12 Angry Jurors, The Raven, Of Mice And Men

My early reading experiences reflect the history that Vogt and Shearer (2011) describe in the first chapter of Reading Specialists and Literacy Coaches in the Real World. The basal reading programs of the 1970s and 1980s included “leveled readers, phonics activities, and a great deal of comprehension skill practice, usually found on the pages of the accompanying workbooks. The programs also included highly structured, detailed teacher’s guides, with different lesson plans for each of the three instructional groups” (Vogt & Shearer, 2011, p.13).

Literacy is about more than reading and writing - it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Being literate is a key aspect in life, hence why throughout student’s lives, reading is so important and so valued. A variety of famous literature are part of history, and many other famous novels take place in historic time periods, such as the Ancient Greek Era, The Great War, and The Great Depression. One truly known example of a masterpiece in literature is the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In the tenth grade english curriculum, literature is one of the main focuses (considering the “OSSLT”). The curriculum includes a variety of well-known novels students read in the course. Inquiry and research into

The approach to the reading of the novel would be varied. It is anticipated that the class study would begin with a shared reading of the opening chapter to foster students' interest. A prepared reading by the teacher is usually much more involving than a hesitant reading-around-the-class activity (Sykes, n.d.). The aim is to motivate each student to read the

Throughout all of time, literature has played an important role in people’s lives. Books are more than just stories to laugh at, cry with, or fall asleep to, but books can teach. Literature

Whether you are in middle school, high school or college, English classes are included in education curriculums. It holds significance in various studies and work fields. When speaking, critically thinking or writing, English class skills become useful tools. I’ve obtained many skills when taking required English courses. The two artifacts that I have chosen to include in my portfolio are the “Beowulf Project” and a presentation from English 11.

Millions of literary works have been created and published throughout time. Some of these have been considered arguably the best literature ever created, and some believe it is important to teach them. As the United States does not have a defined national school curriculum as other nations have implemented, major controversy remains on whether all high school students should be required to read specific texts in their schools. The common knowledge of specific texts can unite students from around the nation, but this implementation may not necessarily hold truth within a large, diverse nation.

Every year, students in all grades read novels ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird to The Great Gatsby. Yet, these students almost always complain about being required to read these classic works of literature. Classic novels have been put in the school curriculum for ages. Why would we change that now? Students need to continue reading the classic novels in school in order to further their education, expand their reading selections, and keep author’s legacies alive and well.

Isn’t it awful being forced to read long, drawn-out books in school, only to find that they’re boring and irrelevant? Most teenagers, including myself, can relate that when it comes to forced reading in teen literature, most of the books are more of a burden than enjoyable. When in the process of reading unwanted books, it’s almost as if instead of appreciating and grasping the author’s writing, we’re skimming through as fast as possible in order to get an A. Personally, I felt like in school there were lists after lists of tiresome stories that weren’t any fun to read, that was, until I read Harper Lee’s most famous book. Deserving all the hype it gets, To Kill a Mockingbird is a heartfelt text about a young girl’s childhood who, at only six

English 101 is much different than any English class I have ever taken. The theme of the class is to help you with your overall English skills. It is different for our class because while our class work is done online, we have the help of an in-class teacher who oversees our work and gives us tips and advice on how to do some of the work when we have questions.

English is a very misunderstood field, in which people who pursue it are often criticized or ridiculed because many people do not understand its purpose or possibilities. However, how it is viewed from the outside is not the foremost issue. There is much dissatisfaction within the field itself due to many problems. In today’s society, English is done by educating students in the “proper” way of reading and writing, stifling creativity, and perpetuating an elitist system of study.

As a child, I loved books. I loved the stories and brightly colored pictures. Most of the books I read left me smiling every time I read them. Now, just seeing the cover of a book I had read when I was young brings back fond memories. Even though I struggled with reading a bit growing up, I don’t remember it hindering my appreciation for it. I remember being really excited when it was time for my mom to read to me every night before bed. I enjoyed Dr. Seuss, The Rainbow Fish, The Big Hungry Bear, Tikki Tikki Tembo, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and many more (the list goes on and on). There were also several teachers I had that read to my classes on a daily basis. As I got into third and fourth grade, my teachers would start reading chapter

When I was in middle school, I wanted to be considered “well-read,” so I started with classic novels, the books everyone includes

Taking an English class during college is important for a fundamental education, because regardless of the major I chose, I must able to communicate well in written and spoken words. After all, in the future, when I try to obtain a job, the corporations will most likely base their decision on my ability to express ideas and opinions in a sophisticated and correct manner. Therefore, increasing my knowledge and skills in English will increase my opportunities to success. Yet, currently, many students try to avoid taking English class due to the great amount of practice and dedication that requires. This, in the long run, decreases their abilities to analyze, express and critique ideas.

When a student hears or sees the words “required reading,” immediate images of thick, boring books, all the busy work over the book, and the actual reading of the book pop into their minds. Most of the time, these books are filled with boring plotlines and heavy prose seeps out of them like an infected wound. Students often question why there’s a need to continue reading such books, when either students don’t read them at all and use SparkNotes for the tests and quizzes, or the books are too challenging and/or boring for them to get into. Whatever the reason, the relevancy of required readings needs to be addressed, and high school English and literature classes are the prime places to start.

Reading develops a person’s creativity. Unlike movies where everything is determined by the producer, writer and director, books allow students to create in their minds how a particular character looks like or imagine how a scene plays out.