Contemporary Realistic Fiction is a genre that, unlike fantasy, reflects characters, settings, plots, and an environment that is realistic and identical to those encountered in the real world. That can expose children to characters that have similar problems to their own or to characters that are facing problems that they may yet experience. In either case, cotemporary realistic fiction can help give students insight to the lives and obstacles that are faced by other and help instill in them the qualities and characteristics needed to face such problems productively or at least to endure and cope with adversities. Realistic fiction shows its readers that others take on different perspectives on problems than they might and can be used as an excellent catalyst for background information on historical, social, and cultural occurrences. More than fantasy, realistic fiction reflects the social and cultural values of a community, for example, in many realistic fiction novels in the past such as during the Victorian Age it was not uncommon to see blacks and women reflected in stereotypical roles. As America progressed socially the roles of blacks and women of all ethnicities has now become increasingly varied and diverse. There are different sub-genres of contemporary realistic fiction such as new realism that focus on individuals from circumstances that are extremely challenging like a abused little girl from a family that misuses drugs and then there is the problem novel that is more of a sub-genre for it literary presentation since it focuses more on the problem than the characters. While there are numerous benefits that can be acquired from contemporary realistic fiction there is a word of caution. Since this genre perhaps more than any others explores issues such as drugs, divorce, violence, sexism, sex, sexuality, profanity, family breakdown, and other issues of social decay they are often the target of controversy and criticism. Any educator planning on using such books for implementation in their classrooms ought to become familiar with the contents of the literature, identify the advantages and benefits it can bring to his or her students, and be prepared to make a convincing argument for any school board, parents, or other individuals of interest that may question or desire to prohibit its uses.
Contemporary realistic fiction has many uses in the classroom. Of particular interest to me was the assignment that focused on survival on the island and how the university students were able to extend the assignment to address issues that included subjects from language arts such as having to list food and materials needed, social studies such as studying Karana's culture, science such as identifying plants of medicinal usage, and math such as calculating the measurements needed for Karana to construct her house. Students can also role play so they can really come to experience life from the character's perspective and then draw upon their own problem solving skills to resolve a problem and in essence write their own version of the story or the scene. Then there is the very important of ability of inferring that students can be helped to develop from contemporary literature by having them use the information they know and apply it to abstract concepts and contexts. Care must be exercised however to ensure that whatever contemporary realistic fiction is selected it is one that is appropriate and comprehensible for the age of the selected students.
Using contemporary realistic fiction has always been one area that I feel I have been able to implement in the classroom effectively and yet this literature has shown me various ways to expand upon the resource. This literature has also shown how various cultures emphasize different values such as Native American contemporary realistic fiction focuses a lot on beliefs, traditions, and family relationships while Latino literature focuses on surviving and coping with socially oppressive circumstances like living in an impoverished inner city area. These are traits that will be kept in mind by me and I really appreciated the mentioning that we need to focus on helping students to appreciate contemporary realistic fiction. Another area that I appreciated was how the project on island survival encompassed all subjects on academia from writing to math and the students, I am sure, enjoyed it immensely.
During role play it mentioned that we focus on having students think critically and use their problem solving skills. This reminded me of a play I assigned the 6 groups of 4 in my 4th grade class to do. It was based of events from Laura Ingalls’s Little House in the Big Woods. The students had to assign a role to each child; one had to be the bear, one had to be Papa, the other had to be Laura, and then someone had to be Laura's older sister Mary. The story was that Papa, Laura, and Mary will be returning from a gathering lumber in the woods only to be ambushed by a ravenous bear. After that I left it to the students to devise ways to defeat the bear. Most kids had Laura run to the cabin while Mary and Papa distracted the bear, retrieve Papa's gun, bring it to him and then have Papa shoot the bear. What really impressed me though were these groups of girls. They came dressed in heavy winter coats to really convey the feeling of living in Wisconsin during the winter and then had backpacks on. When the bear ambushed Mary, Papa, and Laura one of the girls reached into her backpack and through out copies of the novel Little House in the Big Woods that represented sandwiches and while the bear "ate" the "sandwiches" all 3 made it back to the house safely. The class and I were so impressed with the creativity these girls showed that our neighboring class even asked them to perform it. The benefits of having students’ role play is incredible and even better students seem to love it.
