A new year, a new list of books to read. Assigned reading for Communication Arts is meant to enhance the understanding of why and how a good book is written. Although some students embrace the new reading requirements with open arms, many don’t enjoy the idea. It’s the day before the test and most have yet to even crack open the book. Everyone faces the decision to stay up all night and read the book, wing it, or get onto Sparknotes.

Teachers have it drilled into their minds that using Sparknotes is cheating. Yes, this is true, but only if you haven’t read the book. When students are forced to do a task, they are more likely not to do it. Some teachers read out loud to the class, which makes it harder to get behind, but others just give a set time to read the book by. I’m not saying you should just throw the book aside, but I know there are kids out there that would rather ignore the required reading. The word “required” scares people.  If you really don’t want to read the book, skim through it. You may fall in love with it and end up reading the whole thing.

Obviously, not everyone is a strong reader. Good readers need a little push sometimes, too. However, almost anything can be abused, and, unfortunately, Sparknotes is abused often. When used correctly, this website can be a great study tool to help kids succeed. It provides study tools and discussion questions, as well as quizzes you can take over the plot and characters. In addition to all of this, it also has in depth character analyses and information over other literary elements represented throughout the book.

Sparknotes is not cheating if you have read, or at least attempted to read the book first. Read the book, grasp the concept, then get on Sparknotes and use it as a tool to catch things you may have missed while reading the book. Some students read the book, some don’t. Either way, millions log on to Sparknotes each week. If we start promoting this as a skill, it can be used for the greater good of education.