JUNIOR

CERTIFICATE

ENGLISH

Guidelines for Teachers

INTRODUCTION

T h e ideas a n d approaches n e w to some teachers: radical. Essentially

outlined i n these Guidelines they m a y appear Certificate

will not b e

to others the Junior

unfamiliar and

syllabus and practice of the constituency of

methodologies

are a n attempt to build o n the best diversified

past t o meet the challenge of a highly students. context Creative, integrated English

teaching c a n provide a rich

for classroom work, occasioned

easing the stress and resentment courses. his/her The n e w enthusiasm

frequently English

b y limited a n d prescribed

syllabus

invites the teacher to express

i n a professional students.

context, i n dialogue with the needs o f specific

Ideally, These them.

guidelines

should arise out o f tested affirmation

classroom

practice.

Guidelines h a v e that It is hoped

and pedigree

supporting made

teachers w i l l t r y o u t the

recommendations

here in their o w n that the Guidelines

classrooms a n d report back their

experiences s o

c a n b e revised i n the light o f those encounters.

CONTENTS

Introduction The Content of the Junior Certificate English Syllabus

What i s t o be t a u g h t ? F i r s t Year E n g l i s h S e c o n d Year English T h i r d Year English

Page

1 3 9 14

Classroom

Approaches
Talking Listening Reading Writing D r a m a - an 17 26 31 38 49

Introductory

Note

Syllabus Units
Designing a Syllabus Sample Units Unit 53 55

Select Bibiliography on the Teaching of English

88

(i) -

FOREWORD

There is a recognition of the need for guidelines implement guidelines programme her new syllabuses for the Junior

to help teachers These

Certificate.

are now being issued to schools as part of a wider of support. The Minister for Education wishes to express

appreciation of the work of the National Council for Curriculum of

and Assessment, of the members of the various course committees, the Education have Officers appointed by the Council and of others who

contributed to the development of these materials - in the Inspectorate of her Department and the presenters courses held in Spring 1989.

particular,

and participants at the in-service

These

guidelines are not prescriptive.

Each individual

teacher is

free to choose his or her preferred achievement of the specified These

teaching

methodology for the

objectives and desired outcomes of each offer some suggestions which may be

new syllabus.

guidelines

of further help to teachers. of knowledge, understanding,

Particular attention is paid to areas skills, concepts and attitudes which

the new syllabus

highlights more than heretofore.

In that context,

it is considered

desirable to stress some

important

features which should syllabus -

inform the teaching and learning of the new

each syllabus should be taught with conscious overall front aims of the Junior Numerous Certificate

reference to the (see inside cross-curriculum teacher

programme

cover).

opportunities exist for through

linkages: planning

these should be exploited and through individual

collective

teacher

initiative;

teaching cultural Community provides

practice should highlight implications of Ireland's and the challenges

the economic,

social and

membership of the European which this Subjects such particularly should

and opportunities

within a wider context of citizenship. Studies and History and Geography are subject-teaching

as Business important

in this sense but all

incorporate

this European dimension.

( i i )

in Geography and in Science, it is important that issues relating to the environment be treated in a balanced between the need to conserve and protect the natural and legitimate activity. demands of economic fashion as environment

development and industrial

These

guidelines are but one part of an overall progran~ne of support It is envisaged, for example, that in-service courses

for teachers.

will focus on many issues which are raised in these guidelines.

The National individual develop

Council for Curriculum and Assessment will consult with Associations as to how best they might expand, preliminary lists of references and contacts These references computer software and

Subject

and update

which have been drawn up by course would include books, other such material; particular Subject videos,

committees.

teaching-packs,

teachers are advised to contact their Association for further information.

