Making the Shift: YA Lit 2.0

In our ever changing world, it’s important that educators stay in tune with the cutting edge technology that is available.  Many times, students are more in-tune with this technology than we adults are, and if we want to speak the same language, so to speak, we have to be on their level.  This article from Voices from the Middle, gives a multitude of ways students can share a novel they have read, like wikis, book trailers, fan sites, and podcasts.  Multimedia projects are interesting, engaging, and sometimes much more practical that breaking out the old poster board and construction paper.   I currently have students who could probably whip up a pretty impressive book trailer, complete with voice overs, music, and special effects.  If this is the capability students have, we should make the shift and make our projects and authentic assessments technologically-friendly.

But, to do that, we have to be technologically savvy.  This will be my goal in the upcoming year.  I want to be able to teach my students how to create these types of projects, not just hope they already know how.  I think that embracing technology may be one of the most challenging ideas, especially for older teachers whose idea of technology is an overhead projector.  The more we utilize technology in the classroom, the better product we will get from many kids.  If they are doing something they already enjoy, they will buy into it so much more and perhaps we will see amazing creations!

Reference:

Hayes, S (ed.). (2010). Making the shift: YA lit 2.0. Voices from the Middle. 17(4). 50-52

Sharon Draper

Sharon Draper has written a multitude of young adult and children's literature.  This prolific author has a novel that will please any reader.  Not only does she write high interest, engaging novels that students can't seem to put down, but it's clear that she is just as interested in the education behind it.  She wants kids to read her books in school, and she makes it easy for teachers to teach her novels and ensures that students get the most out of them.  Draper’s website has a multitude of student activities including discussion questions, project ideas, and cooperative group activities, all separated into parts.  In order to teach this novel, all a teacher would need to do is visit Draper’s website for more ideas for activities than she could possibly ever use. (sharondraper.com) 

I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Draper speak at a conference a few years ago, and it was an incredible experience to watch her perform excerpts from some of her novels.  She didn't just read; she put so much passion and emotion into her delivery, it was clear that she had created these characters with love and her entire heart was with them.  She truly has a gift, and I love the fact that I can share that gift with my students.

I have not read all of her novels yet, but of those I have read, Copper Sun is my favorite.  It is the story of Amari, a happy young African girl who suddenly is taken by slave traders to be sold.  She is forced to serve a cruel teenage boy, but meets unexpected allies in her search for freedom.  This is a story of unexpected friendship, survival and hope, and the reader learns about the inhumanity that many people endured during this awful time period in American history.  

I highly recommend her novels, as they are inspirational and touching, and the stories stay with you for a long time.

(Click on the video bar in the right sidebar to see interviews other clips of Sharon Draper)

By Teens, For Teens

Recently, I was introduced to a publication called Teen Ink (www.teenink.com).  This is a monthly magazine in which students can read poetry, short stories, nonfiction articles, book reviews, and interviews written by their peers.  Because publication relies solely on contributions from teenage students, and because the contributors are teenagers, the content of the writing is very easy to relate to and engaging to high school students.  I can’t recall how many times I've chosen what I thought was a high-interest article, just to be met with groans of boredom from my students.  Before purchasing a subscription, I did a test-drive.  I copied a couple of articles from a sample edition of Teen Ink and the feedback was positive. The students said that it really mattered to them that the authors of the articles were their age; they bought into it so much more.  I was thrilled with their response to the magazine, and needless to say, I have purchased a subscription for my students!  

No Child Left Behind?

I recently read an article by Christine Weber, titled “Let’s Not Leave Advanced and Gifted Readers ‘Behind.’”  It’s interesting that educators put such a large emphasis on elevating struggling readers and improving their reading comprehension, but at the same time, risk providing enrichment for the advanced readers.  It has to be frustrating for our struggling readers to just not “get it,” but it is also frustrating for our gifted students to feel unchallenged.  One of the most enjoyable things about reading is to be exposed to ideas and characters that are thought-provoking and insightful, and to be forced to read text that is below their level is disappointing.

