Teaching YA Lit Through Differentiated Instruction

Each chapter opens with an introduction to and description of a different popular genre or award category of YA lit---science fiction, realistic teen fiction, graphic novels, Pura Belpre award winners, nonfiction texts, poetry, historical YA fiction---and then offers suggestions within that genre for whole-class instruction juxtaposed with a young adult novel more suited for independent reading or small-group activities. Groenke and Scherff present a variety of activities for differentiated instruction for the novel they've chosen for whole-class study, and provide an appendix of titles, by genre, that interest adolescent readers. This book helps English teachers address the different reading needs and strengths adolescents bring to our classrooms. Highlighting some of the best young adult literature published since 2000, this book shows that YA lit is for all students and deserves a more central place in secondary literature instruction.