SECTION A

The C o n t e n t o f the J u n i o r C e r t i f i c a t e English Syllabus

1
WHAT IS TO BE TAUGHT?
At the centre of the syllabus is a series of skills, and attitudes which give positive directions for the of Junior Cycle English. These skills, concepts and are outlined for each year of the programme. These (with are essentially some additions) in the the same skills, which were taught context of prescribed concepts for the texts. that teachers are to achieve the teachers are of in nor literary Lists this of concepts teaching attitudes

and attitudes Intermediate

Certificate

The major difference in this new syllabus is free to choose their own texts and materials objectives of the programme. In their choice expected to choose materials genre along with other print material appropriate to each handbook. exhaustive. Teachers These lists are from a wide range and media material. year are outlined neither prescriptive

should

design

their

own

programme chosen

appropriate texts with

to skills

their students and concepts A syllabus literature (Texts, purpose Over teach the six

by integrating in syllabus units.

freely

unit and

is a selection of language organised Language to a part

concepts and skills about a chosen focus

in

Theme, Genre, and direction three years substantial and planned

forms/functions) of a programme teachers Units level

which gives in English. ar~ should of expected be the to

of the progra,l1me syllabus units. to suit the ability

designed students.

Typically then a teacher with his/her colleagues Over that the the

might plan in English)

a course (in in a variety teacher all the

co-ordLnation of ways. should literary ensure genre and on the social

three years of the students repeatedly prose, ploys, in a variety

course the encounter

(poetry, material)

novels, of units. unit will of student of language.

short stories The choice, be very needs in

and media 6tructure

approach in a syllabus teacher's perception and cultural domains

For example

much dependent the personal,

Teacher

A may

choose

Three Two One

fiction drama units mass media drama fiction language

units unit

Teacher

B may

choose

Three Two One

units units unit

- 2 -

Teacher

C m a y choose Three thematic units T w o language units O n e poetry u n i t D m a y choose O n e One One One One One E m a y choose O n e One One Two One m e d i a unit thematic unit language unit poetry u n i t short story unit fiction unit local studies unit prose unit poetry unit fiction units drama unit

Teacher

Teacher

lllustrative examples o f a variety of units a r e contained i n Section C o f these Guidelines. T h e variations i n unit choice a r e endless. B u t because o f t h e integrated approach advocated, e a c h teacher irrespective of the units chosen w i l l cover the same concepts and skills a t a level appropriate t o his/her students, through the text's a n d materials they h a v e chosen. Assessment w i l l b e based o n the student's ability t o use the skills listed a n d t o demonstrate a n understanding of the concepts listed. T h e approach to assessment w i l l reflect a n d reinforce the philosophy o f the syllabus.

3
,,[U.Q'l! {[~4..a. ~MCLICtl

Targets

and

Activities from first to second level education, of the English course should be develop, and refine the language that themselves. building and the The orientation of student's confidence personal, first in

To facilitate the transition students in the first year encouraged to use, explore, most year and immediate teaching cultural and will in contexts.

is

closest to be towards of

language-use

a range

concrete

familiar

social

LANGUAGE Students of: the the forms basic and structures of sentences and paragraphs should be confirmed and developed in their understanding

punctuation awareness
of spelling

conventions e.g.
patterns

language
a range

nounst

adjectivest

verbs

and

adverbs

sense

of

register

and

audience

LITERATURE
Students should be able to use these concepts and terms with understanding to facilitate the expression of their personal response to literary experiences or media experiences. These concepts will provide an overall framework for the teaching of wide range of literary or media genre. The treatment of these concepts concerned. hero/heroine/villain conflictst point-of-view characters and relationships tensionst climax must allow for the ability and aptitude of the students

scenes
sounds, style

and story-shape
textures and word and selection rhythms of words

sensationalism
Students neither definition. teacher, and class

and realism
concepts nor in of the language form of and literature absolute by the material

should encounter these as isolated abstractions to These facilitate

concepts should be introduced gradually students' personal interaction with of material.

discussion

the a b o v e

the

conceptual c o r e should b e integrated w i t h a selection following range of language activities. SKILLS to report another person's anecdote.

from

O R A L A N D AURAL Students tell

should b e encouraged personal anecdote;

engage i n conversation a n d topical issues. t a l k o n telephone; g i v e a n d receive

i n pairs a n d small groups o n familiar

report

telephone

conversation.

instructions

and directions. places a n d people. level. and radio material.

describe a n d report o n events,

interview a n d question a t a factual comment o n appropriately chosen

television

participate in interpretative o r a l approaches to literary experiences, e.g. group-readings, choral verse a n d scriptreading improvise in simple dramatic situations

discuss

aspects of other students' w r i t t e n work.

