The Right Book for Schoolers

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SCHOOLER’S BOOK-MANIA By Nathan Chang

ISSUE: “THE RIGHT BOOK FOR SCHOOLERS”

ES FOR FAIRY TAL Grades 1-3) ( S R E N IN BEG

(Left) Two teenagers are reading a book that is obviously not appropriate for their age. This could affect their way of thinking if done continuously

JUNE 2016

BOOKS AND STUDENTS: THE UNENDING WAR? FINDING OUT REASONS WHY STUDENTS HATE BOOKS Books and students have been enemies

It is observed that students argue

The easiest way in knowing what is

for some time, a problem that both

whether reading books are actually

students’ impression about books is

teachers and parents have struggled for a

helpful for our daily life purposes or only

interviewing them right away. I am

long time. Not all students do, but most

a waste of time. They debate over

choosing to interview some fifteen ninth

of them have a bad impression on books.

whether by reading books, students can

graders in order to understand their

In this article, I am going to discuss what

get something beneficial from it,

point of view of reading books. The

is actually the cause of students to hate

whether for educational purposes, social,

graph below stated the result of the

books, the books they are reading, and

or morality. They also disagree of having

interview; it shows how most of the

whether it is appropriate or not. We will

to read books that are of their age and

students agreed that reading books

find out at the end whether it is book or

grade level, having already reading

could help with our socialization,

the student that is actually the source of

books that far above their age, even

especially our fluency in speaking.

this ‘war’.

inappropriate ones.

However, most of them also think that

INSIDE THIS ARTICLE: • Some reasons of the importance of suitable book reading according to experts. • List of books suitable for eighth graders. ((Right) A boy is reading a Harry Potter series book, a book suitable enough for his age)

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Lorem Ipsum

List of BOOKS based on their

(Right) A child is frustrated

GRADE LEVELS:

with one of his

Here are some lists of popular books according to their grade levels. This is based on Scholastic’s classification. Preschool – My ABC Book

homework,

Beginners (Kindergarten) -

personal

Grades 1 - The Judy Moody series

reading level.

which tells him to read a text that is over his

Grades 2 – Geronimo Stilton series

reading books have no relationship

Grades 3 – The 39 Clues

with education, and is has no use at

Grades 4 - Spirit Animals series Grades 5 – Diary of the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney Grades 6 – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling Grades 7 – Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Grades 8 – Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

all. They concluded that by reading books does not help with the final scores they get in assessments. This is another

problem,

because

contributing factors I personally faced such as laziness in studying is also the cause for unsatisfying scores.

third wheel. Laura Robb is a teacher, consultant, and writer of several books related to teaching students in a different way. She explained

in

one

of

“Differentiating Reading

her

books,

Instructions,

(2008)” how some of her students in class, as she have observed, have different reading grade levels. Some

So, according to the ninth graders

students with the capability of reading

interviewed, books are helpful in some

grade levels above their current grade

Grades 9 – I am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore

cases, such as language fluency. In

level have no problem when teacher

Grades 10 – Divergent series by Veronica Roth

other perception, it is blamed for not

distributes

helping with their education at all;

However, those that are below have

however contributing factors such as

difficulty. They will not understand what

laziness in studying may support this.

they are reading, they will be scolded by

So, books win a point from students

the teacher because of their scores, and at

for helping them in language fluency,

the end, they will hate and blame the

and students win a point too for

books for the luck they got at school.

blaming books. Is this it? Both books

Accumulatively, this will cause education

and students started the war? The

retardation for the students.

Grades 11 – Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Grades 12 – The Fault in our Stars by John Green

answer’s no, let’s take a look at the

reading

assignments.

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33 In order to solve this problem, Laura Robb explains how teachers need to give out the reading assignments according to each student’s grade level and not to their current reading level. Through that way, students will have more understanding in what they are actually reading. Teachers also should handle the students with care, not by scolding them, and consult with as with what they like, and the genres they

possibly loved. So, after all, it is not only the books and students that are actually starting the hate war. Teachers also participated in it. If teachers jump in the war and did what Laura Robb explained, the war can cease, and gradually students will start

STEPS to make STUDENTS love BOOKS: (According to Laura Robb’s book entitled “Differentiating Reading Instructions”)

liking books. It is just a matter of finding the right book for students. The

1. Distribute reading texts to students based

unending war has just been officially

on their personal reading level

ended. (11/2/2016)

2. Let them read the given text 3. Supervise their activity 4. Don’t yell or scold at them when they don’t do the assignment 5. Approach students softly in a conference 6. Ask students what genres they like 7. Try suggesting them books that match their genre 8. Look at the result after they finish reading the books

THE VIRUS OF YOUNG MINDS BAD BOOKS AND THEIR EFFECT ON YOUNG READERS

*This method has already been proven to work on students.

We have read earlier that teachers need to distribute it according to their reading capability, because they’re reading level is left behind. How about if the students are reading books that are way above their grade level, books that are sometimes containing appropriate scenarios and languages? Parents and teachers question whether this will actually affect them with their current thinking, or will it be okay, because eventually they’ll turn to grown-ups? Another interview is made, this time to Ms. Rai Sutarsih, a senior teacher in Highscope and graduate of a Literature university. She explained about the danger of reading inappropriate books—books that are definitely not made for students. According to her experience in reading books, some books are classified as inappropriate for children and teenagers. These are the books that contain: continuous and done-in-purpose violence, constant profanity, nudity and porn, and the people from west’s moral, that defies morals from east people. These are the things parents, teachers, and the students need to consider before buying or reading a book.

