Sherry YAlit’11

Option 1: RIFF – Research Into Fiction

Purpose
• To practice techniques for learning from your students how to teach them better.
• To practice techniques (which you might also use with students) for analyzing and
composing in the styles/genres of YA literature
• To understand YA literature from an author’s perspective
Big Question: What literature should be taught to young adults? Why? How?
Process
1. Ethnographic research
• Over the course of the semester, you will study adolescents in a particular setting in order to A) learn
about their literacy practices as a teacher and to B) lend authenticity to your own writing (see step 3).
For more information about ethnographic research, please see attached sheet. In brief, you will need to
do the following:
o Identify an area of adolescent literacy you wish to study and question(s) you wish to answer
o Spend time observing/interviewing adolescents and analyzing your findings
2. Author/genre study:
• Over the course of the semester, you should choose a Young Adult author or genre to examine in-
depth (i.e. read at least three related novels) in order to identify common characteristics you can
imitate in your own writing (see step 3). For a list of suggested YA authors/genres please see attached
sheet. As you read, compile a list of characteristics you can imitate; you might do this by answering
the following questions:
o Content: What are common themes/settings/events/characters addressed?
o Organization: What are common ways of arranging the text?
o Style: What are common ways of using language to create distinctive effects?
3. Your own writing:
• By the end of the semester, you will write a first chapter of a YA novel. This chapter should draw on
your ethnographic research to create an authentic conflict and characters, and on your author/genre
study to create its style. This chapter should be:
o Annotated with your explanations of how you included your research from steps 1 and 2.
o Accompanied by your materials from steps 1 and 2.

Assessment
Criterion 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0
Purpose – Thoroughly and clearly interprets research into final product
Audience – Uses research to design a product suited to young adults
Genre – Uses techniques and conventions of the genre suited to the task
Engagement – demonstrates self-awareness and willingness to take risks
 Sherry YALit’11
Option 2: INSIDERS – INStructIonal DEsign for a Real Student
Purpose
• To practice techniques for learning from your students how to teach them better.
• To practice designing instruction based on students’ interests and abilities.

Big Question: What literature should be taught to young adults? Why? How?

Process
This assignment involves an interpretive process of gathering information, analyzing that
information, and writing about what you learn. This process will be synthesized into a student case study
that includes artifacts, an analysis of each artifact, and an overview of an instructional sequence based on
what you learned about the student. You will need to write up a one-page (approximately 250 words)
analysis about each artifact and what you have learned from it; the instructional sequence should include a
rationale for what texts, Big Questions, assignments, and objectives you have chosen, as well as at least
three lesson plans. You must include at least two texts, and they cannot be ones we have addressed in class.

Part I: Observing a student

For Part I, choose a student in your focal classroom who can teach you something: a student that you
find puzzling, or who seems different from you. Talking through this choice with the
cooperating teacher or with a partner may be helpful (partners should choose two
different students). You will also need to obtain verbal permission from the student to
become a focus. Decide on a pseudonym for the student (or let the student choose it)
and use it in all artifacts and notes.

Artifact 1: Observation of student

Write field notes about a focused observation of the student you choose. Negotiate with the teacher how best
to observe the student. Try to see the classroom and its activities from this student’s perspective, developing
an “inside-out” perspective. Your objective is to see and hear how the student engages with teacher and
peers in the language arts classroom. Some activities may be academic in nature, others may not. Make
notes of your observations while in the classroom, and add details as soon after leaving the classroom as you
can. Use the following field note system to try to separate your observations from interpretations:
Time/Participants Observation Interpretation
 Sherry YALit’11
Artifact 2: Interview with Student
Further develop this “inside-out” view in a student interview that does not include the
teacher. Use the interview as an opportunity to learn about this student’s life and home
resources. What “funds of knowledge” does the student bring to the classroom? What
literate practices and resources does the student engage in outside of school? What are
this student’s perspectives on school and on this English class? What stories does the
student tell about his or her life? If possible, audio record the interview and transcribe illuminating parts.

Artifact 3: Sample of student work

Collect a sample of representative student work. This should be a piece of work that is more
or less “typical” of this student. Consult with your teacher to help you do this and be sure to
remove the student’s name from the work and replace with a pseudonym.

Artifact 4: Interview with teacher

Interview the teacher, to gather further information about this student. Try to learn more about the teacher’s
perspective on the student. If possible, audio record the interview and transcribe illuminating parts of it.

