Chapter 6-10

Chapter 6 – How do adolescents develop?

At the start of listening to this video, I never thought about any of these topics when I was selecting books for my classroom library.  I knew that I wanted to have books that were of high-interest, but I was looking more topics and subjects than ones that focused on adolescent development.  Looking back at my adolescent years, the questions being asked were spot on.  Thinking back, I remember moving on from the Nancy Drew series because (now that I’ve had a chance to really think about the topics mentioned in the video) the characters no longer held any interest for me.  I started to get turned off from reading, until I found Donna Jo Napoli’s Beast and Zel, and Annette Curtis Klause’s Blood and Chocolate and The Silver Kiss.  Throughout all my four years of high school, I must have read those four books at least twice every year.  I now know why it is imperative to offer students not only just high-interest novels, but novels that also allow the students to connect and/or relate to characters and setting.

I am usually proactive when it comes to what lessons I use in my classroom, but the theories about developmental stages has made me reflect on how I have delivered my lessons these past three weeks.  My current students are truly struggling when it comes to participating in abstract discussions, and this video has made me realize that I can’t be using the same questions I’ve used the past three years with each year because the mentality of each group of students is different.  I now know that I need to go back and assess my questions and plans for discussions and try to find a way to build up their level of thinking by providing possibly more support articles and activities for the readings.  Furthermore, these discussions and/or questions should also reflect the silent worries and concerns students may face when going through Havighurst’s Developmental Stages, Kohlberg’s Morality Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid.

After further reflection, I feel that if I am able to focus on building up my students’ knowledge and understanding by following the theories and stages discussed in this video, then my students will eventually reach the level of Reading for Aesthetic Experiences.

Chapter 7 – Literary Elements

One item that I know my kids struggle the most with is understanding and successfully responding to questions and/or discussions pertaining to Fig.19B, which pertains to the student being able to make complex inferences about the reading and being effective in how they use textual evidence to support their understanding.  If we as educators can fully understand the meaning of these terms, then the students will become more successful in understanding Fig.19B.  Furthermore, students will also be able to reach an abstract level of understanding and comprehension.

Literary Elements:

Antagonist – a character that creates the conflict that the protagonist needs to overcome.  It is important to keep in mind that the antagonist character might not be a person, but could be anything, such as an animal or an emotion (like fear or self-doubt).

Character – character(s) are meant to create a believable plot and/or storyline.  If a book has believable and relatable characters, then the reader will feel a connection to the story and the character(s) involved.

Conflict – is what is created between two opposing forces within a story.  The two opposing forces are usually the protagonist and the antagonist.

Mood and Tone – the tone can be inferred by analyzing and assessing the author’s word choice towards a particular topic or subject within the story.  The tone that is used by the author then affects the mood of the reader, who (depending on the author’s word choice) will feel exactly what the author wants them to feel (anger towards the protagonist’s mother for lying).

Plot – can be seen as the foundation of a novel as a story cannot be created without one.  Without a plot, the reader would quickly lose interest in the story as certain elements may become eschewed due to the obscurity of the events as there would be no order or sequence.

Protagonist – is the main character of the story and is usually the one that most readers connect to the most in a story.  The purpose of the protagonist throughout the story is to overcome the conflict that has been created by the antagonist.

Setting – the location of where a story (or an event in the story) takes place, and sometimes plays a major role in the development of the character(s).

Themes – can be viewed as the main idea of a literary work, and it is important to keep in mind that within a literary work there can be more than one theme.

Literary Devices:

Allegory – an abstract concept, such as a moral lesson, is relayed to the reader in the form of a story.

Allusion – an author might make a reference to something (a character, an event, or another story) within their own story that a reader may have knowledge about.

Archetype – can be seen as a universal symbol that is embodied within a story in the form of a character, the setting, the theme, or a symbol.

Deus ex machina – takes place when a divine character gets put into the story for the sole purpose of resolving the story’s conflict and/or to create a more interesting outcome within the plot.

Hyperbole – a figure of speech that emphasizes something within the story by being highly exaggerated.

Imagery – is used by the author to paint certain images in the mind of the reader.  These images can be created by the reader because the author provides details that appeal to our five senses (touch, hear, smell, see, and taste).

Metaphor – a figure of speech that compares two unlikely things without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as,’ which is seen in similes.

Motif – helps develop the theme within the story.  A motif could be a recurring image, sound, action, or character with symbolic significance.

