Class Introduction
My name is Cate. I live on the east coast of North Carolina so I will most often be posting about 3 or
4am GCU time. My degree is in English Secondary Education. I chose GCU because it has the quickest
and most cost-effective degree program of any highly rated accredited online university I could find.
I'm really excited for this class. Contemporary young adult literature is my area of interest in English!
I'm most interested in the effects YA literature has on child development and on themes in YA
literature that mimic reality. I believe acquiring books for this class will be somewhat challenging for
me.
Topic 1 Post 1
Read Cart´s article "The Value of YA Literature" and NCTE´s Position Statement on
Young Adult Literature. Both pieces provide several qualities, characteristics, and
purpose of young adult literature. Choose two of the ideas referred to in the text that
seem most important and explain why. Be sure to document your sources correctly.
The most important ideas agreed upon by each article is the value of literature to young adults, such as
how involvement with literature makes adolescents more interested in reading, and development of
adolescents through literature. In adolescents becoming involved with literature, Cart’s “The Value of
Young Adult Literature” (2008) argues that literacy is a declining statistic because young adults simply
don’t want to read, and that this can be remedied through YA literature’s relevance to adolescent
development.
NCTE argues that this lack of interest can be the fault of schools. Namely, it states, “Many of
today’s
teachers have never taken a class in children’s and young adult literature, and some states
have
eliminated the requirement for a dedicated course in children’s and/or young adult literature for
teaching certification” (Preparing Teachers with Knowledge of Children’s and Young Adult Literature,
2018). It recommends that schools teach an interest in development and literacy through example.
Cart, M. (2008). The Value of Young Adult Literature. Young Adult Library Services Association.
NCTE Children’s Literature Assembly. (2018, July 9). Preparing Teachers with Knowledge of Children’s and
Young Adult Literature. NCTE. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from
https://ncte.org/statement/chiladollitguideline/
Topic 1 Post 2
Explore the Children´s book database on the GCU website (link to Children´s
Literature Comprehensive Database is in the T1 Resources folder). Look up several
books that you read in middle or high school. What information does the database
include for that book which might be helpful to you as a teacher? Discuss the
benefits of using this website.
I looked up a few of my favorite books from middle school, including The Hunger Games, Eragon, and
The Hobbit. This tool is a search function for the GCU library database that includes books at the
, physical GCU library and books that the GCU library is able to borrow from other libraries or order. This
tool will be useful for this class in the case that I am unable to find a physical copy of the required
reading.
Topic 2 Post 1
In the beginning of Chapter 10, Cart (2016) provides statistics on diversity in young adult
literature. Why is this important information? Why is it important for young readers to
see characters who look like them in texts? In what ways will you think about
diversity in your own classroom?
Diversity is the most important aspect of YA literature. Students come from a variety of backgrounds
that
may not be equally represented in well-known classical literature or even mainstream YA. When I think
YA literature, I think of a few of the biggest titles: The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, Percy
Jackson, etc. These titles feature white, heterosexual, (generally) able-bodied teenagers from lower-
middle class backgrounds. It is important for students to see characters they relate to because
otherwise
they will not be encouraged to read. If media caters to the perceived majority, even if this is not
the
majority, the media will make money at the expense of the reader who wants to connect with the media
on a deeper emotional level. Students who can connect to media will become more invested in reading.
In my future classroom, I will search for YA books that reflect an array of backgrounds, but I will also
encourage students to write about themselves. In the writing sphere, I have often read a tip to write
the book you want to read, and you will always have an audience.
Topic 2 Post 2
Read Gallo´s article on the classics. What do you think of his argument? Identify a
passage from the text that you particularly agree or disagree with and explain your
position. Be sure to document your sources correctly.
I completely agree with Gallo’s argument in “How classics create an aliterate society” (2001) that
teaching adolescents exclusively classic literature will bore them, as the material was simply not written
for teenagers. Gallo, in addition to many classmates he talks about, was turned off reading as the
literature he was taught was too stuffy and advanced for his age group. Students who are unable to
understand the material given will rely on an adult who is able to understand it to form opinions
instead of learning to analyze literature themselves. Gallo writes, “The classics are not about TEENAGE
concerns! They are about ADULT issues. Moreover, they were written for EDUCATED adults who had
the LEISURE time to read them. They were also, not incidentally, written to be ENJOYED-not DISSECTED,
not ANALYZED, and certainly not TESTED” (“How classics create an aliterate society”, 2001). Teenagers
will not relate to classics because classics are not written for teenagers. Stuffing endless information
down a student’s throat may allow them to regurgitate that information onto a test but will not let
them become independent critical thinkers.
Gallo, D. R. (2001). How classics create an aliterate society. English Journal, 90(3), 33-39.
