The Website We All Know and Love

You are in your AP English class and Mrs. AP English Teacher says, "okay when we get back from lunch we are going to discuss the first three captors of he book you were supposed to be reading over the weekend." Of course out of the twenty or so students in the classroom everyone read those chapters….. Right? If on the very off chance that there is one student who forgot one of the first resources they turn to is Sparknotes. I've had English teachers who have attempted to stop the use of Sparknotes in their classrooms completely. They get all antsy by the mention of Sparknotes because its used for cheating and its a way to cut corners. Sure, it is true that students do take advantage of it. Although it is frowned upon, I personally believe that Sparknotes is a veryyyyyy useful tool to have in the classroom. No, it is not something that students should solely rely on; but when it comes to reading a book and trying to fully understand and comprehend what you read what's wrong with using the assistance of a useful website like Sparknotes?

In fact I was actually introduced to Sparknotes by my American Literature teacher in 9th grade. It was our first high school literature class so to aid us in digesting books like Catcher in the Rye and How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer she suggested that after reading the assigned chapters we go and read the Sparknotes for them. Of course after getting used to using Sparknotes a lot of us did not bother reading the actual book. However, to attempt to stop this she would give us a short two to three question test on the chapters (asking things that Sparknotes wouldn't find important enough to mention but things you would have defiantly noticed if you actually read) before going into discussions about the book. By doing this she was training us to use Sparknotes in the right way.

What is the right way to use Sparknotes you ask? I believe that Sparknotes is a reading aid. It s supposed to be used, complimentary with reading the book, in order to explain things you might not understand, bring your attention to things you might have missed, and allow you to key in on the themes, motifs, and symbols you come across. There are also multiple features that Sparknotes provide beside the Literature Study Guides that I have been referring too. For instance, students can study for the SATs and ACT using their Online Test Prep and Study Guides feature. Something that I have recently learned is that (for the visual learners out there) Sparknotes also provides notes and examples for subjects other than literature such as math, biology, and health.

To wrap this all up, using Sparknotes isn't cheating! Sparknotes is just another technological tool just like a calculator. It is simply a crutch that students can use to help them along the way that I don't think teachers should shy away from. I'm not saying don't bother passing out the book and just write the link to Sparknotes on the board, but for students who use it correctly it can aid in their understanding and overall comprehension of the book or subject they are studying.