READING Students

SKILLS should b e encouraged to purposes.

read o w n written w o r k foe revising a n d editing

read other students' written w o r k for the purposes o f commentary a n d revision. read silently for a v a r i e t y o f particular purposes, e.g. gather facts, s e e k information, find evidence, discover details, establish viewpoint, g i v e affective/imaginative response. u s e a range o f encyclopaedias, reference resources, e.g. timetables, catalogues. dictionaries, indices,

read newspapers and journals attending to the words, images a n d general presentation. v i e w television programmes attending t o the words, images a n d general presentation.

selectivity o f

selectivity o f

r e a d a n d respond to a range of literary genre; develop a n d awareness o f the significance o f sound, texture a n d rhythm. respond to cloze-testing and sequencing procedures.

- 5 WRITING SKILLS procedures involved

Students should b e introduced to the four basic i n a l l substantial writing contexts: Prewriting: Writing: Rewriting: Editing:

discussion, m a k i n g notes, brainstorming, drafting. first rough draft, initial p l a n and paragraphing. redraft and revise as necessary. proofreading for errors i n style, syntax, spelling, a n d punctuation.

Students should b e encouraged to engage i n these procedures continually so they come to experience that the writing process is a thinking process. T h e a c t of writing is to b e seen a s a n exploratory process - the student can, through words discover his/her o w n ideas, feelings a n d viewpoint. Writing is a t best a process of self-definition i n relation to a g i v e n topic o r subject. Students should b e w r i t t e n discourse: . . give encouraged t o engage i n the following forms o f

information i n short cogent notes. captions, headlines and titles. forms.

compose

fill i n a variety o f report o n event.

application

describe i n a variety o f forms places, w r i t e personal information. keep letter; write letter

events, and people.

requesting/giving

journal/diary o n a range o f experiences. narrative about self; compose fictional

write coherent narrative. write simple

dialogue o r

play-script.

write in simple v e r s e forms. review literature read privately o r read in class. material a n d videos.

review films,

television

write commentary a n d g i v e response to aspects o f literary a n d m e d i a experiences. engage i n word-play t o increase familiarity with the linguistic conventions o f spellings, punctuation, grammar a n d syntax.

- 6 Some Suggested Resources

A.

NOVELS

The Midnight Fox The Eighteenth Emergency

B. Byars B. Byars T. Hughes A. Sperry F. Heide J. Steinbeck

The Iron Man The Boy Who Was Afraid The Shrinking of Treehorn The Red Pony T h e Cay I am David The Twelfth of July Kes The Children of the Oregon Trail The Summer of My German Soldier Henry's Log The Eagle of the Ninth The Ghost of Thomas Kempe The Whispering Knights

T. Taylor A. Holm J. Lingard B. Hines R. Van der Loeff B. Greene A. Pilling R. Sutcliffe P. Lively P. Lively C. Sefton R. Westall P. Carter P. Wrightson

In a Blue Velvet Dress The Machine Gunners

Under Goliath The Nargun and the Stars The Great Gilly Hopkins Jacob, Have I Loved Bridge to Terabithia

K. Paterson K. Paterson K. Paterson M. Taylor C.S. Lewis J. V. Marshall J. R. Tolkien P. O'Shea R. Dahl M. Magorian V. Canning W. Macken W. Macken M. Mullen E. Dillon U. O'Connor S. Townsend R. Godden

Role of Thunder, Hear my Cry The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Walkabout The Hobbit The Hounds of the Morrigan Danny, Champion of the World Mr. Tom

Goodnight, The Runways

Flight of the Doves Island of the Great Yellow Ox Viking Princess The Coriander Irish Tales and Sagas The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole The Diddakoi

-7-

B.