Point of View – allows for the reader to become an integrated piece of the author’s story as it allows the reader to understand and get to know the characters and setting within the plot.

Simile – a figure of speech that compares two unlikely things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as.’

Symbolism – is when the author uses items within their stories as a representation of ideas and/or qualities.  At times, some of these symbolic items are to be analyzed beyond their literal meanings.

Chapter 8 - Awards

            Other than the usual lists and awards found on the American Library Association website, as well as the New York Times best seller list, I had no idea there were so many awards and lists available.  On that note, I know how important it is for young readers to have the right books made easily accessible for them.  If a teacher or a librarian sees a young reader struggling to find books that pertain to an interest that they have, then the teacher or librarian can assist the young reader by introducing him/her to one of these lists.  For example, if the reader is searching for a book that has a strong female protagonist who is Hispanic, then the young reader should be shown the Pura Belpré Award List.

            Printz – named after a school librarian in Topeka, Kansas, the Michael J. Printz award has been awarded to a book every year in January since 2000.  The book that is awarded the Printz award must demonstrate literacy excellence in young adult literature.  It is a counterpart to the Newbery Award that is given to children’s books.

            YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction – this award honors a young adult (12 to 18 years of age) nonfiction book that is reputed as being the best during a publishing year that ranges from November 1 to October 31.

            Great Graphic Novels for Teens – a list of graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction that have been recommended by the Young Adult Library Services Association.  This list is prepared yearly.

            Best Fiction for Young Adults – books that have been published within the past 16 months that are appropriate for ages 12-18 are presented by YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee.  This annual list is a resource that librarians can use for collection development and/or reader’s advisory.

            Margaret A. Edwards Award – in 1986, the Margaret A. Edwards Award was originally referred to as The School Library Journal Young Adult Author Award/Selected and Administered by the American Library Association’s Young Adult Services Division.  However, in 1990 the YASD committee changed the title of the award to Margaret A. Edwards due to her bringing an awareness to young adult literature.  This award nationally recognizes an author every year for being a voice for young adult readers and providing insight into who they are and the world that they live in.

            Alex Awards – ever since 1998, this award has been annually given to ten books that are selected from the previous year’s publishing.  These ten books are written for adults, but have an appeal to young adults ages 12 to 18.  Due to Margaret A. Edwards being an inspiration to the library community, this award was named after her as she was called “Alex” by her friends.

            Odyssey Award – this annual award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults.

            Morris Award – the William C. Morris YA Debut Award honors a debut book that has been published by a first-time author who is writing for teens and celebrating new voices.  William C. Morris is remembered as being an influential innovator and promotor of literature for children and teens.

            Outstanding Books for the College Bound – offers young adult readers an opportunity to discover new ideas and be introduced to the variety of subjects found within an academic discipline.  Unlike many of the other annual awards and lists, this list is revised every five years and is meant to prepare young readers for their pursuit of a collegiate education.

            Popular Paperbacks – is a list compiled by the Popular Paperbacks committee of popular or topical titles that are meant to encourage young adults to read for pleasure.

            Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers – this list is compiled with fiction and nonfiction books and aims at identifying such books that are meant to encourage reading among teens who dislike reading.

            Readers’ Choice – is a list that is meant to engage reading enthusiasts of all ages to read the most popular teen titles in a given year (no matter their genre), with a final vote taking place each November.

            Teens Top Ten – is a list compiled together by teens who get to nominate and vote on their favorite books of the previous year.  The teens who can nominate books are teen book groups from fifteen school and public libraries from around the country, and teens from all over the country may vote for their favorite books each year.  Voting takes place for about 8 weeks and the winners are announced the week after Teen Read Week.

            Amazing Audiobooks – previously known as Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, this list is selected and annotated by YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks committee, which previews audio recordings released in the past two years that are significant to young adults.

            YA Choices – is a list of new books that encourages young adult readers to read has been posted annually since 1986. 

            Lone Star Reading List – a recommended reading list that is meant to encourage middle grade level students to read for the enjoyment of reading, and should not be confused with other lists that are more geared towards curriculum.  This list was created in 1986 and is put together by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table.

            TAYSHAS Reading List – the first list was published in 1996 after two Dallas area librarians approached fellow San Antonio librarian, Jack Alton Strawn.  Strawn was given the task of creating the reading list and everything that comes with it.  This reading list is meant to encourage young adult readers at the secondary level.

