Literature and Language Learning

ANG 389 (3 credits) Winter 2012

Universit de Sherbrooke Facult des lettres et sciences humaines Dpartement des lettres et communications

Professor: Dr. Glen Poupore Email: glen.poupore@usherbrooke.ca Office and Phone : A3-227 ; 821-8000 (ext. 66112) Time and Location:
Thursday 8:50 11:45: A3-004

Office Hours: I am in my office everyday during the week so simply contact me in

class, by email, or by phone to make an appointment (same day appointments possible).

Required Textbooks and Materials:

- Course Student Booklet - The Woman in White (Oxford Bookworms)

General Description and Principal Objectives

Welcome to the Literature and Language Learning course. Its a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to teaching you. The essential aims of this course are to help you gain an understanding of how various literature-based texts can successfully be used in the language classroom with various types of learners both in terms of their motivational benefits and their language learning benefits and to help you gain practice in developing and implementing various activities at both the pre-reading and post-reading stages. Based on a learning by doing teaching philosophy, the course is aimed to be practical in nature, and while teacher lectures will form part of the course, students will also be actively involved throughout the course through interactive in-class pair/group work and through teaching presentations and projects. As a teacher, my objective is to always create an enjoyable, pleasant, and motivating atmosphere for my students. I will try my best and I hope that you will enjoy the course.

Content & Course Goals: What will I do, learn, and gain by taking this course?
- You will develop an understanding of the diverse and intricate meaning of literature as applied to the L2 learning context and be able to articulate the benefits of using such texts in the L2 classroom. - You will learn how to overcome the challenges presented with using literary texts with L2 learners. - You will compare, contrast, and evaluate the different pedagogical approaches to using literature in the L2 learning context (language-based, stylistics/metalanguage, and reader response/personal enrichment approaches). - You will compare, contrast, and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using either authentic versus simplified texts with L2 learners. - You will develop an understanding of how to adopt an extensive reading approach to L2 learning through the use of language learner literature (i.e. graded readers). - You will write personal responses to literary texts and to various issues related to literature-based teaching in the L2 classroom. - You will gain practical teaching ideas on how to use various literature-based texts (short stories, novels, folktales, urban legends, plays, poetry, song lyrics, advertisements, etc) with different types of learners by actively participating in professor-led activities. - You will design and implement a pre-reading lesson based on a literary text through a teaching presentation. - You will post your own created/chosen poems and personal interpretations on a class blog and then respond to others poems. - You will design a literature-based teaching unit based on different types of literary texts. - You will develop your English communicative and interactive skills and improve your overall English ability. - You will enjoy the course and develop an enthusiasm for teaching English as a second language.

Evaluation:
1. Homework and Active Participation (25%) 2. Response to Readings [2 of them] (10%) 3. Response to Literature [3 of them] (15%) 4. Schema-Building Teaching Presentations in groups of 4 (20%) 5. Final Exam (30%)

Evaluation will be based on the following grading guidelines: Letter Grade A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D E Number Grade Per Cent 92% + 88-91% 85-87% 82-84% 78-81% 75-77% 72-74% 68-71% 65-67% 62-64% 60-61% 0-59% Grade Point Average 4.3 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0

Workload
There will be required reading and/or homework for each week of the semester (except reading week). Although the amount of work will differ for each week, you should save between 3 to 6 hours of out-of-class time to prepare for each class.

Attendance Policy
Attending classes and being on time assumes a great importance for this course because:
- It is an essential requirement for you to successfully pass the course. - As future teachers, it is important for you to be responsible and therefore for you to be punctual and to be consistent in class attendance. - Arriving late disrupts the class and prevents other learners from learning. - You will learn many things and you will enjoy the classes.

* If you are going to be absent:

(1) inform the instructor by email beforehand if the absence is anticipated (if you miss a class unexpectedly due to illness, please contact the instructor as soon as possible after the absence) (2) make sure that you still hand in your homework on time (late penalties will apply see below) (3) get a classmate to tell you what we did in class and what your homework is and to collect any materials that were given (do not ask your teacher about such matters it is your responsibility to get a classmate to do this for you)

* Excessive absences (four or more) will likely result in failure for the course.

