I think both. Some teens (well, a lot actually), find it helpful to read about teens in similar situations - makes them feel less alone. But it;s also good to have other options for books too.
There is a great book about eating disorders, but the name is escaping me right now. I will look it up and post. On Jan 28, 2008 3:39 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > 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 > -- - Heather "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead." --Clarence Day "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little good evidence exists that there's any educational substance behind the accountability and testing movement." —Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase funding. " —Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate _______________________________________________ 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
