Southern+YA+Literature

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** 5th Grade Youth Adult Literature ** ** Unfamiliar Genre **

** Draveious Hurston-White ** ** Middle Grades ELA/RDG **

**Introduction** __Young-adult fiction or young adult literature (often abbreviated as YA), also juvenile fiction, is [|fiction] written for, published for, or marketed to [|adolescents] and [|young adults], roughly ages 8 to 15. The Young Adult Library Services ([|YALSA]) of the [|American Library Association] (ALA) defines a young adult as "someone between the ages of eight and fifteen". Young adult novels have also been defined as texts written for the ages of eight and up. Authors and readers of young adult (YA) novels often define the genre as "literature written for ages ranging from eight years up to the age of eighteen.__ **Background**  __**Young Adult Literature** uses a wide array of themes in order to appeal to a wide variety of adolescent readers. Some of these [|themes] include: [|identity], [|sexuality], [|science fiction], [|depression], [|suicide], [|drug abuse], [|alcohol abuse], familial struggles, [|bullying], and numerous others. Some issues that are talked about in young adult literature are things such as friendship, love, race, money, divorce, relationships within families. “The culture that surrounds and absorbs young adults plays a huge role in their lives. Young Adult Literature explores themes important and crucial to adolescence such as relationships to authority figures, peer pressure and ensuing experimentations, issues of diversity as it relates to gender, sociocultural, and/or socioeconomic status. Primarily, the focus is centered around a young lead character and the reader experiences emotions, situations, and the like through this character and is able to see how these problems/situations are resolved. It also needs to play a significant role in how we approach this group and the books we offer them to read”. Reading about issues that adolescents can relate to allows them to identify with a particular character, and creates a sense of security when experiencing something that is going on within their lives. "Whether you call them archetypes or stereotypes, there are certain experiences and certain kinds of people that are common to adolescents. Reading about it may help a young person validate his or her own experience and make some kind of meaning out of it". There are seventeen common traits of young adult novels. These include: “friendship, getting into trouble, interest in the opposite sex, money, divorce, single parents, remarriage, problems with parents, grandparents, younger siblings, concern over grades/school, popularity, puberty, race, death, neighborhood, and job/working.__

= * Annotated bibliography of 3-5 samples of the genre OR links to 3-5 samples the genre. = **Hesse, K. (1997). Out of the Dust. New York, New York : Scholastic Press** Out of the Dust is a [|verse novel] written by [|Karen Hesse]. It was the winner of the [|Newbery Medal] in [|1998], [|Scott O'Dell Award], an [|ALA Notable Children's Book], an ALA "Best book", a School Library Journal "best book of the year", a Booklist "Editors' Choice" award, a Book Links "Lasting Connection", a Publishers Weekly "best book of the year", and a [|New York Public Library] "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing" selection.

Set in Oklahoma during the years 1934-1935, this book tells the story of a family of farmers during the [|Dust Bowl] years. Billie Jo being the main character, it goes into her own life and struggles. The structure of the novel is unusual in that the plot is advanced entirely through a series of [|free verse] poems. Billie Jo Kelby, the main character, is described in the opening of the book as long-legged girl, thin and red-headed just like her father (she calls him Daddy). She was expected to be a boy, and her parents had named her so only to be surprised with a baby girl, hence the masculine name. She has a hunger for piano playing and a taste for apples. Billie Joe tells on how she knows her father wants to have a son instead of a daughter, but how he still loves her anyway. The opening of the book also describes the dust storms causing trouble on farms, Mad Dog Craddock who is a boy who Billie Jo has feelings for and academically rivals. I choose this sample because it is historical fiction and many boys that read in the young adult literature section would rather read history based content. This type of written is very rare in my genre. I choose this sample because as a boy, I loved reading things about history. I did learn from this sample that the need for Billie Jo’s father to want a boy enhances the novel.

