novel to point out symbols, themes, motifs, Biblical references—you name it. I covered every base. While most of my students were able to discern the literary conventions, they were unable to truly contextualize them. They had no frame of reference for understanding them; furthermore, students had no interest in understanding them. However, had I paired a young adult novel containing similar ideas with Lord of the Flies, students may have been better equipped to comprehend the novel.

Building on Critical Literacy—the Snowball Effect

Once students have mastered critical literacy through young adult novels, they can build on those skills by empathizing with the characters and circumstances in classical literature. Daniel Pink (2005) maintains that empathy is important because it:

·         Builds strong working relationships.

·         Develops leadership skills.

·         Can be used persuasively.

·         Increases intuition by perpetuating one’s ability to “see” inside the mind of another.

·         Helps us develop interpersonal relationships.

·         Allows us to learn from others by understanding an alternate point of view.

At the same time teachers are constructing critical literacy and empathy, they are also creating prior

knowledge, or schemata, a foundation that can be drawn on later to solve relational problems in

classical literature. R.C. Anderson (1977) describes his schema theory as a way in which one

 understands the world through an organized yet abstract mental structure of concepts. The concepts,

 or schemata, are continuously changing as new knowledge is attained. Some features of schema are

 as follows:

• Schemata are always organized meaningfully, can be added to, and, as an individual gains experience, develop to include more variables and more specificity.
• Each schema is embedded in other schemata and itself contains subschema.
• Schemata change moment by moment as information is received.
• They may also be reorganized when incoming data reveals a need to restructure the concept.
• The mental representations used during perception and comprehension, and which evolve as a result of these processes, combine to form a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. (n.p.)

 Young adult literature can deepen readers’ understanding and build their schema; thus it has the ability to act as a transition to the classics. When students have the opportunity to read and comprehend a novel, they are better able to both synthesize and question its messages. The synthesis of the reading culminates in a reader response. Louise Rosenblatt’s (1938) theory of reader response relies on engagement and fosters text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections. Using YA lit as a bridge to understanding the classics relies heavily on these connections. All are important, but text-to-text is the starting point. Students should be able to make specific text-to-text connections, and then broaden their understanding by making text-to-self and text-to-world connections between both the classical and YAL selections.   

Why YA Lit?

Teaching literary theory to middle and high school students is a daunting task for Language Arts teachers. And if teachers attempt to assume the challenge armed with little more than a dusty stack of classic novels, the end result will likely not yield the anticipated learning outcomes. The key to teaching literary theory is, first and foremost, to engage students. If students have no passion for what they read, how can they be expected to take their level of comprehension beyond the words on the pages? Being literate does not mean that one can simply read the words on a page. Being literate means that a one cannot only read the words on a page, but put them together to construct a meaningful message meant to be analyzed and questioned. So, how can YAL accomplish this? King (2010) believes that “students make a stronger connection with YAL in part because it addresses issues pertaining to their own lives; therefore they are better able to relate to the subject matter” (p. 8).  Of course, I am not advocating that Language Arts teachers abandon the classics. I am simply suggesting that they consider using young adult literature to strengthen comprehension and connections before introducing classical literature. King (2010) goes on to explain that, “research shows students are responding to young adult literature therefore a more effective approach when teaching critical literacy would be to introduce YAL first and then use it as a bridge into classic literature” (p. 4).

Taking it Digital

Henry Jenkins’ theory of participatory learning promotes an environment where students can pool their knowledge, collaborate on theories, and construct a common body of knowledge. Less than twenty years ago, this model of learning seemed improbable if not impossible. But, students today are experts in the participatory culture, so educators need to tap into their students’ capacity as digital creators and sharers of knowledge. Jenkins’ (2009) argues, “our students are already appropriating information from the Web and turning it into new knowledge. They are already learning from each other and participating in the learning of their peers. They already connect, create, collaborate, and circulate information through new media” (n.p.).  Based on Jenkins’ notion that students are hard-wired to share and create information on the web, taking class discussions digital seems a logical step in helping students identify with literature.

