As I mentioned in my most recent post, I made the decision to go back to school for a Master of Arts in Education and teacher certification earlier this year. Since then, I have already studied many different aspects of education that I will share with the community of friends. This week’s post examines my research on book-length fictional texts assigned in high school English language arts (ELA) classes over the past thirty years, in which I was interested in determining the frequency with which they have been taught texts written by female authors. this post will also examine some underlying issues as to why the most popular texts taught in ela classrooms have remained almost completely the same (and written almost entirely by men) for the past thirty years, before considering how teachers High school students can create alternative spaces in which different authorial voices can be celebrated and what this means for college professors who introduce students to authorial voices that do not align with their previous learning experiences.
trace commonly assigned texts
You are reading: Most taught books in high school
In “Stability and Change in the High School Canon,” Arthur Applebee (1992) reports on a series of studies by the National Center on the Teaching and Learning of Literature. these studies sought to compare current text selections for high school classrooms with those of thirty years ago. Examining their results, Applebee (1992) concluded, “Although the rank order of titles differs somewhat in the three samples, they are notable for their consistency rather than their differences” (p. 27). macbeth, huckleberry finn, romeo and juliet, julius caesar, the scarlet letter, hamlet, lord of the flies, and to kill a nightingale are among the ten most assigned texts for all three types of schools (applebee, 1992). Harper Lee is the only author named in the results of this study.
although applebee (1992) calls for “finding the right balance between the separate and intertwined traditions that make up the complex fabric of society in the united states” (p. 32), the thumbnail-sized text selections most frequently taught in her classes have remained remarkably consistent. In 1992, Vicky Greenbaum asked the professors at a NeH seminary to share her reading lists with her; the only texts that differed from those in applebee’s study were the glass menagerie, catcher in the rye, , and a different piece ( greenbaum, 1994). Harper Lee remained the sole representation of the authors. Like Applebee, Greenbaum calls for the implementation of texts written by more diverse writers, even providing a list of alternative texts for high school teachers to adopt (Greenbaum, 1994). only three of these texts (his eyes looked at god, the joy and luck club, and the house on mango street) written by women from greenbaum’s suggestions they will be named in upcoming surveys of book-length texts most commonly taught in high schools (Stallworth, Gibbons, & Fauber, 2006; Stallworth & Gibbons, 2012).
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stallworth et al. (2006) surveyed 142 ELA teachers from 72 public schools in Alabama, with the intent of determining which book-length texts were taught most frequently and why teachers had selected these specific texts. Despite the wide variety of texts mentioned in the teachers’ responses, the most frequently mentioned titles remained almost exactly the same as those that appeared in Applebee and Greenbaum’s research. The only notable addition is A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (Stallworth et al., 2006).
While their 2006 study used a fairly small sample size, Stallworth and Gibbons extended this study in 2011 to see what, if any, changes had occurred. The five most frequently taught books, according to the results of this survey, were The Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible and the odyssey (tied), to kill a mockingbird, and the night (stallworth & gibbons, 2012). while these titles remain surprisingly consistent, the findings of this survey showed a shift toward teachers using other, more diverse texts written by women. Stallworth and Gibbons (2012) acknowledge, “in terms of change, the total number of titles mentioned is much higher and reflects greater diversity…the house on mango street, the giver, and the secret the life of bees were mentioned several times in all grades” (p. 3). Furthermore, her eyes of hers were looking at god turned out to be the sixth most frequently taught book-length text in the survey (Stallworth & Gibbons, 2012).
possible causes of this consistency
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It is important to recognize that many of the teachers surveyed throughout these studies expressed a desire to select texts that were relevant and of interest to students (Applebee, 1993; Fairbrother, 2000; Greenbaum, 1994; Stallworth et al. , 2006). ; watkins & Ostenson, 2015). however, changing the classroom curriculum to make it more relevant is not as simple as it seems. A consistent reason why teachers did not introduce more book-length texts written by women lies in their own educational experiences (Applebee, 1993; Fairbrother, 2000; Greenbaum, 1994; Stallworth et al., 2006; Watkins & Ostenson, 2015). many teachers still receive their training in the context of the traditional canon. professor susan coryat acknowledges that she had not received adequate multicultural or feminist theoretical training realizing how many british authors she had never even heard of, calling herself a “victim of gaps in education” as well as, with her colleague colleen clemens, “authors of the same gaps” (coryat & clemens, 2017, p. 40). To address this issue, Watkins and Ostenson (2015) advocate that the theories behind text selection be more frequently discussed and included in the curriculum for future ELA teachers.
In addition, teachers often cited practical problems, such as difficulty moving away from textbooks or reading lists required by their school district, rejection by students, parents, other teachers, or administration, and the high cost of buying new classroom games. books, why they teach the same materials (applebee, 1993; coryat & clemens, 2017; greenbaum, 1994; stallworth et al., 2006; watkins & ostenson, 2015). As Coryat and Clemens (2017) observed during their reflective self-study examining the lack of female authors in their own British literature classes, they were teaching from the same textbook that Clemens had studied as an undergraduate in her high school, and that was published. in 1991 (p. 40). jane eyre by charlotte bronte became the first book-length text by a female author to be included in her british literature classes after clemens found a set of the text hidden in a cupboard ( coryat & clemens, 2017, p. 42).
Considering the Canon: Implications for High School and College Teachers
When considering the issues mentioned above, it may be easier for high school teachers to create spaces outside of the traditional classroom where students can have opportunities to critically think about, share, and discuss non-canonical texts. For example, Dr. Jarred Amato and his students started the Project LIT Community and its accompanying Project LIT Book Club. One of the core philosophies of Project LIT Book Club is that students should have the opportunity to see themselves in the books that they read (Amato, 2018). As of this summer, Project LIT has become a movement, with 850 chapters of the Project LIT Book Club in 48 different states (Amato, 2019). Teachers should look to and think about how they can facilitate alternative spaces, such as book clubs, independent reading, and choice in text selection, that provide students with more opportunities to read diverse writers.
College instructors who wish to teach outside of the traditional canon should keep in mind that some of their students may not have read non-canonical texts during high school. this can be especially true when teaching survey courses in which the majority of students are not English learners. When designing a unit, remember that some students may need explicit reading instruction, especially if they find the challenging nature of a non-canonical text too difficult to navigate. include opportunities during class to model the ways students should read and think about the text. have discussions or assign reflective writing about the books students read in their high school ela classes. these strategies can help college professors better prepare themselves and their courses for students who want to interact with non-canonical authors and texts, but may not have been ready to do so.
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