LITERATURE PLANNING

“APPLYING LITERATURE IN CLASS”

SUBJECT: LITERATURE AND

LITERARY THEORY

STUDENT: ERICA ROJAS

TEACHER: CLAUDIA VIBERTI

PATRICIA CABRERA

ASIC

2014

Literary analysis

Introduction

Literature for children opens a door to new worlds for Children, it makes them think, and it makes them use their imagination and encourages them to learn new vocabulary. They experience new sensations, thanks to literature they travel to other places and times which give them knowledge about other people and their problems. As we know television is the first window to the outside world children have. Visuals images are very important to them to learn about their environment and others cultures. For this reason picture books are chosen to be child’s first introduction to literary world but then literature is introduce as “didactic literature” Literature intended to instruct or educate.

When we are going to teach literature to children, we need to include two critical elements. One is educational: as we are teaching literature we are using literature as an educational tool. The second is literary: while we are teaching children´s literature facilitates discussions regarding to the topic we are teaching. For this reason

literature is a valuable part of literary history and it deserves to be study.

Another point that must be considered when choosing a book is the context in which the book was published. Although most of the stories have different versions they always keep the first moral lessons they had when were first published. Studying the context in which the tale was written we enriched our knowledge and at the same time we understand the author´s point of view. At the same time we see the changes in society and how they see the world surround them.

According to the book English Literature a survey for students by Anthony Burgess “English literature is literature written in English. It is not merely the literature of England or of the British Isles, but a vast growing body of writing made up of the work of authors who use the English language as natural medium of communication.” Many authors that use the English language for their literary works are contributing to the English language, although in many cases their works were plagiarized.

Taking everything into account as teachers of English, we are giving students the opportunity of learning the most important language of the world that will help them in the future as no other language will do.

For this English project I have chosen to work with “The Shepherd Boy & the Wolf” retold by Jenny Dooley and Anthony Kerr. The story was first published in England in 1484 with the title of "Of the child whiche kepte the sheep" in Middle English by William Caxton.

The students are beginners or elementary level of a first grade of a bilingual school. The classes are given twice a week, literature is thought once a week, the duration of the class is forty minutes.

I based my choice in trying to give students a story with high quality and a varied illustrative styles and illustrations which synchronize with the text to support children’s understanding and to develop their visual literacy. I will follow two models, the language model that is focused on general grammar and vocabulary and the personal growth model that is a learner centered model, this model encourages learners to draw on students’ opinions, feeling and personal experiences.

Analysis of the story

The story date from ancient Greek times was written by Aesop a slave who lived in Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. But this story did not gain currency until it was translated into Latin in the 15th century. This story shows how liars are not believed even when they say the true. William Caxton also based his version in this idea of how persons do not believe to liars.

Characters

Homer is the main character. He is a little boy who takes the sheep during the day to the hills. At the beginning of the story he loves playing jokes by telling lies and only thinks in himself. Although his parents tell him off, he is always telling lies. However, he learns the lesson the day that he is telling the true and nobody believes him.

Parents are secondary characters. They are good parents who teach values to Homer. They teach him to be honest and they tell him that the day he tells the true nobody will believe him, which at the end became true.

The wolf, although is included in the title he doesn’t appeared until the end of the story. The authors describe his physical appearance and that he likes eating sheep. It doesn’t interact with the characters.

Setting

The historic time, place, social background of the story is not mentioned in this version. The story takes place up the hills. There are few details that we know by the main character. For example he mentions that, nearby there are others shepherds, that few farmers are working nearby and they run to help him when he is asking for help.

Tone: The attitude of the authors

The intention of the authors is to show children how lies can led us into troubles. In this version we can see few vocabulary, mainly is regard to some activities and family vocabulary. It can be inferred that the authors’ moral message suggests that it is better telling the true than telling lies. This is seen as Moralizing Tone, according to the theory seen in class attempts to explain or interpret god or bad features of something.

During the story, Homer the main character, come up with the idea of telling that a wolf is attacking the sheep just for having fun. He does this many times; he shows a selfish attitude and makes his parents and farmers get mad with him

At the end of the story, the authors show that the main character learns the lesson. This story shows young readers that if they tell lies when they tell the true nobody will believe them.

