Reading for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Fall, 2011

Right after I wrote a response to the first article, where I talked about my experiences with the classics, I started reading this article on the classics. It was interesting to read about other student’s experiences reading the same books. I have always loved to read, but I struggled through some of the classics I read in high school. Now, after growing older and becoming more mature, I am trying to re-enter the world of classics. It is hard to read about these students who find the books they read in school “boring and difficult to pick up and read.” Reading should be interesting, fun, and a way to learn about the world. Mr. Gallo gives the reader insight on how to help students enjoy their reading AND how to still teach reading/analytical skills.

I love that the author wrote about how people need to “practice” reading and as teachers we should incorporate a time of reading for pleasure in the classroom. Activities like book talks are a great way for teachers to introduce great literature to his or her students. My cooperating teacher during student teaching had a couple of hundred books organized by series, non-fiction, science fiction, etc. that students were able to pick out and take home. Students all shared books that they enjoyed with their fellow classmates. By word of mouth students learned more and more about great books.

This article was very straight forward. I loved the part about how teachers can "kill a book" with their drills and asking for the answers to questions that really aren't important to the overall plot of the book. I agree with this and remember feeling that teachers often "killed" books in my own young adult literature experiences. There's nothing better than being able to enjoy a good book without the pressures of having to recall every single detail in a chapter. It allows the reader time to ponder what is really going on and make connections while reading.

When selecting contemporary texts it is important to choose one that lends itself to teaching literary concepts. There are truly tons of quality contemporary authors/books available. As I think back on "the classics" I remember feeling uninterested in them and feeling like I could not relate. I think students today would feel the same. Maybe it would be interesting to allow students to compare classics to contemporary works. Could lead to some interesting discussions. I think the author did a great job of providing us with lots of suggestions for using contemporary literature with our young adults.

I can remember reading books in high school that are concidered classics and thinking that it was such a waste of time. My English teacher was so excited about Ernest Hemingway. She thought he was the greatest author of all times. She made us read and discuss The Old Man and The Sea and I thought it was the most boring book I had ever read in my life. During the discussions, she talked about her love for the book and the rest of us struggled to stay awake. She gave quizes on the content and I could have cared less about any of it. I have never tried to read another Ernest Hemingway book because of that experience.

The author of this article my be on to something. We want for students to love reading as much as we do. I get so excited when someone mentions a book that I love and I wish my students experienced the same feeling. Maybe if middle and high school teachers took more time to find out about what their students are interested in they could better choose novels for them to read that will be engaging and relavent to their lives. I think I would have enjoyed a discussion about teen pregnancy, suicide, or eating disorders in high school. I might have remembered the details of those novels. If we want students to love readng we have to make an effort to make reading enjoyable and relavant to their lives.

How Classics Create an Aliterate Society
By Donald R. Gallo

“One of the most valuable qualities of contemporary teenage fiction is that it helps students feel normal, comfortable, understood. “

This quote from Gallo’s article on how young adult literature used in middle and high school classrooms can have a positive effect on young readers is simple yet powerful. Personally, I identified with the author’s negative experiences with literature in high school. Using classical literature is important but does not create the same response to reading in all students. Do I think classical literature should be eliminated? Absolutely not. But moderation is the key to anything and I think students today have a difficult time connecting to both the language and content of classical literature. There are many students who enjoy and fully comprehend the meaning behind these novels, but too many feel like a failure because they do not understand the plot or nature of the problems and the language in which they were written.

Using a combination of young adult literature and classical literature gives students exposure to both genres and the ability to make connections between the two. If more teachers used classical literature in guided discussion while making real-life connections such as in The Freedom Writers, perhaps students could get past the frame of mind of feeling disconnected from the literature and open their minds to different circumstances and characters.

Gallo is my hero! I really enjoyed and could relate to his article. I too struggled as an early reader, didn’t develop a love for reading till later in life, and viewed reading as an isolating pastime. In high school I struggled through the assigned classics and often wondered how anyone could understand much less enjoy them. Gallo helps me realize that more than likely I wasn’t the only one having these feelings and difficulties. In fact I have several friends who are now rereading and enjoying classics that they remember despising in high school. I have even started my own list for after grad school.

