1st Edition
A Case for Teaching Literature in the Secondary School Why Reading Fiction Matters in an Age of Scientific Objectivity and Standardization
Contents
Foreword Michael Moore
Preface
1 Introduction: The Need to Make the Case for Teaching Literature
Part I: What Literature Can Do
- Literature and Identification: How self becomes character
- Literature and Empathy: How narrative stimulates emotion
- Literature and Critical Thinking: How fiction makes us think\
- Literature and Social Action: Can reading change what we do?
- Literature Curriculum and Standards-based Education
- Case Study: College Town Middle School, with Taylor Norman and Tiffany Sedberry
- Implications for English Teacher Education
- Teaching literature for profit or pleasure?
- Literature and morality
Part II: Challenges to Literary Study
Part III: Reviving the Secondary School Literary Experience
Appendix A: Additional sample lessons and activities for teaching literature to encourage identification, empathy, critical thinking and social action
Appendix B: Additional, related sample activities
About the Contributors
Index
Biography
Janet Alsup is Professor of English Education, Purdue University, USA.
"This book will appeal to everyone who believes that we can learn about others and the world by reading fiction and studying great author. Drawing on new work in cognition sciences, Alsup pushes back against Common Core Standards typically interpreted and implemented to replace literary studies with mechanistic, less valuable, and less enjoyable approaches to learning. Present and future English language arts teachers will especially want to read this book. It is likely to become a standard in university courses in the teaching of English."
--Allen Webb, Western Michigan University, USA
