IntroductionLiterature has always been recognised as a vital component of language learning. The new English language curriculum in Malaysia namely KSSR emphasizes on the importance formalises literatures inclusion in primary school. New methods will be utilised for teaching literature in schools to boost students confidence in the language. These include more production activities such as choral reading, acting out scenes from stories and producing works on different literary genres to enhance creativity among students.The English language curriculum for primary and secondary schools will take a modular approach. In addition to the four basic skills reading, writing, listening and speaking two new modules have also been introduced; grammar and language arts (which includes literature).Childrens literature can be defined as the material created for and widely read, viewed and heard by children, that has an imaginative element. Childrens Literature Childrens literature can be divided based on these genres: 1. Picture books2. Picture story books3. Traditional Literature4. Folktales5. Fairy Tales6. Fables7. Legends8. Myth9. Epic10. Historical Fiction11. Modern Fantasy12. Realistic Fiction13. Non fiction14. Biography15. Poetry and dramas16. Graphic Novels

Aims of Childrens Literature Programme To help pupils improve their English through reading simple fiction To provide a continuum for the literature component introduced in secondary school To create an enjoyable learning environment To instil and inculcate the reading habit among pupils. To enrich pupils vocabulary and language content. To enhance pupils thinking skills. To promote cultural understanding in the Malaysian context To improve English language proficiency of pupils. To provide lively, enjoyable and high-interest readings.

Roles of Literature in the Curriculum Standard for Primary SchoolsThe English language Curriculum Specifications stated that the aim of literature is not only meant to address the interpersonal, informational aesthetic value of learning but also the learning of the English language in general. The literature component in English is aimed at enhancing students language proficiency, and it is also geared for the purpose of generating the aesthetic part of the language that is personal response from students. Outlined with six learning objectives for the literature components, Cheng (2008) stated that the study of literature aids in language acquisition be developing the childrens awareness on how language works in communication and experiencing the form of narratives. It is also an attempt to curb the declining levels of achievement in standard assessment of English proficiency in recent years in primary schools (Basree, 2009). In line with the Contemporary Childrens Literature (CCL) Programs objectives and aims in the implementation, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has given good support in the implementation of childrens literature into the schools systems. Without the belief an support of the MOE in the importance of literature of literature as a component in the syllabus, the death of literature is a sure thing (Cheng, 2008) in the schools syllabus.According to the KSSR English Language Document (2011), the Language Arts in Year 1 and 2 will explore the power of story, rhyme, and song to activate pupils imagination and interest, thus encouraging them to use the English language widely. More importantly, this component will ensure that pupils will benefit from hearing and using language from fiction as well as nonfiction sources. It is hoped that teachers will use funfilled and meaningful activities so that pupils will gain a rich and invaluable experience in using the English language. When taught well, pupils will take pride in their success. They will also benefit strongly from consistent praise for effort and achievement by the teachers with the aim of making their learning as rewarding as possible. Pupils will also be encouraged to plan, prepare and produce simple creative works. In addition, the Language Arts module also provides pupils with the opportunity to integrate, experiment and apply what they have learnt in the other modules in fun-filled, activity-based and meaningful experiences.

Early Structured Reading Programme (ESRP)The Early Structured Reading Programme (ESRP) was first introduced in Malaysian schools in 2002. The programme is based on the UK Literary Hour approach and is referred to as the English Hour in Malaysian schools. The aim of the ESRP is to build among primary school pupils the ability to read in English with confidence. It is hoped that at the end of the ESRP pupils are able to: read fluently and understand what they read. use reading cues such as phonics, graphics, syntactic and contextual cues to help them read new words and to correct their own mistakes. Under the ESRP, the English Hour classroom time is structured into set activities every 15-20 minutes where teachers spend time reading with their pupils. The reading is conducted either as a whole class or in groups. Pupils are not required to read on their own before they are ready.

Under the Literacy English Hour of 60 minutes, teachers are required to do the following:

Under the ESRP, two sets of prescribed texts are used in the programme which comprises the following: Ladybird Series (54 Titles). Sound Start Series (38 Titles). The books are distributed to under achieving schools and schools that are located in remote areas. The number of titles distributed to each school is dependent on the number of pupils in the school. The following is a general criteria used by the MOE: 10 25 pupils 1 set 251 500 pupils 2 sets 501 750 pupils 3 sets 751- 1000 pupils 4 sets The ESRP is an early childrens literature programme which can be incorporated under the Language Arts Module.

Contemporary Childrens Literature Programme (CCLP) The Contemporary Childrens Literature Programme (CCLP) was implemented in all Malaysian primary schools in 2005 beginning with pupils in Year 4. It was extended to Year 5 students in 2006 and to Year 6 students in 2007. The CCLP is viewed as a follow-up to The Structured Reading Programme for Year 1 and Year 2 pupils and as a continuum of learning abilities for the literature component introduced in secondary schools. Under the CCLP teachers are required to allot one period in a week for the teaching and learning of literature in the ESL primary classroom. The main aims of the CCLP are as follows: To help pupils improve their English through reading simple fiction; and To provide a foundation for the literature component in secondary schools.

