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Exploring Relationships and Connections to Others: Teaching Universal Themes through Young Adult Novels offers readers opportunities to explore the most common universal themes taught in secondary English Language Arts classrooms using contemporary young adult literature. Authors discuss adolescence and adolescent readers, young adult literature and its possibilities in the classroom, and ways to teach thematic analysis. The book provides context, traditional approaches to teaching, and examples of thematic explorations of each of the chosen themes. Chapters include developed teaching instructional units to study four universal themes: love and loss; friendship and betrayal; hate, its destructive consequences, and healing; and dreams and hope for tomorrow. Each instructional unit includes rationale, essential questions and objectives, calendar plans for up to five weeks, examples of introductory, reading and discussing, and enrichment activities and assessments. The activities target academic skills for ELA curricula and create safe spaces for exploring topics of relationships and connections to others, both of which are vital to adolescent growth and development. Each instructional chapter suggests a wide range of additional texts and resources for theme explorations.

This book provides classroom approaches to analyses of universal themes in literature reflecting an array of relationships with self, environment, and the world with which adolescents engage. These themes include relationships with others, such as friendship and love, loss and betrayal, anger and consequences, and finding hope for the future.

Mike P. Cook is an associate professor of English education at Auburn University, where he works with pre-service teachers and graduate students. He teaches courses across the undergraduate and graduate ELA degree programs.

Leilya A. Pitre is an assistant professor of English education at Southeastern Louisiana University. She works with secondary English education majors teaching methods courses, literary analysis, and young adult literature.