What is Young Adult Literature?
Personally, I wish there was not a category called Young Adult Literature. I think it creates artificial restrictions and expectations for literature and other texts that would appeal to kids going through adolescence. I think that writers should write what they want and publishers should publish what they and the market want and then these adolecents can choose whether a book fits their maturity level, interests, and reading purpose.
There are so many varieties of text and ways for kids to access those texts that students should not be limited by somewhat arbitrary labels. Instead, there are many places in libraries and on the web which are able to suggest books that might appeal to students or stretch students' horizons ranging from the classic cannon to popular, modern books and even online texts.
A teacher's responsibility is to make sure that students are exposed to a wide variety of literature.
Showing posts with label Bookhenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bookhenge. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Asian-American Teen Lit from Goodreads
It seems that Amy Tan is not alone. A lot of books are aimed at the young adult Asian-American FEMALE reader.
List of YA Titles about the Asian-American Experience
List of YA Titles about the Asian-American Experience
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Multi-cultural Digital Storytelling!
I ran across this multi-media story and thought it would be perfect for a book club!
Knite the Original Story on DeviantArt
Knite the Original Story on DeviantArt
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Breaking Down and Building Up "Ship Breaker"
Ship Breaker is about family. It is about a society where your job is your family. You belong to a "crew" and take care of each other like brothers and sisters, and parents. Like any family they have good members and bad, except this family can change a lot faster and more irrevocably than a blood family.
I have been blessed that I have several "families" in my life. I have my mother's side of the family (I have only infrequent contact with my father's family). I have two "second moms" and their eldest daughters who have been my oldest friends. And, I have my small circle of friends (mostly from middle/high school) who are always there when I need them most. I would say these are my three "crews" and that I was blessed in the same way Nailer was that I found and was accepted by these amazing people. In the future, I hope to have a "crew" from my professional career, including professors, fellow teachering professionals, and possibly even students and parents.
Nailer went through a science fiction adventure but as Joseph Campbell would point out, we can all relate to the the archetypal journey of growth and discovery.
I have been blessed that I have several "families" in my life. I have my mother's side of the family (I have only infrequent contact with my father's family). I have two "second moms" and their eldest daughters who have been my oldest friends. And, I have my small circle of friends (mostly from middle/high school) who are always there when I need them most. I would say these are my three "crews" and that I was blessed in the same way Nailer was that I found and was accepted by these amazing people. In the future, I hope to have a "crew" from my professional career, including professors, fellow teachering professionals, and possibly even students and parents.
Nailer went through a science fiction adventure but as Joseph Campbell would point out, we can all relate to the the archetypal journey of growth and discovery.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Week 5-2 The YA Controversy
What is better for the YA audience? A book with higher "literary quality", a more "popular" book, or a "readable" book?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Generational Differences in Working/Learning
Dr. Pope had her daughter Amy come into our class last semester to discuss how recognizing differences in what motivates Baby Boomers, Millenials, Gen X'ers, and Gen Y'ers can make a HUGE difference in how they work together. She also said that one person can aspects of more than one generation depending on how they grew up. I believe that these generational perspectives are just as important as the theory of Multiple Intelligences but have not gotten nearly enough attention and respect.
The student's perspective changes how she views school, what her goals are, and how she believes tshe can acheive her goals. That's pretty important information for teachers and other education professionals to take into account. It might provide part of the solution to the apparent "loss of interest" in school that is happening with our current group of students.
How Different Generations are Motivated to Work
The student's perspective changes how she views school, what her goals are, and how she believes tshe can acheive her goals. That's pretty important information for teachers and other education professionals to take into account. It might provide part of the solution to the apparent "loss of interest" in school that is happening with our current group of students.
How Different Generations are Motivated to Work
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Plan for Action Research Project
With help from my colleagues, I would like to get a group of 3 or 4 high school students willing to work with me to complete a "Short Story Workshop" over a matter of 3-4 weeks with twice a week check-ins. We would communicate through email and blogging (unless another method like IM or SecondLife was agreed upon).
During this workshop, I would like to discuss the form of the short story, creating one's own short stories, and the idea of scaffolded or unscaffolded learning.
I believe learning to write short stories has value for any student. Short stories are a lot of fun once the potential writer gets comfortable with writing and expectations. They are also a great form of self-expression with many fewer limits than the typical essay.
