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Why Johnny Won't Read
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From: Vreutt_at_aol.com <Vreutt>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2005 16:07:58 EST
I just read Sandra's rebuttal letter and original article about boys and reading. I agree that Sadker, Paterson/Kellogg and Schroeder were missing the point...(in fact - Schroeder may have been responding to the wrong article - it was David McGrath's article in the NY Times, called, "Why Johnny Won't Read," that mentioned political correctness!)
I am interested in boys' reading preferences in that nefarious 8th grade range, where girls have latched on to YA novels - but boys cringe at the titles. I don't think it's true that 100's of books are being published for boys in this age group. Where are the war stories, the post-Gary Paulsen survival fiction, the snowmobile or skateboarding action titles?? My students have enjoyed We All Fall Down, Shattering Glass, Give a Boy a Gun, and similar YA titles but - there is a point when they jump to non-fiction....It's Not About the Bike, Friday Night Lights, Into the Wild, etc...
Publishers, language arts curriculums, librarians and teachers could all do a better job looking at the "appeal" factor. I'll be very interested in the gender differences results of the National Assessment Governing Board.
Vicki Reutter, LMS Cazenovia (NY) High School vreutt at aol.com vreutter at caz.cnyric.org
Received on Mon 21 Feb 2005 03:07:58 PM CST
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2005 16:07:58 EST
I just read Sandra's rebuttal letter and original article about boys and reading. I agree that Sadker, Paterson/Kellogg and Schroeder were missing the point...(in fact - Schroeder may have been responding to the wrong article - it was David McGrath's article in the NY Times, called, "Why Johnny Won't Read," that mentioned political correctness!)
I am interested in boys' reading preferences in that nefarious 8th grade range, where girls have latched on to YA novels - but boys cringe at the titles. I don't think it's true that 100's of books are being published for boys in this age group. Where are the war stories, the post-Gary Paulsen survival fiction, the snowmobile or skateboarding action titles?? My students have enjoyed We All Fall Down, Shattering Glass, Give a Boy a Gun, and similar YA titles but - there is a point when they jump to non-fiction....It's Not About the Bike, Friday Night Lights, Into the Wild, etc...
Publishers, language arts curriculums, librarians and teachers could all do a better job looking at the "appeal" factor. I'll be very interested in the gender differences results of the National Assessment Governing Board.
Vicki Reutter, LMS Cazenovia (NY) High School vreutt at aol.com vreutter at caz.cnyric.org
Received on Mon 21 Feb 2005 03:07:58 PM CST
