Chapter 6- How Do Adolescents Develop?
SUMMARY
Young adults are going through A LOT! There
are many different things going on with them, and librarians need to have a
working knowledge of all of these developmental aspects of our readers in order
to help them find what they need to enjoy reading. It is our job to use
our knowledge so students are matched with books appropriate to them (the
individual).
INTELLECTUAL: There are many intellectual
changes happening inside their bodies and several pieces of research that
explain them. First, let’s look at Piaget’s research. Children
begin to transition from concrete to abstract thought around age 14 (this is a
big change from the previously accepted age of 10). This makes teaching
concepts such as “theme” a major challenge.
Due to this transition in the way their brain
works, it is necessary to think about the questions you are going to ask kids
about books. If you want them reading at the abstract level, you must
provide scaffolding. They need to start with books that are concrete, and
then add some that require abstract thinking. Think about the difference
between concrete and abstract thought and apply that knowledge to each of the
students. Next, let’s take a look at Havighurst’s research about the
changes that occur from childhood to adolescence. Children are learning
to get along with their peers- they are moving out of their neighborhood play
pals and hanging out with peers who share similar interests. Since
children develop at different rates, this often leaves some kids with no
friends because they are the last to hit this stage. As they are
emotionally changing, they are also growing physically at different rates- not
only from others, but within their own bodies. Some kids have gigantic
feet, others are tall and lanky, and many are clumsy because their bodies are
in such a state of flux! Also, children are starting to pull away from
their parents to develop their own independent identities. They are
challenging their parents’ beliefs and developing their own morals and values.
They are learning to make friends with the opposite sex, learn the
socially “appropriate” behaviors and roles for their gender, and trying to
figure out what they want to be when they grow up. Some of these
children have even started working for pay. With all of these changes,
there is the fear of not fitting in, of being made fun of for not conforming to
standard gender roles, and trying to navigate between the world of child and
adult.
MORAL: As mentioned above, adolescents are
trying to determine their own moral code. Kohlberg’s theory breaks down
the development of morality into three stages. First is preconventional.
This is when people make decisions based on reward and punishment.
Children are in this stage, but adults also fall into it- think about
your obedience to a stop sign if there is a police officer driving beside you…
and how likely are you to stop at a 4-way if there are no other cars in
sight?.... Exactly. The next stage is conventional. This is where
people follow the rules because they are good people and that’s what good
people do. The final stage is post-conventional. This is the point when a
person is able to recognize the laws, but also recognizes that humanity
supersedes the law. This is where civil disobedience comes from.
This is where a person is watching out for other people instead of
themselves. Many people have moments of post-conventional behavior, but
normally take care of themselves.
As a librarian, we are looking for books that
will speak to our students where they are now and try to move them up.
DEVELOPMENTAL: Maslow’s pyramid of needs
applies to all people, and can be put into the context of our students.
At the base level is physiological need. Our students must have
food, sleep, and not be in pain in order to be able to function. Level up
to safety, where our students need to feel physically and emotionally safe.
This is where we must pay attention to bullying, name-calling, etc.
Level up again, and students need love/sense of belonging. In our
classrooms and libraries, we need to SEE our students and call them by name and
greet them. Level up to the fourth level and our students need esteem.
This is respect. This is something that many of our students do not
feel like they receive from teachers, and it is something we must return to them
since we expect them to give it to us. Finally, at the top of the pyramid
is self-actualization. This is the magical place where our students
believe they can be anything they want to achieve. Wouldn’t this be
great?
PHYSICAL: As mentioned before, our
students are going through puberty! Kids are wondering, “what is normal?
Am I normal?” And of course they aren’t, who is? Students all
develop differently- at different times, in different order, in different ways
(remember our too big of feet from above?). These poor kiddos are having
Goldilocks syndrome- “will I ever…” and “My __ is too ___”. This is a
physically drastic period of change. Sometimes, their physical reality
gets in the way of everything else. Lots of books talk about this subject.
As a librarian, look at the main characters in books to see how they
change from child to tween and tween to teen. Look for the books that
show these changes are normal… and the students will get through it.
READER: Students are changing how they read.