By far, contemporary realistic fiction has continuously been a favorite genre of book for my entire life. From the time I was a young girl reading the Babysitter Club Books and Encyclopedia Brown, to an adult reading fictional accounts of lives of women my age -- it has always held a lot of interest for me. The book describes that children relate so well to this genre of literature because it allows them to identify with the main character, who most likely is experiencing the same types of problems or events that might be common to children of a given ages.
Regardless of your particular situation, there is a book out their for you, and this chapter focused on how teachers can give recommendations to students based on their experiences. From the death of a parent, to illness, to puberty, to sports, and beyond, there is typically a book that a child can identify with. And, if the teacher recommends a valuable and "good" literary work, it can even assist the child in maneuvering through the many obstacles of life.
The section on controversial fiction was particularly useful, because I strongly believe in liberal censorship policies in schools. I think it gave me both sides of that particular story (although I remain steadfast in my conviction), and gives the level-headed perspective that if a teacher or librarian has can legitinately convey the value of a book it will assist in defusing any potential conflict caused by it. When I first began looking for the books for this class, I wanted to procure Bridge to Terabithia for the Newberry medal, but couldn't find it. I asked my mother (as we were in the library of her elementary school) and she led me to a dark corner of the library that housed a small turnstile. On it, I found many of my favorite titles, and my mother informed me that because of their content, they were limited to junior high readers. I think that is a good way to deal with the controversial literature issue. Always make sure it is available, but develop guidelines that dictate at what level a student will truly be able to get the most meaning out of it.
What a great story, Gregg, about the three girls acting out the Laura Ingalls Wilder tale. I had a wonderful teacher in 4th grade who used all sorts of interactive games and activities in reading The Secret Garden. I vividly remember building my own garden, acting out scenes, and writing alterate resolutions to passages. It was such a neat way to learn a book, and was really the first time I fell in love with literature. I hope you continue on in this tradition!
Linda Like many others contemporary realistic fiction is one of my favorite genres. I fell in love with these kinds of books as a young girl. I have continued to read a number of books from our school library so that I can easily recommend titles for students. The ability to find books that address the particular stage that a child is in, or the challenges that they may be facing, is important to me. I am fortunate to have a sister who is a librarian and she regularly suggests titles for me to read that might be enjoyable and appropriate. I have often asked her for titles for my own children’s life experiences. I understand that many of the books from this particular genre can be controversial, but as suggested a teacher must be prepared to defend the importance of using that particular book. I think that these types of books are wonderful to include for infusing cultural diversity and awareness into the classroom. We are often told that we need to provide curriculum that encourages empathy, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance. What better way to do it than through literature. Contemporary realistic fiction can also tie into so many different parts of a curriculum. It can be used in math and science and history. The material must be chosen wisely and of course it must be appropriate for the age of the students. The limits are endless when it comes to the application of this genre in the classroom because there are so many wonderful choices out there. I have included on my del.cio.us site numerous different literature sites because I want to be able to find the books I need quickly and I want to share the sites with others. I think this is probably one of the favorite genres of many teachers.
Annie- I think your suggestion about having appropriate material in cetain sections of the library is a good one. Clearly your librarian was thinking. We do something similar in our school library, not because of controverisal material but for accessibility. For the struggling reader in the upper grades, the ones who don't want (baby) books, we have a specific cart of chapter books that are easy readers, but look much longer so that the child doesn't feel embarrassed. The child can find a book that is at his or her level, but not feel that it is too young for them. It took some time to find good books that were interesting, age appropriate, and yet not too challenging to include in this section. Our selection is growing as we buy new books each year.
