Teaching Literature in the English Language Class

Sunday night In bed, hearing a cricket, Looking into the lights of the street Monday morning Peru Street Some waiting at the bus stop Some riding bikes to school Walking in The cars outside Jammed together Students laughing at summer stories '

Back to School I Sunday night In bed, hearing a cricket, Looking into the lights of the street Monday morning Peru Street Some waiting at the bus stop Some riding bikes to school Walking in The cars outside Jammed together Students laughing at summer stories

Literature in the English Language Class Lit with grammatical focus Decline during behaviorism Beginning of CLT Later (recent) reconsideration

Our challenge: Encourage self-expression and exploration Guide our students through a process of meaningful interaction with a text

Why literature? Linguistic, cultural and personal growth models Literary texts –Rich and varied linguistic resource - provide phonological, lexical, syntactic, and discoursal acquisition –Ideal resource for the development of language awareness: of language variation, of social appropriacy, of ideological bias, etc. –Offer multicultural encounters –they can create “third places” (Kramsch) –Promote personal growth – Access to the universal human experience

What is Lit? The ‘cannon’. Literature with capital L Aesthetic Reading: literature con small l. Promotes personal reaction Lit defined as genres and types of text Special uses of language: literary devices

Strategies used by experienced readers : Visualize Connect Question Infer Evaluate Analyze Recall Self - monitor Daniels & Steineke (2004)

Factors that may influence or determine the interpretation of a text:

The historical period in which the reader is living; The class/social position of the reader; The reader’s religious beliefs. Lazar (1993)

Interpreting a work of literature:

Who’s right?

Interpreting a work of literature: Who’s right? Who says so?

Before moving on… Does a literary text have a fixed meaning? TASK: “We have just suggested…”

 Reader Response Theory School of New Criticism

Connect first, analyze next  Reader Response Theory School of New Criticism

Reader Response Theory –Literature is a co-creation of reader and author distinct and unique upon each reading. –Literature is a story that speaks to the whole human reader.

School of New Criticism o The right answers are lodged in the text, NOT co-created by any reader

Andrea del Sarto lines…

What is my purpose in teaching literature? A) The study of literature? B) The use of lit as a resource for language learning?

Approaches to teaching lit Language-based approach Literature as content Literature for personal enrichment

Language-based approach Closer integration of language and literature in the classroom. Using literature for language practice. Advantages of literary texts: styles and registers, promote classroom discussion, focus on interesting topics. Let’s go to the chart.

Literature as content Does a lecture have an impact on your own reading and appreciation of a literary work? Does it enhance your comprehension and interpretation?

Literature for personal enrichment How to plan and design lessons How do we make the text more relevant to the students’ experience?

Dealing with the first chapter PredictionsReasons

S.A.I.P. Summarize Ask questions Identify difficulties Predict

Think-Aloud Stage 1: Model Stage 2: Read passage and at some point place a dot and ask Ss to react Stage 3: Give out text with dots distributed throughout where you feel students might be able to have a reaction. Stage 4: Assign the activity on a clear text.

The envelope please Predicting plot and character

Written conversation Get pen and paper and… a partner!

Faith is a fine invention When gentlemen can see, But microscopes are prudent In an emergency. Emily Dickinson

Bookmarks Book:______ Ch/pages:____ RESPONSE: QUESTIONS: IMPORTANT PASSAGE:IMPORTANT QUOTES:

Save the last word for me!

Role Sheets Join in groups of four. Determine who is A, B, C and D. Let’s read your instructions.

“When I heard the learn'd astronomer; When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me; When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them; When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick; Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself, In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.” Walt Whitman

Post-its

Character Resume

All Of It On One Page Summarizing a story

Brochure Reviewing a novel, story or poem:

Brochure Reviewing a novel, story or poem: –Author –Memorable character –Not so good about the … –Themes I liked –My favorite quotes –Ending (optional: Personal connection - drawing) –What I’ll remember about the …

Going beyond the text Songs Cartoons Other genres

'maggy and milly and molly and may' maggy and milly and molly and may went down to the beach(to play one day) and maggie discovered a shell that sang so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and milly befriended a stranded star whose rays five languid fingers were; and molly was chased by a horrible thing which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and may came home with a smooth round stone as small as a world and as large as alone. For whatever we lose(like a you or a me) its always ourselves we find in the sea E. E. Cummings

Perfect By Alanis Morisette

Make a list 1-30 Listen to the song and choose the correct word from the column on the right

Games Game cards Jeopardy: –Set up question sheets –Categories: 6 x 5 Trivia

Assessment Post-discussion journaling (p.65) Developing a rubric with the students

Performance projects Tableaux: Narration + Scene Skits with narration Readers theater Role-play

Tableaux Role-play: Napoleon on trial

Readers theater conventions The group must provide an introduction to the book and scene so that the audience understands what is going on. Everyone has a part There can be more than one narrator. There are choral parts where more than one person reads at the same time. The lines and paragraphs are broken up differently for the script. It’s okay to cut lines from the text when making the script. It’s okay to add a few choice words to the script. Sometimes lines are repeated for emphasis.

Other forms of assessment Give me five

Self-evaluation

Writing about it Generating ideas: a.Alphaboxes b.Two-word strategy c.Rereading

Glocalize your teaching A letter to the world

Include a humanistic component: Give students a voice ‘The Rose’ ‘Happy Summer Days’ ‘Whistling buildings above my head’ ‘Deceiving Eyes’

Promote identity formation ‘My City’

That’s all folks!