How to Use Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom

Using young adult literature in the classroom can help students fall in love with reading.

Young adult literature includes novels written specifically for the teenage demographic, such as the "Harry Potter" series, the "Twilight" novels and many other youth-oriented books. Young adult novels are known for drawing readers in with descriptive characters, simple plot lines and suspenseful action, which are elements teachers may hear teenagers lamenting the absence of in classical literature. Using young adult literature in the classroom can engage the students' interests and intellect by addressing universal themes and issues in literature through novels written specifically for teens.

Instructions

1. Select five books in the category of contemporary young adult literature. Sometimes, school libraries will have as many as 100 copies of a book title available for teachers to check out and distribute to students, so be sure to check what titles are already available in large quantities on the campus. If contemporary fiction is not available, see if the books can be ordered in bulk at a discount. It is important to have enough copies of each book so that every student will have a copy of their selected book to take home.

2. Give a "book talk" on each book to all classes. A book talk should include providing a brief overview of the book's plot, the characters, the setting, and why you recommend it. Encourage students to take notes over each book presented, so they can better decide which book they would be interested in reading.

3. Instruct students to rank the five books in order from one to five, one being the first choice to read, five being their least favorite. Collect their ranking sheets with their names clearly written on each paper. Assign each student their first or second choice book if there are enough copies of the books to be distributed. A spreadsheet can be helpful for tracking the students' choices in each period. Be sure there are students reading each of the five books in every class so there can be at least five seperate reading groups in every period.

4. Assign a book selection to each student and distribute the books along with blank reading log pages and reading diary pages to every student. If desired, give students a folder labeled with their name and book title to keep their papers together and organized for the duration of the reading circle.

5. Explain to students how to use the reading log and reading diary. Tell students the time frame they have to complete portions of their book, and instruct them to mark milestone dates and deadlines either on their reading logs or in a personal homework agenda. The reading logs should be filled out every time the student spends time reading their book. The reading diary should be assigned either one per chapter, or one per ten to twenty pages, depending on the length of each book.

6. Twice a week, dedicate a class period to the students' reading group meetings. Divide students into their reading groups to discuss the sections of their books they read most recently, using their reading diaries, and if desired, guiding questions provided by the teacher or an assigned student leader to help the discussions.

7. Throughout the course of the reading circle meetings, assign students group or individual tasks that demonstrate their understanding of the reading and commitment to the reading, including creating plot timelines, visual collages of events in the book, illustrated comics taken from the storyline, written reports, or any other project suited to demonstrating comprehension of the book. At the end of the books, have students create a project to present to their classmates about the book.

Tips & Warnings

• If worried about whether or not students will actually read the book as opposed to letting their group mates do the work and discussion for them, have students grade each other anonymously on their contributions and participation.

• It is important to monitor reading logs and diaries to ensure that all students are actually reading their assigned book.

References

• The New York Times: The Kids' Books Are All Right
• Read Write Think: Book Clubs
• Learning Point: Using Young Adult Literature to Enhance Comprehension in the Content Areas
• California State University: Young Adult Literature in the Classroom