ANTHOLOGIES OF SHORT STORIES

Meetings

and Partings

M. Marland (Longman Imprint) M. Marland (Longman Imprint) Bill Naughton (Puffin) P. Donlon & p. Egan (O'Brien Press) James Berry (Puffin) A. Martin (Gill & Macmillan) Phillipa P. Pearce G. Layton (Longman) Pearce (Puffin)

Loves, Hopes and Fears The Goalkeeper's Revenge The Lucky Bag A Thief in the Night Exploring English i

The Shadow Cage What the Neighbours Did The Fib and Other Sto~ies The Balaclava Story and Other Stories

G. Layton (Longman)

I Like This Story (novel extracts) Tales from the Edge of the World Story Plus Books i & 2 The Wild Ride and other Scottish Stories G. Jarvie (Puffin) M. Riley (BBC) R. Jones (Heinemann Ed) K. Webb (Puffin)

The Genius and other Irish Stories The Pedlar's Revenge and Other Stories L. O'Flaherty G. Jarvie (Puffin)

C.

POETRY ANTHOLOGIES

*Golden

Apples

Fiona Waters

(Heinemann)

I Like This Poem *A Puffin Book of Verse The Puffin Book of Magic Verse *The Wolfhound Book of Irish Verse Exploring English 3

Kay Webb (Puffin) E. Graham (Puffin) C. Causley (Puffin)

Quinn & Cashmann A. Martin (Gill)

(Wolfhound)

I Like That Stuff You'll Love This Stuff

Ed. Morag Styles (Cambridge) Ed. Morag Styles (Cambridge)

- 8 -

PoetrYAnthologies

contd.

*Poems

M.

Harrison & C.

Stuart-Clarke (Oxford)

Poem 2

M.

Harrison & C.

Stuart-Clarke (Oxford)

* T h e N e w D r a g o n B o o k of V e r s e

C. Harrison

& C.

Stuart-Clarke (Oxford)

T h e Rattle B a g T h e Lore a n d Language of School Children

Heaney

& Hughes (Faber)

lona & Peter O p i e (Oxford University Press)

T h e Poolbeg B o o k o f Irish Verse Touchstones Books i, 2 & 3

Sean M a c M a h o n (Poolbeg) M . Benton & P. Benton

* Suitable

for class

anthology if resources a l l o w

D.

DRAMA

T h e Windmill (6 one-act

Series plays) (Heinemann) Edward Arnold

P l a y T e n - I 0 short plays It's your choice Six role-playing exercises

Michael S.

L y n c h (Edward

Arnold) Educ.)

Drama W o r l d Series Plays Plus Series

Fitzpatrick

(Cambridge

(Collins Scher Scher

Educational) (Heinemann) (Heinemann)

100+ Ideas for D r a m a Another 1 0 0 + Ideas F o r Drama

& Verrall & Verrall

- 9 SECOND Y E A R ENGLISH Targets a n d Activities consolidate

During the Second Y e a r o f the course, students should the progress m a d e throughout the First Year through

repetition o f the skills i n m o r e challenging contexts development of a richer understanding of the concepts encountered exploration and application of these concepts in different contexts

While the First Y e a r emphasises language use in informal situations, a n d while this should remain important, the Second Year should challenge the students in more formal and demanding language situations LANGUAGE: Students of: should b e confirmed a n d developed i n their understanding

the forms a n d compositions. the basic

structures o f paragraphs a n d of more

extended

punctuation spelling

conventions patterns audience and purpose suffixes, root-words,

m o r e complex more

challenging

sense o f register, prefixes,

language awareness, e.g. pronouns, prepositions LITERATURE:

Students should b e able t o u s e these concepts a n d terms w i t h understanding to facilitate the expression o f their personal response to literary experiences o r m e d i a experiences These concepts w i l l provide a n overall framework for the teaching o f a wide range o f literary o r m e d i a genre T h e treatment o f these concepts m u s t a l l o w for the ability a n d aptitude of the students concerned contrast narrative character voice development a n d motivation

beginnings a n d endings mood, style, atmosphere, tone, imagery and setting i n all literature

word-pattern a n d verbal choice,

i -

romance short-story, novel and play a s literary forms

Students should encounter these concepts of language a n d literature neither a s isolated abstractions nor in the form of absolute definition These concepts should b e introduced gradually b y the teacher, to facilitate students' personal interaction w i t h material a n d class discussion of material. This conceptual core should be integrated w i t h a selection following range of language activities. O R A L A N D A U R A L SKILLS Students should b e encouraged to from the

Re-use

the First Y e a r activities fictional) t o g r o u p o r class:

Tell story (autobiographical o r record a n d dramatise narrative.