Late Submissions
For all homework and assignments late penalties will be applied based on the following guidelines:
* 5% penalty for same day lateness (until midnight of the same day) * 20% for next day lateness * not accepted after that

Homework and Active Partipation (25%)

Participation Homework (15%): Throughout the semester, you will occasionally be asked to complete participation homework. You will either be given some simple questions to answer based on a reading or given some type of task in order to prepare for in-class discussions. These are outlined in the student booklet and are also available for download on the course website (Moodle). You will also need to upload your answer sheet on Moodle before the scheduled class begins. In addition, you must bring at least one typed physical copy of your completed homework to class (this will be useful for your own reference during class discussions). Your typed physical copy will be collected by Glen during class time and will also count towards your overall participation grade. It is your responsibility to learn how to use the Moodle system for uploading your assignments. If under the rare case of a technological failure, simply bring an extra physical copy to class and give to your instructor as proof of completion (but you will still need to upload the assignment on moodle after class if the uploaded version is different from the original copy given in class only the original will be used for evaluation). Participation homework will be evaluated based on the following scale:
Not Completed (0%) Partially Completed (70%) Fully Completed (92%)

partially completed = not answering some questions; not fully answering the questions; and if applicable not answering in own words or expressing personal view * See academic honesty section outlined at the end of the syllabus to avoid the problem of plagiarism and a possible F grade for the assignment and/or for the course.

Active Participation (10%): In order to create a positive, motivating, respectful, and trusting environment, your active participation will be important. This will be evaluated based on the following:
- Being well-prepared for class discussions by completing your homework and bringing a physical copy. - Being alert in class and listening attentively and respectfully to the professor and to other classmates. - Sharing your understandings and participating effectively in group discussions. - Not talking amongst yourselves when the instructor or a fellow student is addressing the class. - Turning off your cell phone before entering class and not using or looking at it during class time. - Using your laptop and/or other electronic devices for educational purposes only. - Bringing your student booklet to class. - Attending class (for the full duration of the class) and being on time.

* If you need to briefly leave the classroom for an important reason during class time please inform Glen beforehand.

Response to Readings (10%)

There will be two response to readings which will require you to respond more deeply to assigned questions and to provide some of your own personal thoughts. Although it depends on the type of question being asked, the word count for a quality answer can be given in 150-400 words. The response to readings are outlined in the student booklet and are available for download on the course website. Like the participation homework you will also need to upload your answer sheet on the course website before the scheduled class begins and to bring a typed copy to class for your own reference and for collection. The response to readings will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Poor (62 and below) Incomplete

Answers are too brief to adequately respond to the questions; and/or are often irrelevant, too vague, unclear, and poorly communicated; and/or contain too much textbook language and fail to reflect the students own views.

Below Average (74) Did not meet expectations

Answers show only minimal evidence of being carefully thought out; are not thorough enough and not elaborated enough to meet expectations; and/or contain some instances of irrelevancy; are sometimes communicated in an unclear manner, contain only minimal evidence of the writers own views and language, and show little or no evidence of originality.

Very Good (86) Meets expectations

Answers show evidence of being carefully thought out and are generally thorough and well-elaborated; are relevant, and contain enough depth to adequately respond to the questions; are communicated in a clear manner, are written mostly in the students own language with some inclusion of the students own views, and show some evidence of originality and creative thinking.

Outstanding (92+) Exceeds expectations

Answers show strong evidence of being carefully thought out and are very thorough and well-elaborated; they demonstrate a level of depth that moves beyond simply responding to the questions by providing examples and adding unique and relevant perspectives; are clearly communicated using language which is completely their own, show strong evidence of originality and creative thinking, and often contain the students own views which also make connections to real events and/or personal experiences.

* See academic honesty section outlined at the end of the syllabus to avoid the problem of plagiarism and a possible F grade for the assignment and/or for the course.

Response to Literature (15%)

During the semester you will be responsible for reading/viewing the following three literature-based stories: (1) the graded reader version of Wilkie Collins novel The Woman in White, (2) Roald Dahls short story Lamb to the Slaughter, and (3) the film Dead Poets Society. You will be asked to personally respond to these stories based on a series of questions (again a quality answer for each question can be given in 150-400 words). In addition, you will also be asked to provide some of your own teaching ideas/activities on how you would use these texts in a targeted ESL course. Like the participation homework and response to readings, these are available for download on Moodle. You will also need to upload your answer sheet on the course website before the scheduled class begins and will need to bring a typed copy to class for your own reference and collection. Your responses will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
* depth (carefully thought out, thorough, and well-elaborated) [40%] * relevance (closely connected to the topic of the questions) [10%] * clarity of communication (expression of ideas and thoughts are clearly understandable and coherent) [10%] * expression of personal thoughts/originality (independent and creative thinking; own words; connection to real events and/or personal experiences) [40%]

~ See academic honesty section outlined at the end of the syllabus to avoid the problem of plagiarism and a possible F grade for the assignment and/or for the course.