I would also like to discuss the teaching methold called "scaffolding". Scaffolding in teaching is when you build an informational and experiential support structure that students can use to climb to new academic heights. The principle is the same as a house painter that builds a lower level, then a middle level and finally the hightest level of scaffolding to help him reach his goal of painting the top area of the house. Academic teachers often use scaffolding to help students learn complicated information and new paradigms.
I want to relate scaffolded academic learning to learning out in the real world, like for a job. In school, teachers go out of their way to scaffold new academic projects for students. But, in a job, it is more likely to be here's a set of directions (complete or not) and get me the product by such and such time. Thinking about scaffolding is slight shift in perspective and strategy for students that may help them recognize and succeed in both academia and the real world.
A WebQuest format for the student directions/teacher view of project would be a great start!
During this workshop, I would like to discuss the form of the short story, creating one's own short stories, and the idea of scaffolded or unscaffolded learning.
I believe learning to write short stories has value for any student. Short stories are a lot of fun once the potential writer gets comfortable with writing and expectations. They are also a great form of self-expression with many fewer limits than the typical essay.
I would also like to discuss the teaching methold called "scaffolding". Scaffolding in teaching is when you build an informational and experiential support structure that students can use to climb to new academic heights. The principle is the same as a house painter that builds a lower level, then a middle level and finally the hightest level of scaffolding to help him reach his goal of painting the top area of the house. Academic teachers often use scaffolding to help students learn complicated information and new paradigms.
I want to relate scaffolded academic learning to learning out in the real world, like for a job. In school, teachers go out of their way to scaffold new academic projects for students. But, in a job, it is more likely to be here's a set of directions (complete or not) and get me the product by such and such time. Thinking about scaffolding is slight shift in perspective and strategy for students that may help them recognize and succeed in both academia and the real world.
A WebQuest format for the student directions/teacher view of project would be a great start!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Week 4-3 Literature as a Performing Art
The main argument that I offer for "slowing down" and savoring a book is the different material and experience offered by a book or other literature. Movies and TV offer 30-minute to maybe 2-hour long story arcs that have to be wrapped up quickly and are usually heavy on the solving the problem or taking action and light on the reflection (the two parts of a story mentioned by Ira Glass).
Also, the moving screen is designed to catch a wide variety of people with as little story background as possible while literature has some series that have hundreds or thousands of pages of worthy and interesting background.
My main reason for loving literature and choosing to spend time reading books over movies is the availability of a wide variety and numerous books by my favorite authors. A book is relatively inexpensive to produce and the typical author averages one book every year or two. You can choose to follow one author and have many more hours of enjoyment than a movie that costs millions and is over in two hours. Also even if you like a particular director or movie star, you cannot predict the quality of the movie because there are so many factors involved. With a book, rarely does an author throw out a book that is a significant disapointment, if you enjoyed their other books.
One final reason for choosing to slow down and read books is that books (and other literature) can explore ideas in depth and in ways that other formats cannot.
Students should be exposed to these possibilities in a firm but supportive way before they are allowed to write literature off as "old fasioned".
Also, the moving screen is designed to catch a wide variety of people with as little story background as possible while literature has some series that have hundreds or thousands of pages of worthy and interesting background.
My main reason for loving literature and choosing to spend time reading books over movies is the availability of a wide variety and numerous books by my favorite authors. A book is relatively inexpensive to produce and the typical author averages one book every year or two. You can choose to follow one author and have many more hours of enjoyment than a movie that costs millions and is over in two hours. Also even if you like a particular director or movie star, you cannot predict the quality of the movie because there are so many factors involved. With a book, rarely does an author throw out a book that is a significant disapointment, if you enjoyed their other books.
One final reason for choosing to slow down and read books is that books (and other literature) can explore ideas in depth and in ways that other formats cannot.
Students should be exposed to these possibilities in a firm but supportive way before they are allowed to write literature off as "old fasioned".
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Happy Ground Hog Day!
After all this winter weather in the U. S., we get to look forward to an early spring!
The famous varmint himself!
The famous varmint himself!
Monday, January 31, 2011
YA Literature as a Genre
What can young adults (or anyone for that matter) learn from YA literature? It's hard to pin down YA Literature as a genre other than that the author's target audience is middle school to high school age kids. But, then you have phenomenon like Harry Potter and the Twilight series where adults are drawn as well.
