Chapter 6: How Do Adolescents Develop?
Chapter six, enlightens with
information regarding the development of adolescents. There are five developmental aspects on how
adolescents develop: intellectual,
moral, developmental, physical, and reader.
Intellectual development is the sensory, concrete, and formal
operational stage. In this period, where
adolescents are between the ages of ten and fourteen years old, they need to be
provided with scaffolding, regarding the type of books matching their intellectual
abilities. Morals, according to
Kohlberg, comes in three forms: preconventional, conventional, and
post-conventional. Preconventional
morals consists of rewards and punishments, in this case kids are usually in
this stage. Conventional morals involve
following rules, like following speed limit signs, is commonly an adult stage. The post-conventional stage recognizes laws,
but humanity triumphs them as it acknowledges the levels of morality. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs depicts
adolescent’s needs arranged as a five-level pyramid. The needs are ordered from basic needs
(physiological and safety) at the bottom of the pyramid, to higher needs
(belonging, esteem, and self-actualization) at the top of the pyramid. Havighurt’s developmental theory occurs in
eight stages. These stages of sense of
self, have a transition from childhood to adolescense. The physical aspect, applies to the puberty
stage development of youngsters. They
develop at a different pace and not at the same time, which is usually not an
easy phase. The fifth aspect of
adolescent development, is becoming readers.
Adolescents read for many reasons, whether it is for aesthetic or
vicarious experiences, philosophical speculation, autobiographically,
unconscious delight, or to develop empathy.
I understand it is necessary to
take into consideration the developmental phase of adolescents when suggesting
reading material, to better suit the students.
The moral and intellectual aspects, I believe are the most crucial
features in understanding how the adolescents grow and evolve. Matching the right books with the right level
of thinking as well as morality level is essential when planning and executing
lessons or book recommendations. An
eye-opening section for me in this chapter was utilizing Kohlberg’s theory in moral
development and literature, and by incrementally moving adolescents through the
levels of morality. Being able to
recognize the student’s developmental level will allow me to provide the
necessary assistance and guidance that will allow students to meet their needs
and grow accordingly.
Lesesne, T.S. &
Karin Perry. (2016). Adolescent
Development. Retrieved February 9, 2018,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYfjbHHfta4&feature=youtu.be
Chapter 7: Literary Elements
Chapter seven reviews
common literary elements and devices in YA literature. Literary elements such as antagonist and
protagonists, character, conflict, mood/tone, plot, setting, and theme make up
some of the essential terms needed for a critical evaluation of YA literature. Antagonists are the characters who work
against the hero of the story, the protagonist or main character. The characters are the people or animals in a
story, and the setting is the place and time the story takes place. When there is a problem or a struggle in the
story, it is usually called a conflict.
The plot however, is the action that makes up the story. Stories have a theme, which is the message or
focus the author states or implies in the story. Mood is the feeling a piece of literature intends
to create in a reader. There is an
abundance of literary devices, yet eleven were mentioned in this chapter:
allegory, allusion, archetype, deus ex machine, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor,
motif, point of view, simile, and symbolism.
For the most part, I feel
comfortable understanding and teaching literary elements, since I have been an
elementary teacher for many years and it is part of our everyday reading
activities. Although, I will admit I did
not know theme needed to be stated in a complete sentence and be
universal. I have taught my students to
look for the message or messages of the story whether it is stated or suggested
and to try to look in the text to demonstrate their reason, but little did I
know it had to be stated in a complete sentence as mentioned in the video by
Dr. Lesesne and Dr. Perry. I am glad I
watched the video, which offered the differences between is and is not a
theme. Learning about literary devices
was very interesting and intriguing as well.
Honestly, there were four literary devices I had not heard before, and I
am excited to have learned new terms that I might encounter now that I am
engaged in reading on a regular basis.
Allegory, allusion, archetype, and deus ex machine are new to my
vocabulary bank and I cannot wait to utilize them and have fun searching for
them in literature.
Lesesne, T.S. & Karin Perry. (2016).
Literary Elements. Retrieved
February 9, 2018, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p6Plaus8OWnKuCwBXJy3qwkDDRNUPvWusXhbTl8lgIQ/edit
Chapter 8: Awards and Lists
Chapter eight, provides
links to many awards and lists offered for young adult and children’s
literature. Awards are bestowed for
distinctive categories from nonfiction to mystery and even audio books. The reading lists display different
categories of literature for children and young adults. Some familiar awards in this chapter are,
Printz, Orbis Pictus, Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, Pura Belpré
Award, and Sibert Award. Other awards
listed feature distinctive book categories for, foreign language, GLBT, Latino
authors and illustrators, first time authors, audiobooks, and even artistic
expression of disability experiences of a child. Nine reading lists ranging from fiction and
nonfiction to popular teen titles and graphic novels, are provided to offer
readers a listing of young adult literature and their corresponding
classification.
Who knew there were so
many awards given to authors and illustrators?
