Jago - Chapter 4

This chapter deals with my favorite English subcategory – Writing About Literature.  This combination is often groaned upon by middle school students.  “I don’t want read.”  “I don’t want to write.”  “I don’t want to write about what I read.”  This can be overwhelming as students are being asked to think critically about a text they have read and then write an intelligent essay where they present their argument and are expected to adequately defend it.  Jago’s rubric on page 63 really helps the writer (and the grader) understand what needs to be included in the essay.  It breaks down the assignment into chunks that the student can digest easier.  I am probably one of those weird people who really enjoyed the AP Lit and Lang tests.  Give me one question and a great list of works to choose from any day!  I am well aware that not everyone shares my enthusiasm.  In fact, my boyfriend scoffed when I asked if he liked writing about literature. He said, “Writing about writing?”  This brings up the question, “How do we get the students to write about literature well if they are not motivated by the literature?”  Jago’s exercise of having the students pick out quotes or passages that DID interest them helps to solve my question as well as Jago’s goal of analyzing the significance of the individual passages to the work as a whole.  This simple task solves the problem of students typically not including enough evidence from the work to support their claim.  Her “Five Things to Do with a Quotation” are extremely valuable for students to practice and utilize.  We have to be reminded, though, that reading comprehension is essential for composing a high quality response.  Students should be practicing reading along with their writing.