conclusion to my blog

Conclusion to my blog

At the beginning of this journey I held certain beliefs of what teaching of literature should be. This was solely based on how I was taught at secondary school. Thus, I held the traditional belief that teachers should teach students what is required of them to know for exam purposes. Reading was based on knowing the plot or the content of the book thus; students should always come to class ready to start reading. Therefore, if I had to teach literature to adolescents I would have taught it based on these principles.

However, I have learnt from this journey into this course that teaching adolescent’s literature is much more than book knowledge. Firstly, as teachers we must be familiar with the stage of development that our adolescents are at as clearly outlined by education psychologists Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. They are at that stage where they face constant identity crises as they try to find out who they are; they place great value to friendships and think that ‘adults are out to get them’. Thus, teachers must take into consideration these attributes of adolescents when choosing materials for them, in that they should be able to relate to the material chosen. 


In addition, we should choose materials that are characteristic of adolescent literature to ensure that students place value and learn to appreciate the books and its author. This, together with the various teaching strategies and approaches that are available will ensure that students acquire the knowledge that is necessary and that they enjoy what they read at the same time.

This ‘passage’ has been an important, fun and work filled for me. I believe that I am better equipped to teach my students and impart knowledge upon them that they will enjoy and appreciate. I am optimistic that when I enter a classroom my students will enjoy the numerous experiences that literature has to offer. I am very much contented with this knowledge that I possess and that I intend on passing on to my students.

Thank you to my lecturer and my classmates for being part of this experience and I hope that we continue to help each other for the betterment of practices in the classroom.

Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan

Subject: English

Age: 13 - 15 years

Form: 3

Subject Focus: Characterization (The Village Washer) Short Story

Language Arts Area: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing

Time: 80 minutes

Objectives: Students should be able to:

1. Read to identify the main characters in the story.

2. Discuss the characteristics of the main characters.

3. Create an Outline of the main characters.

4. Create a journal entry to reflect on the actions of the main characters.

Rationale: Knowledge of characterization is important for students for two main purposes. Firstly students understand the motives behind the actions of characters and the reasons why they do certain things. Also, it gives students the opportunity to connect the various elements of the short story such as setting, themes and plot to characters. They will be able to understand that it is the actions of characters that enable the story to 

move.

Strategies: DRTA: Direct Reading Thinking Activity, Discussion and Journals

Materials: Textbook, Journals and Chalkboard

Introduction: Teacher will ask students to what comes to mind when they read the title of the short story ‘The Village Washer’. Student responses will be documented on the chalkboard. Students will be told that the focus of the lesson will be on characterization.

Development:

The class will begin reading keeping in mind their ideas that they got from the title of the story.

1.The class will begin reading the first two chapters of the story and the teacher will ask them a few questions such as:

Ø  What is the name of the character you have been introduced to?

Ø  What does she do?

Ø   How many washers are in the village?

Ø  What word in the paragraph says that?

Ø   Is she is the only one doing something how will you treat your customers?

Ø   How does the writer describe the way Ma Lambee does her job now compared to the past?

Ø   Why do you think that Ma Lambee has grown so careless?

2. Students will read another two paragraphs and will be asked more questions about Ma Lmbee

Ø  What did the rest of the villagers started doing?

Ø  Did she listen to the complaints of the people?

Ø  What does that tell you about the type of character that she is?

Ø  Do you think that this attitude will affect her job in the future? Why?

3. Students will continue to read the next two chapters until they are introduce to another character. They will be asked questions such as:

Ø  What reasons did Ma Lmabee give for raising the price of the washing?

Ø  Do you think that Ma Lambee was just in raising the price of the washing? Why?

Ø  What do you think would happen if another washer came to the village to compete with Ma Lmbee?

Ø  Does the writer indicate in any way that another washer will come to the village?

Ø  What word of phrase supports your answer?

4. Students will go over on the chalkboard all what they have gathered about Ma Lambee’s character and her reasons for her actions

.

5. Students will continue to read the next three chapters to gather information about the other main character. They will be asked questions such as:

Ø  What is the name of the character that we have been introduced to?

Ø  What are we told about her?

Ø  How do you think that Ma Lambee would feel when she finds out that the village now has a new washer?

6. Students will continue to read to gather more information about the characters. They will be asked these questions:

Ø  What was Ma Lambee’s reaction to Ma Po Procop?

Ø  Why did Ma Lambee start spreading lies about Ma Procop?

Ø  Do you think that was the best thing to do? Why?

Ø  How did Ma Crop try to overcome what Ma Lambee was saying about her?