Artifact 5: Interview with school or community person

Interview someone else in the school (not the teacher) or the community who knows and works with the
student. Your objective here is to gain yet another perspective on the student. Consider asking the student or
the teacher for help finding this person.

Part II: Designing Instruction

For part II, you will use what you have learned about this student to design an instructional sequence. The
sequence should include the following parts:
Rationale – Which text(s) have you chosen to address with this student, and why?
Big Question(s) – What organizing inquiry have you chosen to address with this student, and why?
Assessment(s) – What tasks would provide evidence that you have addressed the Big Question
Plans – How will you break down the Big Question into objectives and address them through activities?

Putting it all together

The final step is to assemble a case study portfolio that includes each artifact, your
analysis of it, your plans, and an introductory letter that synthesizes what you have
learned through the case study. You should include helpful organizers, such as a Title
Page, a Table of Contents, and a Reference page.
 Bibliography and blog books:
~=~-~---~=-------

Getting these books (and books for other purposes):

To identify and to find out more about books, consult these resources:

A valuable database:

1. Novelist K-8 Plus, a database available through Andruss Library. You can search novelist by
genre, subject, and reading level, as well as by title and/or author. Novelist suggests appropriate
grades for each book, gives the book's lexile level, provides an overall rating, and links to reviews
and other resources.
You can access this database in several ways. Two of the ways:
• go to N on the Databases A-Z option under Find Articles and More
• go to Find Articles and More, then Education, then look on the left sidebar and use the
link to children's literature databases.

Professional organizations specializing in literature for adolescents:

2. ALAN-Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (a group within NCTE, the National Council
of Teachers of English) htm:llwww.alan-ya.orgJ
3. YALSA-Young Adult Library Services Association

http://www.ala.orglala/mgrps/divs/yalsalbooklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm#booklists

Lists of prizewinners:
4. A list of some major YA literature prizes is in the packet, p.1 0 1-1 02. Four titles of prizes are cut
off a bit: the ALAN Award, the Alex Awards (YALSA), Best Books for Young Adults (YALSA),
Best of the Best Books for Young Adults (YALSA). The Bloomsburg Middle School librarian,
Jean Crane, reports that many reluctant readers respond to Printz Award winners.
Another resource, one you likely already know:
s. amazon.com. Use critically!

Getting actual copies:

Buying them. Having a good young adult library is vital for teachers, so aspiring teachers would be
wise to purchase books used for the journal exchange and bibliography.
Consider supporting Cloak and Dragon, the bookstore on Main Street (in Philips Emporium, next to
Dollar General), which can get books they don't have in stock, within a few days and at no extra charge
(books are sold at the cover price). Call ahead (387-8557) to find out if the book is in stock and to order a
copy if not. The owner places her orders on Mondays, and receives shipments from those orders
Wednesdays and Fridays; no shipping charges. Cloak and Dragon sells some used YA books as well.
Borrowing them. You can also use the library. If the book isn't part of the library collection, you
can use Interlibrary Loan-but you'll need to give them time enough to find the book for you. On the
library website, choose Services. You'll need your BU ID--the number on the lower left.