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4 Violence means behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something (New Oxford American Dictionary, 2015). Little violence can be tolerated, because parents can still direct young minds. However, if violence in the book is actually done continuously and purposely, teenagers will develop a different thinking in my mind, which is thinking that violence is okay, and its fine doing it. Accumulatively, teenagers mind will be developing in a bad way. Another one is profanity, or in other words, known more general as bad words. Books that are using profanity constantly, especially when the heroes uses it too, can affect young minds. At the end, they will also use bad words like it is normal everyday words. Their way of thinking will change; because those books teach teenagers that saying bad words are fine. The most obvious and common is nudity or porn. When those things are included in a book,

(Top) Some students develop bad behavior of profanity or bad word from the books they read. To west people, bad words may be a daily language, but east morals are different.

DANGERS of BAD BOOKS: (According to Ms. Rai

and teenagers, unbeknownst, read those, something will happen with their brain (continued below),

Sutarsih, senior teacher at

the way they think. Porn does more damage to a child’s way of thinking then drugs, because of its

HighScope)

addictive result. It will cause a strong addiction

According to her, people from the east should

what’s good or bad for him or

that will harm a child’s way of deciding what is

maintain east moral, because we are from the

good or bad. This will cause the reader in the

east, not from the west. If west people think that

future to not be able to determine what is good

is all right, then let them think what is right; but

for him and what is bad.

we are east people, and they should not affect

The last one, according to her opinion, is

us. Parents are suggested to guide students as

people from the west’s moral. East people and

they read these books, seeing how much west

west people have a different way of thinking

books dominate bookstores.

whether a particular thing is actually acceptable

So, these are the factors that teenagers need

or not. This is not about racism, but about

to consider before reading or buying a book. It

keeping east’s moral from being affected by

may took a long time for us to decide whether

west’s. Some most common are saying bad

the book is good or bad, but it is better than

words as day-to-day language and violence, but

getting our brains, morals, and way of thinking

lately, another has developed. LGBT has grown

damaged. Parents too should help guide their

popular in the west, something that defies east

children to avoid reading those books and

morals. Ms. Rai explained that when reading

developing a bad way of thinking. Ms. Rai

books that contain west morals, such as LGBT,

concluded that book is helpful, but not when it

could affect the readers’ mind and morals.

has inappropriate factors. (12/2/2016)

1. Difficulty in determining herself 2. Getting used to bad behaviors, such as bad words and violence 3. Affected by west morals, that can affect what east morals had thought them

(Up) Two students are fighting, thinking that by doing so they will look cool. This can happen from continuous reading of bad books.

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WHAT’S MY RIGHT BOOK? CHOOSING THE SUIT ABLE BOOK FOR YOUR READING LEVEL Patterson. There are also some classical books, such as science fictional genre ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ and ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ by Jules Verne, drama genres like ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, or even biographies such as the book Eight graders have their own reading

are personally in, we can start looking up

entitled ‘Steve Jobs: The Man Who

levels. So do first graders, second, and

in the Internet what books could possibly

Thought Different’ by Karen Blumenthal.

so on. Choosing the right book

match

according our personal grade level is

‘GoodReads’ is one of the most trustable

more

because

websites that you can count on when you

through that way, we are able to

want to look up a book that matches your

understand what we are reading, and

likeness.

important

though,

will not be stuck in a certain grade level for a long time.

our

taste.

‘Scholastic’

and

Here are some examples of books according to their grade levels. I’m just

In reading, buying books that

going to discuss books that are suitable

according to our educational reading

for eighth grade level reading. If you’re

grade level (school) is not always

an eighth grader, and you like reading

necessary.

is

thrilling genres, you can always look up

identifying what is our current personal

for these titles: ‘The Hunger Games’ by

reading level, the reading level in which

Suzanne Collins, ‘The Giver series’ by Lois

we still understand what we are

Lowry, or perhaps a more post-

reading. We also need to know what

apocalyptic genre like ‘Maze Runner’ by

genre we mostly like; could it be science

James Dashner. If you would rather

fiction, horror, adventure, or fantasy?

choose adventurous-superhero themed

When we know what we genre we like

books, there are ‘Spirit Animals’ and

most, and the possible grade level we

‘Dangerous Days of Daniel X’ by James

What’s

necessary

These

are

some

of

the

recommendations, but it’s actually up to you to decide what books you actually like. It’s your decision to make; you’re free to decide whether you want to look up books from these websites (down) or from other websites. Just one thing you need to note, reading is fun, but only if you know what book suits you. (15/2/16) Here are some official websites that you can visit and look at books placed orderly based on their reading level: 1.http://store.scholastic.com/shop/Book s-8th-Graders/4502~4518~7~4552 (The books here are for eighth graders, but other grades are also accessible) 2. http://goodreads.com/ (Here are some list of popular books for each grade levels)