LSSL 5385 Textbook Reflections: Chapters 1-5
Chapter 1: Why Do We Share Literature For Children?
SUMMARY: There are many reasons on why we should share literature for children. The first reason is simply the fact that reading is fun to do! As human beings, we tend to engage in things we find interesting and fun to do. Reading can be classified under this category if children realize that it's okay to judge a book by its cover, for they should find something they know they will enjoy. The second reason is that literature helps acquisition of language and language development. Examples of this includes the "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" initiative and having children read every day for at least twenty minutes. Next, literature develops empathy. As people read, it is common for them to start developing some feelings towards the characters and their situations. Finally, it supports lifelong readers in many ways, including reading autobiographically, for similar and aesthetic experiences, and for philosophical speculation.
REFLECTION: I enjoyed learning about the main reasons why literature is important in a child's life. One of the things I found interesting was "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten". It is true that children develop vocabulary from such a young age, and I believe that reading a book to them every day and then discussing it will definitely help prepare them by the time they officially start school. Reading should be perceived as fun; therefore, it is important for educators to practice letting the children have choice in what they read. They need to be interested in order for them to make connections and relate their own experiences to the text. This can allow them to recognize that they are not alone in the world and not so different. Educators need to show and tell that books can help open up a world of possibilities simply due to reading for pleasure.
Chapter 2: Division of Young People's Literature
SUMMARY: There are several divisions of young people's literature, some of which often get mistaken as other ones. The way they are distinguished from one another are based off of the age range. First, there's children's literature (0-8 years old). This division includes easy readers, picture books, illustrated chapter books, and early chapter books. Then there are middle grade/tween books (8-12 years old), in which the readers are still fairly young and not ready for older-aged content; however, they are ready for something a little harder to read. Going off of this, there is also a middle school (ages 11-13 and usually 6th-8th graders) category, but it is actually technically not a literature division. This is not the same as middle grades! These students are ones who are ready to read about several tougher issues preteens usually go through. The next division will then be young adult literature (13-18 years old), in which there is more language differences, violence, and even sex. Finally, there is a new adult division (18-30 years old). This division is newer and contains issues people who are in the early stages of adulthood typically encounter. Examples of this includes college, work, romance, etc.
REFLECTION: I believe that I have a better understanding of the different divisions of young people's literature because of this chapter. I currently work as a seventh grade ELAR teacher, so I especially was interested in learning about the middle grades and young adult divisions. I am one of the people who assumed that middle grades was the same thing as middle school books. Some children may still be fairly young when they realize they want to move on to more difficult texts; however, that does not mean they are ready to be exposed to the different topics and scenarios middle school students will encounter and be interested in. Then it was nice to learn the description for young adult literature, for I know some middle school students are ready for those types of books. They may be curious about things they will come across when they are a few years old, so they may take it upon themselves to go ahead and move on to that next division. Finally, it was definitely interesting to learn about the new adult division. I think it is awesome that there books about characters going through stress from work and the journey in college, which is something I definitely relate to! Even new adults deserve literature they can refer to and make connections with.
Chapter 3: Anatomy of a Book
SUMMARY: There is more to parts of a book other than the cover and the spine. There are six parts most people aren't aware of: endpapers, casewrap, book block, gutter, headline, and backbone. Endpapers are the two sheets of paper at the beginning and end of a book. Casewrap makes up a hardcover itself, which usually can be printed with patterns, colors, images, cloth, etc. The book block is all the pages of a book gathered and sometimes have added flair for the edges. The gutter is the inner margin that divides the binding from the print. The headband is the strip of textile to fill the gap between the cover and the spine. Finally, the backbone, also known as the spine, connects the front and back covers together. Additional book vocabulary includes mock-up, format, proof, saddle stitch, and F&G. These terms deal with when the book is in the process of becoming a book to be published.
REFLECTION: Books are precious. They contain stories or a collection of information provided for readers of all kinds. However, the way those different texts are put together is also important. I found "The Anatomy of a Book" very informative, for I really did not know all those technical names of a book. I liked how the information was presented as if it was like an instruction manual to put a new piece of furniture together. Every part has a purpose in order to keep everything all together. In addition to this, I found the "Additional Book Vocabulary" section interesting because I got to learn about what exactly a "mock-up" is. I believe that librarians should have a similar diagram and explanation about the parts of a book somewhere posted in their library. I'm sure even students would find this information interesting and useful!