This is an amazing list that will come in handy at any library and as a
resource for teachers when selecting books for their class or students. It feels empowering to know there are several
reading lists available to choose from, when it comes time for planning and
assisting patrons with book selections.
Providing the best literature available to students is indispensable,
and this list of awards and reading lists is essential for all librarians,
teachers, and students.
Lesesne, T.S. & Karin Perry. (2016). Awards and Lists. Retrieved February
10, 2018, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DBe-hLbwZBjUTLwUTU-MdrQaeiOoSejkNSHVu6BHAAE/edit
Chapter 9: Poetry
Chapter nine, offers an
overview of poetry, which is the most neglected format of literature. Free verse and Haiku poems are the most
disliked forms of poetry by children, due to their lack of rhyming and
structure. Funny, familiar, and animal
poems are some of the best liked forms of poetry. Criteria for evaluating poetry for children
must be put in place. Children should be
familiar with the subject of the poem; therefore, some poems should be shared
once the child is older or acquainted with the topic. Imagery places and important factor in a
child’s understanding of the poem and allows the reader to envision the five
senses in their head. Poems do not have
to rhyme, but it is needed as a platform to transition to free verse poems. Readers should be able to identify the rhythm
by distinguishing the difference between natural and forced rhythm. Poems have sound, in form of alliteration,
consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia.
Dr. Lesesne and Dr. Perry read aloud some poems and shared an in-depth
discussion of the criteria necessary for evaluating poems, in part one of a
poetry video. In part two, there is an
abundance of information regarding children’s poetry, including vocabulary,
formats, poems, and poets.
After reading this
chapter, I feel I have a better understanding and love for poetry. I absolutely loved reading the six reasons to
share poetry with children. From
enjoyment and increased vocabulary, to helping children understand their
feelings and emotions, poetry is a beneficial in a child’s literary world. I have always enjoyed reading poetry, yet I
was unaware of the different forms it comes in.
I now know I am more attractive to narrative poems and limericks, and
just like many children, haiku and free verse poems are not in my favorite’s
list. Something I will be doing to help
reluctant poetry readers is to get them involved. I discovered that poetry should be read over
and over again, whether it is by repeated readings or making them into reader’s
theater. The four strategies provided to
involved children in poetry, is a useful reminder of how a little bit of
planning before reading a poem, will create a successful reading and attain the
interaction of the students. Knowing the
NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry recognizes talented authors, makes my heart
happy, because I know motivation and recognition always drives people to keep
doing better, and that means more wonderful poetry books are ahead.
Lesesne, T.S. & Karin Perry. (2016).
Poetry. Retrieved February 11,
2018, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s8H0WwgLjrHonon4MmfNMXcJ2JhgZMVn9c6bxCg-VEc/edit
Chapter 10: Historical Fiction
Chapter ten, discusses historical
fiction as stories set in the past. The
age of the reader plays an important factor in determining what historical
fiction is. Young children might think
history is something that happened in the morning, while older kids might see
history as something that took place in their younger years. Adults possibly perceive history as something
that took place before they were born.
Labeling historical fiction books, becomes tricky due to the period of
the events. Therefore, evaluating
historical fiction for children has to follow some criteria. First, the books have to blend history with a
good story. Accurate facts must be
stated in historical fiction books, and to do so, authenticity may be checked
on CBC (Council on Books for Children) or the National Council on Social
Studies. Historical fiction books must
present the values of its time brought to life.
This is to represent a true picture of the values back in time compared
to the ones we have today. A depiction
of clothing, architecture, and music must be consistent with the social milieu
of the historic period. Finally, the
theme in a historical fiction book must be universal and apply to present-day
readers.
Reading historical
fiction is interesting, since readers have the ability to read for vicarious
reasons and place themselves in the specific time period. I found
very fascinating, the fact that history is seen very differently by readers,
depending on their age. It makes total
sense to see a young child think what they did last night his history, and for
an older child to think what they did in Kindergarten is part of history. Seeing a child’s reaction when adults tell
them they were born in the 1900s is comical, because it blows their mind away. They see these adults, as if they are ancient
human beings that lived when the dinosaurs existed. Historical fiction is one of my all-time
favorite genres. It enables me to feel
what the historical figures of that time were feeling and going through. Some students see this genre as boring, yet
it is our task to change their mind set and expose them to more books where
they will be entertained and at the same time learn from. I will implement lessons where historical
fiction books are read on a regular basis, perhaps start a book club focusing
on this genre.
Lesesne, T.S. & Karin Perry. (2016).
Historical Fiction. Retrieved
February 12, 2018, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xp3mLYtAFlHM3x0ymGf2aCauM9GmPXGiukZ0vFDQ7iM/edit
Adapted from Charlotte Huck's
Children's Literature: A Brief Guide by Barbara Z. Kiefer and Cynthia
A. Tyson. (2010) pp. 212-237.
