Textbook Reflections Chapters 6-10

Chapter 6: The Development of Adolescents

Match the kids to their books successfully

Intellectual: Jean Piaget. Progress from a sensory motor stage to a concrete operational stage to a more formal operational stage. Transition from concrete to abstract at around age 10. Concrete to formal at around age 14. Think about the questions that you are going to ask kids about books. Think about if they are concrete or abstract. Think about the age group of your students you are teaching. Think about books that are very concrete for younger students where they can easily follow along with the plot. Think of where the kids are in their intellectual development before assigning them books or asking them questions about the books.

Moral:

Preconventional: Kids operate here. Make decisions based off of rewards and punishments.

Conventional: This is where we follow the rules. This is what a good person does. I follow the rules of my religion and/or of my society.

Post-conventional: We recognize the laws, but we recognize the life of individuals is more important than laws sometimes. Most adults do not stay at this stage during their adult lives. Most of us will step up to this level but only at certain times.

Developmental: Moving from childhood to adolescents they go through stages.

Learning to get along with peers. Childhood-most friends were who lived in our neighborhood. Adolescents we look for peers that share our same similar interests. This is where some kids say they don’t have any friends anymore because everyone goes off and does their own thing leaving some behind.

Easy relationships with the opposite sex: Childhood not so different. There aren’t huge physical differences, the kids play the same kind of games. Adolescent it changes because now you have to figure out how to have just friendships with girls or boys even though you have noticed that there are some changes. It is all about adapting.

Working for pay: Pay is independence. Mowing lawns, babysitting, allowance for chores etc.

Changing relationships with parents: During adolescence our relationship changes with our parents. Pulling away occurs. Start questioning whether we believe the same thing. Developing morals and values happens at this stage.

Finding a vocation: What do I want to be when I grow up?  Starting to leave behind the big dreams and thinking more realistically about life and career choices. They think I’m really good at this, so what could I do with it in the future?

Developing morals and values

Adapting to physical bodies: Learning how to adapt to our physical bodies

Defining appropriate sex roles: Roles that are identified by society. Very difficult task. Society tells you what girls do and what boys are supposed to do. Name calling starts if we don’t fit into those particular roles.

Physical: Puberty-the effects. Puberty effects everyone at a different time, at a different rate, and in a different way. They think am I normal? Sometimes their physical reality gets in the way of everything else. Look for books that assure them that they will survive through this time and that it is completely normal to have these feelings.

All of these stages are developmentally difficult, and they aren’t experienced in any particular order.

Reader: Birthday cake theory. Develops Empathy. Unconscious delight. Reading autobiographically. Reading for vicarious experiences. Reading for philosophical speculation. Reading for authentic experiences.

Reflection: We need to look for books that speak to where kids are at that specific time. Look at the books that we are offering kids and make sure it is meeting their needs at that specific time (age matters). Look at Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy...use it. Remember it. Think about kids that don’t come to school with enough sleep or that come to school hungry. Think about how it affects them. These physiological things will override all of the other needs and no other need can be met until those problems are taken care of. How am I going to meet those needs? Make sure our collection in our library is diverse, and that we can meet these needs every day.

Chapter 7: Literary Elements

Literary Elements

Antagonist: The person or force that goes against the protagonist (the bad guy) 

Character: Person, figure, inanimate object, or animal that play a huge role in the plot of a story. 

Conflict: A struggle between two opposing forces in a story 

Mood And Tone: 

Mood: How the text makes you feel. The text evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions) 

Tone: How does the text sound (evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and  descriptions.)

Plot: Describes the main events of a story (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution)

Protagonist: The main character of the story (the good guy) 

Setting: The time or place where the story takes place

Themes: The moral, life lesson, or message of the text

Literary Devices

Allegory: abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. 

Purpose is to teach some type of a lesson or a moral.  

Allusion: A brief reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political 

significance in a text that the person should have some knowledge about

Archetype: A universal symbol, may be a character, a symbol, or even a setting that have a common and recurring theme in a particular human culture or entire human race.

Deus ex machine:  the circumstance where an implausible concept or a divine character is introduced into a storyline, for the purpose of resolving it conflict and creating an interesting outcome.

Hyperbole: Overexaggeration

Imagery: The text uses figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

Metaphor: Comparing two unlike things without using like or as

Motif: A motif can be seen as an image, sound, action, or other figure that has a symbolic significance, and contributes toward the development of a theme.

Point of view: The view from which a story is told from

1st person (I, me, my, we) 3rd person objective (Outside spectator looking in) 3rd person omniscient (Thoughts and feelings of all characters) 3rd person limited (Thoughts and feelings of only one character

Simile: Comparing two unlike things using like or as

Symbolism: An object that stands for another object-gives it a different meaning

Reflection: When I am reading YA literature it is important for me to be able to identify these various literary devices and elements in the text. It is important for me to be able to acknowledge them, so I am able to explain them to my students. I need to be able to know the importance of each of these devices and elements, and how they play a role in the actual text.