I agree with Gallo that maturity is a huge factor in the ability to comprehend/enjoy classic literature and reading for fun is a much better motivator than being required to read for a test. If only “the love of reading” was a major focus of our SCOS instead of test taking strategies. Classic are just that for a reason and should not be totally ignored or removed from instruction. However I feel Gallo is correct in suggesting that contemporary material be utilized first to not only hook young adults but foster confidence in their ability as readers.

When I read this article, I have to admit I was torn. I was one of those quirky teenagers that loved most of the classics. I was a huge fan of Shakespeare and I thought The Crucible was quite sexy and provocative. Heart of Darkness was also an all time favorite of mine. That being said, I completely understand how these stories could and do bore most students to death. I like how Mr. Gallo discusses the idea of being "ready for the classics". I agree that the majority of students need books and plots they can relate to and with characters their own age. Most classics are so far removed from their reality that they can't comprehend the story, much less relate to it and enjoy it. Another point Mr. Gallo makes that I found profound was the idea that, "schools teach the mastery of technique and critical commentary and then cut off the spontaneous contact with books by discouraging the pleasure of reading." This is so true. Coming through the masters program, and especially the work I did this summer with Dr. Morris, I have learned that kids need goods books at the right level for them. They also need time to talk about and process what they're reading. Gallo talks about "killing any book" with rote memorization of minute details and testing every day on every chapter. I agree with him that the lesson should never be the primary reason for using a book. I have learned through my own students that concepts like inference and other higher level thinking skills evolve naturally when discussions are structured around books and stories that engage them. I thought is was very sad that so many students surveyed stated that a teacher had never recommended a book to them, and if they did, it was a classic the teacher had read in high school. I try to read as much as I can, so that I can make recommendations to my students. I also use the opinions and recommendations of former students and my own children. Kids need a resource to help them find good books that would be right for them.
When Gallo discussed using young adult novels instead of the classics, it reminded me of a colleague of mine. We have had this discussion/debate many times. He insists on teaching Tom Sawyer to his sixth graders, and To Kill a Mockingbird to his seventh graders (even though they get it again in high school!), and Les Miserable to his eighth graders. Most of the kids are less then thrilled with the novels, and I have tried to tell him there are so many other books out there that would work just as well, if not better. I think that as teachers, we sometimes get comfortable with the books we like and were successful with as students, and we forget that it's not about us. I will probably share the section of the article about student book self-selection with him. I think it would work well for his classroom (he teachs AIG), and I'm sure the kids would welcome the change.

I LOVE this article! This puts my middle and high school years into words. I was forced to read so many things that I never understood and could not relate to. I love how he said that some classics could be paired with contemporary YA literature since it cannot be taken out completely. It is important that students have a choice in what they read, after all it is their life, not yours. Students will not become lifelong readers if we do not give them options of good literature and relevant literature to read. We need to let them have a choice.
I also like when he said that we are a nation that first teaches them to read and then forces it upon them to the point that they do not want to read for pleasure in their adult life. This is exactly my life. I was always forced to read something, and I always did, but I never read for pleasure until I was in college because I associated reading with something that was boring to me. I hope that after reading this article, I will give my students more choice and encourage them to be readers, even if it is not what I am interested in.

In the article, “How Classics Create an Aliterate Society”, the word “connection” kept coming to mind. Many readers look for some sort of connection when choosing a new piece of literature. I have always enjoyed putting myself in the character’s shoes and trying to imagine what I would do if I were in the same situation. Making connections while reading has always helped me with comprehension; this keeps me more aware and involved in the story. I remember this practice in elementary and middle school but in high school this changed. As a young adult reader, I remember reading only classical literature and thinking those books were just okay. These literary works did not prompt me to read more than assigned outside the classroom. None of my high school English teachers ever spoke about books that were their favorites and never suggested or assigned young adult literature.

I enjoyed Gallo’s personal experience as a young adult reading classical literature, “Why was I supposed to care about a Puritan woman who got pregnant from having sex with a minister?” I am sure that many young adult readers feel the same way and wonder how this literature relates to them. If you can not find any relation to your own life then you begin to question the purpose in reading it. This article really made me step back and think about the importance finding books that students can relate to. Students today are interested in and entertained by various forms of media, which can make getting some students interested in a book difficult. I think that it has to start with the enthusiasm of the teacher. I loved the idea in the article about a teacher reading a chapter from a book, then stopping. This is such a simple and clever way to get students “hooked” and asking to borrow an unassigned book. I am planning on using this approach in my own classroom this week!

