Incorporating Young Adult Literature in the Classroom

The final reading concept I would like to discuss is the idea of incorporating Young Adult Literature(YAL) in my classroom.  First, we must define YAL.  In Teaching Literature to Adolescents, the authors, Richard Beach et. al., "offer three operational definitions" for this term: "what is marketed to teens; what teens read in schools; and what teens actually read" (79).  However, what teens read in schools (usually canonical literature) is not necessarily what is being marketed to them, or what they would choose to read themselves. I would like to remedy this issue as much as possible.

Some argue we should incorporate YAL in the classroom, but this is a touchy subject for some people.  In class, we discussed some of the stigmas surrounding YAL in today's society.  Many adults are concerned with some of the content incorporated in YAL today.  These novels have begun to blatantly deal with issues such as sex, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, etc.  Factions of society argue students should not be experiencing such controversial subjects at such an explicit level.  However, I would argue that literature in the classroom is the safest place for students to encounter such topics.  Through literature, students can experience decisions and discuss options without actually being put in difficult situations.  They will have an opportunity to develop their opinions concerning these topics in a constructive environment.

Another reason I'd like to incorporate YAL in my classroom is student engagement.  As I've discussed earlier, our schools are suffering from readicide, as described by Kelly Gallagher.  One potential solution to this problem is to let students read material they want to read.  If students care and are interested in what they are reading, they will be more invested in the work.  These texts also portray themes that are clearly relevant to student lives and the changes they are going through.  Students can easily connect with these texts, and so they should be used in the classroom.

However, Teaching Literature to Adolescents warns that "recency and relevance aren't all" (89).  In other words, "there are surely times when you need to push adolescents past Stephanie Meyer and Cassandra Clare to classic and contemporary classic literature that they might not seek out on their own" (Beach et. al., 89).  I agree with this statement, and so I would like to use YAL literature as bridge texts in my classroom.  I will pair YAL with canonical texts sharing similar themes and stories.  Comparing and contrasting the two texts will make the older text more accessible to students because they will see the connections with modern day concepts shown in the newer text.  For example, I recently developed a unit on dystopias pairing Orwell's 1984 with Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games.  These two texts both tell stories of societies fallen into disarray and poor management.  They both have a strong, rebellious protagonist, and both were written by the author to comment on specific issues in society.  These are the themes I want to focus on in my unit, and both texts will teach them well.  Additionally, students are familiar with The Hunger Games and this will help them understand and relate to Orwell's story as we draw comparisons and examine differences. This is just one example of how I will pair YAL with canonical literature as bridge texts.

Unfortunately, most schools do not own a wide selection of YAL for use in the classroom.  As a result, I will have to do my own digging to select and purchase appropriate texts for my class.  Teaching Literature to Adolescents offers several suggestions for finding YAL such as checking out award winners, using ALAN, and even asking teenagers themselves.  I also intend to read YAL myself in order to know what my students may be experiencing and reading outside of my classroom.  This will also help me to continue loving reading on a personal level, an important effort to make for any English teacher.  I know some of my choices may seem controversial, but I am willing to fight to use the literature I think will best serve my students, YAL included.