Chapter 4: Genres and Formats
SUMMARY: Genre and formats are two completely different things and are often confused as one another. Let's start with genres. When it comes to genre, there are two categories: fiction and nonfiction. Everything else are simply subgenres, which are actually helpful when trying to find a book. With fiction, there is realism (realistic and historical) and fantasy (traditional and modern). Within fantasy, there is hard and soft science and high and low fantasy. With nonfiction, there is informational, which have branches of biography, autobiography, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and expository nonfiction. Again, genre represents what type of text a piece of literature is, but genrefying can create some obstacles for children looking for specific books. Format is how a text is written. Examples of formats include drama, poetry, novels, chapter books, short stories, picture books, graphic novels, etc.
REFLECTION: Let me start with the genrefying debate. I believe that this video helped me better understand that books can fall into many categories, especially since they can go in different directions. I like how Dr. Perry used the Twilight example. She mentioned that some people may consider it as a romance novel, but at the same time it can fit the paranormal description. Children can get confused when trying to search the book up. This is something for educators to definitely consider for both school libraries. Now, going back to the concept of genres, determining if a book is fiction or nonfiction should always be the first step. I was interested in learning about fantasy that is modern and the levels of science and fantasy it contains, such as the ones that are more focused on the characters. Finally, I believe that people often make the mistake of saying a book's format is its genre. No! It is how a story is carried out and not defining the story's subject in any way.
Chapter 5: What is YA Literature?
SUMMARY: Young adult literature is a reading division for ages 13-18. In this division, there is a youthful protagonist, who can also be highly independent. They are written in a point of view open for an adolescent's interpretation. The characters typically go through some type of major change, which usually happens over time and represents growth. They are also known to suffer the consequences of various decisions and/or actions. In addition to this, young adult literature usually addresses contemporary issues and occur in either a brief time period or a limited setting.
REFLECTION: As mentioned before, I was always curious about the difference between middle grade and young adult literature. Now that I know that young adult literature is geared towards 13-18 year olds, I can see how these various characteristics are appealing to them. Heck, they're even appealing to us adults! I feel this is true for me since I work with middle schoolers. Us educators are always curious about what's on our students' minds and wonder how they see life through their eyes. I believe that reading young adult literature would give us a chance to understand this. However, that division age range may benefit from reading these texts more because they can make connections to the characters' experiences and feelings. Characters go through contemporary issues and may go through physical, mental, and emotional growth, which can definitely be relatable. These types of books could be perfect for book club, for their topics can help initiate many meaningful debates and discussions.
References
SUMMARY: There are many reasons on why we should share literature for children. The first reason is simply the fact that reading is fun to do! As human beings, we tend to engage in things we find interesting and fun to do. Reading can be classified under this category if children realize that it's okay to judge a book by its cover, for they should find something they know they will enjoy. The second reason is that literature helps acquisition of language and language development. Examples of this includes the "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" initiative and having children read every day for at least twenty minutes. Next, literature develops empathy. As people read, it is common for them to start developing some feelings towards the characters and their situations. Finally, it supports lifelong readers in many ways, including reading autobiographically, for similar and aesthetic experiences, and for philosophical speculation.
REFLECTION: I enjoyed learning about the main reasons why literature is important in a child's life. One of the things I found interesting was "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten". It is true that children develop vocabulary from such a young age, and I believe that reading a book to them every day and then discussing it will definitely help prepare them by the time they officially start school. Reading should be perceived as fun; therefore, it is important for educators to practice letting the children have choice in what they read. They need to be interested in order for them to make connections and relate their own experiences to the text. This can allow them to recognize that they are not alone in the world and not so different. Educators need to show and tell that books can help open up a world of possibilities simply due to reading for pleasure.
Chapter 2: Division of Young People's Literature
SUMMARY: There are several divisions of young people's literature, some of which often get mistaken as other ones. The way they are distinguished from one another are based off of the age range. First, there's children's literature (0-8 years old). This division includes easy readers, picture books, illustrated chapter books, and early chapter books. Then there are middle grade/tween books (8-12 years old), in which the readers are still fairly young and not ready for older-aged content; however, they are ready for something a little harder to read. Going off of this, there is also a middle school (ages 11-13 and usually 6th-8th graders) category, but it is actually technically not a literature division. This is not the same as middle grades! These students are ones who are ready to read about several tougher issues preteens usually go through. The next division will then be young adult literature (13-18 years old), in which there is more language differences, violence, and even sex. Finally, there is a new adult division (18-30 years old). This division is newer and contains issues people who are in the early stages of adulthood typically encounter. Examples of this includes college, work, romance, etc.