This article basically described my high school years!! I went to a private high school and so the classics was studied all the time. I remember getting my books for the year (we had to buy them) then I would go and get cliff notes for all of the classics because I knew that I would not understand a thing that was being read and sure enough it was usually true. I felt like I was being defeated in high school. I would do all of the reading, study, and I would STILL fail the tests. I do not feel like it was very fair.

This is the same way that students feel they could care less about the classics. As it was stated in the article ""Teacher book are boring."...one student said: "The books I read sometimes are the same as what is going on around me". Students are more prone to read books that relate to them, this is why the classics create illiteracy. Instead of encouraging students to read them they will go out and buy the cliff notes or watch the movie. They will do anything that they can think of instead of having to read the book. To me this is so sad, I wish teachers would wake up!! Get rid of the classics and pick up books that students want to read and books hat will ENCOURAGE literacy!!

While reading this article, I found my self agreeing with many of the points that Donald Gallo makes. In middle and high school, I was an a very avid reader, but I remember struggling with some of the “classics” that we read throughout the years. I was always very conscientious about completing homework and reading assignments, but there were some books that I vividly remember despising sitting down to read. Two that immediately come to mind are The Old Man and The Sea and Beowulf. I can only imagine how much more difficult it is for a student who’s reading level maybe isn’t as high or even on grade level and who doesn’t even enjoy reading for pleasure, having to sit down and read these stories that I struggled with. Then, not only do students have to muddle their way through the reading and vocabulary, but then they’re forced to pick apart and discuss the book to death for weeks and then study it for a test for which they will receive a grade. That was the worst part for me in school. Even if by chance we actually read a story I liked, we talked and discussed it to death to the point where I got sick of it. I’m glad that I am familiar with certain “classics” now that I am older, I’m just not sure I, or a lot of other teenagers, were ready for them at that age. And if I, as an self described avid reader was thinking and feeling this way about school reading at that age, I can only imagine what a struggling reader would be thinking. How does that approach promote an interest in reading for teenagers who need that extra push to discover a love of reading? Integrating more contemporary young adult literature to catch the interest of students is definitely a step in the right direction.

How true! I was one of those children who just dreaded reading the classics. I read them when I had to and painfully tried to understand all of the symbolism. I could not understand people enjoying these types of books which seemed to be read for decades!! How wonderful that authors realize this and try to incorporate today's happenings and their effects in literature. This springboards discussions about events which may not be covered in any other arena.
I also agree on sometimes students get turned off to books on how they are presented. Knowledge about books and reading portions of them allow students to choose for themselves if they want to explore further. This choice is significant in wanting teens to love and appreciate books and reading!

This article completely sums up my view and experiences with reading. Although I was always on the A&B Honor Roll, I never enjoyed reading! I was always lost and confused and it was hard for me to understand the text. That is when I first found out that I had problems with reading comprehension. Now I wonder if I really had problems with reading comprehension, or did I just struggle to understand the classics. I know that the classics are meant to teach us how to appreciate literature in a different way. But when the story is long and drawn out, it is more about surviving the story than enjoying it. I think it would be a great idea to fuse contemporary literary with the classics. This would allow students to find ways to make the classics more relevant.

I love how real and straight forward Gallo is in sharing his thoughts about reading classics. I agree with everything he is saying so far. "We are a nation that teacher its children how to read in the early grades, then forces them during their teenage years to read literary works that most of them dislike so much that they have no desire whatsoever to continue those experiences into adulthood."-- I couldn't have said it better myself. At 14-18 years old, a student is not ready to take on literature that doesn't hit anywhere close to home. At that age students are so wrapped up in "fun" that they it's nearly impossible to get them to focus on classic readings. It's over their heads. Teachers are wanting their students to appreciate the classic readings; however, I am not so sure that a typical high school students knows how to really appreciate anything at that age. I know that when I was in high school when I was assigned to read a long, boring, drawn out classic reading I would have to force myself. It was brutal trying to make myself comprehend what I was reading. Without that connection to my own life or to something similiar, it absolutely did nothing to me. As a teacher and a graduate student, I would probably appreciate classics more now than when I was in high school.

