The End of the Semester, But Only the Beginning of My Adventures with YA Literature

Have I Gained Better Acquaintance with Contemporary YA Literature?

As a result of this course, I have a more thorough understanding of contemporary YA literature.  While I read many YA novels as a teenager, I did not usually read much by contemporary authors.  Also, since my teenage years ended about six years ago, my knowledge of the most recent YA authors is fairly limited.  After taking LTED 629, I am now familiar with the works of Ally Carter, Eric Luper, Ellen Hopkins, Deborah Ellis, and Suzanne Collins.  These authors stand out to me as having produced exemplary YA works.  In particular, Eric Luper’s Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto (2010) and Ellen Hopkins’ Crank (2004) are two examples of the versatility of YA literature.  These also happen to be two of my favorite works of YA literature.

I believe I was able to “fully transact” with these works as a result of my own reading, my blog posts, and our class discussions.  My own readings of these novels provided the basis for my understanding and allowed me to connect the text to my own life experiences.  I was then able to further expand upon these connections in my blog posts and consider text-to-text as well as text-to-world connections.  Our class discussions allowed me to gain new perspectives on the literature based on my peers’ opinions of, and connections to, the text.  Through these discussions, I was able to extend my own ideas about the literature and develop my understanding of the topics addressed in these novels.

Our class discussions also enabled me to “look beyond the differences and take a step toward appreciating the cultural connectedness of all humanity” (Landt, 2006, p. 692).  In particular, our discussions of Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner (2000), Nujood Ali’s I Am Nujood, age 10 and Divorced (2010), and Jennifer Donnelly’s A Northern Light (2003) all helped me to look past my own personal opinions and beliefs about the texts in order to consider them in the context of their cultural and historical standpoints.  As Landt (2006) asserts, literature has the ability to “open doors in our minds” (p. 690).  The literature we have read and discussed in this course has truly opened my mind and expanded my views about various cultures and periods in history, as well as various situations teens encounter in today’s world.

Have I Developed an Understanding of How to Utilize YA Literature and Strategic Teaching Practices to Support Secondary School Curricula?

Prior to this course, I had a basic understanding of literary devices, such as imagery and communication.  However, I had somewhat foolishly believed that I had a complete understanding of these terms, based on my undergraduate studies in English Literature.  Once I began reading Moon’s (1999) Literary Terms:  A Practical Glossary, I realized my understanding of many of these terms was extremely basic.  As a result of our work with Moon’s (1999) text, I was able to have more consideration for the way these devices function in each work of YA literature we studied this semester.  Moon’s (1999) text also fostered a deeper knowledge of each literary device and the extent to which these devices are present in a given text. 

As a result of my “Meeting ELA Standards…” project, I was able to consider how graphic novels fit into the New York State standards.  I was also encouraged to think deeply about the ways communication and imagery are used in a particular text (in this case, in Persepolis (2003)).  In addition, I determined how to incorporate these literary devices into my classroom instruction.  Groenke & Scherff (2010) aided in my understanding of how to teach graphic novels in the classroom, and their use of Jago’s criteria allowed me to more closely consider the specific components of the text that make it appropriate to teach to an entire class.  Through my classmates’ presentations, I was able to gain new perspectives of each novel, as well as the literary devices at work in these texts. Also, these presentations provided me with additional ideas regarding how to teach YA literature to my future students.  Finally, creating my iMovie, or “End of Unit” Reader Response Project, encouraged me to further interact with my selected text in order to discover how to compose a book trailer that effectively engages the viewer and implements aspects of communication and imagery.  Creating my iMovie also enabled me to understand Sylvester and Greenidge’s (2009) assertion that this type of activity can highly motivate struggling writers.  As a result of this project, I not only have a deeper understanding of Persepolis (2003), but of graphic novels in general.  I am also more aware of the types of learning activities I can incorporate into a unit on YA literature. 

Have I Developed an Understanding of How to Utilize Digital Teaching and Learning Practices to Support Secondary School Curricula?