Schema-Building Teaching Presentations (20%)

In small groups of 4 (students will make their own groups and inform Glen about it in the third week of the semester), you will receive a short story from Glen (to be received two weeks before the presentations) in which you and your group members will prepare a 25 minute schema-building teaching lesson (i.e. activating and building your learners background knowledge about the topic and/or vocabulary of the reading text as well as creating curiosity and interest in the text). After selecting a target age group (some texts will be more appropriate for elementary school learners and others for secondary school learners) and preparing your lesson, you will present and teach the lesson to the rest of the class as if they were your own students. Both you and your group members must speak and teach for a roughly equal amount of time during the lesson presentation. Be prepared to have enough copies of your materials/handouts for everyone in the class, including Glen. Make use of appropriate teaching equipment including powerpoint or other visual aids. No written lesson plan is required for this assignment. You must, however, give both a physical copy and an electronic copy of your powerpoint file and any other materials used in the lesson to Glen before your presentation begins (send the electronic copy to Glens email address before you present). You will be evaluated based on the effectiveness and appropriateness of your teaching activities and materials as well as the effectiveness of your own teaching skills and performance. An outline of how you will specifically be evaluated is described below (the number in parentheses represents the value of the evaluation criteria): The Lesson: 60%
- effectively builds learners schema for the text (3x) - effectively builds learners curiosity and interest in the text (2x) - is smooth and well-sequenced (i.e. has a good pace - not rushed or too slow, has well-connected transitions, and shows evidence of being well prepared and well-organized) [2x] - contains activity directions and explanations that are clear (2x) - includes opportunities for students to produce language (speaking and/or writing) (2x) - is appropriate for the target age group selected (2x) - makes good use of visual aids and/or other teaching equipment (2x) - stays within the time-specified (25 minutes with a 5 minute leeway) (1x) - all group members taught for a roughly equal amount of time (1x)

Individual Teaching Performance: 30%

- explains clearly and is understandable (2x) - speaks loudly enough so that all students can understand (2x) - speaks in a manner which is not too fast or too slow (2x) - makes good eye contact with students (2x) - appears relaxed and confident (1x) - shows an interest in, and enthusiasm, for the subject taught (1x) - writes thoughtful reflections after the presentation (1x)

Self and Peer Evaluation: 10%

- group members will evaluate themselves and their group members in an anonymous and honest fashion and according to the following criteria: (1) contribution to ideas, (2) contribution to workload, and (3) cooperative and positive attitude

Following each presentation there will be a short Q & A session. Therefore, those who observe the presentation will be asked to create a comments and questions sheet that will be counted towards their participation grade (based on a completed scale). Observers will simply write down any questions they would like to ask to the presenters or write down any comments they would like to share with the presenters such as things they liked or even provide constructive feedback. Glen will collect the questions and comments sheet after the presentations. In addition, Glen will hold a conference with each group after their presentations in order to provide feedback and to collect group members thoughts about their own performance. Each member will also write a reflection about their groups performance and their own performance in terms of: (1) strengths, (2) weaknesses, and (3) what they would change for next time (200-400 words). You will need to send your reflection to Glens email before midnight on the day of your presentation.

Final Exam (30%)

Your final exam will be a take home exam and will consist of creating a literature-based teaching unit targeted for a particular age group (elementary, secondary, Cgep, or university). You can choose to work alone, in pairs, or in a group of three. Your teaching unit must consist of at least 3 literary texts (with a maximum of 4). Each text must be from a different genre (e.g. novel or novel extract, short story, play, folktale, urban legend, poetry, film version of a literary text, graded reader, music/song lyrics, or non-traditional literary texts such as advertisements, graffiti, headlines, etc.). You can select your own texts or choose from the many texts and resources which are available in Glens office. You will need to include a copy of your selected texts in the written report (with the exception of whole length novels).. You will develop 2-3 pre-reading activities and 2-3 post-reading activities (and/or during-reading activities if deemed appropriate) along with their accompanying instructions for each literary text along with any materials you would need to prepare for teaching these activities in class such as worksheets, powerpoint files, audio/video materials etc. You also need to provide an answer key for your activities. The activities and your unit as a whole must include a balance of the three different approaches to teaching literature that will be discussed in class: language-based, stylistics/metalanguage, and reader-response/personal enrichment. Therefore, as part of the written report, you must also explain how and where these different approaches are represented in your activities/lessons. You can use ideas for activities from established sources and/or from those presented in class but you must clearly indicate where you got these ideas and also include a copy of the source(s) as an appendix in your written report. At the same time, originality is encouraged (by adapting established ideas or by completely creating your own) since it will form part of the evaluation. The 3 or 4 texts and their accompanying activities can form part of a unitary/thematic whole or can each operate and stand on their own as separate mini-units but must all be targeted for the same age group.