I really liked this article. I think the author made some excellent points, ones to which we, as teachers need to listen. Gallo summed it up when he said “We are a nation that teachers its children how to read in the early grades, then forces them during their teenage years to read literary works that most of them dislike so much that they have not desire whatsoever to continue those experiences into adulthood.” The experiences I mentioned in the post for The Relevance of Young Adult Literature when my son was in high school support Gallo’s thoughts. I believe that if we taught literary concepts and analytical skills using books that adolescents found to be relevant we would have a much greater opportunity to help them develop a love of reading while they are learning the other skills. Certainly all young adult literature is not strong enough – some is not of the quality we would want for use in schools. However, it appears that there are numerous young adult books which have a great deal of literary merit, and we would do well to incorporate at least some of them into our curriculum.

I found it astounding that when seventh graders were surveyed, the results indicated that teachers don’t often recommend books to their students. How can we be strong reading teachers if we don’t know what kinds of books the students like to read? As I read the article I noticed several authors whose books we read in Dr. Pesko’s classes, books which we, as adults, enjoyed discussing. If we enjoyed it to such a degree, I can only imagine how middle school and high school students would delve into these novels and enjoy talking about them.

As I read this article I found myself thinking that I needed to get some of these books. Dr. Gallo, I’m sold!

The article “How Classics Create an Aliterate Society” by Donald Gallo was very inspiring. From my own personal experience in high school and college, I would suggest that Gallo definitely understands the strong dislike so many students have of the classics. It is hard to love a book when you don’t understand what you are reading. He describes his own experience with the classics as a teen as being miserable. Furthermore, he states that he believes so many of the classics are taught too early, and that many of these books can’t fully be appreciated until adulthood. I do think there is some truth to the fact that as you age and mature, it does become easier to read and understand some of the more difficult themes that are presented in the classics.

I think our main objective as Reading teachers needs to be to give students the passion to become a lifelong reader. Gallo says, “We are a nation that teaches its children how to read in the early grades, then forces them during their teenage years to read literary works that most of them dislike so much that they have no desire whatsoever to continue those experiences into adulthood.” This exact thing happened to me as a teenager. I hated reading and became very familiar with Cliff’s Notes just so I could understand what in the world I was reading. Students need to spend at least part of their time reading something they really enjoy. Contemporary young adult fiction needs to be included often in students’ readings as a way to help them relate and understand the problems they face today. They need to read something interesting, that is in their own “language” and that gives them a feeling that they don’t want to put the book down.

I love the idea at the end of the article about entire schools adapting a reading time every day. How powerful would it be for everyone, including teachers, to be reading at the same time?

This article speaks the truth. Throughout my middle school years I was forced to read the classics. The point that teachers schould recommend text to students is a valid point. Never once through my own experiences was I able to have imput into what I read. This requires teachers to do their own work and read new young adult books. I think if more teachers take this approach suggested in this article more students will me engaged in the middle school reading process. The quote that states “We are a nation that teachers its children how to read in the early grades, then forces them during their teenage years to read literary works that most of them dislike so much that they have not desire whatsoever to continue those experiences into adulthood.” is so true. We need to give students choices and allow students to have a say in what they read. If we do not reach the interest of our students then we have lost them. Topics students read about need to be new and real not a "classic" they have no way to appreciate its vallue.

This article mimicked so many of my very own thoughts as a teen! I could not relate to Shakespeare at all! The language was confusing and made the story hard to follow. I felt that exact same way about all of the "classics" we had to read in high school! I was truly grateful for a college English that did not focus on classical literature.
In my own experience I found that I related more to modern novels about modern young adults with modern problems. I especially enjoyed the statement he made about the tenth grade girl who said that literature was "keeping up with the dead".
The classics are not the best way to inspire a love of reading.

I was an avid reader in high school and hated the classics. I felt just like the author said that the teacher beat the story to death. Why would anyone want to read a classic if it was going to be so difficult and had to be translated by the teacher? I still remember Canterbury Tales and the nightmare of going to class for 6 weeks talking about that book. Our teacher even read it to us in old English. She probably impressed her friends in college but not us.
I have found that if I stay in books that my students may read it is a great way to communicate with them. I found this especially useful when I had to read a plethora of books last year. It was a great way to share interesting books and genres with children.
I like the idea of the teacher reading along with the students. I have done this on a few occasions and I think students really like to see you enjoy their type of literature.