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The JOY of Reading
“Broadening Your Horizons with
Independent Reading”
Communications 10 and 10H
Mrs. Casteel and Mrs. Mohr
along with Miss Angstadt
This lesson will address
several facts that you
should know before
reading.
Standards:
1.1.11 Learning to Read Independently
“All students in Pennsylvania 1.2.11 Reading Critically in All Content Areas
schools should read 25 books per
year.” (PA Reading, Writing, 1.3.11 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting
Literature
Speaking, and Listening Standards,
Department of Education,
Harrisburg, PA)
Main Menu
Facts To Getting
Know Started
Literature Excuses
for Not
Reading
Literary Reasons
Canons for
Reading
Literary
Lists and Mrs. C’s Top
Reviews Ten Reasons
for Reading
Literary
Awards
What is literature?
Literature means “an acquaintance with
letters” according to the Oxford English Dictionary
(from the Latin littera meaning “an individual written
letter”). The term is used to identify a collection of
texts. The word „literature” refers to any form of
writing such as essays, short stories, journals, novels,
etc.
“Literature” with uppercase L refers to
written work of exceptional intellectual caliber
(quality), whereas “literature” can mean anything
written.
“Literature”—meaning it contributes significantly,
intellectually and meaningfully to a culture.
Thousands of books have immense mass-
market appeal (general public), but are not high
caliber enough to contribute significantly to a culture
or warrant inclusion in a literary canon. Of course,
what is intellectual and meaningful is subjective and
often controversial or dubious in a culture.
What is prose?
Prose is any form of written or
oral expression. Prose is the
language of everyday speech.
Characteristics of prose include
•not having a regular or rhythmic
pattern
•having grammatical conventions
like complete sentences,
capitalization, and punctuation.
Examples of prose include text
books, definitions, stories,
articles, essays, novels,
research papers, essays,
instructions, etc. Never define
prose as the opposite of
poetry!
What is fiction?
Fiction is any writing that is the product of
imagination rather then a documentation of
facts. Fiction means false. Many examples of
fiction are designed to entertain the reader and
contain literary elements and devices.
Examples of fiction include short stories,
novels, plays, personas, character sketches,
etc.
What are literary elements and
devices? PLOT
Literary elements are the
major components of fiction and
include characterization, plot,
setting, theme, tone, mood,
and point of view. Literary
devices are tools used by an
author to enliven the writing and
include sound techniques like
alliteration, rhyme, dialogue,
onomatopoeia; and figurative
language techniques like
personification, simile,
metaphor, satire, irony,
symbols, and allusion.
What is nonfiction?
Nonfiction is prose writing that is not fictional
(it is true). Nonfiction is designed mainly to
instruct, to explain, to argue, or to describe
rather than to entertain. Examples of nonfiction
include magazine articles, newspaper
articles, encyclopedia and reference book
articles, research papers, essays, speeches,
letters, book reviews, etc.
What is literary nonfiction?
Literary nonfiction is any prose that reports on actual (real/true) people,
places, or events but which includes literary elements and devices that are
usually associated with FICTION. Examples of literary nonfiction include
memoir, autobiography, biography, diaries, journals, historical narratives,
nature and travel writing.
What is a canon?
The most relevant definitions are “an
authoritative list or a collection of
books and scriptures accepted as
authoritative or divinely inspired” and “a
basis for judgment, a standard, or
criterion.”
“Canon” can also refer to a literary
canon, a body of literature which is
considered to define civilization by
widespread consensus. Many canons
exist such as the Western Literary
Canon, Great Books of the Western
World, the Harvard Classics, the
Shakespeare Canon, the Jewish Canon,
the African Canon, Children‟s Literature
Canon, etc.
What is the “Western
Literary Canon”?
The Western canon is a canon of books and art
that has been highly influential in shaping Western
culture. Harold Bloom‟s Western Literary Canon
contains over 1,500 books written by over 900
authors, spanning the globe from the Theocratic
Age (2000 BC) through the Twentieth Century. By
widespread consensus, these works are believed
to be of such high caliber that they define
civilization in some way or have set a standard
for literary excellence. College-bound students
should definitely be reading works from the
Western Literary Canon. Harold Bloom‟s Western
Literary Canon can be obtained from any large
bookstore. Our Bloomsburg High School library has
over 100 Accelerated Reader tests for books from
the Western Literary Canon.
