Textbook Reflection 1-5

Why do we share literature with children?

Reasons that we share literature with children:

• It is fun
• It aides in the acquisition of language and language development
• It develops empathy
• It supports lifelong readers

1. Unconscious delight
2. Reading Autobiographically
3. Reading For Vicarious Experiences
4. Reading For Philosophical Speculation
5. Reading For Aesthetic Experiences

• It develops the imagination
• It can transmit culture

No matter the reason that we share literature children, I feel that the reason that the foundation of sharing literature is that it is fun. Yes, there are tons of benefits that children experience from us sharing literature with them, but the organic conversation of recommending and book to a student or completing a book talk to persuade a group of students to read a book is what peaks their interest. Conversations that readers can share after reading the same book are electric and hopefully sparks a fire to read in others. When reading YA literature, I have now began to look at the reasons that I would share a specific book with someone or how it supports me as a lifelong reader. I've also started to think about why I don't like certain subgenres.

Divisions of Young People's Literature

• Child Lit (0-8 Years old)
• Wordless picture books, easy readers, illustrated chapter books
• Middle Grade/Tween (8-12 years old)
• Rollergirl graphic novel, George
• Young Adult (13-18 years olds)
• Grasshopper Jungle, Firsts, Pushing The Limits
• New Adult (18-30 years old)
• Sweet Home, This is Falling, November 9

Being a middle school librarian, I definitely relate to the issue of confusing middle grade titles with middle school titles. In middle school, depending on if the school is grade 6,7, 8 or just 7th and 8th grade, the age range could be from 11-15 years olds. It’s a challenge to pick titles that will be appropriate for that age range because you want to have books that appeal to the older kids, but you don’t want them to be to inappropriate for the younger students. This has taught me that I need to really take precaution when I am purchasing books for my library.

Genre & Formats

Subjects/Categories: mystery, horror, romance, dsytopia, action/adventure, sports fiction

Formats: poetry, drama, novel, chapter books, short stories, picture books, graphic novels

As a former Reading teacher, I can admit to incorrectly using the word genre when speaking with my students about books. With recent trends/fads it becomes easy to fall into the loop, but it’s important that information remains factual. Even with the popular trend of “genrfying” libraries, I’ll make sure that I research the pros and cons before I make the final decision in my own library and use the word subject, categories, and formats when discussing different books in the library.

What is YA Literature

I’ve never thought about outlining specifically what qualifies a novel to be young adult literature. In general, it’s similar to a large quantity of what all fiction literature is composed of in addition to a young adult’s perspective. Young adult literature includes a highly independent youthful protagonist, and/or  a main character who experiences some significant change and reaps the consequences of their actions or decisions. Often times, it takes place in a brief time period, limited setting, and may include a few fully developed characters while mirroring concerns about contemporary issues. While choosing books for my school’s library, I’ll remember the components that qualify a book as YA. Previously, I listed the reasons that we share literature with children. With making connections being one of those reasons, it’s also important that YA literature is from an adolescent's point of view to make that connection more prevalent.

How do adolescents develop?

1. Intellectual
1. John Piaget- focuses on developmental changes of kids and concrete to formal thinking.
2. Think about questions that we ask students. For more abstract thinking, scaffolding will be necessary
3. Where are kids in terms of intellectual development and how do that impact the books that we offer to them?

2. Moral (Kohlberg’s Theory)
1. Preconventional- making decisions based on reward and punishment
2. Conventional-where we follow the rules (of society and/or religion)
3. Post-conventional-we recognize the laws, but the life of an individual is prioritized more (civil disobedience)
3. Developmental Stages (Havighurst)
1. Learning to get along with peers
1. Students separate more the older they get and some don’t fit into groups or do not keep the same group of friends
2. Easy relationship with the opposite sex
3. Working for pay
4. Changing relationships with parents
1. Almost 180 degree difference from the views of our parents
5. Finding a vacation
1. Students narrow in on future plans and more realistic possible careers or calling
6. Developing morals and values
7. Adapting to physical bodies
8. Defining appropriate sex roles
1. Often defined by society and hard for kids to develop independently
4. Physical
1. Am I normal?
2. Many books focus on physical development of teens.
3. Educators should look for books to assure students about their physical development.
5. Reader
1. Unconscious Delight-reading til the real world fades away
2. Autobiographically- when we want to read about books that reflect ourselves
3. Reading for vicarious experience- the window that allows us to look into another world or life unlike ours
4. Reading for philosophical speculation-beginning to question moral and values
5. Reading for aesthetic experiences-reading for the experience itself whether it’s happy or sad

Previously knowing that students go through developmental changes on a physical, mental, and intellectual level, I can now and developmental changes as a reader. I never thought about the different stages a reader went through,  but I always wondered how I could get students to the point of reading for aesthetic experience. Being more conscious when I recommend books to students or when I ask them what’s the last book they read or why they liked that particular book will be make a huge difference. It also makes me think about why we may sometimes need to read books outside of our comfort zone to have a arsenal of books that we can suggest to students. Personally my surroundings were a major factor in reading in unconscious delight because it was easier for me to really fall into a book when I was in a quiet and calm place. With so many activities, learning, and classes filling the library it’s often not as quiet as the old stereotype suggests, but giving that quiet time in the morning or during lunch may be useful.