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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So...what do you do in class when everyone is reading a different book? Granted I was in MS almost twenty years ago at a private school, but as I recall we did a lot of discussing the plot, symbolism, character motivation, close reading, etc. Or is literary analysis now outdated as well? It seems like “read something you love to develop a sense of joy with the written word” is for SSR in elementary school, not middle or HS English class. What’s changed?

(PS: we read Kindred in seventh grade and idk if it counts as a classic but it was great!)[/quote]

They can still discuss all those in the context of their own book. Track YOUR character’s development. What motivates them? What do their words and choices reveal about them? How does YOUR book use imagery or setting to impact the story? They can do all that and have discussions around big questions (e.g., “Who or what determines whose stories get told?”) in the context of their own  book.  All books have plot, characters, dialogue, literary devices- they’re just applying their knowledge of those things to analyze how they work in their book and to what effect. [/quote]

I agree that kids should have some choice, but if they write essays about this you would have to be familiar with every single book to be able to evaluate it. I would be disappointed if my junior didn't have any classroom discussions. HS's should read something like On Democracy or other book about societal issues (e.g. environment) and discuss since they will be future voters. I doubt that most teens are able to write as passionately about a book, as they are able to discuss it. To not have a single group required book is a missed opportunity at best.[/quote]

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