The CCLP is an intensive reading programme where pupils will be encouraged to complete reading three prescribed texts per year. The contemporary literature texts consist of works written after 1900. They also deal with every day or current issues that children face in their everyday lives. The texts selected included graded readers that consisted of short stories and poems. Under the CCLP, students are required to do the reading at home and discuss the book in class. Teachers are required to prepare and facilitate activities for three phases (Pre Reading, While Reading and Post Reading) to help keep track of students understanding and to help them consolidate and reflect on what they have read. While reading, teachers are also encouraged to bring students attention to both language use and literary devices such as the plot, the setting, the characters, the themes, messages and moral values. Teachers are also encouraged to utilise the reading texts for school based oral assessment and portfolio assessment activities (Sidhu, Chan & Kaur, 2010).

Different sets of texts are allocated for National and National Type Primary Schools. In the National schools, teachers are required to allocate one period a week for the teaching and learning of the literature component under the CCLP. For the National Type Primary Schools (Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools), literature is taught once a fortnight.

The Objectives include To instil and inculcate the reading habit among pupils; To enrich pupils vocabulary and language content; To enhance pupils thinking skills; To promote cultural understanding; To improve English Language proficiency of pupils and To provide lively and enjoyable reading.

The following are literary texts used in the Malaysian primary ESL classroom since 2004. This current cycle of book will end in 2014 for Year 4 school pupils.

Year 41. Tidy Your Room, Tanya! Pamela Rushby 2. Tales and Tails Hyacinth Gaudart 3. The Little Blue Boy Fatou Keita Danalis Distributors 4. Coral Bay Surprise Barbara & David Miller5. Everyone is Good At Something Peter Etherton 6. The Humble Prince Kumara Velu 7. Caught in the Act Patricia Sealey 8. The Old House Sandra Clayton 9. A Wise Man Chan Siew Mei

Year 51. Mr. Stoffles and the Painted Tiger Robin Mellor 2. Anansi and Turtle Share Dinner- Della Rowland 3. Poems in your Pocket Debbie Powell & Andrea Sakata4. What you Wish For Ann Thomas 5. The Walking Box and Other Stories Judy Ling 6. The Mirror Richard Brown& Kate Ruttle7. Changing Days Jill Eggleton 8. The Elves and the Shoemaker- Margaret Nash 9. The Race for the Cup Barbara Michelhill

Year 61. Dans Secret Weapon Theresa Rea 2. Clever Katya Julia Donaldson3. The Case of the Missing Math Teacher Suzanne Woyo 4. Shorty Christina Rule

The following are literary texts for the new cycle (Cycle 2) for Year 4 pupils in all national and national type primary schools in Malaysia (Table 2). This new cycle will commence for all Year 4 pupils in 2015. Poems 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

Short Story 1. The King of Kites by Judith Heneghan and Laure Fournier 2. Graphic Novel The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

In teaching Childrens Literature, we need to keep in mind that the pupil is central and an active recipient. Hence, activities conducted in the classroom should be interesting and help pupils engage interactively with the literary text. The MOE recommends that teachers conduct pre, while and post reading activities. The Pre-reading activities should help activate, motivate and prepare learners for the reading task and assess their background knowledge of the topic concerned. In fact, introducing a new book is an apt pre-reading activity as spending some time looking at the content of a book can spark students interest and can provide students with context that will help them engage with the material. The While-Reading Strategies should provide learners with a purpose and focus for reading so that they can understand the texts more comprehensively. These reading activities can also focus on developing learners linguistic proficiency and depending on their proficiency, these learners can be guided to delve deeper into the literary elements and devices within the text. The Post-Reading Strategies serve as take-off points for the learners to reflect and make connections with their personal experiences and real life situations. These reading strategies should also allow learners to venture into the creative and aesthetic realms and provide room for creativity, innovation and scope to discover the web of wonder that literature has to offer.

The following are some reading activities that allow learners to explore literary texts.

Pre-Reading Activities Brainstorming Activities Explore the front cover and look into aspects such as title, illustrations, genre, author, illustrator, publisher, ISBN, etc.

Prediction Activities Predict plot based on cover, content page heading, blurb, illustrations in text, chapter titles, etc. Guess the genre give some opening lines (poem or prose). Opening lines match opening lines of poem to title of poem - split poem.

Group discussions Group discussions in and out of class will help discover what pupils bring to the reading, what their fellow pupils bring as well as shared experiences.

Vocabulary Previews Many stories have topic specific vocabulary which may sometimes cause problems in comprehension. So prepare related exercises on thematic vocabulary to help pupils with unfamiliar key words. In short, specific vocabulary needs to be taught to pupils before reading so that new words, background information, and comprehension can improve together. For example, you can use activities to introduce names of animals in a particular story about animals.

Input cultural background Some stories have specific cultural settings and norms. Children are usually interested in exploring the differences between their own culture and the lives of children in other parts of the world. Hence, teachers need to conduct activities to help pupils get a lead-in to the storys cultural settings.

