Literacy and Adolescent Literature
The standard definition of literacy is one having the ability to read and write. To me, though, literacy goes beyond that. It's an ongoing process one takes to further develop one's understanding and knowledge of reading and writing. This allows them to improve their thinking and knowledge on a deeper level so that they can better understand themselves and the world around them.
As a student, I have read and will continue to read literature as well as write daily. The more I read, the more I know and can think from a different perspective depending on the reading. The more I write, the better I get at writing itself but also at expressing my opinions. As a teacher, I have seen ESOL students progress further than they thought possible because they read and wrote every day. Literacy is an ongoing process, and even if one stops reading novels and writing essays, they are still reading and writing something which contributes to that process. People learn new things every day by reading and writing.
Adolescent literature, to me, is a very broad genre. It can be geared towards people of ages 12-18, but a lot of the time, adults are the ones who mainly read the genre. It's fast-paced, optimistic, has good character development, touches on essential tasks that literature for young adults should, and deals with emotions that are important for young people. Some of the tasks or topics that adolescent literature touches on are social skills, body image, emotional independence, etc. In my opinion, there is no one set definition of adolescent literature because it is such a broad genre, and people at any age enjoy reading it.
Throughout my life, my favorite genre to read has been YA literature because of the diversity of the genre. Of course, I have my preferences for the specific genres within YA literature but every now, and then I branch out and read something that I usually wouldn't read. As an adult, I still enjoy reading YA literature because of the pace, structure, character development, and themes within the novels.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI think that Adolescent literature does need to be "It's fast-paced, optimistic, has good character development, touches on essential tasks that literature for young adults should, and deals with emotions that are important for young people." I think now more than ever, it has to be faced paced. With every question answered at the click of the button, students need entertainment constantly. And, as any good teacher knows, students' comprehension increased when students make personal connections to the text!
Hey Kaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI love how you reflect on the need to read and write daily to continue to grow as an individual. In regards to writing, do you find yourself writing in a journal daily with the specific task to reflect on the day or do you complete some other type of quick-write to keep your mind processing thoughts on paper?
Also, I love how you identified the progress within your ESOL students who chose to read and write daily. I find similar successes with my students. As cliche as it sounds, "The more you read, the more you know." I wish some of my students would embrace that mentality more often. I may have to put the mantra on my door next year, just as a constant reminder. :)
Best,
Ashley
I, too, wonder about YA's classification as only adolescent literature. I'm not sure why it is one of the only genres which is defined by the intended age group. Some people I have spoken to have been ashamed that they enjoyed YA. People seem to talk about it as if it were a guilty pleasure.
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