I have been following this list serve for a while now and finally figured out how to post!Now that I know how to participate in the discussion,I have a question that doesn’t necessarily have to do with direct literacy instruction but rather how a piece of literature can affect a student. A student of mine has been having some trouble at home and he/she has turned to unhealthy ways to relieve this stress. As a 7th grade Language Arts teacher should I encourage her to read books about the type of situation she is in where the protagonist of the story overcomes her problem (eating disorder, depression,etc.) that my student is directly dealing with(i.e Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson,Fat Chance by Leslea Newman, etc.)or should I steer her towards books,such as Ida B by Katherine Hannigan, with a strong female protagonist that overcomes a problem indirectly related to the one this student is experiencing.I have a HUGE independent reading component in my curriculum, and I just don’t know what way to go in order to motivate this student to read while coping with her “inner demons.” I know for me,as a reader, I would want to read about other people’s experiences that are similar to mine. However,can a 7th grader conceptualize and understand the larger issues of what he/she is reading about and how it relates the him/her?Does anyone have experience with this?
Maryanne Desmond JDMS _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