The assignments you mentioned that your 4th grade teacher implemented are exactly the type of interactive, multi-faceted, and engaging assignments our unit literature encourages us to have. Since I do not want to put myself at any risk I will not ask how old you are but, if you were in the 4th grade prior to the late 90's then your teacher was ahead of her time in some way. This is not to say that there has not been a push for really engrossing students in literature since, dare I call them, "experts" have always promoted the use of interactive and diverse teaching methods. However, it has not been until the mid 90's when American schools were once again brought to late for the serious issues that were hindering a lot of effective teaching and learning that everyone has once again been pushing for engaging students of all academic levels and abilities. If you do not mind Anniem, what book was it that your teacher devised all of those assignments from? They sound really interesting especially the part about having you all grow your own garden and I will be using the idea of having students write their own response to a problem the character has. Excellent post!
I find most conterporary realistic fiction books to be extremely boring. I guess it is because of my over active imagination but i have never been able to read a book about something may be able to be out doing myself. I would prefer to read a fanatsy book. I do believe that a reader needs to be well rounded and i probably should try to read more realistic fiction. I wasn't too keen on the section about banning books, I don't believe books should be banned from anyone. what a child reads in a book is rarely as bad as what they would be able to see on the t.v. If the students are going to experience the same about of violence or innapropiate language either way i would much rather they read it in a book then sit on the couch and read it with out expanding their mind.
I find most conterporary realistic fiction books to be extremely boring. I guess it is because of my over active imagination but i have never been able to read a book about something may be able to be out doing myself. I would prefer to read a fanatsy book. I do believe that a reader needs to be well rounded and i probably should try to read more realistic fiction. I wasn't too keen on the section about banning books, I don't believe books should be banned from anyone. what a child reads in a book is rarely as bad as what they would be able to see on the t.v. If the students are going to experience the same about of violence or innapropiate language either way i would much rather they read it in a book then sit on the couch and read it with out expanding their mind.
in response to gregg, I agree that contemporary realistic fiction is an important learning tool for young children because it can help them learn how to deal with certain situations and can let them know that there is someone else that is experiencing the same thing
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Contemporary Realistic Fiction is a genre that, unlike fantasy, reflects characters, settings, plots, and an environment that is realistic and identical to those encountered in the real world. That can expose children to characters that have similar problems to their own or to characters that are facing problems that they may yet experience. In either case, cotemporary realistic fiction can help give students insight to the lives and obstacles that are faced by other and help instill in them the qualities and characteristics needed to face such problems productively or at least to endure and cope with adversities. Realistic fiction shows its readers that others take on different perspectives on problems than they might and can be used as an excellent catalyst for background information on historical, social, and cultural occurrences. More than fantasy, realistic fiction reflects the social and cultural values of a community, for example, in many realistic fiction novels in the past such as during the Victorian Age it was not uncommon to see blacks and women reflected in stereotypical roles. As America progressed socially the roles of blacks and women of all ethnicities has now become increasingly varied and diverse. There are different sub-genres of contemporary realistic fiction such as new realism that focus on individuals from circumstances that are extremely challenging like a abused little girl from a family that misuses drugs and then there is the problem novel that is more of a sub-genre for it literary presentation since it focuses more on the problem than the characters. While there are numerous benefits that can be acquired from contemporary realistic fiction there is a word of caution. Since this genre perhaps more than any others explores issues such as drugs, divorce, violence, sexism, sex, sexuality, profanity, family breakdown, and other issues of social decay they are often the target of controversy and criticism. Any educator planning on using such books for implementation in their classrooms ought to become familiar with the contents of the literature, identify the advantages and benefits it can bring to his or her students, and be prepared to make a convincing argument for any school board, parents, or other individuals of interest that may question or desire to prohibit its uses.
