ABOUT ME

עפרה בר שי ראובן

 

 

My name is Ophra and I live in Ramat Yishay . I am a mother of two , I love animals music and dance travelling and of course literature . In the past 17 years I have been teaching English in Amal Ramat David which is a technological ,military oriented school . With a few exceptions , most of my students do the 1-3 points exam and have serious learning disabilities . In addition , learning literature is not part of their syllabus thus , preparing for the B literature module will be their only exposure to literatry analysis and as such,unfamiliar and challenging . Nevertheless and in spite of the above, I am looking forward to this course hoping it will provide me with the tools to deal with the B lit module.

2. As an Eng Lit major , I am familiar with most of the poem on the list and it iseasier for me to decide  which of the poems  I don’t like rather than the opposite .I prefer not to touch Robert Frost ,Sylvia Plath or Ann Saxton . However since we do have to choose …. My favorite teachale poem would be Tyger Tyger because teemagers being what they are,  deal with “fearful symmetry” on a daily basis  and hence can relate to the poem and find examples from their own experience .

session 2

task 1 mini lessons about different approach to teaching literature

as part of a foriegn language teaching .

Why teach literature in the EFL classroom?

In the previous session, it was recommended (not mandatory) that you read excerpts from Lazar:1993. 

She writes about:

• her definition of effective readers of literary texts, and what makes them so

• what competent readers do, and look for, when reading literature

• what we as teachers, expect our students to be able to do, and what we need to provide them with, in order to acquire literary competence

She examines the reasons for using literature, listing them as being:

• to provide motivating material

• to provide our students access to the cultural backgrounds of English speaking people and societies

• to teach our students how to use the tools they need in order to be critical readers

• to encourage language acquisition, by promoting engaging activities

• to expand students’ language awareness by encouraging exploration of sophisticated uses of language and reflecting on the norms of language use

• to develop students’ abilities to infer and interpret meanings from literary texts

• to educate and empower our students

Excerpted from: Lazar, G. 1993. Literature and Language Teaching .CUP Great Britain  pp. 12 -19

In short, literature should be used with students because:

• it is motivating

• it is authentic

• it has general educational value

• it helps students to understand other cultures

• it is a stimulus for language acquisition

• it develops students’ interpretive abilities

• students enjoy it and it is fun

• it expands students’ language awareness

• it encourages students to talk about their opinions and feelings

approaches to teaching literature in ESL

In the context of teaching, the word “approach”  refers to a set of beliefs which affects decisions such as what to teach and how.

Following are  four mini-lessons on the poem “Count That Day Lost” by George Eliot according to different approaches.

first

           the poem ….

Count That Day Lost

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,           5
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went —
Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay —        10
If, through it all
You’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face–
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost —        15
Then count that day as worse than lost.

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

Count That Day Lost

Four Approaches Exercises

Language Appreciation:

1. The language used in this poem is different from the way we usually speak.  Rewrite the poem in your own words, in complete sentences (paraphrase).

**Helping others without having a personal agenda is what makes our lives good. It is enough that you make one such act of kindness to make your day worth while . and a day without such deed is to be considered as a waste of time .

2.  Compare your rewrite of the poem with that of another pair, and then with the poem. Did you change the meaning and impact of the poem in any ways by changing its layout and language?

*The meaning altered as I interpreted it and any interpretation is an intervention which involves in new meaning

b. The word “count” is used in a few different places in this poem.

“….count the acts that you have done..” (l.2) לספור

“And, counting, find….”   (l. 3)
“Then you may count that day well spent.” (l. 8)להחשיב

“Then count that day as worse than lost.” (l. 16) להחשיב

Check your dictionary to see how many different definitions of the word “count” you can find. How many ways can you translate the work “count” in your mother tongue. Which of the definitions best fit the way it is used in the poem?

*There is also לסמוך  להישען לקחת בחשבון, להיות חשוב, לכלול להיחשב

the language practise approach

1. Read the poem and underline all of the verbs.

2. Pronouns – that, which

Questions:

1. What would George Eliot consider to be a “day well spent”?                                                                               *a  day in which you commit at least one selfless act of kindness .