Implications for the ALP

Based on text-to-text connections, and built around three core theories, critical literacy, schema theory, and participatory learning, my ALP project is designed as an inquiry into building connections and critical thinking through YAL as a vehicle for comprehension. Many proponents of YAL argue that the genre should be recognized for its own literary value, not just for the meaning it brings to a piece of canonical literature. My ALP does not discount the literary quality or relevance of YAL; in fact, it does just the opposite. My ALP utilizes literary theory in a more relatable, engaging environment—YAL—so that students get comfortable with literary analysis. The very same principals applied to the traditional teaching of classical literature are applied to the YA novel. So, while YAL is used as a bridge to the classics, this is not its sole purpose. Commencing with the novel Nothing by Jann Teller will not only help students to read through a more critical lens, but it will simultaneously build schema; more specifically, it will create prior knowledge of literary theory using a more relevant novel so that students will then have a frame of reference for applying literary theory to William Golding’s classic novel Lord of the Flies. Sharing this knowledge and reframing it can be accomplished through a class wiki or blog where students can engage in dialog about both novels, adding links to applicable articles, blogs, videos, and more. This participatory culture will help students collaborate to create a unified body of knowledge and make cohesive text-to-text connections. Concurrently, through schema and participatory learning, students are constructing critical literacy skills. These skills will allow students to broaden their understanding of both texts, compare their similarities, question the issues raised in both, and examine the larger themes. This process, in turn, influences students to rationally evaluate modern sociological and political institutions while situating themselves within the context of these constructs. The end result is that students will be able to make thoughtful correlations between themselves, the novels, and the world around them.

References

Axiotis, V. M., & Harstad, J. R. “What young adult books have you used successfully to teach

the classics?” (1999). English Journal, 88(3), 27. Retrieved March 10. 2011from EBSCOhost.

Coffee, H. “Critical Literacy.” Retrieved March 12, 2011 from

 http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4437.

Crowe, C. (2000). Young adult literature: Using YA books to teach students to love what

we love. The English Journal, 89(6), 138-141. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from

http://www.jstor.org.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/stable/821289

Gibbons, L., Dali, J., & Stallworth, J. “Young adult literature in the English curriculum today:

classroom teachers speak out.” (2006). The Alan Review, 53-61. Retrieved March 12, 2011from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v33n3/gibbons.pdf.

Jenkins, H. (2009).http://www.henryjenkins.org/2009/05/what_is_learning_in_a_particip_1.html

King, K. (2010). “Using young adult literature and literacy theory to teach middle school

students how to read through critical lenses.” Online Submission, Retrieved from EBSCOhost March 5, 2011.

Knickerbocker, J. & Rycik, J. (2002). “Growing into literature: adolescents' literary

interpretation and appreciation.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
46 (3), 196-208. Retrieved March 14, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/stable/40017127

Koss, M. & Teale, W.  (2009).”What's happening in YA literature? Trends in books for

adolescents.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52 (7 ), 563-572. Retrieved on March 12, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/stable/20468410

Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind: why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY:

 Penguin Publishing.

 “Schema theory of learning.” (1999). LinguaLinks Library. Retrieved  March 14, 2011 from

http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/schematheoryoflearning.htm

Stallworth, B. (2006). “The relevance of young adult literature.” Educational Leadership, 63(7),

 59. Retrieved March 5, 2011 from EBSCOhost.

ALP Project Proposal #bookhenge

My ALP Proposal is still in its preliminary stages since it just started to come together yesterday. As it evolves, I'm sure it will change. Suggestions are much appreciated!

ECI 521 Action Learning Project Proposal

• Name: Maureen Cunningham

• Inquiry Question/Issue/Problem: Can YAL promote a better understanding of the classics?

