Exploring Young Adult Literature: Review and Discussion

Exploring Young Adult Literature: Review and Discussion

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to review and discuss a YAL book that has been read.

Introduce the learning objective and set expectations for the lesson.

What do you already know about reviewing and discussing a book?

What is Young Adult Literature?

Young Adult Literature (YAL) is written for readers from 12 to 18 years old, although the genre spans from middle school to early college age. It is typically characterized by themes of coming-of-age, identity, and social issues.

Introduce the concept of YAL and its main themes.

Choosing a YAL Book

When choosing a YAL book to review and discuss, consider your interests, the author's reputation, and the book's critical reception.

Provide guidance on how to choose a YAL book to review and discuss.

Reading the Book

Take notes while reading the book, paying attention to the plot, characters, themes, and any significant quotes.

Provide guidance on how to read a YAL book and what to take notes about.

Preparing for the Review

Before writing the book review, organize your notes and thoughts, and decide on the main points you want to make.

Provide guidance on how to prepare for the book review.

Writing the Review

In the book review, summarize the plot without giving away spoilers, analyze the characters and themes, and provide your overall opinion and recommendation.

Provide guidance on how to structure and write the book review.

Discussion Questions

Prepare discussion questions that can be used to facilitate a group discussion about the book. These can be about the plot, characters, themes, or any other interesting topic.

Provide guidance on how to prepare discussion questions for a group discussion.

Facilitating the Discussion

During the discussion, encourage participation from all group members, listen actively, and ask follow-up questions to deepen the conversation.

Provide guidance on how to facilitate a group discussion about the book.

Sharing the Review

Share your book review with the group and invite feedback and comments. Use this feedback to improve your writing and discussion skills.

Provide guidance on how to share the book review with the group and how to receive feedback.

Common Pitfalls

Some common pitfalls to avoid when reviewing and discussing a book are giving away spoilers, being too critical or too positive, and not listening to other people's opinions.

Provide guidance on common pitfalls to avoid when reviewing and discussing a book.

Conclusion

In conclusion, reviewing and discussing a YAL book is a great way to develop critical thinking, writing, and discussion skills, as well as to explore new and interesting ideas.

Summarize the main points of the lesson and encourage students to continue exploring YAL books.

Quiz

Take this quiz to test your knowledge on reviewing and discussing a YAL book.

Create a quiz with multiple-choice or short-answer questions to test students' knowledge.

Book Review Assignment

For this assignment, choose a YAL book to read, write a book review following the guidelines discussed in class, and share it with the group for feedback and discussion.

Assign a book review to students and provide guidelines and expectations for the assignment.

Group Discussion Assignment

For this assignment, prepare discussion questions about a YAL book, facilitate a group discussion about the book, and provide feedback and comments on other students' reviews.

Assign a group discussion assignment to students and provide guidelines and expectations for the assignment.

Resources

Here are some resources to help you find and review YAL books: Goodreads, YALSA, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews.

Provide resources for students to find and review YAL books.

Example Book Review

Here is an example book review of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: 'The Fault in Our Stars is a heart-wrenching story about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the themes of love, loss, and mortality are explored in a sensitive and thought-provoking way. The writing is engaging and witty, and the plot is both tragic and uplifting at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be moved and inspired.'

Provide an example book review to show students what a good book review looks like.

Example Discussion Questions

Here are some example discussion questions for The Fault in Our Stars: What do you think about the portrayal of cancer in the book? How does the relationship between Hazel and Gus develop throughout the story? What does the book say about the meaning of life and death? What is your favorite quote from the book and why?

Provide example discussion questions to show students how to create good discussion questions.

Peer Review Guidelines

When providing feedback on other students' reviews, be constructive and specific, focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the review, and offer suggestions for improvement.

Provide guidelines for peer review to ensure that feedback is helpful and respectful.

Rubric

Here is the rubric that will be used to grade your book review and group discussion assignments.

Provide a rubric to students to show them how they will be graded on their assignments.

Feedback Survey

Please take this survey to provide feedback on the lesson and suggest improvements for future lessons.

Create a feedback survey to gather feedback from students and improve future lessons.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.