Why Literature Matters

How could it be wrong if it’s the literature? If you’re just letting literature speak for itself, and not using it to fix the student, then you can look at the intent of the author, the skill of the author, the crafting that it takes and how the way that character speaks reflects  a whole lot about them. People then say, well, she must not be educated. We sometimes use the language and say because you speak this way, you are less than, you are not educated, but it’s some of the language that moves Wall Street. We can move Wall Street with that, Coke and Pepsi, but for God’s sake don’t let it in the books we’re teaching. –Sharon Flake

Introduction

In this intensive unit with a subject focus on author’s craft, students will examine the craft of a local author in Pittsburgh, PA, named Sharon Flake. Author’s craft is the style that an author chooses to write. Through careful analysis students will review the author’s craft of Sharon Flake throughout the course of one year. This unit will be an introduction to author’s craft for students within a 4^th-grade classroom within the inner city. Students will read three novels written by Sharon Flake: The Skin I’m In, Money Hungry and Begging for Change. Ultimately, they will understand the craft of one particular author and familiarize themselves with the usage of methods of craft, in order to have rigorous text discussions and translate such styles into their own writing. This unit primarily focuses on the work of an author whose main characters are of African American decent, yet teachers may use this model with other works by authors who include characters of varying multicultural backgrounds—and it can be used at any grade level from elementary to secondary.  This unit addresses instruction for mostly inner city youth; however, the methods can be adapted to fit suburban or rural communities. If teachers are looking to conduct an author study that addresses diverse backgrounds, particularly that of African Americans, Sharon Flake is a good author to start with. There are other authors who may be considered, like Sharon Draper, who writes in a similar fashion to Flake’s, yet Draper’s audience may be more appropriate for secondary learners. The goal of this unit is to prove that students can learn how to read for craft effectively through an author study.