Overall Impressions of the Books in Class

I enjoyed reading all the texts that we discussed each week in class. These books can be a real good resource for me when I enter the classroom. They present many issues that teachers and students must consider everyday. Literary theory is a difficult subject to cover and I felt that these books presented the topic in a way that provided a realistic application for them in toady's classroom. In parts Applemans text was hard to follow and many of her theories I would have to disagree on, but she presented her thoughts in a way that laid out her opinions and led you to question the theories presented. Applemans activities in the back of the book proved to be the most beneficial aspect of her book, which seems like I might use many of the lessons and activities she presents. These activities presented the theories in a way that was easy to see and worthwhile for students. Wilhelms text presented a lot of opinions that I agreed with and presented a lot more interesting questions to consider. I liked how Wilhelm presented reading and how to engage students in reading. Many issues regarding reader response were very intriguing and presented a lot of interesting ways for students to get engaged in a text. The teacher as a researcher and getting to know your students was a great addition to Wilhelms text and I will walk away with that understanding. Allen Webb's text was a great example of how diverse readings can help students with issues they face everyday. Literature can help students get insight into social justice issues and gain understanding when they didn't know it. Particular chapters that stood out to me were the youth violence chapter, multicultural studies chapter, and Huckleberry Finn chapter. At the end of each chapter the annotated bibliography proved to be a great resource in learning extra material about the topic of the chapter, and gave me useful material that could be helpful in teaching those topics. Overall the books we used in class will be helpful resources and will be a great addition in my educational library.