Citation: []

**Curtis, C. P. (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. New York, New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers** Bud, Not Buddy is a 1999 children's novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. The book is the winner of the 2000 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award that is given in recognition of outstanding African-American authors. Bud, Not Buddy is the story of ten-year old Bud Caldwell, an orphan living in Flint, Michigan in 1937 during the Great Depression. Since the death of his mother, four years earlier, Bud has been living in an orphanage, as well as short stints in several foster homes. All he has of his mother are a bag of rocks and a photograph of his mother as a child and four fliers that show Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators playing in different places one of which is in Flint, Michigan. The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses, where Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their tormenting and abusive twelve year old son. After a fight with Todd, Bud is forced to spend the night in the garden shed where he is stung by hornets. After extricating himself from the shed, he causes Todd to wet the bed with warm water, and rather than returning to the orphanage, he decides to seek out Herman E. Calloway. With suitcase in hand, Bud starts walking the 2 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Andrew Jackson lives.

This novel is very typical for young adult literature. This novel is geared towards young boys who love to read. I love this sample because it describes the place and location in which my grandfather grew up. This novel took place around the same time that my grandfather was growing up. I did learn that my grandfather could recognize actually some of the places mentioned in this novel.

Citation: [] **Park, L. S. (2001). A Single Shard. Boston, Massachusetts: Charion Books** A Single Shard is the winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal, awarded for excellence in children's literature; it also received an honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature. The novel was written by Linda Sue Park, and is set in 12th-century Korea. The novel tells the story of a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear. He is an orphan and lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a small village in 12th Century Korea, with Crane-man, a crippled old man. Tree-ear scavenges for food most of the time, but after a full meal, Tree-ear loves to watch the potter, Min, make his pottery. One day, when no one is around, Tree-ear sneaks into Potter Min's house for a closer look at his creations. There are many objects, but one object particularly interests Tree-ear: a rectangular, lidded box. It is undecorated on the outside, but Tree-ear suspects that the inside is more spectacular. Out of curiosity, Tree-ear decides to look inside the box and finds five smaller boxes. They fit perfectly around each other. Potter Min shouts when he finds Tree-ear, who dropped the box in fright, breaking it. To repay the potter, Tree-ear offers to work for nine days, as the box took three days to make. Min assigns Tree-ear the task of collecting wood for his nine days of work. Tree-ear is dismayed, for he secretly wants to make a pot. After his work days are completed, Tree-ear offers to work for the potter for free in hope of getting to make his own pot. Tree-ear is assigned various tasks but never has the chance to make a pot. Tree-ear eventually learns that Min will not teach him how to make a pot, due to the tradition of a potter teaching his son. I choose this novel because it was an international young adult literature novel. These are also rare in my genre. I love the way it talks about a boy in the need of a father and another man steps in to fill that place. I did learn about some Korean traditions that took place during this time period and they are still practiced today.

Citation: []


 * Stine. R. L. ( 1992). Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House. New York, New, York: Scholastic Press**

Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations. Themes in the series include horror, humor and the supernatural. Sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title from 1992 to 1997. Various spin-off series were written by Stine: Goosebumps Series 2000, Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Goosebumps Triple Header, and Goosebumps HorrorLand. Another series, Goosebumps Gold, was never released. Since the release of its first novel, Welcome to Dead House in July 1992, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success worldwide.[3][4] As of 2008, the series has sold over 350 million books worldwide in thirty-five languages and has been listed in many bestseller lists, including the New York Times Best Seller list for children. The series has spawned a television series and numerous merchandise.

These type of novels are great for boys who love gore and thrilling stuff. These type of young adult novels are very popular with young boys. I did learn while viewing this novel that Stine takes you on a journey that keeps you on the end of your seats.

Citation: []

**Kenney, J. ( 2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York, New York: Amulet Books** "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The sequel to the book is Rodrick Rules. Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appeared on FunBrain.com in 2004 which was read 20 million times. The hardcover was released on April 1st 2007. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was named New York Times bestseller among awards and praise. A film of the same name was released on March 19, 2010.

The book opens with Greg Heffley saying how embarrassing it is to be having a journal with "diary" on the front and that whoever sees him with it will call him a "sissy". Greg also goes to mention that one day he will become rich and famous but for now he is "stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons". Greg faces too many hardships, including Halloween. As Greg and Rowley go Trick-or-Treating, they anger some teenagers who chase them. They barely escape but manage to get to Greg's grandma's house. The teenagers see them inside and Greg and Rowley taunt them. Not all goes to plan, though, and when they get home and Greg's dad, who was hassled by kids, throws water at them and the water soaks their candy. The Wizard of Oz play is also a hardship for Greg. Patty Farell, who plays Dorothy, is coming on stage, and since Greg is a tree, he thinks he can throw apples at her, but the director takes this part out of the play for health and safety. Mrs. Norton, the music director, tries to make the trees sing an embarrassing song, but on the night nobody sings out of fear and the play is ruined. These types of novels are great for goofy and trouble-making boys who love reading silly and dingy stuff. These types of young adult novels are very popular with young boys. I did learn while viewing this novel that there are pictures that go along with what is going on in the novel.