Engage i n reasoned debate o n agreed topic: p u t forward opinion or hypothesis and support w i t h evidence. L i s t e n to other presentations a n d attempt to d e v e l o p counter arguments. G i v e short public speech o r presentation o n personally chosen topic. D e a l w i t h questions o n the topic f r o m class audience. M a k e radio documentary w i t h others o n agreed topic. A s k questions i n public addressed to peers o r invited speakers. Questions m a y b e litecal initially but should t r y t o m o v e into the areas o f interpretation, evaluation a n d speculation. Cotament on, explore, interpret a n d evaluate m e d i a experiences. Discuss a n d re-create orally language strategies encountered i n the m a s s media. Participate i n a m o r e experiences. sustained oral presentation of literary

Improvise m o r e extended conversation i n m o r e complex situations. Attempt more challenging role-plays. Attempt theatrical presentations o f short scenes from texts.

R E A D I N G SKILLS Students should b e encouraged to First Y e a r activities.

Revise a n d

readdress

R e a d silently for a m o r e sustained period o f time f o r specific purposes, for pleasure, information, evidence. Engage i n private independent reading i n fictional a n d non-fictional prose. Report to class o n material read.

i -

Read newspapers, journals, magazines attending t o viewpoint, assumptions, accuracy o f reporting a n d style o f language. Contrast a n d evaluate the approach o f a range o f print-media. Comment on u s e of illustrations, cartoons and photographs.

V i e w T V programmes attended to the implicit values a n d assumptions presented. Comment o n a n d evaluate the purpose of a variety o f T V programmes. Read widely i n a range of literary genre. o f the significance and impact of imagery, mood a n d setting. WRITING SKILLS should be encouraged to to develop craft o f writing. Develop a n awarensss atmosphere, tone,

T h e student

Write a n d rewrite,

Write a report o n given topic. Write a range of formal letters, condolence, inquiry, gratitude. Devise application membership. Devise items. e.g. invitation, application,

forms f o r specific

purposes e.g. for job,

advertisements

brochures

for a range o f purposes a n d

Write m o r e complex narratives w i t h m o r e than two characters. U s e specific setting a n d create mood. Write Write descriptive essay o n chosen topic.

argumentative e s s a y o n chosen topic. alternative scenes i n literary texts.

Compose

W r i t e i n literary

forms about a range o f experiences. significance o f a range o f

W r i t e commentaries a n d evaluate literary a n d m e d i a experiences.

Some Further Suggested

-1

Resources - Second Year

Carrie's War The Fox in Winter The First of Midnight The Village by the Sea The Granny Project The Slave Dancer A Mouse and his Child A Wrinkle in Time A Wizard of Earth Sea The Changeover Z for Zachariah Island of the Strangers Shane Josh Ash Road Song for a Dark Queen Warrior Scarlet

Nina Bawden (Puffin) .John Branfield Marjorie Anita (Puffin)

Darke (Puffin)

Desai (Puffin)

Anne Fine (Puffin) Paula Fox (Puffin) Russell Madelene Hoban L'Engle (Puffin)

Ursula Le Guin (Puffin) Margaret Robert Mahy (Magnet) O'Brien (Armada)

Catherine

Sefton (Puffin) (Puffin) (Puffin) (Knight) (Puffin)

,lack Schaefer Ivan Southall

Ivan Southall Rosemary Rosemary Penelope

Sutcliffe Sutcliffe Lively

A Stitch in Time Let the Circle be Unbroken A Solitary Blue Talking in Whispers

Mildren Taylor (Puffin) Cynthia James James Robert Voight (Collins)

Watson Watson

(Armada) (Armada) (Puffin)

The Freedom Tree The Scarecrows

Westall

13

Poetry & Short

Stories: A s i n First Y e a r lists.

