Celebrating Young Adult Literature

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CelebratingYoung Adult Literature!

• University of Central Florida
• FLaRE
• Dr. Denise Ousley

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Patterns in YA Lit
Titles
First lines
Topics
Conflicts
Cover art
Synopses
Characters
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Characteristics of Young Adult Literature
5. Includes stories about teens from a wide
variety of cultural ethnic groups 6. Typically
optimistic, with main characters achieving worthy
accomplishments 7. Deals authentically in
emotions/issues/milestones important to young
adults
1. Written from the viewpoints of young adults 2.
Main characters are free to take credit for
their accomplishments 3. Fast-paced 4.
Highlights a wide variety of genres and subjects
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Why YA? Because students need to see their own
lives interpreted and validated in the books they
read. They also need to see the wide panoply of
humanity--to watch characters enact--to see into
others lives in meaningful ways. Through books,
students can develop strong bonds with diverse
individuals they would be unlikely to meet in
their actual lives, or could never know well.
Beverly Busching Betty Slesinger 
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Recommended Titles and Resource
Packet Realistic Fiction Historical
Fiction Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson) Out of
the Dust (Karen Hesse) Whirligig (Paul
Fleishman) The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
(C.Curtis) Fever, 1793 (Laurie Halse
Anderson) Mystery/Suspense Adventure/Accomplis
hment The Man Who Was Poe (Avi) Hatchet (Gary
Paulsen) Coraline (Neil Gaiman) Shabanu,
Daughter of the Wind (Susan Staples) The
Shakespeare Stealer (Gary Blackwood) Science
Fiction/Fantasy Please also get
your hands on Once Upon a Marigold (Jean
Ferris) Info Kids How to use Nonfiction to
Turn Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)
Reluctant Readers into Enthusiastic
Learners Sword of the Rightful King (Jane Yolen)
(Ron Jobe and Mary Dayton Saykari)
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Info-Kids
Why ?
Who ? What ? When ? Where ?
Why ?
Why ?
Why ?
Why ?
Ron Jobe and Mary Dayton-Sakari
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Alternative Assessment
The Brown Bag Exam
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Brown Bag Exam
Brown Bag Item __________________
Ideas connecting item to novel
Additional connections from small group
discussion
Passages
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Concluding Discussions
Whom do we tell about YA Lit?
Teens
Families
Teachers
Administrators
Reading coaches
Media specialists
Who else?
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Thank you !
Contact information Denise Ousley University of
Central Florida Secondary English Language Arts
Education ED 122L 407-823-1142 dousley_at_mail.ucf.ed
u
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