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Carol
Singley reading to her family |
Carol
Singley is the author of the book Edith Wharton:
Matters of Mind and Spirit and has edited or co-edited
six books, including The American Child: A Cultural Studies
Reader. Her research focuses on 19th and 20th century
American writers, with special interests in Edith Wharton
and realism; childhood studies; and the theory and practice
of teaching writing. Currently, she is drafting a book on
literary representations of adoption. Singley is the co-founder
of Alliance for the Study of Adoption, Kinship, and Identity.
She is a former president of the Northeast Modern Language
Association, the Edith Wharton Society, and the Women’s
Caucus of NEMLA. Professor Singley teaches American Literature,
Literature of Childhood, and Multicultural American Literature
at Rutgers-Camden. She is a CCCS
associate, director of the Undergraduate Liberal Studies
Program and co-director of the American Studies Program.>>> more |
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Carol
Singley is the mother of two active, sports-minded boys,
Cole and Ryan, for whom reading competes with other priorities.
She shares with us how reading is a central value in her family
and lists some favorite books for young readers: |
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SUPPORT READING by: |
- Reading aloud. We
find a cozy sofa with the dog on one of the boy’s
laps and we read whatever literature assignment the
boys bring home that day.
- Following along. When
I read aloud I ask the boys to follow along. I stop
periodically and ask them to read the next paragraph.
This helps them stay tuned to the text, and I have
the pleasure of hearing them read to me.
- Staying current. We
print out from the internet material on whatever topic
comes up during daily conversation. For example, a
neighbor recently went to Emory University to hear
the Dalai Lama speak and the boys had questions, so
we printed out relevant materials online. This feeds
their curiosity and helps them to think about going
to sources for more information.
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| We
want to introduce QUALITY LITERATURE that is also of INTEREST: |
Here
are some of our favorites:
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“To
Build a Fire” and “White
Fang” by Jack London. London’s
style of writing is naturalism. In his stories about
man versus environment, the harsh conditions of nature
prevail. My boys appreciate the survival skills that
the characters need to practice.
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Various
works by Edgar Alan Poe.
Both my 7th and 8th graders are reading Poe. The tales are
suspenseful and engaging. They’re also a rich source
of new vocabulary. We stopped many times while reading “The
Black Cat” to talk about what a word meant. |
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“Tom
Sawyer” by Mark Twain.
“Tom Sawyer” is a story about antics and adventure
that all children, especially boys like. |
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Last
year one of my sons had a monthly assignment to memorize
and recite a poem of his choosing. After a few months
of jitters, he started to enjoy the process of selecting
his poem.
We spent a good deal of time reading poems on the internet
before settling on one he liked enough to spend several
days memorizing. We found that Robert Lewis
Stevenson, Emily Dickinson,
and Robert Blake produce poems
with striking sounds and interesting content for young
readers. |
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Last
Updated
March 17, 2008
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