The Growth of Critics

       The appraisal of material should be a frequent class project. A good example of meeting this need was expressed in a seventh grade where a boy introduced a new history comic magazine. Some class members objected to the magazine as being history material, and said, "A comic magazine is not good history." Others thought an individual should know about the content before he judged it. Each member of the class of thirty-four boys and girls read the booklet. They decided to check it with regular history books to test its accuracy. After considerable time and real study, the comic book was considered true to history as related in other books, interesting, exciting, but brief. The teacher admitted this study was educational for her as well as for the children, because she had assumed all comic books were inaccurate.

       Group study of new magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements as well as books is a fine experience. It helps youngsters develop a discerning attitude-finding out not only what they like and do not like, but also reasons for their acceptance or rejection. Unanimous agreement may not always be reached. In fact, continuous unanimity is not a good sign; instead, it is reason for careful investigation by the teacher, because it may mean that too much teacher opinion or arbitrary student opinion is dominating the thinking of the group. 

       Such study and discussion should be considered an important part of teaching reading, and so, of course, should take place during regular school time. In fact, without such discussions and group study children may never become real, comprehending readers. 

       As children in school, and even as college graduates, we may have read what we were told to read, answered questions about what we read, and derived satisfaction from our ability to meet tests based on memory of this reading. We may never have been asked to express an opinion on this material or to test its worth by any set of standards. In plain language, many of us were taught to be gullible, non-discriminating swallowers of ideas gained from books. Criticism of what we read had to be deferred until some literary big name spoke for us. 

       Today, in a modern school and home, children are guided differently. They are learning how to judge and respond to their reading almost as soon as they begin to choose books. They will become foolproof readers, too discerning to need spoon-feeding by critics or protection by censors. 

Creative ways to explore books by The Smithsonian.

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