Chapter 8: Awards and Lists

AWARDS and LISTS

Printz: The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction: YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.

Great Graphic Novels for Teens: Great Graphic Novels for Teens is a list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those ages 12-18, prepared yearly by YALSA.

Best Fiction for Young Adults: YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Blogging Team presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 14 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. The purpose of the annual list it to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use for collection development and reader’s advisory purpose

Margaret A. Edwards Award: An annual award that recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.

ALEX Award: The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.

Odyssey Award: This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.  

Morris Award: An annual award that honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. 

Outstanding Books for the College Bound: The books on this list offer opportunities to discover new ideas, and provide an introduction to the fascinating variety of subjects within an academic discipline. Readers will gain an understanding of our diverse world and build a foundation to deepen their response to that world. This list is developed every five years.

Popular Paperbacks: Each year, the Popular Paperbacks committee creates lists of books to encourage young adults to read for pleasure. The lists of popular or topical titles are widely available in paperback and represent a broad variety of accessible themes and genres.

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers: The Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for whatever reason. The list selects both fiction and nonfiction.

Readers' Choice: YALSA’s Readers’ Choice list seeks to engage a wide audience of librarians, educators, teens and young adult literature enthusiasts in choosing the most popular teen titles in a given year, as organized by broad genres.  The list will also provide librarians with a timely means of identifying popular teen titles on an ongoing basis. 

Teens Top Ten: The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. 

Amazing Audiobooks: Each year, YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks Blogging Team selects and annotates an annual list of notable audio recordings significant to young adults from those released in the past two years.

YA Choices: Since 1986, the Young Adults' Choices project has developed an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle and secondary school students. The reading list is a trusted source of book recommendations, used by adolescents, their parents, teachers, and librarians.

Lone Star Reading List: The Lone Star reading list is developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books.

TAYSHAS Reading List: The goal of the TAYSHAS reading list is to motivate young adults to become livelong readers and to participate in the community of readers in Texas. Students in grades 9 – 12 are encouraged to read books for pleasure from the list which includes fiction and nonfiction titles.

Maverick Reading List: The Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TMGNRL) is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current books. The TMGNRL list is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum.

Edgar Award for Mystery: Each spring, Mystery Writers of America present the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre.

NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry: NCTE established the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1977 to honor a living American poet for his or her aggregate work for children ages 3–13. NCTE also recognizes and fosters excellence in children’s poetry by encouraging its publication and by exploring ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry through such means as publications, programs, and displays.

Orbis Pictus: The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® was established in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children.

Batchelder Award: The Batchelder Award is awarded to a United States publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originating in a country other than the United States and in a language other than English and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States during the preceding year.

Scott O' Dell Award for Historical Fiction: The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults.  Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage other writers to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world

Pura Belpre Award: Presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work

best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Schneider Family Award: Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Sibert Award: Awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English

Stonewall Award: About the Stonewall Book Awards The Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award and the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience

Reflection: Becoming familiar with all of the various awards and lists is important because they all relate to YA literature. I am able to utilize these resources to look for specific books based off of the criteria of each of the awards and lists. These lists and award descriptions are helpful for me because I am not sure of all of the books that are out there. These lists keep me up to date and current, so I am able to share this information with my students.

Chapter 9: Poetry

Poetry is NOT classified as a genre.

It is a form that literature can take.

It can be found in many different genres such as historical fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, and traditional literature.

Criteria for evaluating poetry for children:

1. Is the subject of the poem something that children would be familiar with or have prior knowledge about? Age appropriate.

2. Does the poem use imagery? Think all senses. Does the poem use these to help the reader visualize what is happening in the poem? Smell, sight, texture, sounds etc.

3. Does the poem rhyme? Rhyme Scheme. Think lyrical and narrative poetry, not so much free verse.

4. How is rhythm used? Pay attention to the different beats as we read. Does the rhythm fit the subject of the poem? **Need to work more on this aspect of poetry.

5. What role does sound play? Alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia.

               

      Reflection: Knowing the various criteria of evaluating poetry for children is important in YA literature because I must be able to understand the criteria before I am able to choose poems that are appropriate and beneficial for my students.

Chapter 10: Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction

History: Based off of events that happened in my lifetime

Allows readers to visualize and experience what it might have been like to live in a previous time and place.

Criteria:

1. Does the book tell a good story that blends in history throughout the entire story?

2. Are the facts of the historical period accurate? *Use reviews as a source to help determine this.

3. How are the values of this time brought to life? *Readers should be able to see the differences between time periods

4. Is every detail accurate to that particular time period? Clothing, architecture of houses and buildings, music, the way the characters speak.

5. Does the theme relate to readers today?

Reflection: Understanding the criteria of historical fiction in YA literature is important because I need to understand what makes a solid historical fiction piece in order to have discussion and be able to analyze historical fiction pieces accurately.