Relevance of this Inquiry to Young Adult Literature and how it is supported by our

Waves of Change Theoretical Framework: YAL deals with many of the same issues as classical literature but in a more contemporary fashion that students can relate to. Based mostly on the schema theory, I question whether or not creating prior knowledge through YAL can foster a more sophisticated understanding of classical literature. I am also considering Pink’s notion of Empathy. Can students empathize with the characters and situations in classical literature once they have empathized with those in a YAL novel? How can readers make both textual and personal connections with classical literature by bridging it from YAL?

Project Design (what you intend to do, what aspect of the inquiry you will implement,

how you will evaluate your project, how will you collect student feedback . . .): I am meeting in a book club with students who read both Lord of the Flies and Nothing and getting their feedback on the following.

• A.      What connections can students make between LOTF and Nothing?

• B.      Does reading a more contemporary novel aid in the understanding of the classic novel?

• C.      Can students empathize more with the characters in LOTF after reading Nothing? Which ones and why or why not?

• D.      Should these two novels be paired? In what order should they be taught? Does reading the YAL novel first help to transition to the classic one?

My project will be evaluated based on qualitative data, specifically, student feedback.

I will meet in person with students to talk about ideas and collect data.

Project Multimedia Report (how you intend to tell the story of your project, including

what kind of artifacts you will keep and what type of documentation you will do.

If I can borrow a flip cam from NCSU, I would like to videotape our book club meetings, and use it as part of a video presentation for my final report.

Also, any issues related to school policies on media and privacy, security that you

have researched and will adjust for).  I will create a release form for students’ parents to sign to use their images in my video.

Good evening and welcome to America. Who traveled the farthest to get here tonight? Congratultions! You win the award. #bookhenge

I have never given much thought to awards like the Coretta Scott King or the Pura Belpre and what value they contribute to the literary world. I suppose I never much separated the art from the author. I love Maya Angelou, Amy Tan, Langston Hughes, and Lorraine Hansberry. The fact that they do not check off the box labeled Caucasian on the census form makes no difference to me. Their compelling writing of poetry, plays, short stories, and novels are the crux of the matter. While it is true that their unique experiences shape their writing and without these experiences their stories could not be told, is the same not true of all writers? Does ethnicity matter when it comes to exigent prose? Harper Lee is proof positive that one must not necessarily be African American to write a powerful novel about racial discrimination.

I do not believe there is any malicious intent behind the awards, nor do I believe that Aronson condemns the awards for their promotion of authors of different ethnicities. Much to the contrary, I feel that Aronson is trying to find equal footing for these authors, but if the basis of an award for literary quality lies within the writer’s birthplace, it devalues the work, the author, and the reader, thus creating bias, the very thing these awards set out to equalize.  Andrea Davis Pinkney does raise some valid points opposing Aronson’s argument, however. She reminds us that we don’t live in an ideal world and that three Newberys and a handful of honors in 79 years do not mark progress (2003). Perhaps without an initial push to expose multi-cultural books, they might not get the recognition they deserve. However, now that the genres have been established, it’s time to raise the bar and stop using race as a yardstick.

What place does ethnicity have in an award for literary excellence? Should it be the key criterion or should it even play a role at all? For all intents and purposes, awards like the Coretta Scott King extol the virtues of literature based on the author’s ethnic identity. This hardly qualifies as literary excellence. Certainly, there is no shortage of talented writers who are African American, Asian, Hispanic, or any other nationality, for that matter, so the notion of using ethnicity to denote the quality of literature does indeed seem peculiar.  “By insisting on testing the racial identity of its winners, the CSK shifts its focus from literature to biography. Your community, your ethnicity, comes before your talent.” (Aronson, 2003).  Since this is the case, the CSK award is judging the relevancy of background rather than the ability to weave it into a story. The question remains how to maintain the integrity of an award for literary excellence without exclusivity.  Perhaps Aronson’s conclusion is on the right path, “Keep the CSK, Belpre, and Asian American Awards, but honor content alone, not identity” (2003).