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[CCBC-Net] Shannon Hale vs. The Classics
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From: James Elliott <J_C_Elliott>
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:21:21 -0000
I was going to reply to this to the group, but instead only posted it to Brooke! So here is my attempt to recreate my message:
When I was in high School, I used to dread the reading lists for the summer and for English Lit classes. Why? for one thing, the books chosen were either long ("Great Expectations"), boring (same) or depressing ("Bless the Beasts and Children", "A Separate Peace"). If it wasn't that I already had a healthy reading habit on my own, these would have been enough to put me off reading altogether.
I now see this in my children. My kids (one is a strong reader, the other struggles) plod through the required books, and my son (the struggler, going into 6th grade) often gives up several times, and it is a battle to get him to get back to the books. My daughter (the strong reader) will be found reading her own choice while ignoring the required books. "I want something I can enjoy!" she says.
I can see the value of teaching the classics. I think they are important glimpses into the cultural values of our past. But why not tie them in to the current interests? For example, to tie in with the current Pirate craze, assign "Treasure Island" or "Peter Pan"!
Fantasy is another area: H.G. Well's "War of the Worlds" is a better choice than almost anything by Jules Verne (whole chapters to descriptions of marine life in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea").
Ok, that's my 2 cents.
Jim Elliott Tallahassee, Fl.
(By the way, my director has "requested" that I not post my title or the name of the library, lest it appear that my posts have official sanction and are presenting the viewpoint of the Library System instead of my own.)
----- Original Message ----- From: "Brooke Shirts" <chaitivole at gmail.com> To: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 1:49 PM Subject: [CCBC-Net] Shannon Hale vs. The Classics
> Shannon Hale (author of _Princess Academy_) has been addressing the issue
of
> aliteracy on her blog. Specifically, she is addressing YA reluctant
readers
> -- and puts a lot of blame on high school English literature curricula.
She
> writes:
>
> "The argument, 'Teach the classics in high school and let kids read
whatever
> they want on their own' is seriously problematic. Many teens don't have
time
> to read during the school year outside of class or have any inclination.
For
> many teens, their only exposure to books of any kind is what they're
> assigned. According to a recent study, reluctant readers cited their
English
> teachers as their number one source of book recommendations."
>
> I'm breaking the quote here to ask -- does anyone know if this is true?
Received on Mon 07 Aug 2006 10:21:21 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:21:21 -0000
I was going to reply to this to the group, but instead only posted it to Brooke! So here is my attempt to recreate my message:
When I was in high School, I used to dread the reading lists for the summer and for English Lit classes. Why? for one thing, the books chosen were either long ("Great Expectations"), boring (same) or depressing ("Bless the Beasts and Children", "A Separate Peace"). If it wasn't that I already had a healthy reading habit on my own, these would have been enough to put me off reading altogether.
I now see this in my children. My kids (one is a strong reader, the other struggles) plod through the required books, and my son (the struggler, going into 6th grade) often gives up several times, and it is a battle to get him to get back to the books. My daughter (the strong reader) will be found reading her own choice while ignoring the required books. "I want something I can enjoy!" she says.
I can see the value of teaching the classics. I think they are important glimpses into the cultural values of our past. But why not tie them in to the current interests? For example, to tie in with the current Pirate craze, assign "Treasure Island" or "Peter Pan"!
Fantasy is another area: H.G. Well's "War of the Worlds" is a better choice than almost anything by Jules Verne (whole chapters to descriptions of marine life in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea").
Ok, that's my 2 cents.
Jim Elliott Tallahassee, Fl.
(By the way, my director has "requested" that I not post my title or the name of the library, lest it appear that my posts have official sanction and are presenting the viewpoint of the Library System instead of my own.)
----- Original Message ----- From: "Brooke Shirts" <chaitivole at gmail.com> To: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 1:49 PM Subject: [CCBC-Net] Shannon Hale vs. The Classics
> Shannon Hale (author of _Princess Academy_) has been addressing the issue
of
> aliteracy on her blog. Specifically, she is addressing YA reluctant
readers
> -- and puts a lot of blame on high school English literature curricula.
She
> writes:
>
> "The argument, 'Teach the classics in high school and let kids read
whatever
> they want on their own' is seriously problematic. Many teens don't have
time
> to read during the school year outside of class or have any inclination.
For
> many teens, their only exposure to books of any kind is what they're
> assigned. According to a recent study, reluctant readers cited their
English
> teachers as their number one source of book recommendations."
>
> I'm breaking the quote here to ask -- does anyone know if this is true?
Received on Mon 07 Aug 2006 10:21:21 PM CDT
