Literature

Question 1

The best choice of literary text for classroom use should captivate reader's mind heart to compel a response. It should rouse the teacher's emotions and those of the learners. In addition, the literary text choice should be well written in a language and tone understandable by all readers. Besides, it should bear a message and a moral story.

Teachers should consider the layout of the book including the number of pages, print size, illustration placement, and the inviting page. If the print and configuration pages are so overwhelming that the learners can hardly understand, the teacher should reconsider the learning strategy even if the literature’s content is riveting (Sipe, 2014).

Here are some of the factors to be considered when choosing a literary text for the classroom:

Compelling content

Compelling content refers to humour, dialogue and suspense. Others include action controversies in the text plot. The teacher should study the initial pages of the book to ensure the ease of understanding by young learners. The chosen literature should have a story that blasts off from the beginning to avoid cases of student dissatisfaction and halted learning progress as they strive to catch up with the teacher's pace. Students should immediately agree with the character’s deeds. Failure results in confusion and misunderstanding between the instructor and the learners. Literary text should not only impart knowledge but also entertain to ease the process of information absorption.

Realistic Characters

Fictional stories where characters engage in unrealistic activities such as resurrection after a brutal fate can neither elicit excitement or arouse curiosity and urge to read. Instead, the protagonist and other characters should be comfortable with performing daily chores as real humans do.

Illustrations

Pictures and illustrations assist the learner in painting the picture of the story and understanding its plot. Artistic depictions marry well with a carefully choreographed story to ensure that the learner uncovers the hidden message and the moral lesson behind the story. In fact, literary experts argue that the illustrations spark response especially for the beginners yet to develop and master literary analytical techniques fully. 

Needs Analysis

Finding an appropriate literary text for the class is not easy. The teacher is obliged to conduct a needs analysis to understand the gaps that exist in a classroom environment, what the students should learn, and the goals that should be achieved the end of each study session. To choose literary cycle books, the teacher can focus on the following:

Goals

Instructors should have personal goals for guidance during literary text study session. A teacher that lacks directions, objectives and a drive for imparting knowledge can mislead learners into studying inappropriate literary text. Therefore, it is imperative for a teacher to conduct a survey of the local library and the available texts. Then, the choice of a literary cycle should have drama and depth as required. 

Beginning with the Available Content

            The teacher should analyse the books that are available in the classroom. However, care should be taken to ensure the relevance of the book, its ability to meet the needs, and to produce the desired outcome. In addition, the teacher should enquire from other staff members in the department on the most appropriate way to choose literary text. Experienced librarians are also helpful when making choices related to literary works.

Interest Needs

Finding books that correlate with students’ grade is not a priority. The reason is that the students will collaborate while reading, thus resulting in understanding and enjoyment of class sessions. It is also important for a teacher to talk to the students to understand their needs at a specific time. Alternatively, the teacher can opt to allow students to choose literature texts for themselves, especially advanced grade learners.

Determination of What to Read

It is obligatory for an instructor to structure time for each day of the week when the students can engage in literature study. For starters, discussion of at least three points a day is recommendable to keep the students focused on the study’s main goal.  Textbooks can be divided into segments and each section to be discussed by a student. Then during class time, each learner can share information on their progress for the class to be updated. The teacher should take note of challenged learners and the beginners. In fact, older readers or adult volunteers can guide slow learners at their pace for them to grasp the study details.

            The teachers should also consider age, interests and cultural background of students when choosing reading materials for them. For instance, learners below the age of 10 should read literature texts based on mythical stories with happy endings. Children are thrilled by stories based on fantasies and animals, unlike older students that prefer texts on interrogations and solution of mysteries. Therefore, the teacher can suggest story books themed on heroes and political history to teenagers. For adults, literary works on symbolism and fiction are recommendable.

Question 2

Usefulness of Literature in the Classroom

The usefulness and authenticity of literature in a classroom are evident in its ability to build and instil valuable skills in learners, expand the worldview of students and development of critical reading capabilities. The culture of a modern learning environment is characterized by fact obsession and questioning of the world as it is. Still, reading literary works which are mostly based on writer's creativity and fictitious characters is at the core of learning process. Literature contributes significantly to the child's education as learning entails more than the dissemination of facts and information.

