When you have made the decision to include a work of fiction into your FACS curriculum, the first logical step is to choose a novel that is appropriate for your students' age and maturity level. Unfortunately, finding novels that will appeal to your students and also comply with your community standards isn't as simple as it might seem.
Today, novels written for young and teen readers are as likely to contain inappropriate language, violent content, and sexual references as those written for adults. That being said, there are many teen novels that are classroom appropriate and tell stories of depth and character.
One precaution I always feel compelled to make when talking to teachers about bringing fiction into the FACS curriculum is that it is imperative that you read the novel from beginning to end before using it in your classroom. You know your students, your administration and your community better than anyone else so you have a much better feel for what your audience will accept and respond to favorably. It will take a little time, but carefully screening the novel(s) you select will pay big dividends in drama avoided.
The novels that appear on our website
http://www.facsbythebook.com/ have been pre-screened by either myself or one of the members of our FACS Reading Team. The members of this group are current or former FACS teachers who have volunteered to read and evaluate books for us. Only novels that have passed their evaluation are included in our offerings.
Let's get on the same page!
Ramona
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