Drama

T h e Tinker's Riders

Wedding

J. M. Synge J. M. Synge S. O'Casey T. M u r p h y W. B. Yeats A. Chekov W. W. W. W. Shakespeare Shakespeare Shakespeare Shakespeare Schaefer

to the S e a

T h e Shadow o f a Gumnan O n the Outside The P o t of Broth T h e Proposal Julius Caesar

T h e Merchant of Venice H e n r y IV P I Romeo & Juliet

T h e Royal Hunt o f the Sun

Peter

4 -

THIRD Y E A R ENGLISH Targets a n d Activities

T h e Third Y e a r involves re-encountering a t m o r e challenging levels, a l l the skills and concepts encountered during t h e first two years. A t this level it would b e expected that the student should b e able to exhibit m o r e confidence, expertise a n d understanding in a l l the domains o f language experience. Students w i l l have encountered a broad range o f skills a n d concepts during the previous two years. This year should b e seen a s providing the opportunity t o exercise a n d a p p l y the expertise gained and so build u p confidence i n his/her o w n response and ability to u s e words accurately a n d appropriately. LANGUAGE Students should b e confirmed a n d developed i n their ability to -

develop basic vocabulary to discuss language use: the grammatical terms, a n d such terms a s phrase, connotation, cliche, synonym, register, audience. identify recognise register. manipulative language techniques. use o f style a n d

appropriate a n d

inappropriate

b e aware of LITERATURE

strategies

for spelling and

punctuation

procedures.

Students should b e able to u s e these concepts and terms w i t h understanding, to facilitate the expression o f their personal response t o literary experiences o r media experiences. These concepts w i l l provide a n overall framework for the teaching o f a w i d e range o f literary o r m e d i a genre. T h e treatment o f these concepts m u s t allow for the ability a n d aptitude o f the students concerned. plot comedy tragedy satire pathos melodrama theatre lyrical and narrative tone a n d irony symbolism

Students should encounter these concepts o f language a n d literature neither a s isolated abstractions n o r i n the form o f absolute definitions. T h e s e concepts should b e introduced gradually b y the teacher, t o facilitate students' personal interaction w i t h material and c l a s s discussion o f material.

5 from the

Thisconceptual core should b e integrated w i t h a selection following range o f language activities ORAL A N D AURAL SKILLS T h e student should b e encouraged to
-

Talk a n d listen i n a wide range of contexts both formal and informal, including a l l activities suggested for first and second year. READING Students should b e encouraged to chronological, spatial, order

Identify types o f logical order, o f importance.

Identify a writer's purpose in a given passage, to inform, entertain, persuade, inspire. D r a w conclusions, predict outcomes and suggest implications. third

Be aware o f narrative stance o f author, person, varied, omniscient. Distinguish between fact and opinion.

first person,

Identify i n material encountered forms o f stereo typing, sex, age, race occupation, nationality, religion. WRITING Students should b e encouraged to compositions in a wide range o f contexts. purpose a n d

Write m o r e extended S h o w clear register.

awareness o f variety of audience,

16

Some Further

Suggested

Resources - Third Year

Things

Fall Apart

C. Achebe J. Austen C. Dickens E. Hemingway J. Johnston J. Knowles H. Lee B. McLaverty B. McLaverty E. O'Brien M. Spark J. Steinbeck

Pride and Prejudice Oliver Twist

The Old Man and the Sea How many miles to Babylon A Separate Peace To Kill a Mocking Bird Lamb Cal The Country Girls The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Of Mice and Men The Day of the Triffids Fahrenheit 451

J. Wyndham R. J. Bradbury Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath Cry, The Beloved Country

A. Paton

Poetry/Short

Stories: As in First Year.

Drama Resources: As in Second Year.

