DETERMINING THE NEW CLASSICS 

1. Create a list of criteria for a novel that should endure in the high school canon.
2.  Next, peruse the following contemporary book lists to see if there are any books listed that you have read and seem to satisfy your criteria for teaching:

Top-Selling Books

USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2004-03-31-top-100-bestselling_x.htm

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html

COMPARING CANONS

Comparing canons. After reading several texts from different cultural canons (e.g. Native American, English, African), have students compare the canons to which these texts belong. Students should answer questions such as, what types of literature are valued in each canon? What types of characters are most frequently portrayed in the texts of each cannon?

Finally, sketch out a lesson plan or outline of possible approaches to the  “new classic”.