Harold Washington College Books and Children Questions

Answer the following questions below. Attached will be the documents needed to complete the questions.

Part 1

According to Tielsh Goddard (2011), “Books provide a safe medium for children to explore different concepts, feelings, and attitudes…and to better understand their environment, community, and societal expectations” (p. 57). Per Thibault (2004), “Bibliotherapy and critical literacy are two ways to use books to help children better understand themselves, others, and the world around them” (para. 1).

Read both the Tielsch Goddard 2011 and Thibault 2004 articles (Click on the hyperlink or locate them in the Resources folder). Next, read the following excerpts from Wilhelm’s (2008, 2016) You Gotta BE the Book (and expounded upon by your instructor).

• In reading, even if we disagree with the author’s projected view, we will see things differently and deepen our understanding. We need this to grow, learn, and understand. This happens by way of “authorial reading,” a way of trying to uncover what the author is saying (without having to reject one’s own thinking!). To let this happen, Booth (1988; as cited in Wilhelm, 2008) indicates we must not be quick to judge, but rather to listen and respect. In this regard, reading is the co-construction of meaning (Bakhtin & Medvedev, as cited in Wilhelm 2008).
• Literacy is both the willingness and ability to evoke, conceive of, express, receive, reflect on, share, evaluate, and negotiate meanings (Wilhem, 2008).
• Literacy should help students to become aware of and attentive to realities. In doing so, this helps young people to become critical citizens who have civic courage (Giroux, 1987 as cited in Wilhelm, 2008).
• Student: “ I feel like reading a good book makes me someone new” (Wilhelm, 2008, p. 53). This is the literary transaction. Per Wilhelm, “Reader-oriented theories regard reading as the creation, in concert with text, of personally significant experiences and meanings.” (Wilhelm, 2008, p. 24)
• “As the world becomes a more complex and smaller place, it seems that self-understanding and the willingness and ability to understand others will become more important” (Wilhelm, 2008, p. 53).

Thoughtfully consider the statements above and what you read in the Tielsh Goddard (2011) and Thibault (2004) articles, and respond to the prompts below. Cite the articles and provide specific examples to support your responses.

1. How might having emerging adolescents read novels provide a common starting place in a diverse classroom?

2. What is bibliotherapy? What is critical literacy? How do you think an educator or another professional working with emerging adolescents could integrate these practices into health curriculum?

3. How can novels/narratives foster understanding? (Consider the 6 facets of understanding: explain, interpret, apply, analyze perspective, demonstrate empathy, and have self-knowledge)

4. How could novels/narrative change attitudes? How might changing attitudes, through reading novels/narratives help learners to adopt healthy behaviors?

5. According to Thibault (2004), what is the value of service-learning and reader’s theater, used in tandem with reading a novel? Provide an example for each using a health-related topic.

6. What criteria should be used in selecting novels for bibliotherapy or critical literacy? (See both Thibault and Tielsh Goddard).

Part 2

You will create a guided reading curriculum for emerging adolescents in association with a selected novel. Because the semester is short, you’ll need to locate (buy, check-out from a library, or borrow) and start reading now to complete the project by the end of the semester. (You’ll receive information about this project in an upcoming lesson). Download the Guided Reading Book List in the Lesson 2 folder. You’ll be choosing a book to read from this list. If you have another emerging adolescent novel related to a health topic that you’d like to read, seek instructor approval before you start reading.

For your discussion post, provide the title and author of the book you are choosing to read. Next, describe why you selected this book.