I believe the type of journey that the main character(s) take make a YA book different than mainstream fiction. Mainstream fiction is about adults who know who they are, start from a place of stability, and move into whatever problem or adventure as a separate space from their usual lives. Whereas, YA books often start with the main character in a place of complete change either internal or external where the goal is to find their identity and their sense of belonging and solving an external problem is secondary.
Ira Glass boils down storytelling into two equally importan parts: the Anecdote and the Moment of Reflection. The power of the Anecdote is in its momentum where you feel like you're on a train and moving toward a destination (at 2m12s in video). And along the way you must constantly be posing questions and answering questions aka the bait or the hook of the story.
Ira Glass on the Art of Storytelling
I believe the type of journey that the main character(s) take make a YA book different than mainstream fiction. Mainstream fiction is about adults who know who they are, start from a place of stability, and move into whatever problem or adventure as a separate space from their usual lives. Whereas, YA books often start with the main character in a place of complete change either internal or external where the goal is to find their identity and their sense of belonging and solving an external problem is secondary.
Ira Glass boils down storytelling into two equally importan parts: the Anecdote and the Moment of Reflection. The power of the Anecdote is in its momentum where you feel like you're on a train and moving toward a destination (at 2m12s in video). And along the way you must constantly be posing questions and answering questions aka the bait or the hook of the story.
Ira Glass on the Art of Storytelling
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Week 2-2 What is Literary Quality?
According to ALA's Printz Award Criteria, QUALITY goes beyond audience size, popularity, message, and controversy. They call the main criteria LITERARY EXCELLANCE. The literary devices that they focus on for the award include: story, voice, style, setting, accuracy, characters, theme, illustration, and book design.
For me it boils down to that "je-ne-sais-quoi" that makes a book unforgettable and touches something human deep down in each of us: a book or other literary piece that makes us think about the world and our own lives in a new or deeper way.
For me it boils down to that "je-ne-sais-quoi" that makes a book unforgettable and touches something human deep down in each of us: a book or other literary piece that makes us think about the world and our own lives in a new or deeper way.
White Cat by Holly Black
I chose this book before I realized that this is the same author who wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles. (I have only seen the movie.) I was pleasantly surprised. She also received editing/revision help from Scott Westerfield who wrote Uglies, which is another YA series that I really enjoyed.
She even has a North Carolina connection with the annual Sycamore Hill workshop, often held in Raleigh. My all time favorite NC writer, Orson Scott Card attended several of the workshops, as did Allen Wold, who is a famous Science Fiction writing mentor, both of which I have had the honor of meeting over the years. I also saw Jack McDevitt's name. Steve Berman also helped her with the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Hill_Writer
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/sychillattendees.htm
All this from just the Acknowledgements page! I really feel like I am a part of this world and want to help others enjoy it, too!
She even has a North Carolina connection with the annual Sycamore Hill workshop, often held in Raleigh. My all time favorite NC writer, Orson Scott Card attended several of the workshops, as did Allen Wold, who is a famous Science Fiction writing mentor, both of which I have had the honor of meeting over the years. I also saw Jack McDevitt's name. Steve Berman also helped her with the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sycamore_Hill_Writer
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/sychillattendees.htm
All this from just the Acknowledgements page! I really feel like I am a part of this world and want to help others enjoy it, too!
Friday, January 21, 2011
My Poems
During a previous class we wrote several poems. There is one that I feel is very relevant to this class and I added a link.
http://alearningengagement.weebly.com/the-writer-and-the-teacher.html
http://alearningengagement.weebly.com/the-writer-and-the-teacher.html
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Week 1-7 Funds of Knowledge Inventory (pre-FOKI)
I feel that I have an incredible foundation for being a Middle School English/Language Arts teacher. I also believe that I will make a great teacher in general. I have a love of reading and writing (if you will excuse the shaky punctuation skills). I also see how the foundation of being literate affects the future of a student's life. I am still adding to my teaching pedagogy but have favorites like John Dewey and writing favorites like Don Murray. As for the social aspects of being a teacher, I feel that I can relate to students better than the average first year teacher. I want to talk to them on a level that is not too high for them to relate to but also that challenges them to use their own experiences to boost their academic achievements. My technology skills are on the mid- to low-level compared to a Net-Gen like my future students and I could use some skill boosts, especially since technology has become so pervasive in our lives and yet educators seem to be behind the curve. I want to learn what technology tools are out there for teachers and how they are being integrated into educational settings.