Contemporary realistic fiction has many uses in the classroom. Of particular interest to me was the assignment that focused on survival on the island and how the university students were able to extend the assignment to address issues that included subjects from language arts such as having to list food and materials needed, social studies such as studying Karana's culture, science such as identifying plants of medicinal usage, and math such as calculating the measurements needed for Karana to construct her house. Students can also role play so they can really come to experience life from the character's perspective and then draw upon their own problem solving skills to resolve a problem and in essence write their own version of the story or the scene. Then there is the very important of ability of inferring that students can be helped to develop from contemporary literature by having them use the information they know and apply it to abstract concepts and contexts. Care must be exercised however to ensure that whatever contemporary realistic fiction is selected it is one that is appropriate and comprehensible for the age of the selected students.
Using contemporary realistic fiction has always been one area that I feel I have been able to implement in the classroom effectively and yet this literature has shown me various ways to expand upon the resource. This literature has also shown how various cultures emphasize different values such as Native American contemporary realistic fiction focuses a lot on beliefs, traditions, and family relationships while Latino literature focuses on surviving and coping with socially oppressive circumstances like living in an impoverished inner city area. These are traits that will be kept in mind by me and I really appreciated the mentioning that we need to focus on helping students to appreciate contemporary realistic fiction. Another area that I appreciated was how the project on island survival encompassed all subjects on academia from writing to math and the students, I am sure, enjoyed it immensely.
During role play it mentioned that we focus on having students think critically and use their problem solving skills. This reminded me of a play I assigned the 6 groups of 4 in my 4th grade class to do. It was based of events from Laura Ingalls’s Little House in the Big Woods. The students had to assign a role to each child; one had to be the bear, one had to be Papa, the other had to be Laura, and then someone had to be Laura's older sister Mary. The story was that Papa, Laura, and Mary will be returning from a gathering lumber in the woods only to be ambushed by a ravenous bear. After that I left it to the students to devise ways to defeat the bear. Most kids had Laura run to the cabin while Mary and Papa distracted the bear, retrieve Papa's gun, bring it to him and then have Papa shoot the bear. What really impressed me though were these groups of girls. They came dressed in heavy winter coats to really convey the feeling of living in Wisconsin during the winter and then had backpacks on. When the bear ambushed Mary, Papa, and Laura one of the girls reached into her backpack and through out copies of the novel Little House in the Big Woods that represented sandwiches and while the bear "ate" the "sandwiches" all 3 made it back to the house safely. The class and I were so impressed with the creativity these girls showed that our neighboring class even asked them to perform it. The benefits of having students’ role play is incredible and even better students seem to love it.
By far, contemporary realistic fiction has continuously been a favorite genre of book for my entire life. From the time I was a young girl reading the Babysitter Club Books and Encyclopedia Brown, to an adult reading fictional accounts of lives of women my age -- it has always held a lot of interest for me. The book describes that children relate so well to this genre of literature because it allows them to identify with the main character, who most likely is experiencing the same types of problems or events that might be common to children of a given ages.
Regardless of your particular situation, there is a book out their for you, and this chapter focused on how teachers can give recommendations to students based on their experiences. From the death of a parent, to illness, to puberty, to sports, and beyond, there is typically a book that a child can identify with. And, if the teacher recommends a valuable and "good" literary work, it can even assist the child in maneuvering through the many obstacles of life.
The section on controversial fiction was particularly useful, because I strongly believe in liberal censorship policies in schools. I think it gave me both sides of that particular story (although I remain steadfast in my conviction), and gives the level-headed perspective that if a teacher or librarian has can legitinately convey the value of a book it will assist in defusing any potential conflict caused by it. When I first began looking for the books for this class, I wanted to procure Bridge to Terabithia for the Newberry medal, but couldn't find it. I asked my mother (as we were in the library of her elementary school) and she led me to a dark corner of the library that housed a small turnstile. On it, I found many of my favorite titles, and my mother informed me that because of their content, they were limited to junior high readers. I think that is a good way to deal with the controversial literature issue. Always make sure it is available, but develop guidelines that dictate at what level a student will truly be able to get the most meaning out of it.
What a great story, Gregg, about the three girls acting out the Laura Ingalls Wilder tale. I had a wonderful teacher in 4th grade who used all sorts of interactive games and activities in reading The Secret Garden. I vividly remember building my own garden, acting out scenes, and writing alterate resolutions to passages. It was such a neat way to learn a book, and was really the first time I fell in love with literature. I hope you continue on in this tradition!
