Reply to 10th Grade English Required Reading: what's your curriculum?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]1984
The Hate U Give
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Short Stories/Book TBA
The Kite Runner
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Gosh, another bad list. Who doesn’t love Kite Runner, and I thoroughly enjoyed ELIC. But, let’s be honest these are books to read for pleasure. I was under the assumption that high school reading selections are supposed to expose our children to works that they would not read otherwise because of their difficulty,  challenging themes or inaccessibility? In fact, English class is supposed to teach high schoolers *how* to read & analyze challenging books.  Not read & analyze easy books. [/quote]

There are challenging themes in each of the above.  Kite Runner has the same Lexile range as Catcher in the Rye and is far above The Grapes of Wrath and A Farewell to Arms.  THUG is on par with A Farewell to Arms.  Just because you would read them for pleasure does not mean that the average or even bright 15 year old would.  So, what would be on your list for 10th grader? Obviously it can't be anything that you would read for "pleasure" - it must be "work" and children must not like it for it to be at all worthwhile. I, for one, am thrilled that my child is being exposed to points of view and ways of writing that are not the product of the Dead White Guy canon.[/quote]

Thank you. I wanted to express a similar sentiment, but you said it better. If the classics are so important to you, work with your child in your own time.

For those who against the inclusion of new viewpoints, you will hate my kids' list, which includes:

The Crucible
The Great Gatsby 
Raisin in the Sun
The Poet X 
Americanah 
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Above poster here - that looks like a good list, too!  For the record, my well-read, public-school educated kid has already read Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hobbit, and other "greatest hits" of dead white guys in lower grades.   I WISH I had been assigned in high school something like The Poet X, and, for that matter, Persepolis.  I have always had a hard time finding meaning in poetry, and I think I would have benefitted from something like The Poet X or Kwame Alexander's The Crossover.  Similarly, I am also lacking in the visual literacy that's required for a graphic novel like Persepolis (or, for that matter, MAUS and/or March) and I would have greatly benefitted from classroom discussions and analysis.  I am glad that this generation is getting the tools they need to be able to do that analysis.
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