Tips for the English Teacher - Thank Heaven's cause I need some! Chapter 11

This chapter is full of tips and tricks for the English teacher to employ in using adolescent literature in the classroom (all of which I will not go into since we were supposed to read the chapter :) ).  It is broken down into simple sections, like using novels or drama in the classroom, so that English teachers can quickly reference some of the recommendations.  This chapter was one of my favorites in the book.  It is one that I plan on coming back to time and time again to refresh myself on how to integrate literature into all corners of my classroom, like the section on using literature in creative writing. 

I can remember so many boring hours spent in a classroom reading and then taking tests on what we had read.  I can barely recall half the books I was supposed to read in the classroom during high school.  I hope that because of this chapter, and this class, my understanding of how to use literature in creative ways to keep students focused and remembering the things they’ve learned will prove to be successful.  One of my favorite points from this chapter was that English teachers should teach literature that they enjoy.  Thanks to this class my literature knowledge has been expanded to graphic novels, poetry, and all types of genres of books, and I plan on continuing that expansion.  While I can’t say that I don’t enjoy the classics like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice I have been given the opportunity to provide my future classrooms with literature that will reach the students on not just an knowledge level, but a personal level.  I think of all the things I will take away from this class, this is the one I plan on holding on to the longest.  Perhaps if my teachers in school had followed this simple rule, I would have remembered and enjoyed so much more.

You mean there is something besides Fiction?! Gasp! - Chapter 9

Non-Fiction

Generally speaking I’m not a fan of non-fiction.  I find it rather dry, uninteresting, and I have a difficult time understanding why I should care about someone else’s story….. Then I read Never Cry Wolf (and, yes I know that it sounds like I’m trying to get extra credit, but I promise I’m not), Mowat managed to suck me into his plight of having to study the wolves alone.  I began, like him, to want to know what George, Angeline, Albert, and the pups were up to.  I’m happy to say that this book has perhaps changed my view of non-fiction in the adolescent literature world. 

According to the textbook there are several different forms of non-fiction adolescent literature – information books, narrative non-fiction, and journalism.  The text indicates that students choose non-fiction books for a variety of reasons, either they want to learn more about a subject they are already interested in, or they are looking to expand their knowledge of a specific subject.  Regardless of the reason the student chooses the book, the fact that he or she choose a non-fiction book is a step in a great direction. 

The text gives a great list of evaluation techniques for non-fiction books, such as instead of focusing on the plot and characterizations of the book and looking at what information the book presents and who the intended audience is for the book.  The questions will often guide the reader in choosing the best book for the purpose he or she is trying to serve.  Books like Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is a great idea of how non-fiction books can help teens understand the awkward phases they are going through.

Poetry

When I think of high school English class poetry my mind automatically shifts to Chaucer and Shakespeare.  I’m pleased to say that I have read two very good examples of adolescent literature poetry books in this class.  Frenchtown Summer and Out of the Dust are two prime examples of a narrative story written in verse form. I’ve always been afraid of poetry, I know that sounds weird, but I’ve always wondered if I am actually getting what the author wanted me to understand out of it.  Anyway, my point is that poetry doesn’t have to be the rhyming verse that everyone thinks of.  Instead it can be full stories written in a different way, something that will likely engage the students and keep them on their toes.

Drama

Romeo and Juliet.  Julius Caesar.  Othello.  These are the first 3 places my mind goes when I think of drama.  The problem that arises when I think of these is the dry way that we read them when I was in school.  My teachers didn’t encourage us to get up and act out the scenes; instead we had to read them out loud in our different parts at our desk with very little enthusiasm.  Perhaps these dramas would have stuck with me more if we had been encouraged to act out a scene, to put the passion of the words behind them as we read. 

All 3 of these specific genres in adolescent literature are important components.  The students (and even myself) who are likely to go for the story should understand that even in non-fiction, poetry, and drama there is always a story to be found.  With non-fiction the story is usually true, with poetry the story is written in abstract and artful language, and with drama the story is written in a view point of all the characters involved with a clear passion in the dialogue.  As future teachers it is important for us to remember that stories are not always to only be found in fictional literature.

