Entry 2 - How Effective is Dryer in Convincing the Reader of YAL Importance?

Sarah Dryer does a fantastic job convincing the reader to bring young adult literature into the classroom. She argues that “Although, the canon is filled with important titles, high school English teachers need to focus much less on classic literature and much more on young adult literature in order to best serve their students.” Her belief is that there is an undeserved stigma attached to young adult literature and that it in fact is beneficial to students of all ages and abilities. She argues that many young adult titles are “complex, interesting, and more pertinent to modern readers' lives than classic texts.” Dryer is successful in providing reasons why the young adult literature should be embedded into the curriculum and how teachers can go about incorporating titles into their classroom.

She begins by stating that students are going to get the same access to literary theory whether the teacher uses classic novels or young adult novels. Dryer states that, in her opinion, the young adult titles are reaching the same language arts curriculum standards and yet, they offer more to the readers. Her next argument is that young adult literature is a “powerful way for teachers to include multiculturalism in their classrooms.” The characters in the young adult literature are of a wider variety and include female voices, LGBT voices, and voices from many races and cultures. Dryer argues that students need to be exposed to multiculturalism because it is more immediately relevant to the readers' lives and it helps them develop into empathetic members of our diverse society.

Part of Dryer's successful persuasion lies in her citing other professionals research or personal experiences/opinions. One such example is through another teacher, Patti Swartz, that backs up Dryer's belief in young adult literature providing classrooms with tools to change students' intolerant attitudes towards the LGBT community, specifically. Another example is when Dryer cites the results of the qualitative research done by Wayne Martino, where he concluded that the students identified with a gay protagonist and that such classroom reading and discussion might not only increase student tolerance, but also change their concept of normal. Dryer even quotes young adult authors. One such example is Chris Cutcher, who says that young adult literature can help teenagers believe that they will survive their adolescence.

Dryer's next reason for using young adult literature is her belief that although the genre benefits all readers, it is particularly good for reluctant readers. She states that reading expert Kylene Beers has identified characteristics that appeal to kids who are reluctant to read. It is the belief of Dryer and Beers that young adult literature is more likely to have these characteristics than classic novels.

Dryer's last point is that many classics have been read so many times and are so well known that students begin the book looking for the “One True Meaning” rather than to interpret the book for themselves. She quotes Harry Mazer saying that “the classics are too distant from the lives of kids.” and that students should be reading to enjoy and interpret nooks themselves.

Once Dryer adequately convinces teachers to use young adult literature in their classrooms, she then goes on to give teachers advise on how to select titles that will expose their students to “high-quality writing, important real-world questions, and a personal meaningful reading experience.” She argues that teachers should take the selection process seriously. Dryer suggests using books that have been considered for a prestigious award or that are very popular among teenage readers.

The article is closed with teaching strategies for how to incorporate these books into the classroom. Dryer suggests using literature circles; using current technology for blogging or discussing books, such as Facebook or Twitter; having students write creative responses to texts; integrating the the book with other content areas or the arts; pairing it with the canon/classics; and allowing students time to read their own books in the classroom. She provides details and examples of each suggestion.

 This article was powerful and successful in convincing teachers to bring young adult literature into their classrooms because Dryer provided good evidence of the benefits of such books and then helped teachers apply this to their classrooms by giving them advise on how to choose said books and what instructional activities could accompany them.