I am of the opinion that it is better to push the limits of the struggling readers and hope that with reading comprehension tactics, they will be able to understand the same texts as the more advanced readers, but finding time to provide that extra instruction is always a challenge.  Weber suggests the use of instructional level groups, and that “the challenging content and instruction provided to the groups that makes this an effective strategy” (58).  These instructional groups provide differentiation for different reading levels, and if novels with similar themes and concepts are utilized, students will be exposed to the same themes and ideas and can still engage in whole class discussion, using their specific books as support.

What other strategies exist that will help to solve this problem?

Reference:

Weber, C. (2010). Let’s not leave advanced and gifted readers ‘behind’. Voices from the Middle. 17(4). 56-58

Ray Bradbury and I would have been good friends...

“I still love books. Nothing a computer can do can compare to a book. You can't really put a book on the Internet. Three companies have offered to put books by me on the Net, and I said, 'If you can make something that has a nice jacket, nice paper with that nice smell, then we'll talk.' All the computer can give you is a manuscript. People don't want to read manuscripts. They want to read books. Books smell good. They look good. You can press it to your bosom. You can carry it in your pocket.” - Ray Bradbury

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” - Ray Bradbury

If I were to include every quote I love by Ray Bradbury, this post would go on for pages.  I'm not the kind of person who idolizes celebrities or would even care to meet anyone famous, but I would have loved to have met Ray Bradbury.  What an insightful, thoughtful, forward thinking man he was, and he had such a fresh outlook on the world.  If there were more people in the world like him, our world would be such a better place.

I love reading Fahrenheit 451 with my students.  It is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I sort of take it personally when a student tells me he doesn't like the book or that it's boring.  I feel like shaking him and yelling, "Read it more carefully!  Think about what Bradbury is saying!  He's brilliant, and there are so many thought-provoking ideas in the story!"  If I had a captive audience and a class full of students willing to discuss it with me, I could spend an entire semester picking out and talking about the "golden lines" in the novel.  There are so many connections to our current society it's almost scary, and when people give this novel a chance, I think they really appreciate the beauty of this story. 

For those that haven't read it, Mildred is protagonist Guy Montag's wife, and she is the epitome of idiocy. She represents the non-thinking, empty-minded, simpletons that make up the bulk of society in the novel.  I warn my students "Don't be a Mildred. How would you like to live in a world of Mildreds?"

Here is a video of Ray Bradbury speaking about his love of reading and Fahrenheit 451.  He was truly an inspiration, and the world will miss him.

“Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is unlike any novel I've read.  It is strangely compelling, and although it is very dark, it is a love story at the same time, and it's difficult to put down.  In this story, Marco and Celia, two illusionists, are unwittingly pitted against each other in a mysterious competition.  Le Cirque des Reves, or the Circus of Dreams, is the arena for this competition.  No summary of the novel can effectively prepare the reader for this haunting, suspenseful, strange, wonderful story.

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the fact that it is told from many different perspectives and points of view.  At times, the story is even told in the second person, as if to draw the reader in and make him a part of the circus and feel as if he is really there.  First person and third person points of view are also present within the story, and this novel would be exemplary in a lesson on point of view.  As enticing as this novel is, it is written in a sophisticated fashion that would be appropriate for older or more advanced readers.  Struggling or reluctant readers may be turned off by the elevated style the author uses.

Check out the book trailer here:

Student choice in sharing their reading

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about students' resistance to read and write.  I completely agree that it is enjoyable to be able to just sit down and read a book without having to write about it as well, but I tell students it is important that they share what they are reading, and the best way to do this is by creating and presenting some sort of project to the class.  Of course, this is also the way I assess their progress and hold them accountable for reading.  In order to make this less painful for students is to allow them choice when deciding how they will share the novel they've read.  It's always something visual, so that other students will be drawn in, and hopefully persuaded to also read the book, and it is usually something creative and fun to create.  Some of the choices I've offered include story boards with important quotations from the novel, book trailers, collages in which students include and explain important symbols in the novel, and movie posters, to name a few.  When students listen to their classmates' presentations, I make them take notes and write down the titles of books they are interested in reading next, and this way, they have a list of novels they might read for future novel assignments or even for leisure.

