Genre in the Classroom

                    I think we should teach genre fiction at a young age then move slowly towards literary fiction as high school nears. If we teach genre fiction to kids in 3^rd or 4^th grade it could build a foundation for a love towards books. This way we could show them the fun of reading without the stress of analyzing it. As they get better and better we could move towards literary fiction allowing them to not only like books but to get an understanding on how to read and write books as well. The further they progress through school the more literary fiction that will be taught. When they reach high school it will mainly be literary fiction but they still can incorporate independent reading for genre fiction.

                    Literary fiction is important for those who wish to go above and beyond in reading and writing. Genre fiction is more for fun and entertainment. There needs to be a balance between the two. Genre is for keeping people entertained and enjoying fiction while Literary is for teaching specifics and understanding.

                     I agree with Melissa Thomas’ idea to teach fantasy in classes but too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. Fantasy can be taught at an early age for those who haven’t found a love in books or developed life lessons yet. Later years they would read on their own and wouldn’t need to be explained be someone else.