Throughout the course, as examples and ideas for activities will be discussed and shared, you can begin to plan your end of term literature-based teaching unit. It is therefore highly recommended that you start to think of your plans for this assignment as early as possible. As you collect ideas you are certainly welcome to share them with your professor in order to receive feedback before the exam period begins. The final due date and time is Thursday April 26th 09h00 and you can either upload your completed exam on Moodle or hand in a physical copy. Evaluation The literature-based teaching unit will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- demonstrates originality and creativity (and provide references if taking ideas/materials/language from other sources) [3x] - demonstrates potential for effectiveness and are well-matched with the target age group and with ESL learners(e.g. how does the unit overcome the challenges that could be presented by using literary texts with ESL learners; clear instructions provided for the activities; well-connected and well-sequenced activities; etc.) [3x] - includes a good balance of the three approaches to teaching literature with L2 learners (language-based, stylistics/metalanguage, and reader response/personal enrichment) in which connections and explanations to their reference are clear and accurate [2x] - includes ample materials to properly support the written report [1x] - includes good use of visual aids which are visually stimulating [1x] - is interesting and motivating for the learner [1x] - includes ample opportunities for the learners to produce communicative language (speaking and/or writing) [1x] - is well-written with clarity of communication and good grammar and spelling [1x]

* plagiarism without referencing will result in failure

Academic Honesty:
While most students pursue their academic work in an honest fashion, it is important to be aware that academic dishonesty is a serious offence and that luniversit de Sherbrooke has a strict policy on plagiarism (leading to an F grade for the assignment and/or for the course). Academic dishonesty includes the following offences:
Taking language from the internet, a book, a classmate, a previous student, or other source and claiming it to be your own language and idea for an answer to a homework or assignment question (any language or idea taken from another source must be put in double quotation marks and referenced using APA style see below for an example of referencing). Turning in homework and assignments with answers to questions that use the exact same words and ideas as another classmate who did the same homework/assignment (at least for questions which ask for your own thoughts and ideas). Turning in the same written assignment, even in a different version, for two different courses without the permission of both professors involved.

Example of referencing: Brown believes that intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic motivation because the behavior stems from needs, wants, or desires within oneself, the behavior itself is self-rewarding and no externally administered reward is necessary (2007, p. 68). End of paper list of references: Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (3rd ed.). White Plains: Longman.

Powerpoint Files:
Important powerpoint slides used during lectures will be posted on Moodle following each class. Powerpoint files and other materials used by students for their teaching demonstration will also be posted on Moodle (by Glen) after their presentations for class sharing.

Recommended Books/Articles for Practical Teaching Ideas:

* The following references might prove useful for your Literature-based Teaching Unit. Most, if not all, have been designed for use with ESL/EFL learners. I have of copies of these in my office which are available for a short loan. Collie, J., & Slater, S. (1987). Literature in the language classroom: A resource book of ideas and activities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Collie, J., & Slater, S. (1993). Short Stories for Creative Language Classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Draper, C. G. (1993). Great American Stories: An ESL/EFL Reader (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Hadaway, N. L., Vardell, S. M., & Young, T. A. (2001). Literature-based instruction with English language learners, K-12. New York: Allyn & Bacon. Holmes, V. L., & Moulton, M. R. (2001). Writing simple poems: Pattern poetry for language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lazar, G. (1999). A Window on Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kay, J., & Gelshenen, R. (2001). Discovering Fiction: A Reader of American Short Stories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Licciardo-Musso, L. (1996). 25 Terrific Literature Activities - Grades 4-8. New York: Scholastic. Marcus, S. (Ed.). (1995). A World of Fiction: Twenty Timeless Short Stories. New York: Pearson Education. McCarthy, T. (1996). Teaching Genre: Exploring 9 Types of Literature to Develop Lifelong Readers and Writers Grades 4-8. New York: Scholastic. McConochie, J. A. (1995). 20th Century American Short Stories. Boston: Heinle & Heinly. Richard-Amato, P. A. (1993). Exploring themes: An interactive approach to literature. New York: Addison-Wesley. Richard-Amato, P. A. (2003). Literature-based Curriculum. In P. A. Richard-Amato (Ed.), Making It Happen: From Interactive to Participatory Language Teaching (pp. 246-267). White Plains, NY: Longman. Spiro, J. (2004). Creative poetry writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Taylor, E. K. (2000). Using Folktales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Development of Professional Competencies:

Competencies
Competency 1: To act as a professional inheritor, critic, and interpreter of knowledge.