To Learn From the Past - Chapter 8 Historical Novels

The beauty of historical novels, both fiction and non-fiction, is that they are able to transport the reader to a different time without seeming boring.  When reading about history in a textbook format a lot of students fail to grasp how terrifying the situation was for those who lived it, or the changes that the situation brought about.  But, you put a book like Number the Stars, The Diary of Anne Frank, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, and others in their hands and suddenly students can clearly see the fear of the Jews in Nazi Germany, or how the captain on a ship was sole dictator when the ship was on the water.  A clearer understanding of history and historical events are gained from historical novels. 

By the time students reach adolescence they generally have something they are interested in, sports, a career choice, etc., when they find a niche their interest is piqued about, historical biographies and autobiographies give them the opportunity to connect with a great of that niche and learn more about it.  The authors of this chapter do warn that readers of biographies should be careful of hidden agendas of authors who harbor a grudge against the people they are writing the biographies about. 

It is extremely important for teachers to keep historical novels within the classroom because they not only serve a purpose of great literature, but they serve a way to keep students interested in history (which history teachers should thank English teachers for!).  The students, as mentioned in the text, are often surprised to find that they have read historical novels already when the teacher tells them that something they’ve previously read falls into a historical category.  I think that is part of what makes the historical genre unique is its ability to transport readers to different times and places often without his or her knowing!!

Harry, Lyra, Barney, Jonas, Oh My! - Chapter 7

Childhood is based around fantastic ideas, children can pretend to be anything they want to be, but what happens when the children grow up?  Can they still pretend?  Of course they can and that’s where the beauty of the fantasy genre lies.  As mentioned in the book, people love to attack the fantasy genre of literature because it is not real, but is “imaginative.”  I find issue with the fact that so many people have a problem with imagination.  In my memory the most memorable attack on a fantasy book was and is all the issues people seem to have with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.  Witches, Wizards, Muggles, Dragons, Qudditch, what is wrong with the world that children would want to imagine they had magical powers??  The answer is nothing, but plenty of people found fault with the ideas fearing that the children and adolescents reading the books would grab the nearest broom and pretend they could cast a spell of light.  (In the interest of full disclosure my father in law is one of the fruit loops people who find fault with these books).  Another much attacked book (and movie) is Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass which is the book that I am reading this week.  The book was very attacked for being on the opposite end of the religious spectrum as The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

Science Fiction is also discussed in this chapter.  Boys are always drawn to science fiction, and I think the caption with the picture best describes the attraction to the genre, “… boys like science fiction because it provides an opportunity to read romances without feeling the stigma attached to ‘girls’ love stories.”  I think this is a perfect description of this genre; Star Wars of course comes to mind, even though that really isn’t literature.  War of the Worlds is mentioned in this chapter, as well as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  Both of these books deal with space travel, aliens and other fantastic ideas, even though the delivery is very different – one does so in a dark way, the other is very lighthearted and humorous. 

Several of the books that I have read for this class this summer have been utopian/dystopian based books.  Those stories of societies that are intended to be better than what we have currently, but are often worse than our worst nightmares.  Usually the stories are classic hero stories, of those that rebel against the system in favor of something better than the complete control of some self righteous group of “elders” or “committees.”  These books, as mentioned in this chapter, are generally scary books for adults serving as reminders of potential things to come, but for adolescents they often serve as reminders to be thankful for the freedoms that we have.  The Giver is a great example of this, as well as The Hunger Games, and Uglies.  All three of those books have been based around societies that have been utopian on the surface, but dystopian in reality.

All of these specific types of genres are important to us as future English teachers because of their pure attraction to young adults.  They are often heroic stories where the protagonist has to overcome something great in order to gain wisdom and sometimes save damsels’ in distress.  They hold stories that young adults can lose themselves in and lets them exercise their imagination in ways that do not involve playing pretend in the backyard.