Science Research

Challenged books

It is important to have a policy on challenged books in place when you are creating your policies and procedures manual.  This policy should be put together by a committee and agreed upon by the parties involved.  It should also be approved by the principal and the superintendent.  This is important because you need to know what to do if a book in your library is actually challenged.  You want to be able to handle the situation professionally and in a way that respects the challenger.  The less amount of stress you add to the situation the better.  If you have a policy in place it is easy to retrieve the policy and show it to the challenger.  It is also nice because it will give you the steps you need to follow.  You won't have to stutter and stammer to the challenger.  You will be confident when you tell them about your policy and how the matter will be handled.  Then you put the choice to continue the challenge back in their court off of you.  Even if they continue to challenge the book your policy will guide you in the forms to file and the people to contact.  This saves a lot of time and frustration if it is accomplished early on before a problem arises. 

Why fantasy?

Children and youth are extremely interested in reading fantasy.  When reading fantasy, imagination rules, not only in the plot, but the characters and settings also.  Readers can take bold leaps into the strange, bizarre, and otherworldly.  They can escape to places as wild as the author can convey.  Fantasy covers three genres: fantasy, horror, and science fiction.  Just thinking about the popularity of the vampire movies, the hobbit, the wizard, and the myriad of horror movies based on books which are out today answers a lot about the choices of young readers.  Being able to escape into the imagination is inviting for children, youth, and even adults.  It is fun!

Cultural Diversity

Why is it important for students to read about cultural diversity?  Students need to be aware of the variety of cultures and religions and to become more understanding and appreciative of those unique qualities.  It helps them understand the world in which they live.  There is so much violence and misunderstandings in our society that a greater reverence for differences in individuals could help lessen.  Literature in different cultures offers youth opportunities to attain a broader view of the world by reading about cultures other than their own.  They will also be able to better stop prejudice and misunderstandings about people of other cultures.  It will also give minority youth a more positive view of themselves. 

Evaluating informational books and historical fiction in light of biographies

I've already discussed evaluating informational books and historical fiction, but biographies, although similar, have a few distinctions.  Although accuracy, organization, design, and style are important, the most important part of evaluation in biographies is the presence of documentable dialogue.  If a character speaks a line in a biography, it needs to be documented as to where it came from.  If is isn't documentable it means it is more historical fiction.  The biography should be objective and tell a good true story. 

Teaching history with informational and historical fiction books

An awesome way to make history come alive is to use historical fiction and informational books as supplements to your history lessons.  Most children already enjoy these genres and capitalizing on their popularity will benefit your lessons.  History textbooks are all factual and don't expand on the concepts taught as well as a trade book would.  With historical fiction correlated to the topic you are teaching, the student can get a better feel of what it was like to actually live during a certain time period or event.  Using informational books also aligned with your topic can bring in more in depth information  about the topic, or if using a biography, get a better idea of the person's life, not just their accomplishments.  There is much more information available to use than just the textbook and the information, although factual, is presented in a way to present an opportunity for the learner to go further and stretch their horizons. 

Vardell's Chapters on historical fiction and informational books: a summary

     Historical fiction is fiction in which the story's setting is historical.  The reader's age has to be taken into consideration.  Historical fiction is usually at least a generation ahead of the reader, not just the teacher.  Many deal with historic events in the United States, but more and more are being written about history in other parts of the world.  In evaluating historical fiction all the usual literary elements are considered: characterization, plot, setting, theme, and style.  The most important part to remember is the book must be authentic.  The author must have done the proper research involved beforehand.  Then they have to mix the facts with the fiction to present a story that draws one in to create a compelling and authentic story. 
     Informational books also known as nonfiction books, are factual, but not overloaded with facts to bore a reader to death.  They must also be interesting enough to spark curiosity of the reader.  There are several types of informational books including: survey books, photo essays, concept books, social histories, informational storybooks, activity books, trivia books, magazines, reference books, and biographies.  When evaluating informational books we want to look for quality.  The most important criteria is accuracy.  We also look at how the book is organized or presented to the reader.  The design and style of the book is also crucial.  The best informational books help demonstrate that this genre is valuable and beautiful, it can be fun as well as a tool for information.