I believe I have been successful in meeting the learning goals for this course through my blog posts and class wiki.  My own personal blog aided me in processing ideas about the texts, while the class wiki assisted in building unity and a social environment among classmates.  In addition, both my personal blog and the class wiki allowed for the sharing of information between my peers and myself.  Solely relying on class discussions would result in students’ sharing only certain thoughts with the rest of the class.  By utilizing blogs and wikis, each student is able to contribute a wider variety of ideas to either their personal blog or the class wiki.  The blog is extremely helpful in allowing students to consider the text largely on their own, with the slight awareness that others can view and comment on their blog posts.  As a result, I personally believe that I most likely would not have thought as metacognitively about my own reading practices and my own learning if we had not used these digital tools in this course.

I also believe I have been successful in meeting the learning goals for this course through my digital reader response project, or iMovie.  This project added to my own understanding of how my students would approach the novel and this project.  In addition, this project allowed me to consider the way creating a digital response would encourage my students to share ideas, process ideas, share information and responses, and build a social environment “created in the electronic space” (Grisham & Wolsey, 2006, p. 654).  Through this project, I was also made aware of the way creating a digital response can motivate students, particularly struggling writers (Sylvester & Greenidge, 2009).  Through completing my iMovie, I discovered that the digital reader response project is particularly effective for the graphic novel genre, as I was able to see how images and words are combined to effectively communicate ideas.

Not only did this project allow me to develop a deeper appreciation for the literary elements of YA literature and the literary elements of the digital narrative, but it also allowed me to more fully engage with the text.  As a result of creating my iMovie, I became more familiar with the text, particularly the way certain images convey the intended emotions and ideas within the text.  I also learned new aspects of the program I used to create my digital response.  Previously, I had never added music to a video on iMovie.  Creating a digital response allows for more creativity and a different way of thinking about the text than a report or other written response would.  Overall, creating a digital response in this way supported my learning in a unique way.  I believe that I would not have been as successful in meeting the learning goals for this course had we not used these digital tools.

References

Donnelly, J. (2003). A northern light. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books.

Ellis, D. (2000). The breadwinner. Toronto, Canada: Douglas & McIntyre.

Grisham, D. L. & Wolsey, T. D. (2006).  Recentering the middle school classroom as a vibrant learning community: Students, literacy, and technology intersect. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(8), 648-660.

Groenke, S. L. & Scherff, L. (2010). Teaching YA lit through differentiated instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.

Landt, S. M. (2006). Multicultural literature and young adolescents: A kaleidoscope of opportunity. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(8), 690-697.

Luper, E. (2010). Seth Baumgartner’s love manifesto. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Moon, B. (1999). Literary terms: A practical glossary. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

Nujood, A. (2010). I am Nujood, age 10 and divorced. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.

Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis: The story of a childhood. New York, NY: Pantheon.

Sylvester, R., & Greenidge, W. (2009). Digital storytelling: Extending the potential for struggling readers. The Reading Teacher, 63(4), 284-295.

More on Nancy Holder

I came across Nancy Holder's official website and thought it might be useful to anyone considering reading her books.

http://nancyholder.com/

I skimmed her biography and found it interesting that she used to be a ballet dancer!

Update on the Wicked series by Nancy Holder

It seems like it's taken me forever to finish the first book in the series, but I finally did!  That being said, I'm still processing how I feel about it.  While I really started getting into the book and caring about what happened to the characters, I also found much of it extremely strange.  Apparently the characters in medieval France that the novel kept flashing back to are actually connected to the current characters (Holly and Jeraud).  The medieval souls are attached to Holly and Jeraud and basically reenact their tragic love story in modern-day times.  Holly and Jeraud (and their counterparts, Isabeau and Jean) are members of warring families, the Cahors and the Deveraux.  These two families are witches and warlocks, respectively.  Despite the hatred between these two Covens, Isabeau and Jean are in love with each other, but their families' feud ends up killing Isabeau (in medieval France).  Basically, in an effort for both Isabeau and Jean's souls to be at rest, the horrible fire that was started by Isabeau's family (and ended up killing Isabeau, as well as much of Jean's family) was renewed during Holly's cousin's school play (of course, the play is Romeo and Juliet).  It was almost like history repeating itself.  However, rather than killing Holly, the fire kills Jeraud instead.  Now, one would think that everything would be fine now that Isabeau has "avenged" her death because Jeraud is dead, but it's not that simple (because then there wouldn't be another book in the series).  So at the end of the book, we find out that things aren't always as they seem and that Jeraud's father, Michael, is plotting even more evil directed at Holly and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.  (Note:  Amanda and Nicole are also part of the Cahors family, so all three girls are descendants of the medieval French coven of witches.  However, none of the girls are aware of this fact at the beginning of the novel.)