2.  What would George Eliot consider to be a day NOT well spent (“worse than lost”)? ”?                                                   * a day in which you do not commitsuch acts .

2. Rewrite these words in everyday English:

set of sun (line 1)___*sunset________________________________

livelong day (line 9)______*a whole day_________________________

Where do they appear in each stanza?_____________________________________

When does the poet want you to think about things you did all day?_*at the end of the day __________

3. Look at the following list of words. Be sure you understand them in your native language:

count ( n ) – *רוזן, ספירה, מניין, חשבון ,   

count ( v ) –*לספור , למנות , לקחת בחשבון, לכלול , לחשוב, להחשיב, להיות חשוב, להיחשב

self-denying –   *הכחשה עצמית

(to) ease -*להקל

(a)   glance –*מבט חטוף

(to) cheer (someone up) -*לעודד

a soul -*נשמה

the personal response approach

In pairs,listen to the poem and  read it. Tell your partner about something that you can do today that will make it a good day. Write your good deed up on a Post It sticker and hang it up on the wall, with those of the rest of the students in your class.  In the end, we will have a class exhibition.

** I am helping a class mate who is in the hospital  update on school material

listen to the lecture and write the main points . click here :

http://video.cet.ac.il/VideoPlayerHTML5.aspx?xmlConfigPath=english/portal/adel1.xml

listen to a lecture and sum up the main points

click here:

to sum up — atable of the different approaches

Key Components of Teaching Literature

The teaching of a literary text, according to the literature program for students consists of the following Key Components

• Pre-reading Activity 

• Basic Understanding

• Analysis and Interpretation

• Bridging Text and Context

• Post-reading Activity

• Summative Assessment

• Personal Response (to be done at the end of each year that the literature program is studied.

poem chosen to demonstrate the different components —

Tyger Tyger William Blake

Tyger Tyger

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp,

Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears

And water’d heaven with their tears:

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Pre-reading activities motivate the students and encourage involvement in the topic and theme of the text.
A Pre-reading activity should start off your unit of literature whenever it is appropriate to do so.

The goal of this Pre-reading activity  –

to invoke ideas  which the word  “tiger” provokes afore reading the poem and later  see whether associations of contemporary students  correlate with those which the poem invokes , provoke interest and create a vocabulary bank to be  used later on  .

The pre-reading  activity  will involve:

• Brainstorming the theme

• Eliciting vocabulary around the theme

• Asking lead-in questions

• Showing a short YouTube clip or a scene from a movie

• Thinking about the title

• Using pictures related to the theme

*Tools

1- Students will be allowed to use both English- English and Hebrew -English dictionaries

2- Students will open an Ourboox file to insert their works in

Procedure –

Divide into pairs or threes and  create a class shared Ourboox file

Teacher’s lesson plan –

part 1 group work

 brainstorming on the topic

1. students will name at least three moviesbookscartoons etc that deal with tigers

2. invoke personal information and knowledge —

1. “What comes to your mind upon hearing the word “tiger “?

         Students will Google pictures of tigers  and write down at least 10  association .

1. students will then share ideas with the group , compare and contrast the data, find common different conflicting items and dwell on the findings

2. Plenary – the teacher will gather the information and add lexical items to enrich  language expression

provoking association via watching youtube videos

a. students will watch 3 you tube videos: a documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeJMkTKutfE&list=PLXO-cNKVvB6HxNC0NoJ05_3NNTzR91BIx&index=10

and

two of  the Shree Khan  scenes from Disney’s “Jungle Book”

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpC4a6jCxSA

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X202Y-lAlEw&t=7s

students will then discuss the  characteristics of tigers that the videos show

Present the title of the poem for prediction  relating to  what’s been done so far .

plenary

students’ handouts and instructions

TYGER TYGER WILLIAM BLAKE

DEAR STUDENTS

Before dealing with the poem let’s see what the word “tiger” means to us .

You may  use either a Hebrew English  or an English – English  dictionary to help you .

PART 1 GROUP WORK Name at least three moviesbookscartoons etc. that deal with tigersa.

*Discuss In English –

2. associations : When you  hear the word “tiger”  what immediately comes to your mind ?

Google :”tiger”, look at the pictures and write down at least 10 association .Analyze the data .