In Donelson & Nilson’s tiered birthday cake model, reading serves
many purposes for students. Let’s start at the bottom tier and move up.
Students read to develop empathy for others. Students read for
unconscious delight. This is when they find they can “get lost in a book”
and is often found in reading a series, serial reading, or sticking with one
satisfying genre. Students read autobiographically so they can see
themselves in literature. Students conversely read for a vicarious experience
so they can see something totally different from their normal life in
literature. Students read for philosophical speculation which fits in
with their need to start developing their own moral code. Finally,
students read for aesthetic experience, for the sheer beauty and wonder found
in a book.
So, the librarian’s job is to find books that
the students can fall into, that ask the hard questions, allows them to see
themselves, see new things, and simply enjoy the magic of literature.
REFLECTION
This chapter brought back much of the learning I
had about human development in college while preparing to be a teacher.
It also taught me some new information; some of which made me go,
“Aha!” For example, abstract thought not kicking in until age 14.
This blows my mind! When you look at the TEKS for Language Arts in
6-8 grades in Texas, students are expected to be functioning at abstract
thought beginning in 6th grade, where many of them are only 11. Aha!
Another element from this chapter that speaks to me is that a librarian
needs to put together many elements about each child in order to scaffold them
up in their reading as they grow, and to help them love literature, even as the
literature helps them develop these super, crazy important elements of who they
will become as they grow up. What power and what responsibility!
Chapter 7- Literary Elements
SUMMARY
This chapter provides a list of literary
elements and devices that authors believe are basic to the critical evaluation
of young adult literature. In order to read critically, the reader must
have a working definition of these terms. There are several lists and
websites of literary elements and devices linked to in this chapter. Included
are the literary elements and devices the authors believe to be basic to
evaluate YA literature critically. A students in this course, it is asked
that we develop a 50 word or less definition of the literary elements and
devices listed to use when creating our annotations and blog posts.
Below you will find my list.
Literary elements
- Antagonist- the person/thing causing the conflict with
our narrator
- Protagonist- the main character
- Characters- the people who populate the story
- Climax- the turning point; moment of most intense
emotion
- Conflict- the problem the protagonist faces
- Dialogue- conversation
- Inciting Incident- the event that sets the conflict/
plot into motion
- Mood- the author’s disposition toward the subject-
creates the atmosphere
- Plot- the events
- Setting- where and when the story takes place
- Themes- what it is and what it is NOT
- Not
an old saying, main idea, topic, summary, single word
- Truism,
message, complete sentence, multiples, text proves
- Tone- the perspective or attitude the author has toward
a character, place, development
Literary devices
13.
Allegory- a symbolism
device that teaches the meaning of an abstract concept using a more tangible
object as the example. Like a metaphor.
14.
Alliteration- repetition
of consonant sounds
15.
Allusion- reference to
another work
16.
Amplification- When a
simple sentence does not show the extent of the meaning, the sentence is
extended to show more feeling/ give more understanding
17.
Archetype- uses a
well-known character (damsel in distress, villain) to convey a significant
amount of meaning; they are overused, but excellent at making their point
18.
Anthropomorphism- a
super cool way to say personification
19.
Bildungsroman (because
it is such a cool word)- a novel that focuses on the psychological and moral
growth of the main character ( a sensitive person) from youth into adulthood.
Usually starts with a tragedy and typically the conflict is versus
society fancy word for “coming of age” novel
20.
Deus ex machine- a
literary device that is looked down upon- it is when an author has to come up
with some kind of implausible concept or character in order for the conflict to
resolve. Seen as a poorly written plot.
21.
Diction-the author’s
word choice
22.
Epithet- a descriptive
device, usually added to someone’s name “Alexander the Great”
23.
Euphemism- a gentler way
to say something unpleasant or severe
24.
Flashback- a break in
the progression of the plot to share an earlier episode
25.
Foil- characters that
contrast each other in order to highlight a trait
26.
Foreshadowing - clues to
what will happen next
27.
Hubris- arrogant
28.
Hyperbole- exaggeration
29.
Imagery- making a
picture in your mind; 5 senses
30.
