Some of my earliest memories center around literature. As a young child, I recall many happy hours spent sitting next to my grandma in her formal parlor, listening to her read short stories, such as “Henny Penny” and “The Little Red Hen.” As I grew older, I reveled in reading at my local library, especially cherishing the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. For me reading was a ticket out of my small Kansas town to visit places far from home in times long since past or far into the future. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I began to realize that reading literature offered benefits beyond simple entertainment.
What are some of those benefits? Beyond what I mentioned above, reading literature inculcates patience through delayed gratification as well as compassion by expanding the reader’s horizons. While my body was physically sitting in my small-town library in an old, cushion-strewn, claw-footed bathtub, my mind was at various times traveling West with Laura in the back of a Conestoga wagon or seated on a regal horse alongside King Arthur as he quested with his faithful knights or marooned on a small island off the coast of California, praying Karana would find the strength to survive and be rescued. The cost to me was a library card and time, but the benefits were immeasurable.
Perhaps even more importantly, though, as an adult I came to realize that reading literature fosters critical thinking skills. This is the glimmer I began to notice while I was in Mrs. Texley’s English class, for she challenged her students to read not simply for pleasure but also with a greater eye for detail and analysis.
The Socratic discussions she held with our class as a whole and with me individually forced me to think deeply about the novels. Conversations centered around different aspects of the novel I had read, and they touched on a wide range of topics, including elements of plot, setting, characters, conflict, literary devices, and themes. Great questions arose. Why did the author choose to place his characters in a particular time and place? What is the overarching conflict that drove the plot forward? How could I take the lessons the protagonist learned in the narrative and apply them in my own life? What is the worldview of the protagonist, and how does it align (or not) with the author’s? Which literary devices does the author implement, and how do those elements add to the story?
Reading great literature provides the fertile ground for cultivating critical thinking skills. After all, no matter the time or the setting, the characters or the conflict, all great literature is centered around the human experience. Readers who actively engage with literature evaluate the narrative. They compare their worldview with that of what appears in the story. They question and make predictions. They experience different perspectives about the world. As readers encounter more books, they add quality vocabulary and sophisticated syntax to their linguistic database. Reading encourages thinking.
For teachers and parents who would like to introduce more literature into their instruction but would appreciate a bit more guidance selecting titles, IEW offers a recommended reading list organized by collections for preschoolers-Grade 2 (primary), Level A (elementary), Level B (middle school), and Level C (high school). Additionally, it provides a list of recommended poetry. Teacher and parent resources are also included.
Another resource IEW recommends is Sarah Mackenzie’s website and podcast, Read-Aloud Revival. Sarah makes it easy to find great books with the click of a mouse. The website also includes a filter to find booklists based upon students’ ages, book formats, topics, and seasons of the year.
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker dedicated two episodes of the Arts of Language Podcast to discuss the importance of teaching literature. To hear their thoughts about this important practice, listen to “Teaching Literature through Discussion,” Part 1 and Part 2. If you would like to learn more about how to engage Socratically with your students in literature, consider completing CenterForLit’s program Teaching the Classics. The video and seminar workbook format will help you learn how to incorporate Socratic dialogue as you discuss literature with your students.
Certainly, reading literature imparts many benefits. While brain development is a notable one, the pleasures of reading a great book continue long into the future. Encourage your students to engage in a book or read one aloud together. You will be building habits that last a lifetime.
by Jennifer Mauser