I hope all of the above summarization makes sense; it was extremely difficult to speak briefly about this novel, both due to its length (361 pages) as well as its content.

In all, I'm glad I stuck it out and continued reading, in spite of my extreme confusion and uncertainty.  While there's quite a bit of gore and evil referenced considering this is supposed to be a book for teens, I can understand the overall appeal of the novel.  Not only is the love story aspect of the novel similar to Romeo and Juliet, but it is also reminiscent of the Twilight series.  In fact, the series seems very similar to Twilight, given the romance and the supernatural elements.  However, those who do not like Twilight, rest assured; this novel has certain elements that seem familiar, but it is a completely different series.  Personally, I am not a huge fan of vampires (and I was completely Team Jacob when reading Twilight).  I have always found stories about witches fascinating though.  As a child, I watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch and wanted so much to be able to do magic like her.  As a teen, I enjoyed reading The Crucible (I think I was one of the few who did), and thought about visiting Salem, MA.  Possibly due to these experiences, I generally found myself enjoying Wicked: Witch more than Twilight.

While I am still upset about the ending (which I'm not going to spoil for any of you), I feel the need to read the next book in the series in order to determine what happens next.  I believe there are at least three, maybe even four, books in the Wicked series, and I plan on reading them all.  While it was a complete fluke that I found this book and decided to read it, I am extremely happy that I took a chance on it.  Maybe Nancy Holder will come to TBF someday (or at least to Rochester) so I will be able to meet her. 

Second Post about The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

While the ending wasn't a complete surprise, I felt the same way that Will did about who the killer was; he mentioned that he had suspected it for awhile, but hesitated to believe it.  I also thought about the likelihood that this person (I'll just call the person "M," so as not to give anything away) was the murderer, but did not want to believe this was true.  I'm not sure why I sympathized with "M" so much, since there was not much direct interaction between "M" and Will.  About 3/4 of the way through the novel, I realized that "M" was clearly one of the more likely suspects.  However, at times Berk makes the reader consider the fact that Devon or Will could have committed the crime.

I do wish that Berk would have treated "M"'s arrest with a bit more sympathy, considering Will's feelings toward "M."  I think much of the last portion of the book is told with little emotional investment, which leads me to wonder if Will is as sincere a character as he claims to be.  "M"'s motive for committing the crime is stated extremely briefly, and the possible implications of the arrest are only touched on briefly as well.  I was especially surprised that it is only mentioned that "they are talking about life in prison."  Maybe Berk was trying to avoid taking sides in what could end up being a moral debate?  Given the circumstances of "M"'s relationship with Pat, "M" could clearly have tried a self-defense plea or similar type of defense.  I guess I just find myself wishing that I knew how the inevitable trial turns out, but maybe it's better not to know.

I really like the twist about Purple's family history.  Finally Will knows more about his own family and might also have more connections with people in the public school.  However, I would have appreciated a family tree to better explain how the two are related (since Dummy Halpin is apparently Purple's great-uncle too...does that mean that there were other siblings somewhere?  Shouldn't he be her great-great-grandfather or something, since she is a Phimmul, not a Halpin?).  A visual tree would have greatly helped me understand this.

While I could see where the whole Ebony/Devon thing was going from the beginning, it was a nice addition to the story (although I do think that whole "dating your best friend's ex" thing is a little weird).

I also found it interesting that Berk includes many sections of text written as IM's back and forth between Will and Devon.  Students would probably find that type of writing easier to read and extremely relatable.  It also helps provide insight into both Will and Devon's personalities, as well as how they relate to each other.

Overall, I think this is a great mystery book that most students will be able to relate to in some way.  I also think it sheds light on how difficult it can be for students with special needs to participate in mainstream education, especially when the school district is not equipped to provide the necessary services.

First Post about The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

Wow...
For the first 100 pages of this novel, I kept asking myself "Where's the mystery?  Am I missing something?"  And then it happened:  someone actually did die!  Obviously I didn't want a tragedy to occur, but now that it has, I'm wondering who did it.  There really are many suspects.  I'm trying not to give too much away here, since I know not everyone in class is reading this book.  It's a really interesting story so far though, so I highly recommend it. 

