Advanced Literature Should Be Taught

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you 'll go," said Dr. Seuss. These famous words by a great author show that the love and understanding of reading are important parts of learning. Both of these issues are part of the struggle educators now face: let students choose their own books to foster a love of reading or select books for their class to teach the skills necessary to understand the material they read. Some teachers believe that students who are limited to the books they choose will not be engaged and therefore not learn as much from the material. However, without essential aspects needed to be an analytical thinker, students would not be able to learn or interpret texts later on …show more content…
Typically, students learn best when they are challenged. College professor Nancy Bunge found that many of her students enjoyed reading advanced literature because it challenged them to learn and readied them for real-life situations where everything they read may not be easily understood. In an English classroom, students may at first be reluctant to read a novel assigned by the teacher. However, advanced literature causes students to think, annotate, and analyze deeper into the themes and meanings of the texts they read. Additionally, school is a place for students to read literature they would not normally choose on their own. If they are allowed to choose, they will be limited to what they currently like (Varlas). When a teacher selects a novel, they usually keep in mind the reading and comprehension level of their class, while an individual student could choose any book they wished to read. Some educators believe that students can only learn to evaluate, compare, and think critically about literature if they have freedom in their book choice (Gilmore). However, they could potentially choose books below their reading level and therefore fail to challenge themselves through literature. Without challenging reading material, the most important characteristics of English class such as the analysis of hidden …show more content…
Educators have been debating between a student or teacher-selected novel curriculum, but one argument has great drawbacks. Allowing students to choose their own novels can cause the lack of peer interaction, the loss of the classics, and the failure to choose challenging texts. However, educator selected texts can foster peer interaction, continue the culture of the classics, and prevent students from reading unchallenging books. A book can not be fully enjoyed, or fully lived, by a reader if that reader does not fully understand what he or she is reading. This way the educators, doctors, and lawyers of the future can relate to others and the world through their analysis and understanding of literature and their knowledge of classic