Language or style

The shepherd boy and the wolf include good examples of repetitive and rhythmic patterns of the traditional stories language. The story is told like a poem; it is made up of metrical feet. In this case iamb and the combination of these feet determine a poem’s meter, in this case a Dimeter. The next phrase is taken from the book as an example:

This is Homer,

a shepherd boy.

He loves to play

and laugh with joy.

He takes the sheep

to eat all day up in the hills,

as his parents say.

HISTORICAL AND LITERARY BACKGROUND

The story of the shepherd boy and the wolf dates from 6th century BC. First was sung by scopes and then was written into many languages including English. In general, all Aesop’s tales has a moral ending. Although it was written long time ago, the stories are relevant today as were in those days. The phrase “the boy who cried wolf” has been used in many books or film, but rarely refers to the fable.From gluttony to philandering, wolf is synonym of bad deeds in children’s literature. For example, The three little pigs, Little red riding hood and many others stories.

Level of class: Elementary

Class time: Students have classes four times a week in a period of 80 minutes but they will have literature only once a week in a period of 45 minutes. This project is planned to be finished in three classes.

Work methodology: The students will work with their own copies of the story. The teacher will play the cd and after listening she will read for them to understand better. Some activities are planned to be

work in group of two. After finishing the book the teacher will show a short movie of the story. As final evaluation of the project the teacher will ask students to write a letter of advice to Homer.

Lesson 1Objectives:

Students will be able to enjoy learning literature.

Students will improve reading and listening skills.

Teacher will encourage them to tell stories of their own experience.

Teacher will encourage oral participation and share opinions.

Students will learn moral values about not telling lies.

Warm up: Teacher will ask students:

What do you do when you are bored?

Have you ever told a lie?

How do you feel when someone lied to you?

Activity 1:

During the class pupils will work in the classification of animals: Farm, zoo, pets.

FARM ZOO PETS

Previously students were asked to bring different magazines. They will cut animals from them. Then they will stick them in their notebooks.

Activity 2:Teacher will ask students to show their pictures to the rest of the class and will ask them to say which is their favourite.

Closure/round up:

If you were the shepherd, what would you have done differently?

Lesson 2Objectives:

Teacher will clarify parts of the story students do not understand.

Teacher will introduce new vocabulary Teacher will encourage participation and she

will reinforce speaking and listening abilities.

Warm up: Teacher will ask to students:

Why is important to tell the true?

Teacher will discuss with students the concept of lying with the group.

Teacher will give some examples of different situations in which were tempting to lie. They will have to give solution to these situations with a truthful explanation.

I broke my mum’s vase.

I didn’t do my homework.

Activity 1:

How would you describe the wolf?

How would you describe Homer?

Activity 2:

Teacher will ask students to coloured the picture according to the description given by Homer.

Closure/ round up:

As final activity teacher will ask students to retell the pages we have read during class.

Lesson 3Objectives:

Teacher will encourage students to identify the conflict or problem of the story.

Teacher will reinforce the vocabulary learned in previous lessons.

Students will reinforce the understanding of the tale by choosing the correct ending of the activity.

Warm up : Teacher will give students different pictures for them to find the six differences. She will divide in groups of two and they will have to work with each other and try to find the differences.

Task: Your partner’s picture is very similar to yours, but there are 6 small differences. Can you find each of them without looking at your partner’s picture, only by asking questions?

Example questions:

Is there a pear in your picture?

Is it light yellow?

Can you see a TV set?

Task: Your partner’s picture is very similar to yours, but there are 6 small differences. Can you find each of them without looking at your partner’s picture, only by asking questions?

Example questions:

Is there a pear in your picture?

Is it light yellow?

Can you see a TV set?

Activity 1:

Choose the correct ending to each sentence

Activity 2:

1. Homer does not like: to be alone to go to the hills which were far away. to live on a farm

2. The Homer cries “Wolf! Wolf!” because: he does not want to be alone he wants to have some fun he wants to keep his sheep safe

3. When the Homer cries “Wolf!” the third time, nobody come to help him because: the people think it is a joke the people don’t believe him the people don’t hear the boy’s cries

Teacher will ask students to retell the story with the beginning, middle, end and put the boxes in order. Then children will have to coloured the story in comic-strip boxes.

Activity 3:

Write a letter to Homer: What advice would you give to Homer?

Closure/ round up: Checking

Bibliography:

Material entregado en clase.

English Literature a survey for students by Anthony Burgess.

Material entregado por German Sierra en clase.