Cherry Hill Public Schools

The Office of Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Tim Brennan~ Interim Superintendent

Dr. T.J. Locke~ Director of Curriculum

Dr. Lisa Mulhall~ K-12 Language Arts Supervisor

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

 

 

   

                     Introduction

The transition from elementary school to middle school is a time filled with many changes for students and parents. One curricular change that takes place is the shift from reading children’s literature to reading young adult literature.  The American Library Association defines adolescence as spanning the ages of 12 through 18.  The Society for Adolescent Medicine begins the period at 10 and extends it to the age of 21. Although other organizations differ slightly on when adolescence actually begins, this gives the sense of just how broad the category is. Given the myriad of social, emotional, and physical changes that individuals at this age encounter, one constant that should remain is the presence of a high quality and highly engaging Language Arts curriculum.  Young adult literature plays a key part in ensuring that the curriculum is both accessible and stimulating to every learner in the middle grades classroom.

 

           Our Goal

As educators one of our most important goals is to foster a love of reading, writing and learning in our students. They will need these skills to successfully engage in our world. Young adult literature provides teachers with the tools they need to keep adolescent reading relevant to students’ lives. In the nurturing context of the classroom, teachers can create an environment, in which adolescents can confidently practice the skills they will need to think critically about complex issues and ideas. 

 

 

What is Young Adult Literature?

Just as the lines are blurred around when adolescence begins and ends, conversations continue regarding the subtle nuances of this category of literature as well.  Children’s literature is considered literature written for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.  The category of young adult literature is geared toward students entering the upper end of this range, generally 6th - 8th grades.  In Literature for Today’s Young Adults, Donelson and Nilson highlight seven characteristics of young adult literature.  YA literature:

  1. Is often written from the perspective of young people.
  2. Reflects on the adolescent and his/her relationship with parents.
  3. Is fast-paced.
  4. Incorporates a wide variety of genres and subjects.
  5. Represents diverse ethnic and cultural groups.
  6. Is basically optimistic.
  7. Deals with emotions that are important to young people.

 

 

  

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 Why read Young Adult Literature?

  Reading instruction during adolescence enables students to reach more advanced stages of literacy.  This instruction builds upon the firm foundation that students receive in the elementary grades. In addition to being developmentally appropriate, it correlates with their increasing sophistication in communicating ideas and thinking critically about their ever-growing knowledge of the world (IRA, 1999; Stover, 1996). 

  Providing opportunities for students to sustain an independent reading life is a central component to reading instruction. By reading every day, students will improve fluency and stamina. The National Council of Teachers of English states that adolescent readers need “sustained experiences with diverse texts in a variety of texts.” In addition to the texts included in the curriculum, students need access to a broad range of texts that will be of interest to them (2004).

 

 

   

     

 


 

 

             Criteria for Selection

           

  There are two broad categories that should influence text selection for adolescent readers.  First, there should be diversity in genre, subject matter, level of difficulty, and in the experiences portrayed in the texts.  In addition, the quality of the text is an integral aspect of selection.  Young adult literature should be well written.  Characters should be well developed, and the plot should be engaging. Young adult literature should also invite students to think more deeply about important issues and lead to meaningful conversations not only about the issues presented, but about the intricacies of craft as well (Lapp, Fisher, et. al., 2002). In this way, young adult literature is a tool used to prepare students to read and analyze the great works of literature that they will encounter during high school and beyond.

 

 

             

References

 

Donelson, K. L. & Nilsen, A. P. (2005). Literature for today’s young adults. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Publishing.

 

Lapp, D., Fisher, D., Flood, J., Goss-Moore, K. & Moore, J. (2002). Selecting materials for the literacy program.  In S. B. Wepner, D. S. Strickland, & J. T. Feeley (Eds.),  The administration and supervision of reading programs. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

 

Moore, D. W., Bean, T. W., Birdyshaw, D. & Rycik, J.A. (1999). Adolescent literacy: A position statement for the commission on adolescent literacy of the international reading association. Newark, DE: IRA.

 

National Council of Teachers of English (May 2004). A call to action: What we know about adolescent literacy and ways to support teachers in meeting students’ needs.

         http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/

            category/read/118622.htm.

 

Stover, L.T. (1996). Young adult literature:  The Heart of the middle school curriculum. Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.