SECTION B

Classroom Approaches

CLASSROOM APPROACHES TO TALKING

Stance W h e n the student enters the first year o f post-primary school, i t i s o f fundamental importance that respect be shown for his/her personal accent and individual register. I t w o u l d b e inappropriate t o impose a n absolute standard o f correctness o n all speech activity i n the classroom isolated f r o m its purpose, audience a n d situation. Each English teacher w i l l have to decide his/her stance i n the context b u t flexibility m a y achieve m o r e f o r language growth i n the long t e r m t h a n adherence to a dogmatic position i n a l l circumstances. T h e r o l e o f the English teacher is not to reject a student's language register but to extend language options a n d h e l p him/her t o g a i n access to a s wide a range o f registers a s possible. B a s i c Principles T h e emphasis i n the syllabus o n developing the student's skill i n talking offers a n opportunity for teachers to engage i n m u c h interesting work. Success i n this area is v e r y m u c h dependent o n creating a n appropriate context for talk

giving w e l l directed emphasising tangible

tasks results and outcomes.

planning A s w i t h a l l language, growth i n talking skills w i l l o n l y occur w h e n the students feel there is a real purpose to the activity Students engaging i n discussion i n a r a n d o m unstructured manner a r e achieving nothing. It isn't a m a t t e r o f the teacher sitting b a c k and letting t h e m a t it - it is essentially necessary for the teacher t o p l a n a course covering a range o f skills, purposes, registers a n d audiences, pzovided b y the Activity Programme outlined for that year. Tasks Effective w o r k i n developing talking skills c a n take place i n the three domains o f language. Typical tasks m i g h t b e a s follows: Personal . Domain:

Brainstorm (speculate randomly aloud) o n g i v e n issues; E n g a g e in dialogue for a v a r i e t y o f purposes; Respond emotionally a n d imaginatively t o literary experiences; Tell anecdote; Role-play i n imagined personal a n d interactive contexts.

Social .

Domain:

Interview adult; M a k e presentation to group o r class o n chosen topic; Formulate to questions, opinions, arguments; M a k e formal phone-call for information; Role-play in a series of formal, social roles e.g. interview for position, speeches o f welcome, gratitude, condolence, etc. Domain:

Cultural

M a k e oral presentation i n a range of literary and media genre; Speak verse individually, i n pairs, i n groups; R e a d aloud i n a n interpretative m a n n e r f r o m texts; Develop elementary skills of reader's theatre; M a k e recording o f presentations a n d present to other groups

Obviously this listing is n o t exhaustive but it serves to indicate the diversity o f tasks which a r e possible. Teacher's Role

I n m a n y cases developing talking skills implies a re-grouping o f the usual class structure a n d a change i n the role of the teacher i n relation to the students. Fundamentally, the teacher m u s t try t o speak less and listen more. The role o f the teacher changes from being the source of answers, information a n d meaning to that of facilitator and motivator of student learning. The students are engaged i n actively making m e a n i n g rather than accepting received meaning f r o m the teacher. T h e teacher's role then is t o create the context, g i v e the purpose and direction of the activity and b e available to guide, speculate, question and suggest. This is a m o s t sophisticated role requiring m u c h creative listening a n d opportunistic intervention. Teachers unused to this type o f approach w i l l not become instantly proficient in this role. It is, nevertheless, a role that is learnt b y doing a n d gradually developing a personal technique o f management and discipline. Student Role

Students a r e being challenged i n m o r e direct terms within the classroom than h a s previously occurred. This involves the teachers appraising the students o f the need for mutual respect a n d attempting t o build a n atmosphere of civil co-operation within the classroom. (This is o f fundamental importance obviously f o r the development o f listening skills). Easier said than done. Perhaps i n some cases it is g o i n g to take a long time. T h e success i n achieving this desired class co-operation depends v e r y m u c h o n the nature and direction of the tasks given in t h e first place. If the students don't perceive the task a s real and meaningful then there is little hope o f success. The use of diversity o f audience and the statement of a clear purpose for a l l oral w o r k is also decidedly helpful.