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The genres, in the order in which you will need to hand in the annotations:
, 'iX,
1. YA problem novel/realistic fiction. Choose your own, or one of the books below:
A few recommended examples from this huge category: Katherine Patterson, Jacob Have I
Loved (1980) or Bridge to Terabithia (1977); Alice Childress', A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a
Sandwich (1973); Paul Zindel, The Pigman (1968); Melina Marchetta, Lookingfor Alibrandi
(1992); Angela Johnson, The First Part Last (2003); David Lubar, Dunk (2002); Markus Zusak, I
Am the Messenger (2005); Ellen Wittlinger, ParrotflSh (2007); Rosa Guy, The Friends (1973);
Chris Lynch, Inexcusable (2005); Pete Hauptman, Godless (2004); Paul Flesichman, Whirligig
(1998); Jacqueline Woodson, From the Notebooks ofMelanin Sun (1995); Walter Dean Myers,
Sunrise Over Fallujah (2008) or Monster (1999); Kimberly Willis Holt, Keeper ofthe Night
(2003); Echo (2001), Francesca Lia Block; Sarah Dessen, Keeping the Moon (1999); Paul
Volponi, Black and White (2005); Gary Soto, The Afterlife (2003) or Buried Onions (1997) or
Crazy Weekend (1994); one of Ellen Hopkins' novels-like Crank; Alex Sanchez, Rainbow Boys
(2001) or Getting It (2006); E.R. Frank, Life is Funny (2000); Jake Weiner, Spanking
Shakespeare (2007); Jaime Adoff, Jimi & Me (2005); Mariah Fredericks, Head Games (2004);
Mari Mancusi, Gamer Girl (2008); Conor Kostick, Epic (2007); Sharon Flake, The Skin I'm In
(1998) or Money Hungry (2001); Carolyn Mackler, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round
Things (2003); Julie Halpern, Get Well Soon (2007); J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
(1951) (not technically a YA novel); Nicholasa Molrr, Nilda (1974); Todd Strasser, The Wave
(1981)
's:-.
2. YA adventure or sports novel. Choose your own, or one these:
A few recommended: Mal Peet, Keeper (2007); Matt de la Pella, Ball Don't Lie (2005); Marcus
Zusak, Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2001); Robert Lipsyte, The Contender ( 1967) (others by Lipsyte
may also be of interest); Bruce Brooks, What Hearts (1992); Alan Sitomer, The Hoopster (2001)
(others by Sitomer may also be of interest); John Feinstein, Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery
(2005); John Ritter, Choosing up Sides (1998) or Under the Baseball Moon (2006); some of
Chris Lynch's novels; S.L. Rottman, Head above Water (1999); Rich Wallace, Wrestling
Sturbridge (1996); Walter Dean Myers, Hoops (1981); Gary Paulsen, Hatchet (1987); Will
Hobbs, Downriver (1991) or The Maze (1998) (others by Hobbs may also be of interest); Mark
Pfetzer and Jack Galvin, Within Reach: My Everest Story (1998)

3. YA novel from a popular series, or a work of YA speculative fiction, fantasy, mystery, or

suspensefhorror/thriller. Choose your own (but not Harry Potter), or one these:
Some recommended speculative fiction (science fiction) titles:

Rodman Philbrick, The Last Book in the Universe (2000); Lois Lowry, The Giver (1993); Susan

Cooper, The Dark Is Rising (1973); Robert C. O'Brien, Z for Zachariah (1973); C. J. Cherryh,

The Foreigner series; Philip Reeve, The Hungry City Chronicles; Pete Hautman, Hole in the Sky

(2001); Nicole Luiken, Violet Eyes (2001); James DeVita, The Silenced (2007); David Almond,

Kit's Wilderness (1999); Cornelia Funke, The ThiefLord (2002) or Inkheart (2003 ) (a bit

younger); Ursula LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) (not technically a YA novel); ~

Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game (1985); Paul Westerfeld, Uglies (2005) (Pretties follows)

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 Some VA popular series:
Anthony Horowitz, Gatekeepers series (first volume, Raven's Gate, 2001); Brent Hartinger,
Geography Club series (first volume 2002); Meg Chabot, The Princess Diaries (2000); Stephenie
Meyer, Twilight (2005); Libba Bray, the Gemma Doyle trilogy (gothic suspense), starting with A
Great and Terrible Beauty (2003); Zoey Dean, The A-List series; Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood
ofthe Travelling Pants (2001); Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira (first volume 2001; post-apocalyptic
manga sci fi fantasy); Lauren Myracle, ttyl (first in Internet Girls series) (2004); Anne Schraff,
Bluford High series (first volume, Lost and Found, 2002)

Some recommended VA fantasy titles:

Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass (1996); Christopher Paolini, Eragon (2003); Holly Black,

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (2002); Victoria Hanley, The Seer and the Sword (2000)

Some recommended VA mystery/suspense/borror/thriller titles:

Robert Cormier, I Am the Cheese (1977); Carl Hiaasen, Flush (2005) or Hoot (2002); Avi, Wolf

Rider (1986); Jennifer Holm, The Creek (2003)

4. A book you read in preparation for your journal exchange (this mayor may not be specifically a
YA title, but one your middle schooler might be reading or interested in) or a VA title of your
choice (YA means, a book written for a young adult audience)
5. VA book considering romance and/or relationships. Choose your own, or one these:
A few recommended VA romance/relationships titles: Melvin Burgess, Doing It (2004); nearly
anything by Sarah Dessen, including: Someone Like You or Dreamland or Alongfor the Ride;
Alex Sanchez, The God Box (2007) or So Hard to Say (2003); James Baldwin, IfBeale Street
Could Talk (1974); Markus Zusak, Getting the Girl (2002); John Green, Lookingfor Alaska
(2005); Sara Ryan, Empress ofthe World (2001); Judy Blume, tiger Eyes (1981) or Forever
(1975); Ellen Schreiber, Vampire Kisses (2003); David Levithan, Boy Meets Boy (2003); Julie
Peters, Keeping You a Secret (2003); Sara Zarr, The Story ofa Girl (2007); Lisa Papademetriou
and Chris Tebbetts, M or F? A Novel (2005); Sharon Flake, Who Am I Without Him (2004)
(short story collection)