Irony- when your meaning
is the opposite of what you say
31.
Metaphor- compares
unlike things
32.
Motif- any element,
subject, idea or concept that is present throughout the entire work
33.
Oxymoron- putting
contrasting words together - deeper meaning
34.
Personification- giving
human qualities to an inanimate object
35.
Point of view- who is
telling the story- 1st, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient, 2nd
36.
Simile- compares using
“like” or “as”
37.
Style- the unique way
the writer uses language
38.
Suspense- the build up
of tension
39.
Symbolism- when
something stands for something elses
40.
Syntax- the way words
and sentences are placed together
41.
Verisimilitude- how
close it seems to the truth
42.
Vernacular- using plain,
everyday language (not to be confused with dialect)
REFLECTION
I use literary devices and elements every day in
my Language Arts classroom. I decided to make my list a mixture of the
elements I find in literature the most often, the elements that I feel are the
most important, and elements that I am unfamiliar with and hope to be able to
recognize and name more readily now. It never ceases to amaze me that
there are always so many new words to learn!
Chapter 8- Awards
SUMMARY
Awards and lists- Library students should be
familiar with the many different awards given for YA literature. It is
also important to know the criteria for each award, when the awards/lists will
be announced, and where to access them.
For the first set of books: As far as
where to access them, they are accessible from the “Teen Book Finder Database”
created by YALSA and on the ALA website.
As far as when they will be announced, many of
the awards are announced at the ALA Youth Media Awards. This year the
date is Monday, February 12 at 8 a.m. MT (eek- that is in two days!!!).
The criteria is different for each book, so it
will be listed with the award. However, some criteria that remains the
same unless specified otherwise is that they are all for YA literature and they
all must be excellent in literary quality.
The awards include:
- Printz Award.
- Criteria- literary excellence-
all forms of writing, open criteria are- story, voice, style, setting,
accuracy, characters, theme, illustrations, design
- YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction
- Criteria- All print forms of
nonfiction, excellent writing, research, presentation, and readability
- Great Graphic Novels for Teens
- Criteria- Graphic novel
format, this one is unique in that it can be not only YA, but also adult
as long as it has strong teen appeal, fiction and non-fiction,
collections of comic strips if they contain an overarching story arc.
- Best Fiction for Young Adults
- Criteria- Appeal to the
reading tastes of young adults, titles from a series are allowed
- Margaret A. Edwards Award
- Criteria- Does the book help
adolescents become aware of themselves and answer their questions about
their role and importance in relationships, society, and the world?
Acceptable literary quality, satisfies the curiosity of young
adults and helps them thoughtfully build a philosophy of life, currently
popular in different parts of the country, and serves as a “window to the
world” for young people.
- ALEX Award
- Criteria- Appeal to young
adults
- Odyssey award
- Criteria- The best audiobook
produced for children and/or young adults that is available in the U.S.
and in English.
- Morris award
- Criteria- First time author,
highest standards and well written, components should be of high merit,
teen appeal, and represents the “highest achievement in a debut work for
young adults.”
- Outstanding Books for the
College Bound
- Criteria- Consonant with the
ALA Library Bill of Rights, should be widely available, and criteria can
be set up for the different categories. The committee determines
these.
- Popular Paperbacks
- Criteria- Must be in print and
paperback, popularity is more important than literary quality, adult
titles can be considered,and diversity is important.
- Quick Picks for Reluctant
Readers
- Criteria- Books should have
appeal as self-selected pleasure reading for young adults. Teen
feedback is encouraged.
- Readers Choice
- Criteria- Popularity over
literary quality, must fit into a category (horror, mystery, etc), and
must be widely available in the U.S.
- Teens Top Ten
- This list is announced on the
Thursday of National Library Week and is a list selected by teen book
groups at fifteen school and public libraries across the country.
Then, readers 12-18 vote for it during Teen Read Week.
- Criteria- The readers vote for
it.
- Amazing Audiobooks
- Criteria- Appeal to teens,
remain true to the original work, effective use of voices, music, sound
effects, and language, appropriate for audio presentation, suitable match
between performer and text, professional quality, and clarity.
