BY LOGAN FALKEL
SparkNoteswere initially created as a tool to help students understand literature, yetthey have also become popular among students as an alternative to reading. Whileteachers believe SparkNotes are not only cheating, but prohibiting studentsfrom learning, students generally view SparkNotes as a time management device.
SparkNotesare a series of chapter-by-chapter online book summaries and analyses. When theSandpiper polled a group of 100 CHS students in various English classes, 91percent admitted to using SparkNotes. Of those 91 students, 54 percent useSparkNotes primarily as a supplementary tool to help them understand whatthey’ve read, while the remaining 46 percent report using SparkNotes instead ofreading assigned material.
“Ihave no time to read,” one senior remarks. “Between sports and collegeapplications, English reading isn’t a priority.”
Only9 out of the 100 students polled did not report using SparkNotes. Of these nine,most said they had never heard of the site.
“I hadn’t heard about SparkNotes until the teacher specifically told the class not to use them,” a sophom*ore honors student recalls. “Rookie mistake. Now I use them all the time.”
Thegeneral consensus among the students polled is that SparkNotes are a timemanagement tool to lessen homework loads. But does the use of SparkNotes in theplace of reading extend into the realm of cheating?
Englishteacher Dale DePalatis believes that SparkNotes should be considered cheatingwhen students use them in lieu of reading. However, he makes it clear that hedoesn’t take points off when he sees SparkNotes used, only discourages theiruse as it is ultimately the student’s choice to learn.
“Theart of writing is lost when students only read summaries,” said BarbaraMcBride, another English teacher who believes reading the summary instead ofthe book is cheating.
Studentshave different perspectives.
“Istill understand the literary work when I read the SparkNotes summary, just ina less time-consuming manner than reading the whole book,” one sophom*ore says.
Despitethe massive number of students that use SparkNotes, most are never caught orface consequences.
“Ican tell when people are using SparkNotes and not reading the book because theynever have anything original or interesting to say,” says DePalatis of studentswho think they might be able to evade detection when using SparkNotes.
Englishteachers Pat Robel and DePalatis add that unoriginality and not formingopinions on works of literature is a danger students face when using summativeanalysis like SparkNotes. A lack of ingenuity is not something that should beencouraged, they say.
“Literaturematters because it gives us vicarious experiences of being a human,” Robelsays. “Characters’ sorrow and joy applies to us all and our shared humanity. Nonetheless,going back before a test and using them as a review tool can be very valuable.”
SparkNotesis nothing new. High school students have always rebelled against literature,as reflected by the decades-old material comparable to SparkNotes.
“WhenI was in high school, it was Cliffs Notes,” Robel recalls. “I remember when youhad to go to a book store and find them.”
Nowall of these summative book digests are online and at students’ fingertips.
