Teaching YA Literature in the EFL Classroom handouts

Teaching Young Adult Literature in the EFL Classroom

Second Swiss Teacher Training Day - 5 July 2019; PH Zurich Franziska Zeller, English Teacher Trainer, IfE/LLBM, Zurich University

Overview

• What is young adult fiction?

• Why should we teach young adult fiction?

• How do we choose YA novels for our classes?

• How do we deal with YA novels in the EFL classroom?

• What are some perfect warmers (wrappers) for teens?

Why Teach Young Adult Fiction?

Why teach young adult fiction?

• because it’s fun!!!

• students relate to YA content and characters

• offer strategies for problem solutions

• expand knowledge of target culture &language

• for a sense of achievement (part of US / UK readership)

Why Teach Young Adult Fiction?

• motivate students to read on (extensively)

• improve in language skills / systems

• become faster readers

• connect reading with a positive experience

• set the basis for life-long learning (forming reading habits)

• for T: to find out more students (interests, worries, strengths)

Choosing YA Novels

How to choose novels for class teaching?

Then (pre-)select novels with regard to

• content (interesting? relevant? age-appropriate? offensive?)

• readability (linguistic complexity; cultural/literary background)

• presentation (font, number and length of chapters, edition)

• exploitability (teaching aims?)

How to Use Young Adult Fiction?

How can you use YA novels in the EFL classroom?

• class reading (intensive reading)

• in project form (fostering learner autonomy)

• as part of an extensive reading programme

• vary and combine these approaches

How to Use YA Novels - Warmers

Three Classic Warmers - With a Twist

• working with the title

• working with the cover

• working with chapter headings


Jumble up the words in the title:


Create an anagram of the title:

The Outsiders J.E. Hinton (1967)

They Both Die at the End Adam Silvera (2017)

Wonder R. J. Palacio (2012)

Paper Towns John Greene (2008)


Remove the vowels from the title:

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher (2007)

Numbers Rachel Ward (2008)

The Art of Being Normal Lisa Williamson (2015)

The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo (2018)


Three Classic Warmers - With a Twist

• working with the title

• working with the cover

• working with chapter headings


Do a jigsaw with the cover of different editions

Speculate on plot, characters, setting, tone, genre.


Compare the book covers of translations

… to speculate on plot, characters, setting, tone, genre.


Work with movie tie-ins


Three Classic Starters - With a Twist

• Working with the title

• Working with the cover

• Working with chapter headings


Working with chapter headings

• put the chapter headings into order

• use the chapter headings to write the story

• speculate on the ending


Example of chapter headings

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The Different Rules of Summer

Sparrows Falling From the Sky

The End of Summer

Remember the Rain

All the Secrets of the Universe


Put the (chapter) headings into

• the order you think is correct

• your preferred order

• the different parts of the book


Use the (chapter) headings to write the story

• write the story for parts / chapters of the book

• in pairs or groups (one chapter / part per group)

• read the full story as a class

• as a wrap-up, compare the book to your story


Speculate on the ending

• based on the last chapter heading

• write your preferred ending

• write your nightmare ending

Using YA Novels - Wrapping Up

Ways of wrapping up - Coming full circle

Look back at your initial speculations based on

• the title

• the cover

• the chapter headings


Example: using covers from different publishers

Now that you have read the book, which cover matches the book best? Why? How would you design the cover?


Other ways of wrapping up

• create a tagxedo / wordart / wordl

• find a song

• illustrate a key scene

• create a kahoot

• write a haiku

connected to the plot, characters, tone, atmosphere, setting, …


Guess the novel from the haiku:

Fight against cancer.Unforgettable friendship.

In love forever.

Writing everythingWho are you: the one I love?

The truth is out now.


Solution:Fight against cancer.

Unforgettable friendship.In love forever.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Writing everythingWho are you: the one I love?

The truth is out now.Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertally

Choosing and Using YA Novels

SOURCES:

Anderson, Lorin and David Krathwohl). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing. Pearson, 2013.

Bamford, Julian, and Richard R. Day. Extenisve Reading Activities for Teaching Language. Cambridge, 2004.

Bushman, John H., and Kay Parks Haas. Using Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom. Pearson, 1993.

Collie, Joane, and Stephen Slater. Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Duff, Alan, and Alan Maley. Literature. Oxford University Press, 2007.

Hattie, John. Visible Learning for Teachers. Routledge, 2012.

Hayn, Judith. Teaching Young Adult Fiction Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher, 2nd edition. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2017.

---. Teaching Young Adult Fiction Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teacher, 1st edition. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2012.

Choosing and Using YA Novels

Hayn, Judith. Teaching Young Adult Literature: Integrating, Implementing, and Re-Imagining the Common Core. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2015.

Hesse, Mechthild. Teenage Fiction in the Active Language Classroom. Klett, 2009.

Lazar, Gillian. Literature and Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Montgomery, Martin et al. Ways of Reading. Routledge, 2007.

Nuttall, Christine. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language. Heinemann, 1995.

Osterwalder, Hans. Teaching Contemporary English Literature: A Task-based Approach. V&R unipress, 2017.

Scrivener, Jim. Learning Teaching. Macmillan, 2005.

Showalter, Elaine. Teaching Literature. Blackwell, 2003.

More Ideas on How to Use YA

!

Teaching Objectives:

• working on plot / themes

• working on characters

• working on setting and culture

• working on language systems (vocabulary, grammar, functions)

• working on language skills (receptive and productive)

Teaching a YA novel: Objectives

Working on plot / themes:

• warmers to get back into the story:

anagrams, gapped summaries, crossword puzzles, pictures, T/F,…

• dealing with the plot / themes after the warmer:

questions, discussions, role plays, freeze frames, …

• use Bloom / Andersen and Krathwohl: Nilsen and Donelson


Working on characters:

• set up and gradually expand character diagram

• how has / will / would you like X (to) change(d)?

• role plays - add characters if you wish

• who’s your (least) favourite character?

• what would you do if you were Y?


Working on culture and setting - examples:

• The Curious Incident

• places in the UK (Swindon, London, Dover, etc)

• UK school system (GCSE, A-levels)

• the Tube system in London

• humour



• The Giver

• Utopias vs Dystopias

• Thirteen Reasons Why and Monument 14

• The US School System

• Monument 14

• Aspects of Consumerism (Target, brands)



• The Part-Time Indian:

• Native Americans (TED-talks, maps, www.history.com)

• THUG

• African American identity (Jordans, hair, language)

• Black Lives Matter Movement

• music (rap)


Use YA novels to work on language systems

• grammar (reported speech, conditionals, narrative tenses)

• vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, word formation, metaphors)

• pronunciation (BrE/AE accents, varieties, AAVE, sociolects)

• functions (dis/agreeing, politeness, holding/taking the floor)


Use YA novels to work on language skills

• receptive skills: listening and reading

• productive skills: speaking and writing


Working on language skills: reading

• close reading

• skimming

• scanning

• reading speed

• reading across genres (poems, newspaper articles, short stories)


Working on language skills: speaking

• monologues, dialogues, conversations in groups

• accuracy vs fluency


Working on language skills: writing

• T/F statements for mingling activity

• comprehension and discussion questions

• diary entries

• alternate endings

• filling the gaps in the text - adding scenes / scripts

Documents

Teaching YA Literature in the EFL Classroom handouts