Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e9AMAE920120; Tue, 10 Oct 2000 18:10:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 18:10:14 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <5F6C7F4A7177D311A0C6002035687B8EC98935@exchange1.sos.state.mo.us> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Jones, Karen" <jonesk@sosmail.state.mo.us> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:174] curriculum and classroom things X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Status: O Content-Length: 1611 Lines: 28 When thinking classroom and curriculum for adult literacy students, consider the range of Black-experience and other group-experience novels that are usually considered "young adult." I was hired once to teach an open-admissions college developmental reading course for which the books were already chosen, and I cringed a bit to see that they were all young adult novels. I was wrong to cringe; it was a positive experience. The novels are shorter and often more focused than materials written for adults, written on a somewhat lower reading level (unfortunately still 5th grade or so , but it does help), they assume the reader does not have a lot of background experience, and if you pick them carefully they often have a great deal of emotional power. Reading through Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor with a few African American women in their 40's and 50's was one of the strongest experiences of my life. Teens respond to the book (schools in my state often use it in Jr. High), but they miss a lot of it just because they don't have the life experience yet. Mildred Taylor isn't the only author and those aren't the only books of course, but just because books are shelved with young adult materials don't underestimate them for adults. They teach a lot of history in the process, too. Upper grade non-fiction can also be very useful in the adult literacy classroom. Karen R. Jones, Literacy Consultant Missouri State Library 600 W. Main St. PO Box 387 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone (573) 751-0158 (in MO) (800) 325-0131ext11 Fax:(573) 751-3612 E-mail: jonesk@sosmail.state.mo.us
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 16 2001 - 14:47:26 EST