Linda
Like many others contemporary realistic fiction is one of my favorite genres. I fell in love with these kinds of books as a young girl. I have continued to read a number of books from our school library so that I can easily recommend titles for students. The ability to find books that address the particular stage that a child is in, or the challenges that they may be facing, is important to me. I am fortunate to have a sister who is a librarian and she regularly suggests titles for me to read that might be enjoyable and appropriate. I have often asked her for titles for my own children’s life experiences.
I understand that many of the books from this particular genre can be controversial, but as suggested a teacher must be prepared to defend the importance of using that particular book. I think that these types of books are wonderful to include for infusing cultural diversity and awareness into the classroom. We are often told that we need to provide curriculum that encourages empathy, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance. What better way to do it than through literature.
Contemporary realistic fiction can also tie into so many different parts of a curriculum. It can be used in math and science and history. The material must be chosen wisely and of course it must be appropriate for the age of the students. The limits are endless when it comes to the application of this genre in the classroom because there are so many wonderful choices out there. I have included on my del.cio.us site numerous different literature sites because I want to be able to find the books I need quickly and I want to share the sites with others. I think this is probably one of the favorite genres of many teachers.
Annie-
I think your suggestion about having appropriate material in cetain sections of the library is a good one. Clearly your librarian was thinking.
We do something similar in our school library, not because of controverisal material but for accessibility. For the struggling reader in the upper grades, the ones who don't want (baby) books, we have a specific cart of chapter books that are easy readers, but look much longer so that the child doesn't feel embarrassed. The child can find a book that is at his or her level, but not feel that it is too young for them. It took some time to find good books that were interesting, age appropriate, and yet not too challenging to include in this section. Our selection is growing as we buy new books each year.
Anniem,
The assignments you mentioned that your 4th grade teacher implemented are exactly the type of interactive, multi-faceted, and engaging assignments our unit literature encourages us to have. Since I do not want to put myself at any risk I will not ask how old you are but, if you were in the 4th grade prior to the late 90's then your teacher was ahead of her time in some way. This is not to say that there has not been a push for really engrossing students in literature since, dare I call them, "experts" have always promoted the use of interactive and diverse teaching methods. However, it has not been until the mid 90's when American schools were once again brought to late for the serious issues that were hindering a lot of effective teaching and learning that everyone has once again been pushing for engaging students of all academic levels and abilities. If you do not mind Anniem, what book was it that your teacher devised all of those assignments from? They sound really interesting especially the part about having you all grow your own garden and I will be using the idea of having students write their own response to a problem the character has. Excellent post!
Gregg
I find most conterporary realistic fiction books to be extremely boring. I guess it is because of my over active imagination but i have never been able to read a book about something may be able to be out doing myself. I would prefer to read a fanatsy book. I do believe that a reader needs to be well rounded and i probably should try to read more realistic fiction. I wasn't too keen on the section about banning books, I don't believe books should be banned from anyone. what a child reads in a book is rarely as bad as what they would be able to see on the t.v. If the students are going to experience the same about of violence or innapropiate language either way i would much rather they read it in a book then sit on the couch and read it with out expanding their mind.
I find most conterporary realistic fiction books to be extremely boring. I guess it is because of my over active imagination but i have never been able to read a book about something may be able to be out doing myself. I would prefer to read a fanatsy book. I do believe that a reader needs to be well rounded and i probably should try to read more realistic fiction. I wasn't too keen on the section about banning books, I don't believe books should be banned from anyone. what a child reads in a book is rarely as bad as what they would be able to see on the t.v. If the students are going to experience the same about of violence or innapropiate language either way i would much rather they read it in a book then sit on the couch and read it with out expanding their mind.
in response to gregg,
I agree that contemporary realistic fiction is an important learning tool for young children because it can help them learn how to deal with certain situations and can let them know that there is someone else that is experiencing the same thing
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