Key Features
- Situates the disciplines basic points of understanding and concepts in order to facilitate significant and in-depth learning. - Communicates ideas concisely using precise vocabulary and correct grammar. - Is able to support his or her ideas and argue his or her subject matter in a consistent, effective, and respectful manner during discussions. -Uses appropriate language when speaking to peers.

Application within the Course

- Participation homework - Response to readings/literature - Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam - Active participation - Participation homework - Response to readings/literature - Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam

Competency 2: To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in writing.

Competency 3: To develop teaching/learning situations.

- Bases the selection and content of teaching elements on data drawn from recent pedagogical research. - Plans learning situations that provide opportunities to apply competencies. - Anticipates obstacles to learning posed by the content to be taught.

- Response to readings/literature - Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam

Competency 4: To pilot and practice teaching/learning situations.

- Creates conditions in which students can engage in meaningful tasks or projects. - Guides students in interpreting and understanding the requirements of a task or project.

- Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam

Competency 8: To integrate information and communications technology (ICT) in the preparation and delivery of teaching/learning activities and for professional development purposes. Competency 10: To cooperate with members of the teaching team in carrying out tasks. Competency 11: To engage in professional development individually and with others.

- Communicates using various multimedia resources. - Uses ICT effectively to search for, interpret and communicate information.

- Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam

- Cooperates in an active and ongoing manner.

- Active participation - Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam - Active participation - Participation homework - Response to readings/literature - Schema-building teaching presentations - Final exam - Active participation

- Reflects on his or her practice. - Involves peers in research.

Competency 12: To engage in ethical and responsible development.

- Provides appropriate attention and support.

Course Schedule:
The course schedule, reading material, and homework assignments are subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and on the course website; therefore, students are responsible for noting any possible changes. For copies of the reading material and the homework assignments please refer to the course student booklet and the course website. Except for the Woman in White reading, all of the reading material will be in the student booklet.

Class/Topics
Class 1 (January 5): - Getting to know each other - Getting to know about the course Class 2 (January 12): - Defining literature in the L2 context
* Benefits/challenges of using literature in the L2 classroom

Reading Material/Homework

Course Syllabus Lazar (p. 15-19) Collie & Slater (p. 3-10) Aebersold and Field (p. 156-158) - ID Poem [participation homework] - Syllabus Quiz [participation homework] - Response to Reading

Class 3 (January 19): - Approaches to using literature

* Language-based * Stylistics / metalanguage * Reader-response / Personal enrichment

Lazar (22-34, 39-45) Mckay (319-323) - Response to Reading - Inform Glen about the groups for the teaching presentations Day and Bramford myth of authenticity (p. 53-62) Day and Bramford extensive reading (p. 3-9) Richards and Renandya (p. 295-302) - Participation Homework

Class 4 (January 26) - Authenticity vs. simplification - Extensive reading

Class 5 (February 2): - Using graded readers

Woman in White Graded Reader - Response to Literature

Class 6 (February 9): Schema-building and pre-reading

Anderson (p. 9-19) Richard-Amato (p. 248-253)

- Participation Homework Class 7 (February 16): - Schema-building teaching Demonstrations Class 8 (February 23): - Schema-building teaching demonstrations

- Questions & Comments sheets to be completed in class

- Questions & Comments sheets to be completed in class

Class 9 (March 1) - Using Short Stories Part 1

* Defining * Example Activities/Units

Comparing three short story units: (The Gift of Magi/The Mask of the Red Death/ Strange Animal) - Just Reading

No Class March 8 Reading Week

Class 10 (March 15) - Using Short Stories Part 2

Lamb to the Slaughter Short Story (8 pages) - Response to Literature

Class 11 (March 22): - Using Short Stories Part 3

Reading Circles Reading + Preparation (Moment of Madness or The Lottery) (about 10 pages) The Pearl Short Story (p. 46-52) - Participation Homework

Class 12 (March 29) Folktales and drama

Erik Taylor Reading Using Folktales (p. 3-18) A Section of Iron John Reading and Preparation (1 or 2 pages) - Participation Homework

Class 13 (April 5): - Music and Poetry (and Games!)

Holmes and Moulton Reading (Bio Poem / I am Poem) (9 pages) - Participation Homework

Class 14 (April 12): - Using Film / Using Poetry

Dead Poets Society Film - Response to Literature

Final Exam (April 16 - 26)