Nonfiction+CCI

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Prepare for Nonfiction, the Neglected Stepchild, Seminar
Tools: Blogs

Directions: Prepare for the live virtual seminar by reading the articles, blogging, and commenting on the blogs of class colleagues.

Nonfiction for kids has been a kind of neglected stepchild, relegated to being "good for reports" and not generally considered great literature. -- Aronson, 2004, p. 105

This Issues Seminar is designed to help us synthesize all that we have read and written and heard from young adults to this point in our exploration of YA literature this semester.

Our essential questions are:

1. Why does Aronson refer to nonfiction as a "neglected stepchild" and is this an accurate description?

2. What's the connection between boys and nonfiction?

3. Why should we and how can we include more nonfiction reading in our middle and high school curricula?

Readings are **all from our textbook** include:

-- "The Pursuit of Happiness: Does American History Matter?" Aronson, Section 4, Chapter 10

-- "Woke Up, Got Out of Bed, Dragged a Comb Across My Head": Is the Past Knowable?" Aronson, Secion 4: Chapter 14

-- "Why Adults Can't Read Boy Readers?" -- Aronson, Secion 5: Chapter 13

-- "Biography and Its Perils" -- Aronson, Section 3: Chapter 9

Plan your blog posting as early as you can so others can review before our live seminar and comment.