Citation: []

= *** Bibliography of 3-5 teaching resources for Out of the Dust** =

****Out of the Dust Homepage:**** [] Out of the Dust is written in free verse and intended for kids in about fifth grade and up. This format gives a break down to the text, which makes it a fairly quick read, but the novel has great depth and a strong sense of time and place. Its setting is Oklahoma during the thirties and so we know immediately that the title dust, at least some of it, is from the Dust Bowl. This website can help with instructional activities to go along with your lessons.

**Dust Bowl Conflicts** This is a website that posts opinions about the novel Out of the Dust. It also lists conflicts and how they are resolved in the novel. This website can be used to hold classroom discussions: []

**Summary and Teacher's Guide** I use bookrags ( [|www.bookraags.com] ) to help gather resources that I can use with my lessons. Even though this website costs $9.99-$14.99 it is a great tool to have. This website can give you extra discussion questions, games, quizzes, test, essays, and etc. I really like this website because you can pick and choose what you want to use to accommodate your students.

= *** 2 Instructional Activities aligned to Common Core Georgia Performance Standards** = = **(CCGPS)** =

=**CCGPS Instructional Activity #1**=
 * Name of Activity: Writing Through the Dust **
 * Created by: Draveious Hurston-White **


 * Skills/Concepts for Students:**
 * Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.
 * Students will explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.
 * Students will discuss the effects of the Dust Bowl and how farmers suffered. You may create
 * Students will talk about FDR’s administration and how he helped America push forward out of the Great Depression.
 * Acknowledge information from sources.
 * Strategies for Teachers:**
 * Teacher will use excerpts from the novel Out of the Dust to write historical statements of event that took place in the United States during this time era.
 * Teacher will use pictures form this time era to show what these events looked like.
 * Teacher will address how there were several key events that took place during the 1930s that all linked together causing the Great Depression.
 * Guided Reading excerpts and group led discussion.


 * Sample Instructional Activity:**

//Purpose of Activity : // Students must be able to recognize what happened during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Students could discuss how the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression affected the people in the United States. Students should be able relate the Dust Bowl’s problems to US farmers in the 1930s.

//Resources:// Out of the Dust novel by Karen Hesse; Pictures from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression; Writing Activity used for Writing Through the Dust.

//Activity Steps: Total time: 20 minutes //
 * 1) 1. Take 5 minutes to look at the pictures from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.
 * 2) 2. Then take 10 minutes discuss your prior knowledge or what these pictures mean to you.
 * 3) 3. Lastly, take 5 minutes to write about what life would be like for you if you lived in this era.

List specific vocabulary words/terms students will learn/review
 * Recommended Vocabulary for Teaching and Learning:**

event sequence events sequence of events situations experiences sensory details narrated experiences narrated events era conflict natural conflict internal conflict external conflict chronological order


 * || ** Grade 5 CCGPS ** ||
 * ^  || ** Reading Literary (RL) ** ||
 * ^  || ** ELACC5RL1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. ** ||
 * CCGPS Instructional Activity #2 **
 * Name of Activity: Writing Through the Dust **
 * Created by: Draveious Hurston-White **


 * Skills/Concepts for Students:**
 * Skills/Concepts for Students:
 * Read attentively for understanding
 * Support all claims and inferences about a text with specific evidence
 * Begin the practice of annotating texts as you read (annotating means keeping notes of important information)
 * Paraphrase and summarize as necessary to aid comprehension
 * Use quotations from the text in your essays and punctuate them properly
 * Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.
 * Students will explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.
 * Students will discuss the effects of the Dust Bowl and how farmers suffered. You may create
 * Students will talk about FDR’s administration and how he helped America push forward out of the Great Depression.
 * Acknowledge information from sources.
 * Strategies for Teachers:**
 * Provide explicit instruction and scaffolding as necessary for the skills and concepts students should acquire for RL1 (see above)
 * Provide adequate opportunities for students to engage with challenging texts from multiple genres
 * Model effective note-taking and annotation
 * Require evidence for all claims, inferences, and theses about text
 * Provide opportunities to practice quotation punctuation and expect direct quotation in essays
 * Teacher will use excerpts from the novel Out of the Dust to write historical statements of event that took place in the United States during this time era.
 * Teacher will use pictures form this time era to show what these events looked like.
 * Teacher will address how there were several key events that took place during the 1930s that all linked together causing the Great Depression.
 * Guided Reading excerpts and group led discussion.