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/how-classics-create-
aliterate-society/docview/237290647/se-2?accountid=7374
My name is Cate. I live on the east coast of North Carolina so I will most often be posting about 3 or
4am GCU time. My degree is in English Secondary Education. I chose GCU because it has the quickest
and most cost-effective degree program of any highly rated accredited online university I could find.
I'm really excited for this class. Contemporary young adult literature is my area of interest in English!
I'm most interested in the effects YA literature has on child development and on themes in YA
literature that mimic reality. I believe acquiring books for this class will be somewhat challenging for
me.
Topic 1 Post 1
Read Cart´s article "The Value of YA Literature" and NCTE´s Position Statement on
Young Adult Literature. Both pieces provide several qualities, characteristics, and
purpose of young adult literature. Choose two of the ideas referred to in the text that
seem most important and explain why. Be sure to document your sources correctly.
The most important ideas agreed upon by each article is the value of literature to young adults, such as
how involvement with literature makes adolescents more interested in reading, and development of
adolescents through literature. In adolescents becoming involved with literature, Cart’s “The Value of
Young Adult Literature” (2008) argues that literacy is a declining statistic because young adults simply
don’t want to read, and that this can be remedied through YA literature’s relevance to adolescent
development.
NCTE argues that this lack of interest can be the fault of schools. Namely, it states, “Many of
today’s
teachers have never taken a class in children’s and young adult literature, and some states
have
eliminated the requirement for a dedicated course in children’s and/or young adult literature for
teaching certification” (Preparing Teachers with Knowledge of Children’s and Young Adult Literature,
2018). It recommends that schools teach an interest in development and literacy through example.
Cart, M. (2008). The Value of Young Adult Literature. Young Adult Library Services Association.
NCTE Children’s Literature Assembly. (2018, July 9). Preparing Teachers with Knowledge of Children’s and
Young Adult Literature. NCTE. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from
https://ncte.org/statement/chiladollitguideline/
Topic 1 Post 2
Explore the Children´s book database on the GCU website (link to Children´s
Literature Comprehensive Database is in the T1 Resources folder). Look up several
books that you read in middle or high school. What information does the database
include for that book which might be helpful to you as a teacher? Discuss the
benefits of using this website.
I looked up a few of my favorite books from middle school, including The Hunger Games, Eragon, and
The Hobbit. This tool is a search function for the GCU library database that includes books at the
, physical GCU library and books that the GCU library is able to borrow from other libraries or order. This
tool will be useful for this class in the case that I am unable to find a physical copy of the required
reading.
Topic 2 Post 1
In the beginning of Chapter 10, Cart (2016) provides statistics on diversity in young adult
literature. Why is this important information? Why is it important for young readers to
see characters who look like them in texts? In what ways will you think about
diversity in your own classroom?
Diversity is the most important aspect of YA literature. Students come from a variety of backgrounds
that
may not be equally represented in well-known classical literature or even mainstream YA. When I think
YA literature, I think of a few of the biggest titles: The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, Percy
Jackson, etc. These titles feature white, heterosexual, (generally) able-bodied teenagers from lower-
middle class backgrounds. It is important for students to see characters they relate to because
otherwise
they will not be encouraged to read. If media caters to the perceived majority, even if this is not
the
majority, the media will make money at the expense of the reader who wants to connect with the media
on a deeper emotional level. Students who can connect to media will become more invested in reading.
In my future classroom, I will search for YA books that reflect an array of backgrounds, but I will also
encourage students to write about themselves. In the writing sphere, I have often read a tip to write
the book you want to read, and you will always have an audience.
Topic 2 Post 2
Read Gallo´s article on the classics. What do you think of his argument? Identify a
passage from the text that you particularly agree or disagree with and explain your
position. Be sure to document your sources correctly.
I completely agree with Gallo’s argument in “How classics create an aliterate society” (2001) that
teaching adolescents exclusively classic literature will bore them, as the material was simply not written
for teenagers. Gallo, in addition to many classmates he talks about, was turned off reading as the
literature he was taught was too stuffy and advanced for his age group. Students who are unable to
understand the material given will rely on an adult who is able to understand it to form opinions
instead of learning to analyze literature themselves. Gallo writes, “The classics are not about TEENAGE
concerns! They are about ADULT issues. Moreover, they were written for EDUCATED adults who had
the LEISURE time to read them. They were also, not incidentally, written to be ENJOYED-not DISSECTED,
not ANALYZED, and certainly not TESTED” (“How classics create an aliterate society”, 2001). Teenagers
will not relate to classics because classics are not written for teenagers. Stuffing endless information
down a student’s throat may allow them to regurgitate that information onto a test but will not let
them become independent critical thinkers.
Gallo, D. R. (2001). How classics create an aliterate society. English Journal, 90(3), 33-39.
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/how-classics-create-
aliterate-society/docview/237290647/se-2?accountid=7374
