ELT Literature and Film Session 10 PDF

Session 10: Literature and Film 1. Why should we use Literature in ELT? Primary School − knowledge of different genres − new words in short texts − reading competence (comprehension) − fostering creativity − motivation − build self-confidence − listening to stories − speaki...

Session 10: Literature and Film 1. Why should we use Literature in ELT? Primary School − knowledge of different genres − new words in short texts − reading competence (comprehension) − fostering creativity − motivation − build self-confidence − listening to stories − speaking Secondary School (Mittel- und Realschule) − improve critical thinking − communicative competences − authentic language input − getting to know diverse perspectives (insights into different cultures) − develop empathy − fostering creativity − expressing thoughts and feelings Secondary School (Gymnasium) − cultural knowledge − exposition to non-standard forms of English − fostering analytical skills 2. Why do we teach Literature? − motivation − reading skills as discussed in the reading session − functional communicative competences: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing − authentic communication: encouraging questions, reactions, statements − literary/visual competence: how different texts function, genre- and media-specific knowledge which can also be fostered by letting students produce their own texts − affective/emotional learning − critical thinking − social competence when negotiating meaning − intercultural understanding (change of perspective, empathy, tolerance)  − no curriculum that restricts teachers in their choice of texts − chance: rethink canon and explore different genres and media (graphic narratives, audiobooks…) and literature by women, teens/young adult writers, earlier writers, writers from other national or ethnic literatures,... 3. What texts should we teach? Literature for All Ages − beginners o rhymes o songs o picture books o fairy tales − intermediate classes o short stories o poems o comics − advanced students o short stories o novels o plays o poems o graphic narratives Literature Everywhere − in the classroom o reading corner o classroom/school library o internet/mobile reading − outside of the classroom o independent study at home o public places o internet/mobile reading 4. Criteria for Text Selection − texts and films should be o manageable in length and difficulty o interesting, engaging, motivating and appealing to students o authentic and ideally also representative (with regard to the depiction of cultural phenomena)  o adequate in terms of topic and age group − texts should o be thought-provoking o add to a representation of diverse voices o enable active, creative and critical reflections o allow students to develop literary competences 4.1. Primary School − pleasure in rhythm, rhyming, harmony, (nonsense) stories, physical activity and singing − interest in unusual and exciting stories o playful repetition and performance o vivid story-telling with the help of Big Books o holistic response o lexical, narrative, and visual understanding o describing and talking about pictures and stories, reenacting scenes 4.2. Intermediate Learners − life-long readers − various topics and genres − original texts − graded readers, simplified versions (adaptations of original texts and classics) − meaningful communication and interaction 4.3. Advanced Learners − media literacy − inter-, trans- and intracultural similarities and differences − critical reflection on values and actions − modern adaptations of classics in comparison to selected scenes from the original 5. Inter- and Transcultural Competences − literary texts as authentic cultural products provide insights into foreign cultures and contexts − fictional characters and settings can help o develop an understanding for other norms, values and world views o change and coordinate different perspectives o develop empathy and sensitivity − literary texts do not automatically lead to cultural learning, but they can support reflection processes about the literary and medial presentation of cultural contexts 6. Approaches to Teaching Literature in EFL Classrooms 6.1. Analytical Approach (Analytical Tasks) − close readings to experience form as meaning-producing itself − typical task: identify the rhyme scheme and the rhetorical features of the poem − content and context → interpretation − make students aware of how the text works and how it influences the reader in their reception 6.2. Reader Response (Creative Tasks) − text as a source to be discovered and engaged with − responsive reading (dynamic interaction) o between reader and text o sociocultural schemata of text stimulate reader’s associations and ideas o reader infuses text with subjective mental images and interpretations o sharing and coordinating perspectives o recognition or critical resistance − reader as involved participant, detached spectator, literary critic − subjective response − open dialogue (negotiating meanings) − aesthetic appreciation and criticism − appeal to the students’ own experiences with a literary text − provoke individual interpretations 6.3. (Text) Production-Oriented Activities − aims o generating new texts o rewriting a text o creatively expanding a text o alienating the original − examples o personal response in a reading or viewing diary or log, email or blog o transformation of a film scene into a poem, a poem into a newspaper article, a film clip into a vlog o poster, a character profile of a protagonist, digital collage o book or film reviews edited digitally in teams and published online o alternative endings and various forms of rewriting from different perspectives or in different genres 6.4. Action-Oriented Activities − aim: acting out or transposing a text into a different medium  − examples o reconstructions of a text or film script from jumbled fragments o scenic re-enactments of a film scene or a dialogue, freeze frames and spatial arrangements of certain scenes or conflicts o fake interviews with the film director or author o transformations into a different type of medium, for example text into film, an image, a pantomime, music or radio play 6.5. Classroom Approaches and Teaching Methods − pre-reading example o bottom-up, analytical approach (decoding and analysing the work) ▪ from the title and the first sentence, students can speculate or already make out setting, plotline, main event, characters discourse, narrative situation, time structure o creative task ▪ students write their own story after hearing just the title and the first sentence − while-reading example o note down your impressions while reading the story ▪ mood ▪ spontaneous feelings concerning the characters and places − post-reading example o action-oriented work ▪ create a mind map about the characters and their constellations  ▪ think of questions that the characters would ask each other if they could o production-oriented work ▪ give the characters a voice through taking on their perspectives ▪ write an email about the short story