- Batchelder Award
- Criteria- Outstanding
children’s book originally published in a language other than English in
a country other than the U.S. and subsequently translated into English
for publication in the U.S.
- Stonewall Award
- Criteria- exceptional merit
relating to the LGBT experience written in English
- Schneider Family Award
- Criteria- A person with a
disability is the protagonist or secondary character and it is printed in
English.
- Pura Belpre Award
- Criteria- Positive and
accurate portrayal of the Latino culture, excellence of literary
qualities, and excellence of presentation for an intended child audience.
- Sibert Award
- Criteria- Excellen, engaging
and distinctive use of language and visual presentation, clear, accurate,
and stimulating presentation of facts, concepts, and ideas, supportive
features, respectful and of interest to children.
Texas Booklist: The following three book
lists can be found on the TXLA.org website
- Lone Star Reading List
- Criteria- Determined by the
committee, current books, encourage students in grades 6, 7, 8 to read a
variety of books.
- TAYSHAS Reading List
- Published within two years of
the list year, favorably reviewed in a scholarly journal for grades 9-12,
variety of difficulty levels
- Maverick Reading List
- Graphic novel that encourages
students in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current books.
- Edgar Award for Mystery
- When: Every Spring, in
2018 it will be on April 26
- Where: theedgars.com
- Criteria- There are several
categories, but it must be a crime/mystery/horror type novel
On the NCTE website:
- NCTE Award for Excellence in
Poetry for Children
- Criteria- Literary merit,
poet’s aggregate work, evolution of the poet’s work, and appeal to
children.
- Orbis Pictus Award for
Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- Criteria- Nonfiction,
accuracy, organization, design, style, and should be useful in the
classroom.
- Scott O’Dell Award for
Historical Fiction
- Criteria- Historical fiction
On the International Literacy Association
(litearcyworldwide.org) Website:
- YA Choices
- Criteria- Will encourage
adolescents to read, chosen by readers.
REFLECTION
I knew there were many awards for books, but
many of the ones on this list are new to me. It is amazing and wonderful
to know that there are people out there (librarians and professors and writers
and endowments and students) who are constantly reading to determine what the
best literature is. It is impossible to stay up with every new book
written every year and knowing where the lists of award winning and honor books
are will be exceedingly helpful in selecting books for my library.
Chapter 9: Poetry
SUMMARY
Poetry is the most undervalued and underused
form (not genre) of literature. When it is used, it is beaten until dead
and then dissected until nothing remains but fragments (and here, I hang my
English teacher head in shame as I remember the analysis of poetry we often do
in the classroom). How can we expect children to learn to love poetry if this
is what they are getting? Poetry can be treated with much more dignity
than what is often receives.
There are
five criteria that can be used for evaluating poetry: First, is the
subject something children will be familiar with? For example, let’s read
with them about climbing a tree, not staring at a tree in abstract wonderment.
Next, does the poem use imagery? The more the young reader can imagine
and connect to sounds and sights and tastes, the better they will connect with
and understand the poem. Thirdly, does the poem rhyme? Although
writing in free verse is wonderful for children, reading poetry is much more
comfortable for them if there is a consistent pattern of rhyme.
Fourthly, how is rhythm used? Just like rhyme, children understand
and enjoy poetry more if it has a “beat” that matches the mood of the poem.
A natural rhythm helps them to understand what they are reading.
Finally, what role does sound play? Students love the use of
alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia (this is my favorite word to spell
and my students’ favorite word to find in poetry!).
Some additional criteria that can be used when
evaluating poetry for children includes: visual images, imagery that allows
their imaginations to grow the idea, never bring it “down to their level”, use
lively poems, and touching subjects that they will be able to “feel” about.
There are some great ideas about what to do with
poetry. Allow kids to interact with poems. This is done through
having them make the noises, read the chorus, or create a readers theater where
the students have roles. One idea is to let them read a poem multiple
times in a week so that they learn their parts and can enjoy them by the end of
the week. Poetry can also be used for teaching, with such collections like Ruth
Heller’s MANY LUSCIOUS LOLLIPOPS and other books teaching the parts of speech.