The reason I chose Sidney Sheldon’s “If Tomorrow Comes” as my Journey Book was my visceral reaction to the character’s plight. It was the first time that I felt that I could relate to the characters in the books that I read. It may have been the first time I read a book that had a strong female character that succeeded in obtaining her goals. I love reading all of Sidney Sheldon’s books. I believe that all the books I read before only had male leads and did not relate to real-world skills and events that even as far-fetched as those in Sheldon’s fiction stories could happen.
Professional Self
I have never been a teacher before, but I have been a student almost my whole life, starting in pre-school and before. My mother is a teacher and I think she liked to test her lesson plans on me. I have been through several careers and always felt the pull of teaching but never had the courage to move on it. I am in the MAT program so that I can be the best teacher possible. I believe NCSU has a strong program, even if it is somewhat new. I have learned pedgogy, teaching methods, and the use of technology in my classes and feel very well prepared for the next step of student teaching.
Professional Self Goals
I look forward to being able to apply what I have learned in the MAT program as well as my own personal experiences to teaching in a real classroom.
Literate Self
I read a wide variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I have favorite genres like Urban Fantasy and most Science Fiction. But, I also try to read the classics like C.S. Lewis and other ELA cannon books.
Literate Self Goals
Now that I am going to be a middle school teacher I am focusing more on YA books like Rick Riordan and others. I hope to be able to relate to a wide variety of students and their literate interests.
Virtual Self
I am a BIG online gamer, so am very familiar with using an avatar. Second Life is more complicated than what I'm used to but I am very comfortable with the concept. I have many accounts on social and genre websites including FaceBook, Goodreads, DeviantArt and LiveJournal.
Virtual Self Goals
My goals are to use my comfort with technology to connect with the Net Gen students and other teachers.
Through writing this essay I feel that I have found weaknesses and strengths that I did not see before. I hope to work on my technology skills as well as the additional weaknesses and am proud to see the strengths that I already have.
The reason I chose Sidney Sheldon’s “If Tomorrow Comes” as my Journey Book was my visceral reaction to the character’s plight. It was the first time that I felt that I could relate to the characters in the books that I read. It may have been the first time I read a book that had a strong female character that succeeded in obtaining her goals. I love reading all of Sidney Sheldon’s books. I believe that all the books I read before only had male leads and did not relate to real-world skills and events that even as far-fetched as those in Sheldon’s fiction stories could happen.
Professional Self
I have never been a teacher before, but I have been a student almost my whole life, starting in pre-school and before. My mother is a teacher and I think she liked to test her lesson plans on me. I have been through several careers and always felt the pull of teaching but never had the courage to move on it. I am in the MAT program so that I can be the best teacher possible. I believe NCSU has a strong program, even if it is somewhat new. I have learned pedgogy, teaching methods, and the use of technology in my classes and feel very well prepared for the next step of student teaching.
Professional Self Goals
I look forward to being able to apply what I have learned in the MAT program as well as my own personal experiences to teaching in a real classroom.
Literate Self
I read a wide variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. I have favorite genres like Urban Fantasy and most Science Fiction. But, I also try to read the classics like C.S. Lewis and other ELA cannon books.
Literate Self Goals
Now that I am going to be a middle school teacher I am focusing more on YA books like Rick Riordan and others. I hope to be able to relate to a wide variety of students and their literate interests.
Virtual Self
I am a BIG online gamer, so am very familiar with using an avatar. Second Life is more complicated than what I'm used to but I am very comfortable with the concept. I have many accounts on social and genre websites including FaceBook, Goodreads, DeviantArt and LiveJournal.
Virtual Self Goals
My goals are to use my comfort with technology to connect with the Net Gen students and other teachers.
Through writing this essay I feel that I have found weaknesses and strengths that I did not see before. I hope to work on my technology skills as well as the additional weaknesses and am proud to see the strengths that I already have.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Book Journeys
Book journeys start with the desire and ability to read. Finding the right book to read is often the first hurdle.
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