Who is Harold Bloom?
“Dr. Harold Bloom is known
as the defender of the 19th
century Romantic poets, a
controversial literary critic,
author of countless books
and publisher of The
Western Literary Canon
which he published in 1994.
Bloom‟s Western Literary Canon is a survey of the
major literary works from antiquity to the present
. His recommendations and criticisms of
contemporary authors and works carry as much
influence as perhaps Oprah Winfry‟s
recommended books for the masses.
Bloom has come under critical fire for his dismissal
of popular works like Harry Potter (gasp).
What is the “Harvard Classics”
or “Dr. Eliot‟s Five Foot Shelf”?
The Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot
Shelf, was an anthology of works selected by Charles Eliot,
President of Harvard University. He had stated in speeches that the
elements of a liberal education could be obtained by spending
fifteen minutes a day reading from a collection of high caliber
books that could fit on a five-foot shelf. A publisher challenged
Dr. Elliot to make good on his statement, and in 1909, the Harvard
Classics (Dr. Eliot‟s Five Foot Shelf) was the result. The “five-foot
shelf of books” became 50 volumes of nonfiction and 20 volumes of
fiction. Many are seminal works (the first of its kind). Our
Bloomsburg High School library has over 30 Accelerated Reader
tests for books from the Harvard Classics.
What is the Great Books of the
Western World canon or collection?
The concept of providing a liberal
education through the reading of seminal
works was carried on by others. The
Great Books of the Western World is a
series of books originally published in the
U.S. in 1952 in 54 volumes. The project
began as a collaboration at the University
of Chicago to develop a course aimed “This is more than a set of
at businessmen, making the
books, and than a liberal
gentlemen more well-rounded and
education. Great Books of
well-spoken and familiar with ideas of
the past three thousand years. Our the Western World is an act
Bloomsburg High School library has over of piety. Here are the
30 Accelerated Reader tests for books sources of our being. Here
from the Great Books of the Western is our heritage. This is the
World collection. west. This is its meaning for
mankind.”
-Robert Hutchins
What is “Harvard‟s
Top 100 Books”?
This is a list of the top 100 books as
suggested by the faculty of Harvard
University. This list is yet another look
at what educated individuals consider
worthy reading (high caliber) and does
not rely on mass market popularity.
What is the “Century‟s Top Novels”
list?
This is a compilation of the top 100
books suggested by the Radcliffe
Publishing Course and the Modern
Library Editorial Board.
The New York Times Book Review
also establishes its 100 Top Novels
of the Century. Our high school
library contains AR tests for over 50
of these “top 100” books.
What is The New York Times Book
Review?
The New York Times is considered by
many to be the most prominent
American daily newspaper. The Times
has won over 90 Pulitzer Prizes and has
published leaked government
documents, reported full transcripts of
major speeches, exposed international
cover-ups, and is known for its varied
sections from news, sports, and
Washington to book reviews, current-
running Broadway plays, and the
popular crossword puzzle.
What is the “Nobel Prize for
Literature”?
“The Nobel Prize is an international award given
yearly for outstanding achievement in physics,
chemistry, physiology/medicine, literature, and
peace. Each prize consists of a medal, a personal
diploma, and prize amount of one million dollars. The
Nobel Prize has been given yearly since 1901, as a
result of the will of Alfred Nobel who was born in
1833 in Sweden. Nobel invented dynamite and later
built up companies and laboratories in more then 20
countries all over the world.
The Nobel Prize in Literature recognizes the whole
spectrum of literary works including poetry, novels,
short stories, plays, essays, and speeches
Our Bloomsburg High School library Accelerated
Reader program contains tests for works by 25
Nobel Prize for Literature authors, with a total of
over 50 AR tests available.
What is the Pulitzer Prize?
The Pulitzer Prize (pronounced like the phrase, “Pull it, sir”
not “pew-litzer”) is a United States award regarded as the
highest honor in literary achievement and musical
composition as well as in print journalism. The Pulitzer
literary categories are as follows: Journalism: public
service, breaking news, investigative reporting, explanatory
reporting, beat reporting, national reporting, international
reporting, feature writing, commentary, criticism, editorial
writing, editorial cartooning, breaking new photography, and
feature photography; Letters, Drama, and Music: fiction,
drama, history, biography or autobiography, poetry, general
nonfiction, music. The prize amount is ten thousand
dollars. The prize was established by Joseph Pulitzer, a
Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher in
the 19th century.