Ø  Do you think that Ma Procop genuinely like the people especially the children? Why?

7. Students will continue reading the story and will answer the following questions:

Ø  What comes to your mind when you hear the word Obeah?

Ø  Do you think that Ma Procop is an obeah woman?

Ø  Is Ma Lambee evil or trying to protect her only form of employment? Why?

Ø  What do you think that Ma Procop is going to do when she says ‘… to can play the game?

8. Students will continue to read until they get to the end of the story. They will answer the following questions:

What image is Ma Lmbee potrying when she spreads rumors about Ma Procop and even breaks and enters her house?

Do you have any idea as to what may be in the parcel that Ma Procop collected?

Do think that the mirror had an impact on Ma Procop?

Was it right to chase Ma Lmbee from her home and village?

Who do you think was the real Obeah woman was?

9. Students will create an outline on the two main characters in the form of a Venn diagram on their note books. They will outline their similarities and differences. A sample of a venn diagram will be on the chalk board.

Conclusion: Teacher will go over the different characteristics of the main characters outlining their actions and reasons for their actions.

Evaluation: Students will create a journal entry to reflect on the actions of the main characters. They will say from their point of view which was good bad and provide their reasons.

Assessment of the Conversations Across time

Usefulness of the Reading Strategy

Conversation across time is an essential reading strategy that engages students to think critically about what they read. This strategy can be evaluated through the use of journals as a form of formative assessment. Students will be required to create a journal entry based on what they learnt and discussed in class on the theme of friendship in the various novels. Journals are very useful in evaluating students especially when they are asked to speak about their experiences. It is an effective strategy in that it gives the students who are shy and do not speak in the classroom an opportunity to express their thoughts on paper. Students will also be aware that their entries are not graded and thus, they are able to express themselves on paper fully. Therefore, it gives the teacher an opportunity to monitor students understanding of the concepts taught or what was discussed in the classroom. Thus, journals can be used as a form of assessment of conversations across time as a teaching stategy. 

Teaching concept using Conversations Across Time

Age: 15 – 17 years Form Five Concept: Theme Strategy: Conversations Across Time After students have finished reading the novels ‘Harriet’s Daughter,’ ‘Annie John,’ and ‘Green Days by the River’ students will be given the question ‘Is friendship important?’ Students will be asked the question in light of how of how the character would answer in ‘Annie John,’ Margret would answer in ‘Harriet’s Daughter’ and how Shell would answer in ‘Green Days the River.’ Students would also include their own views outlining whether the value that they place on friendships. This reading strategy is geared towards preparing students for a small group discussion based the different ways that friendship is presented in the various novels. Students will critically examine the various ways that is friendship are presented and treated in the novels and the value that the characters place on it for example Margret and Zulma, Annie and Gwen and Shell and Lenard. In doing this activity students will also examine their own relationships that they have with their friends.

Introduction to Blog

Introduction to my blog

Dear fellow bloggers, 

                                       I now welcome you to my  ENG: 203 – Teaching Adolescent Literature blog. I choose to teach English because I have love literature in particular and therefore, I mainly wanted to teach this subject rather than English .Therefore, in doing this course I hope to get the knowledge that is necessary to help me deliver to my students instruction that is effective and of top quality to ensure that they get the knowledge that is necessary and that they enjoy the subject.   In this blog we will be having  discussions on a variety of topics and concepts with regard to the teaching of adolescent literature. These topics will span from what is adolescent literature, how do we select books to carter for the needs of adolescent students among a variety of other discussions. I hope that we will be able to have very thorough discussions and help each other in the understanding of a variety of concepts, clarify misunderstandings, and misinterpretations based on course materials. This is important in helping us deliver to our students top quality knowledge and experiences that are necessary for their development and success. I hope that we benefit from and enjoy this experience with each other.

                                                                                             Yours sincerely,

                                                                                             Shera Edward.

Links on the Various Reading Strategies

 Here is a   link that you can follow to gain a better understanding of the various  reading strategies that we can employ in our classrooms.


http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/academics.cfm?subpage=930

Reading Strategies

Reading Strategies

What is reading?

‘Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation.’ (Diane Henry Leipzig 2001) In addition, I believe that reading is more than just recognizing words; it involves relating what is being read relating to one’s experiences and to establish an understanding, appreciation and enjoy to the material. There are different techniques that teachers can employ before, after and during reading to help students enjoy, appreciate and understand what they read.

http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/download/nwp_file/380/What_is_Reading_-_excerpt.pdf?x-r=pcfile_d

1. Before Reading Strategy

Anticipation Guide:

Frank Smith (1978) stated that an anticipation guide is a reading strategy that allows students to make predictions about the text or material that they use. ‘Also called a prediction guide, the anticipation guide is a way to prepare a reader prior to reading by asking them to react to a series of statements related to the content of the material (Smith 1978). It is helpful in allowing students to anticipate big ideas, in setting a purpose for reading activating the background knowledge of students and creating discussions. Students are also given the opportunity to confirm or refute statements that they made.

