THE CONTEMPORARY CHILDRENS LITERATURE LEVEL 2

AIMS
Create interest in pupils towards literature by introducing them to a variety of literary texts of different genres. Provide pupils with an early beginning and foundation to literature. Develop pupils understanding of other societies, cultures, values and traditions that will help pupils in their emotional and spiritual growth. Expose pupils to the aesthetic use of the English language.

BACKGROUND
Introduced in all primary schools since 2004. Involves pupils from Year 4 - 6 (Level 2). Compulsory to be taught and learnt. Current cycle of books will end in 2014 for Year 4. Cycle 2 (new texts) will be used from Year 4 onwards in stages.
2014
Year 4

2015
Year 4 Year 5

2016
Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

Texts In The Current Cycle (Cycle 1)

Year 4 National Schools

The following titles are used in Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor:
1. Tidy Your Room, Tanya! Pamela Rushby 2. Tales and Tails Hyacinth Gaudart 3. The Little Blue Boy Fatou Keita Danalis Distributors The following titles are used in Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan: 1. Coral Bay Surprise Barbara & David Miller 2. Everyone is Good At Something Peter Etherton 3. The Humble Prince Kumara Velu

Texts In The Current Cycle (Cycle 1)

Year 4 National Type Schools The following titles are used in all National Type Chinese and Tamil schools:

1. Caught in the Act Patricia Sealey 2. The Old House Sandra Clayton 3. A Wise Man Chan Siew Mei

Texts In The New Cycle (Cycle 2) SK & SJK

GENRES
POEMS (COMPILATION) 1. Sand Castle by J. Patrick Lewis
2. Sounds Like Magic by Celia Warren 3. Holiday Memories by June Crebbin 4. At The Playground by Brian Moses 5. Clap Your Hands by Pam Gidney 6. Woodpecker by Brenda Williams 7. Grandmas House by Pamela Mordecai 8. Noisy Food by Marian Swinger

THE SHORT STORY The King of Kites By Judith Heneghan and Laure Fournier

THE GRAPHIC NOVEL The Jungle Book By Rudyard Kipling

KEEP IN MIND!
Teachers are free to choose whichever genre to start teaching in Year 4 as long as all genres are covered in a year. Teachers need to plan the allocation of time (weeks) to cover each text according to the needs and level of their pupils. If pupils are advanced and teachers have finished teaching all the texts in the 3 genres, they are encouraged to use literary texts of their own during the Language Arts classes.

Benefits Of Using Literature In Second Language Acquisition Children's literature is an important part of English language literature as a body of work, and using it for EFL/ESL teaching has many benefits for students. Exposure to new, illustrated vocabulary in context, provide repetition of key words and phrases that students can master and learn to manipulate. Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment when they have mastered a piece of literature written in English. Sabrina Peck (2003, p. 141), says that, "Many children do not tire of practicing a repetitive and rhythmic text several times a day, many days a week.
Reference: Peck, S. (2001). Developing Children's Listening and Speaking Skills in ESL. In Celce-Murcia, Marianne, (Ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. (pp. 139-149). Boston, USA: Heinle & Heinle.

Lets take note!

Do not rush! Give enough time for pupils to interact with the text. This is to enable pupils to fully absorb the text. Short attention span of pupils - Create an active classroom with a variety of activities. Advantage of using children's literature can be an effective and enjoyable way to teach language. Pupils who are enthralled by a story forget their worries and anxieties about the language Storyteller Dvora Shurman says, "The best way to teach is not to impose teaching, but to allow the listener to become so involved in hearing a story that his 'defenses' are no longer active. It is our sense of enjoyment, excitement, and emotional involvement that is a necessary condition for learning, and using literature in the classroom can provide the content base for the magic.
Reference:
Ackerman, T. (1994) Storytelling: A Way of Freeing the Imagination. An Interview with Dvora Shurman. The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching, 2. Retrieved December 31, 2003, from http://www.njcu.edu/cill/journalindex.html.

Some Strategies For Classroom Teaching

A good plan is to have a little enthusiastic singing chanting recitation, a little quiet listening, a little enthusiastic dancing /physical activites, and a little quiet artwork. Example: Sing - Pupils sing, recite, or read a passage from the story/poems/novels in groups. Listen - Pupils listen to the story/poem from beginning to end. Dance/Movement- Pupils get out of their chairs for some physical activity. Draw/Write- Pupils may illustrate or complete a piece of work. Reading aloud - Anne Burns (2003, p. 22), in her study of second-language learner attitudes toward literacy learning noted that "students were almost unanimous in their desire for teachers to read aloud to them." Pupils find it helpful to hear fluent reading in English, listening to the written words, hearing correct stress and intonation patterns, as well as receiving a model for imitation.
Reference:
Burns, A. (2003). Reading Practices: From Outside to Inside the Classroom. TESOL Journal, Volume 12, 18-23.

Conclusion
The thing to remember in your literature class is to keep it fun, enjoyable and meaningful. Do not underestimate your pupils ability to enjoy literature even though they may not be very proficient in the language. Your challenge as a teacher is to make literature come alive in your classroom so that your pupils will begin to develop a love for the English language and hopefully, this will motivate them to strive to acquire the language.
Reference:
Burns, A. (2003). Reading Practices: From Outside to Inside the Classroom. TESOL Journal, Volume 12, 18-23.

Thank You

Ewe Choy Choo, English Lang. Unit(Primary) ewe.choychoo@moe.gov.my