Does humor matter in literature for children? Does it impact their reading enjoyment at all? If a book is funny, if it leaves you in suspense of the next funny joke will you continue to engage in reading? The answer my friends in inevitably yes. Yes and absolutely yes. Based on a case study by Dr. Matthew Zbaracki, doctor of philosophy at Ohio State Universary, we are able to better understand how humor in children's literature better engages children in visualization, aspects of critical thinking, discussion, vocalization, and so on. The study was given to 11 third graders, 21 fourth graders, and 9 fifth graders, where they each were given a survey on humor to base the doctor's selection of books for them. They then read, engaged in social discussion, writing discussions, and then evaluated by the doctor. "Children's responses from surveys, discussion groups, and written responses were analyzed for patterns of reading engagement and preferences in humor." Dr. Zbaracki states that "the data showed that at least some children were highly engaged in reading when the material was a humorous children's book. They demonstrated several characteristics of active reading, including strong intrinsic motivation, social involvement, and the use of particular reading strategies."
The children identified that books that leave you in suspense with humorous cliffhangers, that keep you clinging on for the next funny event majorly appealed to them. Many forms of engagement were present when there were both cliffhangers and other funny elements of the books. Whether it be watching other children read, discussing the book with their peers,writing down their response to the text, dramatizing their responses, and through other creative outlets children were engaged. The overall tone of the young readers was both excitement and overall enjoyment.
The study: http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1049147319
My topic of discussion I propose to you all is humor in the literature you personally read. Do suspenseful cliffhangers of funny events leave you more interested and engaged that perhaps suspense of other kinds, like action or drama? If a book ends as a cliffhanger, do you find it a necessity to continue to the next book?
I think first of all the data has to be looked at carefully. The quote from the doctor in the article says that “some” of the children were highly engaged when the reading was humorous. That means that only some children benefited from humor in books. I think this goes along with many other topics we have discussed in class. Every reader and every student is different and they all react differently to individual genres and types of books. Not every student will find a book funny and not every student enjoys reading humorous books. This comes back to making sure we have a good mixture of books in our classrooms to satisfy all children’s different interests. In terms of me, Hunger Games was a perfect example of a book as a cliffhanger. This book made me want more and will definitely influence me to read the sequels.
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