Our Bloomsburg High School library Accelerated Reader
program contains tests for works by 49 Pulitzer Prize
winning authors, with a total of100 AR tests available by
Pulitzer Prize winners.
What is the “Newbery Medal”?
“The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the
American Library Association for the most
distinguished American children’s book of the
year. It is named for the 18th century English
bookseller John Newbery, and aims to
“encourage original creative work in the field of
books for children, to emphasize to the public that
contributions to the literature for children deserve
similar recognition as poetry, plays, or novels‟ ”
(<http://www.ala.org>).
You may have read these Newbery Award winners
as a child: Julie of the Wolves, Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry, Sounder, Bridge to Terabithia,
Holes, The Giver, A Wrinkle in Time, Dear Mr.
Henshaw, Kira Kira and Because of Winn Dixie, a
Newbery Honor book.
Because most of the Newbery Award winners are
written on a third or fourth grade reading level,
you will only see 2 AR tests on John Newbery
Medal authors in the high school library.
What is the “Caldecott Medal”?
The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually
for the most distinguished American children’s
book illustrator.
When you were younger, you may have read a
children‟s book with the Caldecott seal on the front,
depicting award-winning illustrations. Winners
include Kitten’s First Full Moon to older favorites
Owl Moon, Hey, Al, The Polar Express, Jumanji,
Where the Wild Things Are, Once a Mouse, Make
Way for Ducklings, and Mei Li.
WHY THE FUSS ABOUT
READING?
Have you ever made any of these comments?
“I‟d rather have a hot poker
jammed in my eye than read.”
“ I usually read
the same
paragraph
over and over
again and I still
don‟t
have any idea of
what I just read.”
“I haven‟t read a complete
book cover to cover in the
last two years.”
“I‟d rather watch the
movie than read the
book.”
“I am a terrible
reader; I forget
everything I read.”
“I don‟t do AR.”
“I hate to read.” “As soon as I try to read, my eyes
get tired and I get sleepy.”
Here are a few reasons why you
need to make reading a priority this
year:
The PA Department of Education reading guidelines state that all students in
Pennsylvania schools are expected to read 25 books per year.
Pennsylvania Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Standard 1.1.11, Learning to
Read Independently; Standard 1.2.11 Reading Critically in All Content Areas; and
Standard 1.3.11 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature are required BY LAW.
To graduate, all students in Pennsylvania public schools must score at least a
PROFICIENT on the state PSSA test in reading. In our district, those who do not must
now take an additional remedial reading/writing class along with their senior English
class.
Here are a few more reasons:
The SAT test now contains more reading comprehension
questions and longer passages; the old verbal section is now
referred to as Reading Comprehension.
College professors are increasingly disappointed and
concerned by the growing number of their students who are
enrolled in college-level classes without having a basic
knowledge of the literary classics or canon listings; who have only
read mass market paperback authors like Stephen King, Danielle
Steele, John Grisham, or JK Rowlings; or who made it through
high school by depending on Sparknotes or other short cut to
reading.
A Reading Capstone is a major requirement of Communication
Studies 10.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#1 Reading is a lifelong skill for lifelong learners.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#2 Research indicates that the more you read, the better your writing will become.
#3 Research indicates that the more you read, the better your vocabulary development
will become, helping you in college and on the reading section of the SAT.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#4 The more you read, the smarter you will appear at your lunch table, gaining you
more friends.
#5 The more you read, the smarter you will appear at your family dinner table,
prompting your parent to increase your allowance.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#6 “Studies” indicate that girls prefer to date boys
who read at least 15 minutes each day.
#7 “Studies” indicate that boys prefer to date girls
who read at least 15 minutes each day.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#8 Mrs. Casteel rewards from 1 to 15 extra bonus points each nine weeks for the
reading of designated books of high literary caliber!
# 9 You will make Mrs. Casteel happy when you begin to enjoy reading and want to
read just for the JOY of it.
Mrs. C‟s Top Ten Reasons for
Reading
#10 You will marvel at the intrinsic reward you will receive when you finish reading
a book!
Reading Takes Practice!