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/strats/anticiguide/index.htm

http://www.delta-education.com/downloads/samples_seeds/1303470.pdf

2. During Reading Strategy

 Inferential Reading:

Making inferences referred to as ‘reading between the lines’ or making a conclusion about something that is not stated directly based on the facts that are presented. ‘Making inferences are important as it helps readers comprehend texts or words that they are unsure of, helps them arrive at deeper meanings and value the material that they read. In engaging in this activity students are able to discover what is important, why and how events and characters can influence one another and they are also able see how the text may refer to them personally. In addition, it motivates them because they are involved in the text personally.’ (Matt Ollendick, Justine Trueboold, Dani Vogel 2007)

http://student.wartburg.edu/trueblood/Group%20Reading%20Strategy%20Lesson.pdf

3. After Reading Activity

Conversations Across Time

In the reading of texts and other materials it is essential that students engage in critical thinking based on the themes, issues and actions of characters. In this reading strategy students are given the opportunity to compare and contrast issues, opinions about topics, questions etc Tom Loflus (Atena  High School). For example students may be asked to explore the issue of power in characters in plays  such Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest and give their own views about it.

http://www.k12.hi.us/~kahukuhs/faculty_area/reading%20resources/conversations%20across%20time.htm

The Stages of Literary Appreciation

The Stages of Literary Appreciation

      My experience at school

I was unable to develop an appreciation for the novels that I did at secondary school. At school I was exposed to two adolescent literature novels namely ‘Harriet’s Daughter’ and ‘Green Days by the River’. These books were taught in a manner that did not encourage me or the other students to enjoy the books and develop a deep understanding and appreciation for them. Also, we were unable to make a connection between what were taught and relate it to ore everyday lives and experiences. What my teacher simply did was prepare us to write and pass CXC examination in that; she gave us the relevant content that was necessary to pass the exam. She simply did not have or did not apply the knowledge of the stages of literary appreciation.

       What is literary appreciation?

It is one’s ability to enjoy what they read, to gain some form of understanding and to place value, admire and respect the material that they read. (Shirley Santiago de Jimenez)

        What are the stages of literary appreciation?

There are 6 different levels of literary appreciation spanning from zero until death. However, two levels are most relevant to the teaching of adolescents they are level 4 (12 – 14 years) where students try to identify with the material based on their experiences and level of cognitive development. On the other hand, level 5 (15 – 18 years) focuses on the students reading beyond the text level where they begin to focus not on themselves but society and societal issues. (Shirley Santiago de Jimenez)

    What if my teacher possessed knowledge of the stages of literary appreciation?

If my teacher had knowledge of these stages on literary appreciation learning would have been more meaningful and enjoyable. She would have engaged us in whole class, small group discussions and make use of response journals which would have been an excellent strategy in order to encourage us to respond to the books that we were reading. For example, in ‘Harriet’s Daughter’ we could have been asked to reflect on the roles of Margret and to put ourselves in her shoes and think of what we would do if we were her. In addition, she could have made use of role play in a effort to encourage us to relate our experiences. These activities would have encouraged us to think critically, enjoy what we read and appreciate the writer’s craft and relate the occurrences of the book in our everyday lives.

Approaches to Integration of Adolescent Literature in the Curriculum

A Thematic Approach to Integration of Adolescent Literature into the Curriculum

Now that I have gained and understanding of integration and what is Adolescent Literature I am now able to outline how a teacher can integrate adolescent literature into the classroom. I must say that I was very intrigued and enlightened and very much interested in the    strategies that can be used in order   integrate adolescent literature into the curriculum.  

Marshall A. George (2001) in his article ‘What’s the Big Idea? Integrating Young Adult Literature in the Middle School’ outlines how young adult literature can be integrated in the curriculum.  Form my understanding the ‘Big Idea’ referred to a thematic unit. By thematic I mean that adolescents or our students will be using various genera’s of literature for example novels, plays, poems, articles etc. that has a similar theme for example inequality. However, the theme chosen must have so relevance to the students, in that they should be able to relate to this theme in their everyday lives. Thus, the theme must be authentic and must add or relate to their experiences.   

