Why YA Lit?: YA Lit in the Secondary Language Arts

Classroom

Anna Nero & Shannon PerryWashington-Wilkes Comprehensive

High School

Perceptions and Misconceptions

• Remedial texts

• Lacking literary merit– Entertainment– Sentimental– Poorly written

So… what is Young Adult Literature?

• Brief History– Before 1960s – Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys,

Tom Swift• Avoided serious/controversial issues• White middle-class audience

– 1967 – The Outsiders, The Contender, The Chosen, Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones

Big, Broad Definitions

• Any literature that teens read without prodding, poking and threatening by means of quizzes, tests and public humiliation in the form of class discussion

• Books with teenage protagonists

• Books written for teenagers

• Includes books for adults, but read by teens

Don Gallo’s List o’ Characteristics

• Focus on teenage characters• Average length of 200 pages• Point of view – often first person, usually a

teenager• Narrator most often the main character• Usually told in voice of teenager, not adult (as in

To Kill a Mockingbird or A Separate Peace)• Contemporary language • Usually contemporary setting (fantasy, science

fiction)

Gallo’s List (cont.)

• Relatable characters and issues• Minor role of parents• Outcome dependent on decisions and actions of

main character• Tone and outcome usually positive/happy• Plot and literary style uncomplicated, not

simplistic• Possess all traditional literary elements• As able to appeal to adults as teens

(Herz and Gallo, From Hinton to Hamlet)

What our students are saying…

• Carlsen and Sherril (1989) study:– Dissection and over analysis of literature– Reviewing same material for days– Lack of fun / sense of wonder– Meaning without feeling– Lack of experience and/or maturity– Comprehension difficulty

• Disconnect for everyday teenage life• Unfamiliar words

What our students are reading . . .

• Lack of YA Lit titles in required AND pleasure reading categories

• Applebee’s frequent required reading study (1992):– Four Shakespeare plays– Adventures of Huckleberry Finn– To Kill a Mockingbird– The Scarlet Letter– Of Mice and Men– The Great Gatsby– Lord of the Flies

What our students are reading…

• Several studies (Hale & Crowe, Applebee) – Little change in required texts– Shakespeare dominates– Other canonical texts follow

• Favorite genres:– Romance/love stories– Fantasy– Mystery– Sports– Science Fiction

Students want . . .

• To read about relatable and relevant topics and situations

• To read works written in the language that they speak

• To read about characters who look, sound and feel like them

Theoretical Support

G. Robert Carlsen – Stages of Reading Development– Unconscious delight

– Living vicariously

– Seeing oneself

– Philosophical speculations

– Aesthetic delight

Louise Rosenblatt – Reader-response theory– No meaning in text itself– Readers bring meaning to text– Ability to relate to text = important

So, why Not YA Lit?

• Many teachers cling to the notion of canonical literature being necessary to a quality ELA curriculum– Must be difficult in order to be studied– Students can read without a teacher, then not

worth reading– The test of time– Cultural indoctrination

So, why not YA Lit?

• Teacher perceptions have changed little– “inferior” form of literature– Most have never taken a YA Lit class– Conference sessions

• Comfort and familiarity

• Teacher’s reading bias– Experience– Expertise

YA Lit in the Classroom• Thematic Links

• Archetypal Links

• Writing Links

• Research Links

• Miscellaneous Links – Dialogue– Inferencing Lessons

Bibliography

Asher, Sandy. “What About Now? What About Here? What About Me?” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 77-82.

Bridgers, Sue Ellen. “Creating a Bond Between Writer and Reader.” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 65-70.

Bushman, John H. “Young Adult Literature in the Classroom—Or Is It?” English Journal 86.3 (1997): 35-40.

Gallo, Donald R. “How Classics Create an Alliterate Society.” English Journal 90.3 (2001): 33-39.

Bibliography (cont.)

Gallo, Donald R. “Listening to Readers: Attitudes Toward the Young Adult Novel.” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 17-27.

Herz, Sarah K. and Donald R. Gallo. From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. 2nd ed. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2005.

Monseau, Virginia R. “Students and Teachers as a Community of Readers.” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 85-98.

Peck, Richard. “Problem Novels for Readers Without Any.” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 71-76.

Bibliography (cont.)Salvner, Gary M. “Young Adult Novels in the Traditional Literature

Class.” Reading Their World: The Young Adult Novel in the Classroom. Eds. Virginia R. Monseau & Gary M. Salvner. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992. 99-112.

Santoli, Susan P. and Mary Elaine Wagner. “Promoting Young Adult Literature: The Other ‘Real’ Literature.” American Secondary Education 33.1 (2004): 65-75.