            Maverick Reading List – came to fruition thanks to library school students, Alicia Holston and Tuan Nguyen, and librarians Renee Dyer, Wylaina Hildreth, Laura Jewell, and Jennifer Smith.  In the beginning, Holston and Nguyen wanted there to be a graphic novel list for young readers, and were able to create a proposal (with the help of Wylaina Hildreth) in 2008.  It was later that year that the list was approved as a way to encourage young adult readers (grades 6-12) to explore reading from the vast array of current books in graphic novel format.

            Edgar Award for Mystery – the Mystery Writers of America present the winner of the award to a widely acknowledged author.

            NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children – established in 1977, this award is meant to honor a living American poet for his or her poetry that has a character with a strong persona, as well as prove to be timeless.

            Orbis Pictus – to promote nonfiction writing for children, The National Council of Teachers of English created the Orbis Pictus Award in 1989.  The name derived from Johannes Amos Comenius’s Orbis Pictus – The World in Pictures (1657) as it is considered to be the first book meant for children.

            Batchelder Award – the Mildred L. Batchelder Award is presented to a children’s book that was originally published in another language other than English and in another country other than the United States before it was translated to English and published in the United States.

            Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction – was created in 1982 and is an annual children’s book award meant to honor historical fiction in the hopes of encouraging young readers to gain interest in the history that shaped their nation to be what it is today.

            Pura Belpré Award – was established in 1996 and is named after Pura Belpré.  Throughout the years, she enriched the lives of Puerto Ricans in the United States as she was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library, as well as a storyteller and author.

            Schnieder Family Award – is an award that honors an author or an illustrator of a book.  The book should embody an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

            Sibert Award – this annual award is awarded to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of an informational book that has been published in the United States in English and is highly distinguished from others within its genre.  The award is named after Robert F. Sibert, who was the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc.

            Stonewall Award – the Stonewall Award is divided into three parts: the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award; the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award; and the Stonewall Book Award-Mike Morgan Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.  These awards honor books from a previous year that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

Chapter 9 – Poetry

            I’m so glad that I got to see this video on poetry because I actually have my kids writing a poem this week and I’ve told them that there is no right way or wrong way to write a poem.  This statement calmed some of my students down, but many of them were still hesitant with the assignment.  With that being said, I plan on walking them through it one step at a time, as well as create my own with them.  It also made me aware to revise my rubric, and advise my students that their poem needs to rhyme and use sound devices.

            **Update – Prior to assigning this assignment to my students, I created a sound devices station activity where students got into groups of three and had to create sentences using the ‘l’ sound like in ‘lovely’ or the ‘ck’ sound like in ‘clown’ or the short ‘I’ sound like in ‘sit.’  There were ten stations total, and it was a success.  The students had so much fun with these stations and were quick to share their sound device sentences.  I even had one group say their sentences with a beat added to it.  The next day, I had quite a few of my students ask me if they could do more stations.

            After further reflection, I can see now that the importance of a poem is that we as educators should not just focus on analyzing and dissecting it, but to listen to the wording – the language and the sounds heard within it instead.  Furthermore, I now plan on adding some short poems into my reading fluency activity done at the beginning of every class so that my students are exposed to poems along with informative texts.

            I think it’s also important for the kids to know that literature isn’t just novels and articles, but that poetry is also included into that group.  I remember reading Marilyn Singer’s Mirror Mirror, and I loved how her poems were about fairy tales (which the kids are knowledgeable about) and can be construed in two different ways.  Perhaps by showing young readers the poems within this book, they will be more susceptible to reading poetry and getting involved in reading poetry in various formats.

Chapter 10 – Historical Fiction

            As readers get older, they should understand the meaning of historical fiction.  In my honest opinion, I think historical fiction gets overlooked quite a bit because it’s about history.  I am one of those readers who don’t really like to read historical fiction because, for me, it happened in the past and I can’t really relate to any of the events mentioned in the book because I don’t have those experiences.  However, now that I’m older and have had time to think about this topic, I think that I should be reading historical fiction so I can experience those experiences experienced by the characters in the story.

For teachers who go through educating young learners about the research process, reading a historical fiction novel and/or poem could be the foundation that they need.  In order to find out whether the information being presented in the novel is factual, the teacher and/or librarian can definitely use this as a teachable moment – show the students how to research for information in the library and online.  Young readers will then get a better understanding of how important it is to know and understand what is being read so they can make connections to what the character(s) experiences within the story.