Will Halpin is one of the most fun narrators I've encountered in my recent reading.  He's always making jokes (oftentimes at his own expense) and referring to his weight issues in a semi-humorous, semi-tragic manner.  Now that I'm thinking about it a bit more, I'm wondering if I should be suspecting Will himself of committing the crime.  To fill in those who are not familiar with the novel, the murder occurs during a class field trip to a coal mine.  There's a point during the field trip in which all lights are turned off, so students are able to experience their surroundings as the miner's would have.  I remember when Will referred to this time period, his reference to it was very vague.  It would be horrible if Will committed the crime though, since I like him as a character and do not want him to go to (fictional) jail.  That would not be an ideal ending to the novel. 

At this point, it seems that all of the suspects mentioned by Devon Smiley and Will Halpin could have committed the crime.  The teacher, the bus driver, the kid named A.J....it seems that many people had a motive for killing the most popular kid at school (except the bus driver...I can't figure out what his motive would be).  Did I mention that Devon and Will are investigating the case together?  I think it's awesome that Will found a friend in Devon and that they are taking this case on themselves (even though they are still high school students).  Maybe they'll solve the case before the police do?

All of this talk of high school crime solvers makes me think of the days when I used to read Nancy Drew mysteries.  Maybe Devon and Will really are the modern-day version of the Hardy Boys?  They reference this series in the novel, and Will and Devon even take on the names of two Hardy Boys characters.  As a lover of anything mysterious or mystery-related, I'm thoroughly enjoying where this book is headed.  While reading about Will's daily high school adventures for the first portion of the novel was also interesting, I have a feeling that the next portion of the novel will be even more intriguing now that there's a mystery to solve. 

As a complete aside from all of this (and since I have no idea where to put this thought, but still wanted to express it), I am so glad that Will's mom let him keep the dog!  It was so strange how the dog just came up to Will, and it seemed like the whole thing was something Will really needed.  It sounds as though Will is an only child, so having a dog could help to provide some companionship.  This is especially important now that he's in a mainstream school; a school that does not provide much in the way of accommodations for Will.  Between becoming friends with Devon and keeping the dog, things seem to be looking up for Will.  I hope it continues. 

1984 Remembering Question #2

Winston:  He has a job that involves rewriting history and altering previously published documents to align with the Party's current goals/positions.  In spite of his membership in the Outer Party and the presence of a telescreen in his apartment, Winston continues to have ideas that represent thoughtcrime, or a rebellion against the Party in the form of his thoughts.  He even goes so far as to buy a journal and write his thoughts down.  Winston begins to have an affair with Julia and confides in her.  He seems to hold his disagreements in spite of all torture imposed upon him, except when he encounters his one weakness:  rats.

Julia:  While not as rebellious in thoughts as Winston (she does not hope for a large-scale rebellion against Big Brother), Julia tries to complete small actions in order to disobey the Party.  For example, she has affairs with members of the Party, even though she could face severe punishment.  Julia does not take the ideology as seriously as Winston, expressing little to no interest in the book.

Big Brother:  While no one knows exactly who he is, and he doesn't seem to make any actual appearances, the face of Big Brother is on all government posters.  Also, all citizens have the idea that Big Brother is the one watching over them through their telescreens.  He represents the Party.

O'Brien:  While seeming to be an Inner Party member who is one of the leaders of the secret revolutionary Brotherhood, O'Brien ends up recruiting Winston and then leading Winston to be arrested and captured.  O'Brien was involved in much of Winston's torture and "rehabilitation."

Mr. Charrington:  Charrington seems like an older man who collects antiques and relics from the time before the Party.  However, he is a member of the Thought Police, who was spying on Winston while Winston staying in the room he rented from Charrington. 

Texts versus Our World

The Texts' World:  oppressive, controlling, limited freedoms, individual sacrifice for good of the district or country as a whole, focus on hatred and anger, conformity, facts are altered/information is limited to a specific viewpoint (that of the government)


Our World:  individual freedoms, self-sacrifice is not mandatory (unless there is another draft), intellectual freedoms, citizens can disagree with the government, communication and dispensation of information is generally encouraged and allowed, technology used for both beneficial and not-so-beneficial purposes


Both:  fear can be used to control actions and beliefs of citizens, increasing level of scrutiny and surveillance of individuals