Author Consideration Depending upon the topic/content area, teachers can encourage discussions about the author of the particular work. This can aid pupils understanding in aspects such as: What is the author trying to say? What is his point of view and his reason for writing the particular work? What is he/she trying to say? What is his point of view and his reason for writing the particular work

Using the KWL Strategy: This is a good strategy and consists of three steps for pupils to use with a text: What do I Know? What do I Want to learn? What did I Learn?

While Reading Activities Read Aloud For young pupils the ideas on the page come alive when they are spoken. Therefore, reading text aloud provides a way to help them access the material and develop skills as active listeners. Listening will help young learners to become proficient readers and provide a model for fluent reading. Pupils will also learn to recognise how to pronounce unfamiliar words and slowly take the focus off the teacher as the only source of information.

Storytelling Telling a story is an art that is useful for teachers to acquire because of the pleasure it provides both to the teller and the audience. Teachers should first and foremost, select a suitable story. When sharing the story with pupils, teachers should observe their pupils responses and where possible encourage young learners to be storytellers.

Storyboard teaching strategy The storyboard teaching strategy is one sure way of getting pupils to keep track of main ideas and supporting details in a narrative by having them illustrate important scenes in a story. Storyboarding can be used when texts are read aloud, or it can be used to help pupils summarize and retain main ideas of a story they have read to themselves. Checking the thoroughness and accuracy of students storyboards is an effective way to evaluate reading comprehension before moving on to more analytical tasks.

Total Physical Response (TPR) With very young or active learners, a story can be mimed using TPR while the teacher reads or the children listen.

Characters and voices In reading a story there are numerous characters, and while reading, young learners can be encouraged to read the dialogue of the characters. Where possible at the start of the lesson, teachers can also model the reading of dialogues by different characters in different voices.

Vocabulary help If a child is reading individually at school or at home they can be taught to use the dictionaries to check on the meanings of unknown words. Vocabulary based activities can also be integrated in the literature lessons.

Shared Reading Shared Reading is an interesting activity as it prompts pupils to join in the reading of a big book or other enlarged text. Shared reading must be guided by the teacher or an experienced reader. During shared reading, the teacher must involve/engage the children in reading by pointing to or sliding below each word in the text. This provides children the opportunity to participate and behave like a reader. More importantly, Shared Reading creates a risk-free environment, allowing children to focus on the enjoyment of reading the story.

Role Play Role-playing can be seen as unstructured drama where pupils can be encouraged to look at the issue/topic from the perspective of a character. The teachers need to provide detailed instructions on the setting, context and the characters. Depending on the pupils ability, they can be given the choice to decide their characters' lines and directions.

Other activities With pupils who can read independently, teachers can conduct the following while-reading activities: Skimming/scanning. Cloze exercise. Sequencing events. Jig saw reading. Predicting outcomes. Writing / completing summaries. Information transfer (e.g. draw diagrams / graphs / maps / plans / complete a diagram / make or complete notes (e.g. tree diagrams / mind maps). Discussing literary elements such as characterisation, authors style, skill, and viewpoint, etc. Talking about characters. Language based, vocabulary and grammar based activities.

Post Reading Activities Quick Comprehension Check It is always a good idea to conduct a quick comprehension check to examine whether learners have comprehended the story, or answered/attempted questions at the end of each page of text. This may take the form of a few gist' questions about the text in oral form, asking children for a response e.g. why is this person sad, which character did the children like etc. This could be done in written/oral form.

Make a Poster/Illustrate the Story Pupils can be given the opportunity for some creative drawing and illustrations. For example, pupils can create a poster for a movie, design a new book cover, draw a poster for a missing person or even design a newsletter/flyer/brochure of an event in the story.

Stimulus for Writing Most stories usually lend themselves to acting as a stimulus for creative writing. Depending on the pupils language proficiency, pupils can be involved in guided writing activities such as writing a letter / poem or designing a birthday card, etc.

Role-play/Acting Out Interpreting stories as role-play can be as simple or complicated as you like. It could start with miming basic actions, then speaking or improvising dialogue. Teachers can also opt out for masks and face paints. Teachers may however, need to organise by moving furniture in the classroom or creating/providing simple props etc.

Readers Theatre Readers theatre is an effective activity which can help pupils process dilemmas experienced by characters in a text or tell a story in a most entertaining form, without props and costumes. Pupils should be encouraged to use intonation and gestures appropriate to their characters and their characters words. Readers theatre is a simple, effective and risk-free way to get children to enjoy reading and get a better understanding of the text. The more familiar pupils are with readers theatre, the more proficient they become at comprehending texts and looking into literary elements such as plot, theme, and moral values.

Text-to-text, text-to self, text-to-world Reading comes more meaningful and alive for children if teachers can provide opportunities to relate ideas in the text to their experiences and beliefs and other events happening in the larger world. This strategy can be used when reading all kinds of texts. Other Post Reading Activities Prepare a story map. Prepare a comic strip. Draw / illustrate a character you like and give two reasons. Recite a passage / dialogue / poem you liked or enjoyed. Retell the story from a different point of view / different ending. Asking questions for a radio interview / TV show. Design a new cover / Give the story a new title. Cut out words from newspapers and magazines for a word collage (which gives a feeling for the book) poster. Perform a choral reading activity based on the story.