This aspect of integration can be used using various strategies in the classroom such as the formation of book clubs. After students are finished with the core material that is surrounded around a particular theme the teacher can provide extra material to students that are of the same theme. Students can therefore, choose from the books that have made available to them that they like. A small book club can be motivate students highly especially as they are familiar with and can relate to the material that they are reading. Thus, students will read and discuss texts that they themselves have chosen.

In relation, to our curriculum there are lots of books, poems, plays that we as teachers can use with similar themes in our classrooms. For example, ‘Colonial girls School,’ ‘From the immigrants,’ ‘Animal Farm,’ ‘This is the Dark Time my Love,’ ‘House for Mr. Biswas,’ all have the similar theme of colonization. Adolescents may be able may be able to relate to this theme in that they may feel that they are restricted by their parents, certain rights are not granted to them, they are not allowed to go certain place, do what they  want  and have certain friends. I will surely make use of thematic units in the teaching in literature in my classroom.

This is a site that I have made available to gain some insight as to what types of books are regarded as Adolescent Literature and why. Click on the link to view.

http://facstaff.uww.edu/annuccim/adlit.html

What is Adolescent Literature

Young Adult or Adolescent Literature

   What is young adult literature?

    What are the characteristics of adolescent literature?

 I was not aware that there was a type of literature referred to as young adult of adolescent literature until my time at teachers training college and from my reading Adolescent Literature is a bit of ambiguous genre of literature to define. There have been many disagreements as to how to distinguish it from children’s and adult literature. Who is an adolescent and how does literature affect them, who comes up with the definition all need to be taken into consideration when defining adolescent literature. Nonetheless, in my opinion it is the materials from all genres of literature   that attract the attention of adolescents in other words what they are interested in reading.  It should focus on the struggles that adolescents face as they it grow up and mature these experiences may range from issues with family, forming friendships, search for identity, equality among others.

These are some characteristics of adolescent literature:

1. It is simple and straight forward – students should be able to read most of the books without making use of a dictionary. The plot should also be a very simple one.

2. It is about childhood – the books should focus on the experiences that children face as they grow up or mature.

3. It is optimistic – hope and optimism are critical elements of adolescent literature. Our students must feel that something good will happen or will come out of what they read.

4. A form of pastoral ideal - there is an element of rural life that exists and the joy and innocence that exists in that life is portrayed. Characters are close to nature and friends.

These are a just a few of the characteristics of adolescent literature and now that I am aware of theses I should be able to select books that display these characteristics. Selection is very important as it determines the motivation levels of my students, how well they respond to the material given, and how well they learn and relate to the experiences from the literature read. Books that I did at secondary school such as ‘Annie John’, ‘Harriet’s Daughter’ and ‘Green Days by the River’ are reflective of adolescent literature. These books focus on the struggles that children face as they grow up such as the search for their identity.

Literature Based Approach to Integration

Literature Based Approach to Integration

As a teacher, I have often wondered what was the literature based approach to integration, what the term integration meat with regard to the teaching of English and English Literature and how do implement it in my classroom. From the perspective of my classmate, integration of the two subject areas meant that literature textbooks had to be used to teach concepts in grammar for example subject verb agreement, punctuation and so on. However, from other classroom discussions and my reading I have learnt that is much more than that. In fact the most important aspect of integration is how we approach it.

In order to ensure that integration of the two subject areas are effective students need to be given the opportunity to take charge or take control of the reading and writing process. Students especially adolescents need to be given the opportunity to read as writers. Simply put, teachers need to provide instances where students can engage themselves in the writer’s craft. Thus, students need to put themselves in the writer’s shoes, to feel what the writer is feeling, how the piece is structured, use their experiences to relate to what the writer is saying  and most importantly they should take pleasure in this process. However, the question remains how I as a teacher encourage my student to engage in the writer’s craft.

Firstly, as teachers we need to choose material that is appropriate for adolescents.  We can include them in the process of choosing books by asking them. Students need to feel and see the relevance in what they  are reading, that they can relate to it, or it is part of their experiences and  they identify with  message  of the writer. Erickson referred to this stage as ‘Identity Crisis’ where students are searching for identity ‘Who am I?’ Therefore, the material that students read should satisfy theses needs.

In addition, I have learned that  as teacher I need encourage class discussions where students are given opportunities to respond to the material they read. The use of journals and logs can also be used where students write what they think about texts based on their experiences. Also I as a teacher must be enthuastic about the subject and make it interesting for my students to be  enthuastic and interested in what they read and the subject as a whole.

welcome

hi this is Shera and I would like to welcome you to my blog. I do hope that you have a pleasant time reading my entries.