* Do you have common items ?

**  Among the different associations, were there any conflicting  ones ? Try to    explain why.

PART 2 .  PLENARY

–let’s gather the information compare and contrast . Here are a few descriptions feel free to add comment on how you feel about them .

dangerous ,majestic, agile ,evil ,graceful ,cunning, cruel , innocent, powerful , gorgeous, true to its nature , energetic, frightening, sneaky , fast , aggressive ,

ADD YOUR OWN ? ………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Watch  3  you tube videos and react :

A– a documentary

 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeJMkTKutfE&list=PLXO-cNKVvB6HxNC0NoJ05_3NNTzR91BIx&index=10]

_*What are the characteristics of tigers that you see in  the documentary ? Do they correlate with your notion of tigers ?

fill in the table bellow

B –Now watch two of  the Shree Khan   scenes from Disney’s “Jungle Book”  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjY-u0jK-Js&list=PLXO-cNKVvB6HxNC0NoJ05_3NNTzR91BIx&index=13]

**What additional characteristics which do not appear in the documentary  do the  Shree Khan scenes contain ? Add to the table .

3 . back to the poem –  examin the title

The poem’ title  –

       You are going to read a poem called  “Tyger Tyger”

In view of what you have done so far , let’s discuss  what  you think the poem  is going to deal with.  –You are more than welcome  to think of more than one option….

plenary

collecting the information and saving the work done on the Ourboox file

procedure

Each group will be responsible for a chunk of the information which will be inserted into the Ourboox file

BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF TEXT
Activities for Basic Understanding ensure that all students have understood the basic story line or literal
meaning of a story, play, or poem. This involves the use of lower-order thinking skills (LOTS). Activities
should include questions that relate to the literal meaning of the text. It also includes teaching relevant
lexical items and relating to grammatical structures when relevant. Activities should include the preteaching
of high-frequency words that students are unfamiliar with and recycling them. When appropriate,
necessary background knowledge that will enable students to understand the text should be taught.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Analysis and interpretation activities encourage learners to probe beyond the literal meaning of the text
and may employ relevant literary terms. In addition, activities should include tasks that induce learners to
use relevant higher-order thinking skills HOTS. HOTS should be taught explicitly: this may be done before,
during or after reading a text. Decisions about when to teach them are driven by the following

considerations:
i. the text being studied: length of text, theme, setting, characters.
ii. the choice of HOTS being introduced: Some HOTS cannot be taught after a text has been
read (e.g. prediction) while others cannot be taught before the class has finished reading
the text (e.g. synthesis).
iii. the level of the class.
iv. teacher preference.

BRIDGING TEXT AND CONTEXT
Activities for Bridging Text and Context encourage learners to understand connections between the text,
universal themes and relevant information and ideas from other sources. These sources may include the
biography and personality of the author, themes and aspects of the historical, social and cultural contexts
of the text. This component may be taught at any stage in the teaching of the unit.

Post-reading Activity
Post-reading activities offer the students the opportunity to make connections with the text(s) and their
own experiences. They allow for self-expression and creative responses after having read and analyzed the
text. These activities enable students to apply a more global understanding and interpretation of the text
and integrate information from different parts of the text.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
The Summative Assessment provides the students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge,
understanding and interpretation of the text, including the specific HOTS studied. The Summative
Assessment for each unit should follow the guidelines at the end of this section. For updated information
on grading – please check the section in the handbook with the most updated regulations.
Teachers may add additional parts to their Summative Assessment which reflect their classroom teaching,
e.g. vocabulary exercises and additional analysis questions. The assessment is done individually in class and
is graded by the teacher.

PERSONAL RESPONSE
Students write a Personal Response at the end of every year that they study literature. Students at the
four- and five-point level answer in English; students at the three-point level answer in Hebrew/Arabic.

Below are suggested questions for all levels
• What literary texts did you study?
• What text did you enjoy the best and why?
• What HOTS did you learn?
• How have you applied the HOTS to your own life?
• What new things did you learn?
• What kind of progress did you make from the beginning of the year?
• How did learning literature help improve your English?
• Which character did you relate to the most and why?
• Which HOTS do you think is most useful for your learning / life and why?