REFLECTION: I believe that I have a better understanding of the different divisions of young people's literature because of this chapter. I currently work as a seventh grade ELAR teacher, so I especially was interested in learning about the middle grades and young adult divisions. I am one of the people who assumed that middle grades was the same thing as middle school books. Some children may still be fairly young when they realize they want to move on to more difficult texts; however, that does not mean they are ready to be exposed to the different topics and scenarios middle school students will encounter and be interested in. Then it was nice to learn the description for young adult literature, for I know some middle school students are ready for those types of books. They may be curious about things they will come across when they are a few years old, so they may take it upon themselves to go ahead and move on to that next division. Finally, it was definitely interesting to learn about the new adult division. I think it is awesome that there books about characters going through stress from work and the journey in college, which is something I definitely relate to! Even new adults deserve literature they can refer to and make connections with.
Chapter 3: Anatomy of a Book
SUMMARY: There is more to parts of a book other than the cover and the spine. There are six parts most people aren't aware of: endpapers, casewrap, book block, gutter, headline, and backbone. Endpapers are the two sheets of paper at the beginning and end of a book. Casewrap makes up a hardcover itself, which usually can be printed with patterns, colors, images, cloth, etc. The book block is all the pages of a book gathered and sometimes have added flair for the edges. The gutter is the inner margin that divides the binding from the print. The headband is the strip of textile to fill the gap between the cover and the spine. Finally, the backbone, also known as the spine, connects the front and back covers together. Additional book vocabulary includes mock-up, format, proof, saddle stitch, and F&G. These terms deal with when the book is in the process of becoming a book to be published.
REFLECTION: Books are precious. They contain stories or a collection of information provided for readers of all kinds. However, the way those different texts are put together is also important. I found "The Anatomy of a Book" very informative, for I really did not know all those technical names of a book. I liked how the information was presented as if it was like an instruction manual to put a new piece of furniture together. Every part has a purpose in order to keep everything all together. In addition to this, I found the "Additional Book Vocabulary" section interesting because I got to learn about what exactly a "mock-up" is. I believe that librarians should have a similar diagram and explanation about the parts of a book somewhere posted in their library. I'm sure even students would find this information interesting and useful!
Chapter 4: Genres and Formats
SUMMARY: Genre and formats are two completely different things and are often confused as one another. Let's start with genres. When it comes to genre, there are two categories: fiction and nonfiction. Everything else are simply subgenres, which are actually helpful when trying to find a book. With fiction, there is realism (realistic and historical) and fantasy (traditional and modern). Within fantasy, there is hard and soft science and high and low fantasy. With nonfiction, there is informational, which have branches of biography, autobiography, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and expository nonfiction. Again, genre represents what type of text a piece of literature is, but genrefying can create some obstacles for children looking for specific books. Format is how a text is written. Examples of formats include drama, poetry, novels, chapter books, short stories, picture books, graphic novels, etc.
REFLECTION: Let me start with the genrefying debate. I believe that this video helped me better understand that books can fall into many categories, especially since they can go in different directions. I like how Dr. Perry used the Twilight example. She mentioned that some people may consider it as a romance novel, but at the same time it can fit the paranormal description. Children can get confused when trying to search the book up. This is something for educators to definitely consider for both school libraries. Now, going back to the concept of genres, determining if a book is fiction or nonfiction should always be the first step. I was interested in learning about fantasy that is modern and the levels of science and fantasy it contains, such as the ones that are more focused on the characters. Finally, I believe that people often make the mistake of saying a book's format is its genre. No! It is how a story is carried out and not defining the story's subject in any way.
Chapter 5: What is YA Literature?
SUMMARY: Young adult literature is a reading division for ages 13-18. In this division, there is a youthful protagonist, who can also be highly independent. They are written in a point of view open for an adolescent's interpretation. The characters typically go through some type of major change, which usually happens over time and represents growth. They are also known to suffer the consequences of various decisions and/or actions. In addition to this, young adult literature usually addresses contemporary issues and occur in either a brief time period or a limited setting.
REFLECTION: As mentioned before, I was always curious about the difference between middle grade and young adult literature. Now that I know that young adult literature is geared towards 13-18 year olds, I can see how these various characteristics are appealing to them. Heck, they're even appealing to us adults! I feel this is true for me since I work with middle schoolers. Us educators are always curious about what's on our students' minds and wonder how they see life through their eyes. I believe that reading young adult literature would give us a chance to understand this. However, that division age range may benefit from reading these texts more because they can make connections to the characters' experiences and feelings. Characters go through contemporary issues and may go through physical, mental, and emotional growth, which can definitely be relatable. These types of books could be perfect for book club, for their topics can help initiate many meaningful debates and discussions.
References
Lesesne, T. S. & Karin Perry. (2016). YA literature textbook.
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