The Maze Runner

Of all the novels I have read for the annotated bibliography I am creating for my Adolescent Literature class, The Maze Runner by James Dashner probably one of the most compelling.  This is the first in a series, and it definitely left me wanting to read the rest.  The story begins with Thomas, the protagonist, emerging from a box into a place called The Glade, with a bunch of boys he doesn't know.  He doesn't know where he came from or how he got there; the only thing he can remember is his first name.  The first several chapters draw in the reader very successfully; the reader is just as confused as Thomas as he tries to figure out what is happening.  The reader also begins to feel more at ease as Thomas starts to feel more comfortable in his new surroundings.  Thomas learns that he has been dropped into a maze that has no apparent solution.  He also learns that the walls to the maze close at night, and while the maze mysteriously transforms in the dark, terrifying creatures roam the maze, searching for Gladers foolish enough to stay in the maze after dark.  Eventually, Thomas begins to realize that the maze is very familiar, and one day, the first girl ever shows up in the box, and Thomas begins to piece together memories from his previous life.  With the girl's help, Thomas hopes to figure out the mysteries surrounding the maze and free himself and his new friends from this prison...

As soon as I finished this novel, I knew it would be a perfect selection for literature circles in my intensive reading class.  This is the type of novel that is engaging and near impossible to put down.  Not only is it very high interest, suspenseful, and thrilling, even for reluctant readers, but it also inspires a great deal of discussion, especially in the beginning when there is a lot of confusion in the novel.  This novel has been one of the most sought-after selections this year so far, and I have had to buy additional copies of this book to keep the demands at bay!  I would love it if I had this reaction to every book I offer to my students.  My goal is to find additional novels that elicit this reaction from students.

Here is a Q&A with the author, James Dashner.  In this interview, he discusses his inspiration for writing The Maze Runner and what readers can expect in the next two books in the trilogy.

"Beyond the Yellow Highlighter"

Today I read Carol Porter-O'Donnell's article "Beyond the Yellow Highlighter: Teaching Annotation Skills to Improve Reading Comprehension," and immediately thought of ways that I can incorporate these ideas with my students.  Because I teach Intensive Reading, I have many students who have difficulties comprehending what they read, so the title of the article hooked me instantly.  While reading the article, I especially liked the students' comments the author included, explaining that the annotation process helped them to slow down and think about what they read.

Students can benefit from the annotation process in many ways.  First, they obviously learn more being active readers, and if they share their annotations with classmates, they are teaching one another.  Even if the annotations are questions, predictions or reflections, it is very beneficial for students to be exposed to the varying perspectives of their peers.  Additionally, students begin to realize that reading is a process, and because they are actively thinking about what they are reading, they "discover and uncover ideas that would not have emerged otherwise."  The process of annotation is beneficial to both struggling and advanced readers.  Struggling readers will begin to understand surface ideas and also build the skills needed to read for deeper ideas and concepts, and more proficient readers will hone their literary analysis skills through the practice of annotation.

It's always difficult to teach students comprehension skills.  I always suggest that they be active readers.  I tell them to stop after each page or paragraph and ask themselves questions about what they have read, but annotation is a much better solution.  Teaching students this skill will help them become not only better readers, but more active learners, and also critical thinkers, and isn't that what we really want our students to gain?  We want them to be independent thinkers and problem solvers so that they can be as successful as possible once they leave our classrooms.  What a wonderful, insightful article!  I wish I had read it sooner!

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth is close to 500 pages, and I read it in two days.  I hadn't expected it to be so captivating and difficult to put down, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  My first impression was that it would be a Hunger Games rip-off, and there were definitely similarities, but I found myself even more enthralled with this novel than I was with The Hunger Games series.  Like Suzanne Collins' novels, Divergent has something for everyone: action, suspense, and some romance; however, the love story does not take over the main events of the plot, and the main character Tris is a strong, believable character.  Adults and teens alike will enjoy this story, and I wouldn't be surprised if a movie is on the horizon.

I found a fan-made book trailer on YouTube that I feel perfectly captures the tone and excitement of the novel.  The follow-up, Insurgent, is just as captivating, ending with a nail-biting cliffhanger.  The last installment of the trilogy doesn't come out until the fall of 2013, and I will be not-so-patiently waiting for its release!

I love recommending this book to my students, but the length scares some of them away.  Sending them to YouTube to view this trailer would be a great way to draw them in.  Once they start the book, they're hooked! 

(check out the Veronica Roth video bar in the sidebar to the right for author interviews and other video clips!)