Cultural Value of Literature

Since the beginning of time, passing stories from one generation to the other has been at the centre of human civilization. Cultures develop as stories build around legends, myths and factual history. Religions and fables are also part of the formation and growth of human culture. The students should learn and understand their culture as they prepare to be integrated into a human society. However, they cannot do so unless they are knowledgeable on stories that culture dating back to time immemorial has been built upon (Povey, 2007).  Though historical books and works of literature are not the only sources of information on culture, they are the most important and can be obtained easily.

The bible, for example, has heavily influenced human culture, It is because of this reason that most of its teachings are referred to in a learning environment despite the religious background of the students. In addition, Shakespearean and Victorian era dramas are still relevant in the modern times due to their ability to relate to universal and timeless challenges that affected people then and still do now.

Expansion of Horizons and Motivation

It is easy for people to be caught up in the situation and to forget about developments around the world. Teenagers and young adults are mostly prone to this scenario. Therefore, the main goal of literature in the classroom is to expose the students to other culture's ideas and to learn about histories of people that once inhabited different parts of the planet. Some forms of literature put the students in the mind of a person that lived in a particular place at one time. Though an experience like this, the learner gets an opportunity to relive the historic time and to know how people survived, communicated and expressed their way of life. In this way, it is possible to motivate a student to seek more information and to expand their scope.

Similarly, through books and literary works from other countries, students learn about life in other parts of the planet. Students get more engaged and motivated while reading about a way of life of people in the rest of the world unlike when they learn about it in a textbook or a lecture.  

Expansion of Language Awareness

Being knowledgeable on a wide range of vocabularies is imperative for multiple reasons. Literature ensures the complexity of student’s discourse other than gaining of additional reading and writing abilities. Expansion of language awareness ensures that the students can engage in thoughtful and in-depth discussions on major issues and topics affecting the society (Povey, 2007). Therefore, a study of literary works is one of the best strategies to widen the breadth of language skills.

Improvement of Writing Skills

It is possible to teach writing skills to a limited extent. However, if the teacher encourages the students to read literature texts on a regular basis, chances are that students will acquire writing skills at a faster rate because they develop intimate know-how on the way language works. Most students adopt a similar writing style of their favourite literary text author. Hence, it is safe to conclude that Literature is an appropriate and most valuable teacher especially to amateur and young learners. 

Critical Thinking

            Literature and education accord students the tools needed in becoming a valuable and productive member of the society. Some of these tools include critical thinking and rational judgement. Extensive study of literature in a classroom setting diminishes or eliminates passive consumption of information, enabling the learners to criticize and analyse the disseminated knowledge. Themes and issues featured in most of the novels promote critical thinking. Additionally, teachers employ literature to promote and nurture active thinking skills in students (Povey, 2007). They instruct students on how to analyze, filter, and absorb information for formulation of personal views.

Question 3

Different Ways to Use Dramatic Texts in a Classroom

Drama provides enrichment of language and culture by exposing insights into a specified culture and in the presentation of language contexts. In this way, dramatic texts ensure that items are memorable as they place them in a realistic physical and social context. Learners become fully and personally involved in the education process if they permit the addition and reading of distinct characterizations to a dramatic text (Liu, 2012). As a result, the student becomes more empowered and less self-conscious in expressing themselves via multiple voices of varied characters.

Difference from Novel and Poetry

Utilization of genres such as poetry or novel in a classroom has drawbacks because most of them have complex language forms that the students find them difficult to learn and understand. However, it is possible to overcome these setbacks of literary texts like poems by simplification. If poems are simplified, literariness and artistic originality are lost forever, hence sharp criticism on paleness of the text. Unsuitability of existing traditional literary texts in is a door opener and ushers in the inclusion of drama in educational curricula because it is the only form that can sufficiently address the need for adequate texts for access of suitable materials and worthwhile reading.

A-Type Approach

The a-type approach entails the separation of language to lexical and phonological and the eventual adoption of disseminated strategies. In this approach, the educator ought to focus on structure series of language items to be taught. Thereafter, the teacher selects and utilises a literary text that exemplifies the structure series as a way of practising or raising the student’s conscience regarding this technique.

B-Type Approach

In this approach, the instructor views the language as a tool and not an object. Emphasis should be placed on inductive learning technique via application of learner’s experience. The teacher can encourage students to comments, expression or response as per the topic of study. Some of the activities that the educator designs for students include identification of story's plot and characters, pinpointing the attitudes of the author or character and providing creative or personal response to the subject matter.