Books about school, such as IF YOU’RE NOT HERE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR
HAND by Kalli Dakos are also great for forging connections (the familiar topics
and language). Another idea would be- do not always pick it apart!
Just read it. Enjoy it. Also, let students write poetry
because there are really no rules and they can focus on what they are saying
instead of how they are saying it.
Research shows five consistent conclusions about
what elementary students like as far as poetry. The things they dislike
are free verse and haiku. The things they prefer are narrative poetry,
rhythm and rhyme and other sound devices, funny poems and poems that are about
experiences familiar to them, and contemporary poems because of the familiar
language and topics.
One way poetry is coming out of the shadows is
through the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. This award used
to be awarded every three years, but is now awarded every year.
Why do we teach poetry? There is value in
poetry for our students. They can share emotions, experiences, and
visions with the poets. Through poetry, they can gain a new or deeper
understanding of the world. There are six reasons for sharing poetry with
children suggested by Jean Le Pere: to create enjoyment, share knowledge of
concepts, increase vocabulary, help children identify with people and
situations, understand their own feelings, grant insights into their feelings,
and understand universal emotions.
There are certain characteristics of poetry that
are suitable to different ages. In 1st-3rd grades poetry should be:
narrative, limericks, strange and fantastic events, traditional, and have:
rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. In 4th-6th grades, excitement for
poetry declines. Poetry should be: contemporary, familiar and enjoyable
experiences, tell a story with humor, and have: rhythm and rhyme, no heavy
imagery or implied emotion. In grades 7-9, poetry should be humorous,
narrative about familiar experiences, and continue to have rhyme.,
REFLECTION
I learned so much about poetry and what is
appropriate for children. I think about what we learned in chapter 7, and
that children don’t get to abstract thought until 14, but we have our middle
school children reading and analyzing Frost and Dickinson- the very stuff we
have been giving them is the very stuff their brains can’t wrap around.
Our kids don’t want boring, and they don’t want to dissect a poem.
I have some great ideas about poems now to work with my students with,
and my future students when I am the librarian. I can’t wait to let the students
read a poem in a reader’s theater every day for a week. I look forward to
the Friday when they know their parts and they can feel happy and confident.
I can’t wait to see them fall in love with poetry because I have learned
how to properly care for this beautiful form of literature.
Chapter 10- Historical Fiction
SUMMARY
Historical fiction is any story set in the past.
As it turns out, the past is debatable. If, in 2018, you ask an
adult if 9/11 is a contemporary event, they will say probably say yes. However,
if you ask a school age child, they will say that it was historical. For
many adults today, THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963 is considered historical,
however there are still many people who lived during that time, so it would be
contemporary. Basically, historical fiction allows the reader to
experience living in a different time.
There are five criteria that can be applied to
evaluate historical fiction. First, does the book tell a good story that
seamlessly binds the history into it through the details? Secondly, are
the facts of the historical period accurate? It is a good idea to consult
the CBC or another list of excellent novels unless you happen to be an expert
on a particular time period. Thirdly, how are the values of the time brought
to life? The reader must be able to see how things were valued
differently from today. Fourthly, is everything consistent in the social
milieu? The clothing, architecture, music, speech patterns, and
everything else must fit the time period. Finally, does the theme of the
story relate to modern readers? If it does, fabulous. If it does
not, then the novel is off the mark. The theme of historical fiction must
be universal and meaningful to the contemporary reader.
REFLECTION
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.
I love to see the struggles and the way of life of a different period of
time. One of my favorite things to do with a novel is to see how long it takes
me to figure out the time period without reading the book flap or any reviews.
As I learn here, it is more the skills of an excellent writer than the
skills of me as a reader that determine how long it takes me to figure out.
There is a skill in writing historical fiction because a writer must
blend historical accuracy, a compelling fictional plot, and a theme that
crosses time and place into one interwoven masterpiece.
Something I have seen as a teacher is the
difference between what I consider history and what my students consider as
history. As this chapter points out, this difference is important in
determining which literature falls into which category- especially when the
controversy about genrefied libraries comes up.
