What Does Peter And Naruto's Story Tell Us About Digital Reading Practice?

By Author: Kevin Garnnet
Total Articles: 24
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When Peter reads Naruto, it is the mystical and otherworldly quality that speaks to him. His advanced vocabulary and reading of informational texts entirely relates to gathering more information about ninjas, chakra, and Japanese history. Peter has difficulty comprehending the underlying meanings of texts such as William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Although he is uninspired by texts assigned in school, he voraciously reads about Japanese lore online. He admits to being Thomas Sabo Bracelets more of a reader than a writer. Peter's teacher says that he can actually read texts when he has to, but that he does not exhibit interest in texts covered in language arts classes.

When Peter discussed the plot of the Naruto TV series and videogame, he demonstrated a deep understanding of characterization and sense of story:

Well, this one was still kind of recent, at the Chunin exams right after the preliminary rounds, [points out characters] That's Sasuke. He's in pretty bad shape, [reads an example of an episode for me]. "Takashi reaches Sasuke's hospital ...
... room just in time to stop Kabuto. His cover blown, Kabuto answers Takashi's question." What does scornful mean?

What is intriguing about Peter's discussion of this Naruto episode is that it shows his pronounced understanding of new literacy and the Naruto world although his vocabulary is lacking, and he is unfamiliar with words such as scornful or, later, inevitable.

So, what does this case study tell us about digital reading practice? Peter can decode and he understands plot, setting, and characterization. Also, he has an extensive vocabulary when faced with familiar texts. He builds on prior knowledge to understand other, related texts and uses design principles to understand the plot. He identifies discourses that emerge from designs to fill out the Thomas Sabo Bracelets meaning of a story. In short, Peter is a capable reader in this setting, yet he continues to underachieve in school reading assignments. Despite his ability to have a complex discussion about characters, levels of play, and chakra within the genre of anime, his skills fall outside a school model of reading and writing.