Module 5: Language through Literature

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Units in this module

Welcome to Module 5 — Language through Literature

Children’s literature is an important means of creating opportunities for communication and language development through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. It exposes students to real-life values and stimulates sustained interest in literature. This module presents collaborative and interactive activities to promote literature appreciation and language proficiency at the JSS level. Perhaps the most challenging part of teaching literature is developing the critical and creative potential of the students. The activities in this module will give you strategies to connect literature to students’ lives and the world at large.

Is this module for you?

This module is intended for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) at the JSS level, and especially for teachers who teach English language and literature courses.

Module objectives

The objectives of this module are to:

Objectives

  • create opportunities for your students to communicate effectively in English through exposure to children’s literature,

  • enable you to help your students absorb the values expressed in literature,

  • help you identify and use effective strategies to stimulate students’ interest in the extensive reading of literature,

  • help you organise collaborative and interactive tasks around children’s literature, and

  • use literature to develop a critical and creative use of language.

Module outcomes

Upon completion of Module 5 — Language through Literature you will be able to:

Outcomes

  • teach language through literature using diverse strategies,

  • stimulate interest in the extensive reading of literature,

  • organise collaborative and interactive tasks that facilitate language learning through literature, and

  • develop critical thinking and creative writing skills in students through exposure to a variety of literary texts.

Time frame

How long?

You will need approximately 15 weeks to finish this module — eight weeks for formal study and seven weeks for self-directed study — to complete all the activities recommended.

This is a distance learning programme, thus the time frame is flexible and largely self-directed.

Study skills

Study skills

As an adult learner your approach to learning will be different from that of your school days: you will choose what you want to study, you will have professional and/or personal motivation for doing so and you will most likely be fitting your study activities around other professional or domestic responsibilities.

Essentially you will be taking control of your learning environment. As a consequence, you will need to consider performance issues related to time management, goal setting, stress management, etc. Perhaps you will also need to reacquaint yourself with such things as essay planning, coping with exams and using the Web as a learning resource.

Your most significant considerations will be time and space; that is, the time you dedicate to your learning and the environment in which you engage in that learning.

We recommend that you take time now — before starting your self-directed study — to familiarise yourself with these issues. There are a number of excellent resources on the Web. For example:

The “How to study” website is dedicated to study skills resources. You will find links for tips on study preparation (a list of nine essentials for a good study place), taking notes, strategies for reading text books, using reference sources and coping with test anxiety.

This is the website of Virginia Tech’s Division of Student Affairs. You will find links to tips on time scheduling (including one called “Where Does Time Go?”), a study skill checklist, basic concentration techniques, how to take control of your study environment, note taking, how to read essays for analysis and tips on developing memory skills (“Remembering”).

Another “How to Study” website with useful links to learning about time management, efficient reading, questioning/ listening/observing skills, getting the most out of putting your knowledge into practice, memory building, staying motivated and developing a learning plan.

The above links are our suggestions to start you on your way. At the time of writing these Web links were active. If you want to look for more go to www.google.com and type “self-study basics,” “self-study tips,” “self-study skills” or a similar combination.

Need help?

Help

Contact your Google Group support email, SMS number or your tutor.

Group email: orelt_tutors@googlegroups.com

Assessment

Assessment

  • Each unit of this module consists of a self-assessment activity. The assessments are for self-development purposes and need not be submitted to anybody. The goal of the module is to develop your teaching-learning skills, not to test you.

  • Assessment is also meant to encourage you to think about and devise some innovative teaching practices that could make your teaching more exciting and relevant to your students.

  • All assessments are to be completed at the end of every unit. You may cross-check your answers with your colleagues.