6. VA work of historical fiction, or a work in a less-familiar genre. Choose your own, or one these:
Some recommended VA historical fiction titles:
M.T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Volume 1: The Pox Party (2006);
Sharon Draper, Copper Sun (2006); Walter Mosley, 47 (2005); Robert Peck, A Day No Pigs
Would Die (1972); Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) (not technically a YA title);
Cynthia DeFelice, Under the Same Sky (2003); Walter Dean Myers, The Glory Field (1994);
Pam Mufioz Ryan, Esperanza Rising (2000); Edwidge Danticat, Krik? Krak! (1996); Hanna
Jansen, Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You (2006); Theodore Taylor, The Bomb (1995);
Jerry Spinelli, Milkweed (2003); Joseph Bruchac, Geronimo (2006); Han Nolan, A Summer of
Kings (2006); Chaim Potok, The Chosen (1967); Miriam Bat-Ami, Two Suns in the Sky (1999);
Kathryn Lasky, Blood Secret (2004); Bette Greene, The Summer ofMy German Soldier (1973);
Laurence Yep, The Traitor (2003) (for younger readers); Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of
Blackbird Pond (1958) (for younger readers); Kekla Magoon, The Rock and the River (2009);
Ntozake Shange, Betsey Brown (1985)
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 Some recommended YA poem collection titles:

Mel Glenn, Jump Ball: A Basketball Season in Poems (1997) or Foreign Exchange: A Mystery

in Poems (1999); Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States

(1994), ed. Carlson; Naomi Shihab Nye,A Maze Me: Poemsfor Girls (2005)

Some recommended YA novel-poetry hybrids:

Virginia Euwer Wolfe, Make Lemonade (1993); Karen Hesse, Out ofthe Dust (1997); Lisa Ann
Sandell, The Weight ofthe Sky (2006); Margaret Wild, One Night (2004); Tanya Lee Stone,A
Bad Boy Can Be Goodfor a Girl (2006); Melanie Little, The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story
ofMedieval Spain (2008); Margarita Engle, Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba
(2009)

Some YA short story collection titles:

Judith Ortiz Cofer, An Island Like You: Stories ofthe Barrio (1995); Gary Soto, Baseball in
April (1990); Margo Lanagan, White Time (2006); Chris Crutcher, Athletic Shorts: 6 Stories
(1991); Alden Carter, Love, Football, and other Contact Sports (2005); Sharon Flake, Who Am I
Without Him (2004); Jane Yolen, Twelve Impossible Things before Breakfast (1997); Dirty
Laundry: Stories about Family Secrets (1998), ed. Lisa Fraustino; Join In: Multiethnic Stories
by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults (1993), ed. Don Gallo (this is long: for the
bibliography, read the introduction, one story from each section, and three other stories you
choose); Outside Rules: Short Stories about Nonconformist Youth (2006), ed. Claire Robson;
Rush Hour, ed. Michael Cart (any issue is fine; Rush Hour is a journal of short young adult -: ~\
fiction); Twelve Shots: Outstanding Short Stories about Guns (1997), ed. Harry Mazer; 2041:
Twelve Short Stories about the Future by Top Science Fiction Writers (1991), ed. Jane Yolen;
Firebirds Rising: A Collection of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction (2006), ed. Lou Anders;
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales (2004), ed. Deborah Noyes

Some recommended YA plays:

Paul Zindel, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1965); Paul
Fleischman, Seek (2001); Sandra Asher, A Woman Called Truth (1993); Laurie Brooks, The
Wrestling Season (2000); Dwayne Hartford, Eric and Elliot (2004); With Their Eyes: September
11th, The View from a High School at Ground Zero (2002), ed. Annie Thoms; Cherie Bennett
and Jeff Gottesfeld, the play version oftheir novel A Heart Divided (2004); Jon Jory, Love, Death
and the Prom (1991)
YA Graphic novels also fit this category, like Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese
(2006).

7. YA to pair with the classic you read in your final literature group (partner recommended)