Moss, J. (2000). Teaching literature in the middle grades: A thematic approach. Christopher-Gordon Publishers.
Reviewed by Olivia Thomas
Who am I and what do I want to understand better as a teacher?
I am an undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University, studying Secondary Education with a concentration in English. After graduating—which is less than two years away—I want to teach middle school ELA here, in Oklahoma. Because of my desire to teach middle school, the use of “in the middle grades” in Moss’s book title caught my attention immediately. Many of my courses in secondary education focus on teaching in a high school: how to teach high schoolers, how to create lesson plans for high school, and how to discuss literature with high schoolers. Although I learn a lot about teaching, in general, in these courses, I just wish that there were more “how-to”s in context with teaching middle school, and that is why I jumped on this book when given the opportunity. Before I get into my classroom, I want to explore more about introducing literary topics to middle school students; somebody has to teach these kids about theme, literary elements, characterization, author’s craft, etc. before they get to high school, where they will implement this knowledge in higher-level course work. Without the academic “building blocks” in middle school ELA, students are defenseless against high school level critical analysis, literary discussions, and close-reading. So my question to myself is: how do I create these fundamental building blocks?
Who are the authors and from what beliefs about teaching and learning do they come?
The author of Teaching Literature in the Middle Grades: A Thematic Approach is Joy F. Moss, who seems to have taken a lot of inspiration from progressive, student-centered teachers, such as Rudine Sims Bishop and Louise Rosenblatt. The impact of these influential educators shows in her writing; in her chapter titled “Artists in Fiction and Nonfiction,” for instance, it is stated that tackling subjects of anxiety and rejection through characters in literature “provide[s] mirrors for readers who recognize themselves in these individuals” (Moss, 2000), which is a direct reference to Bishop’s “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (1990). Rosenblatt’s influence shows more in the purpose of Moss’s writing, which implements choice in independent reading, as well as responding to questions about texts from an aesthetic stance. Within the text, Moss also explores how to teach about genres, as well as how to teach students to choose their own books so that students’ independent reading choices cater to their interests and engage them individually—a topic inspired by Rosenblatt’s aesthetic reading stance.
What questions or problems in teaching and learning does this book work to answer, uncover, surface, trouble?
Moss’s goal in this book is to place value on the teaching of literature. She uses the book to redirect the belief that literature should be used as a tool for learning, as opposed to being its own entity that is worth learning about. In the preface, she writes that it is through literature that students can learn about things like literary elements, genre, and author’s craft, as well as putting them into practice. The goal of the literature program, she states, is that students will “become engaged readers and writers as a natural extension of their immersion in the study of literature, their ongoing quest for understanding, and their discovery of the pleasures of exploring the literary world.”
What is their answer and how do they answer it?
This book provides a plethora of resources for how to teach literature, as well as how to teach students to choose literature. Each chapter features a heading with literature instruction, an introduction, a focus unit, how to use the focus in shared and independent reading, the purpose of lessons, several recommendations of books to use, and how to assess students as they dive into the literature. Moss includes several different ways to implement literature within big focus units, such as shared class reading, independent reading, dialogue groups, literary journals, and more. The chapters each focus on implementing these uses while exploring a different genre.
If I could make any critique (not to Moss’s fault), it would be that almost all book recommendations are from the 1990’s or earlier. Since this book was published in 2000, that is bound to happen. I would recommend reading the books she uses as examples, then find more contemporary literature that is similar to those.
What are one or two quotes, passages, or strategies that are especially worth sharing with teachers and why?
“As children and young adult readers enter into the lives of characters in books and explore diverse viewpoints, beliefs, emotions, behaviors, and relationships, they develop understandings about human nature and gain insights about themselves and others” (p. 1). Moss really begins this chapter (and book) with a bang here, and also really shows the influence of Bishop on her own writing. Here, she shows that literature is not just a tool for learning ELA—it is a way for students to learn about themselves and others around them. The impact of literature is not restricted to the common core; it can be used for social & emotional learning goals, for example, by showing students how characters solve problems and come to terms with issues that kids commonly face.
There was also an activity I really enjoyed in the chapter titled “‘Cinderella’ Variants: Building a Global Perspective,” which required students to create their own Cinderella variants and write a story about them. Moss writes that the activity “reflected students’ willingness to experiment with the language and motifs of folklore and diverse cultural elements” (pp. 249). This activity does not only show students’ understanding of literary elements they’ve learned, it also allows students to implement strong writing skills using the literary elements they’ve learned. Writing a Cinderella variant story reaches the highest level of learning in Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, which is to create (1956). It also, in my opinion, just sounds really fun and highly engaging.