 * Sample Instructional Activity:**

//Purpose of Activity : // Students must be able to recognize what happened during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Students could discuss how the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression affected the people in the United States. Students should be able relate the Dust Bowl’s problems to US farmers in the 1930s.

//Resources:// Out of the Dust novel by Karen Hesse; Pictures from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression; Writing Activity used for Writing Through the Dust.

//Activity Steps: Total time: 20 minutes //
 * 1) 1. Take 10 minutes to read an excerpt from the novel Out of the Dust.
 * 2) 2. Then take 5 minutes discuss and interpret what you have read.
 * 3) 3. Lastly, take 5 minutes to discuss your ideas and your point-of-view of the text.

List specific vocabulary words/terms students will learn/review
 * Recommended Vocabulary for Teaching and Learning:**


 * 1) 1. Inference
 * 2) 2. Literary
 * 3) 3. event sequence
 * 4) 4. events
 * 5) 5. sequence of events
 * 6) 6. situations
 * 7) 7. experiences
 * 8) 8. sensory details
 * 9) 9. narrated experiences
 * 10) 10. narrated events
 * 11) 11. era
 * 12) 12. conflict
 * 13) 13. natural conflict
 * 14) 14. internal conflict
 * 15) 15. external conflict
 * 16) 16. chronological order

= *** Student Assessment Tool** =

**__Format and Design __**

This assessment is a rubric used to evaluate reading comprehension. Teachers should use this to evaluate individual students at the end of the novel. This assessment is to be used as a formative assessment which will later be followed by a summative assessment.


 * Directions: ** Students will complete this formative assessment individually using his or her copy of the novel Out of the Dust. Students are to answer each question providing the page number in which the answer is found. Students are to also write a six sentence response to all essay questions on this assessment.

**__ Vocabulary __** ** 1. Inference ** ** 2. Literary ** ** 3. event sequence ** ** 4. events ** ** 5. sequence of events ** ** 6. situations ** ** 7. experiences ** ** 8. sensory details ** ** 9. narrated experiences ** ** 10. narrated events ** ** 11. era ** ** 12. conflict ** ** 13. natural conflict ** ** 14. internal conflict ** ** 15. external conflict ** ** 16. chronological order **

= *** 1 additional resource** =

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=** Newberry Medal Homepage **= The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Teachers can use this website to as a resource and browse for any books or novels they want to use in the classroom. A current Newberry Medal book list is posted each year. In 1921 Frederic G.Melcher had the Newbery Medal designed by René Paul Chambellan. The bronze medal has the winner's name and the date engraved on the back. The American Library Association Executive Board in 1922 delegated to the Children's Librarians' Section the responsibility for selecting the book to receive the Newbery Medal. The inscription on the Newbery Medal still reads "Children's Librarians' Section," although the section has changed its name four times and its membership now includes both school and public library children's librarians in contrast to the years 1922-58, when the section, under three different names, included only public library children's librarians. Today the Medal is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA.

How the Newbery Medal Came to Be
The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. On June 22, 1921, Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to the American Library Association meeting of the Children's Librarians' Section and suggested that it be named for the eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by the children's librarians, and Melcher's official proposal was approved by the ALA Executive Board in 1922. In Melcher's formal agreement with the board, the purpose of the Newbery Medal was stated as follows: "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field." The Newbery Award thus became the first children's book award in the world. Its terms, as well as its long history, continue to make it the best known and most discussed children's book award in this country. From the beginning of the awarding of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, committees could, and usually did, cite other books as worthy of attention. Such books were referred to as Newbery or Caldecott "runners-up." In 1971 the term "runners-up" was changed to "honor books." The new terminology was made retroactive so that all former runners-up are now referred to as Newbery or Caldecott Honor Books.