Final "Exam" Blog Post

 

1. The book I want to include in the curriculum is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. A common argument that I hear is “Why have kids spend time in class reading something they can easily read on their own?” and my response is this: Kids can sometimes read a book and not understand some of the subtle, but key components of the story without some guidance. Isn’t this why we have english class? To teach kids how to read books beyond their words and into the meaning that it holds and how that is constructed throughout the story? There are stories like this one that are important to not only read, but understand. It gives a different perspective and teaches empathy if you read in between the lines. Another argument that is commonly made is “Kids have to grow up and take themselves and their work seriously. I do. We expect them to.” Just because this book is classified as young adult literature does not mean that they cannot learn mature themes and topics from this. Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe  tackles situations of growing up, trying to find yourself and what that means, and also discovering your sexuality. All of these topics expose these kids to real world situations and they may even be able to connect to parts of the story that are universal such as growing up and some of the challenges that come along with that. 

2. There are both similarities and differences between children’s lit and young adult lit. One similarity is that they both share topics that teach real-life situations. While children’s lit is more simple in it’s delivery and omits some more mature details than young adult literature. Childrens Lit also incorporates pictures to better convey the message. Young adult literature is intended for kids that are in middle and high school, but can be enjoyed by older audiences as well. These books also have different takes on universal topics. These topics include growing up, discovering who you are, death, sexuality, and more. Usually, these books make audiences feel as if they are not alone in their feelings, and obstacles in life. A quote that really stuck with me that shows some of what I am talking about is from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe when Ari said “What am I going to do? I’m so ashamed.” I think that everyone can relate to feeling like this at some point about something and it makes it all more impactful. Both childrens and young adult lit can relate to fairy tales and other types of fantasy.