Young Adult Literature in the Art Classroom

A Further Look: 

How can we use Young Adult Literature in the Art classroom to increase reading?

As I research how Young Adult Literature can be used in an Art curriculum, it appears that there is a major push to bring reading into every aspect of a students education. As explained in 'Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation,' Bucher and Manning discuss how "there is an increasing trend to incorporate young adult books and other forms of literature across the middle and high school curriculum." As I mentioned in my previous post, I strongly believe that if students are offered more freedom and better choices when choosing literature to read, they are more likely to become independent readers and enjoy the act. In order to increase students independent reading, I think teachers must collaborate to encourage reading in each and every classroom. Obviously not every teacher will be in agreement as to how they will go about this. However, I believe if there is a general consensus and a stronger push from the teachers, students will feel the encouragement.

As an avid reader, I feel that some of the novels and literature I have read have encouraged my creativity and helped me to grow as an artist. Reading has given me new ideas, settings, characters, and scenes that I have attempted to depict in some sense in my work. I think one of the greatest and most exciting aspects of reading is how it allows you to create a vision of what you are reading. While the author lays out the basics, the mind instantly creates a world all by itself and reading becomes such a visual act. As an art teacher, I believe that if I could convey this excitement to my students, they may be encouraged to read on their own and use it as a form of inspiration. The question then becomes, how do we translate this into art?


While other subjects such as English or Social Studies can push for reading and test it simply by assigning writing based on the work, art teachers don't necessarily have this luxury. They have to dig deeper and get creative as to how students' can be assessed. While difficult, I believe it is possible to encourage students to read by showing the connection between art and literature. Since the "assignments" won't be in the form of writing or tests, maybe students will be more excited to create art work from their reading of choice.  If students in my classroom view assignments stemming from literature to be more enjoyable than an essay, they will be more inclined to read. If students are asked to create based on what they read, they may view this as a fun outlet to display their interpretation of a book. More importantly, maybe art and reading together can help the students connect with one another. Perhaps two students read the same book or read books by the same author. They are likely to enjoy seeing how someone else has interpreted what they read. The idea of combining literature and art opens up a discussion and gives students a place to freely discuss and express their feelings for literature. I think students' creativity will pleasantly surprise themselves and the teachers involved.

Bucher, Katherine and Manning, M. Lee., Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation. Prentice Hall. 2005