The introduction of type B approach in a classroom has several stages. In the first stage, the standard methods entail warmer engagements for the student to anticipate the texts content using pictures, illustrations, guesswork, and pre-discussion. There is no or little stylistic analysis at this stage, but its aim is to stimulate reading and oral communication to enrich learners thinking. Drama techniques aim at initiating the process of imagination and prepare the learner’s vocal chords for extensive study. Stage two involves the student locating information from the study text to accomplish the task with personal ideas. The last stage involves comprehension of surfacing questions to evoke alternative answers.

Question 4

Poetry

Poetry promotes the acquisition of language. In fact, poetry in a writing class also necessary as collaboration means for student’s personal expression and language development. Pattern poems, picture poems and haiku provide distinct ways of turning the English language into personal means of expression that guarantees development and creativity. Besides, these forms of poetry eliminate effective barriers to communication and learning in a non-threatening environment. Popular genres of songs also enhance the level of awareness with regard to sentence flow, intonation, and pronunciation not to mention its cultural commentary trait.

Picture Poems

Picture poems provide a visual perspective on word arrangement, thus are effective means of sustaining young students in their interaction with the target vocabulary. Application of non-grammatical structures enables the learners to play with the language hence leading to the development of verbal and visual outcome. A picture can be in different shapes including heart, arrow, smoke or even snake. Any shape that the poem creator decides as an image implies that the poem possesses its theme. For instance, a short poem titled heart is about a literal heart thumping as the narrator walks across the room.

“One ... two, thump ... thump, my heart beats for you across the room and we come closer together in the space between us” (Finch, 2011).

The basic type of the above poem is designed to resemble a human heart that it describes. In this case, its structure is not complete unless a reader rearranges the words to match the shape. In pictorial representation of poetry, the writer has a freedom to express his ideas without restrictions such as stanzas and poem length. The writer can choose to alternate two or three words randomly to create a shape and to pass an intended message. Therefore, pictorial poems encourage students to become creative and to experiment with a target language without restrictions. Eventually, the students get an image of English language as a pleasurable subject that can be used creatively.

The entire process of composing pictorial poems can be enhanced if the learners form small groups for brainstorming of ideas. Through group work, students can assist each other in production and editing of a draft.  The use of a single language is appropriate where necessary, as long as he learners understand their role and the aim of the study as they perform the activity. After task completion, the teacher shares the outcome with other groups by displaying them on the class wall. The major impediment to this study lies in the language barrier, especially in a class where students come from different ethnic background. However, the teacher can allow the students to create pattern poetry in their languages (Moore, 2012).

Song Scripts

Song scripts are effective in teaching the English language in a classroom because their lyrics are valuable sources of cultural information with regards to contemporary musical genre. Therefore, English pop songs bear authentic use of language. For example Yesterday, a song released in 1965 by Paul McCartney has an original stanza of three lines. 'Day' is the first word at the beginning of the song and has a repetitive rhyme sound for the rest of the stanza. In the second stanza, a similar pattern is replicated, though the rhyme is different. There are internal rhymes too, especially in the second stanza. There is a two-line refrain used to modify the original order by insertion of long/wrong and know/go but retaining the original rhyme at each line’s end. In stanza three, the composer returns to the initial pattern and similar rhyme scheme. He repeats all the refrains entirely in the third stanza.

Therefore, there is a simple rhyming and metrical pattern on lost love. The teacher can encourage students to compose pop songs in groups following a similar template. The learner's constraints in pop song script composition include poor understanding of language and cultural setbacks. Notably, pop songs are not popular beyond the western world, thus, this can act as a constraint as well, especially for foreign learners. 

In conclusion, it is clear that poetry-related activities and poems, in particular, can enhance English language education at high school, middle school, or even at the institutions of higher learning. It is recommendable that the learners should focus on English words and the beauty of grammar to promote expression of personal concerns, ideas, and point of view. Furthermore, language learners have an opportunity to interact freely with English by using pop music scripts as affective and linguistic templates. 

References

Finch, A., 2011. Using Poems to Teach English. English Language Teaching. 15 (2), 29–45. English Language Teaching, 15(2), pp.29-45.

Liu, J., 2012. Process Drama in Second-And Foreign-Language Classrooms.Body and Language: Intercultural Learning through Drama, pp.51-70.

Moore, J.N., 2012. Practicing Poetry: Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach. The English Journal, 91(3), pp.44-50.

Povey, J.F., 2007. Literature in TESL Programs: The Language and The Culture. TESOL quarterly, 1(2), pp.40-46.

Sipe, L.R., 2007. Storytime: Young Children's Literary Understanding in the Classroom. Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027.