9 -

GETTING STARTED
Initially each teacher w i l l have to decide what he/she c a n manage keeping i n m i n d the nature a n d aptitudes o f the students b e i n g taught: some m i g h t find it best to start w i t h individual anecdotes, others w i t h pairs, others w i t h groupwork. Because the student needs time to g r o w into this a s well, the informal structure o f pairs o r small groups (3 o r 4) will b e the most suitable place to begin. [It should also involve very little disruption o f desks a n d class furniture - a n important consideration].
Pair or group work

I n approaching such w o r k a f e w basic ground rules (endlessly adaptable to individual circumstances of teacher, pupil and classroom) might b e useful. Teachers should,

Plan pairs/groups beforehand (useful for discipline purposes) Appoint (or g e t them to choose) a chairperson, recorder, presenter i n e a c h group. These roles should v a r y so e a c h student experiences each role o n different occasions; e a c h role involves a different verbal challenge a n d a learning opportunity for the students. Give definite (but reasonable) time span for tasks: don't let it dawdle on, better to chop than leave it linger to a s l o w and unsatisfactory end. Outline definite task (or series of tasks) for group. Specify quite clearly outcome required. It is best to put these instructions o n display (on black-board/overhead/work card) otherwise the instructions a r e quickly misremembered, misinterpreted o r just n o t followed. Typical tasks might be as follows, (a) Answer certain questions - v a r y standard of questions accordingly to context a n d ability: suggest literal, interpretative, appreciative, evaluative approaches a s appropriate. (b) Compose questions - again v a r y standard o f question expected from group: b e g i n with the literal but if possible urge them o n to m o r e speculative questions. (c) F o r m a n opinion - having presentation. read o r listened to a text o r

(d) Gather evidence - from text: e.g. b rochdres. (e) Compose Joint Narrative

newspapers,

magazines,

(f) P l a n argument - take u p position a n d justify it. (g) P l a n procedures a n d instructions

-20
lh) PrQO~rQ work.
Plan

or intGrprGtation of literary

or~l

pr~c~nt~tion

(i)

improvisation.

(j) Always teacher ensure

Prepare

advertisement

for

particular

item. someone: time to

allow sufficient should circulate something is

time for outcome to be heard by to all groups during discussion

happening! but it is not always worthwhile talk".

Obviously work like this is a sufficient end in its~lf also ideal preparation for written work. This should the inevitable outcome but it remains a valuable and option since "all written artefacts float 011 a sea of

be

Anecdote
"We into

and story-telling
into story so we can prolong most which immediate we make we can bear it" -John way sense in of which ourselves it, we turn our ecstasy Shea (Stories of God). we place and order our on our from enjoy more be

turn our pain story so that is the in is to

Narrative experiencest Story-telling monologuest

lives. varying people gets to should the

the backbone of interacting grouPt

most social encounters to racy jokes. Most

telling stories interesting)t compose stories made available ability imaginedt Student While to

about themselves (each time they tell it and as a nation we are famous for our ability of surprising possibilities. Ample time in classrooms to allow students to develop of themselves interesting in Narrative has always been an implicit part of and their manner. experiencest realor

tell in an

Interest story-telling

English as

teaching (remember the student long stories) it has now been a valued mode of presentation should have little difficulty presentation and expression: and be coherent rather than
Growth in Storying --

who persists in telling incredibly given a high profile and emphasised and response for students. Teachers motivating students in this area of problem of actual may be getting material. them to

the lack

stop

Perhaps biographical according asked to

beginning

in

pairs,

students

might

exchange funny Students to the

auto-

anecdotes (a simple incident) to task given by the teacher. report their partner's anecdote of consternation. teacher discretion and exposure). the initial is

or otherwise, might then be rest of the class, sensitive here to gained handling save the group in can

always a source some cases and embarrassment be enlarged for

(This needs important is

As experience encounter.

21

Individaul D i f f e r e n c e s
Obviously this story-telling activity inhabits that common a r e a of language w h e r e the personal a n d cultural domains overlap. For many students the ability to tell about a personal happening w i l l always remain a tentative, exploratory activity; for others this activity w i l l eventually develop into the ability to tell a powerful story to a n audience in the b e s t tradition of the seanchal. Teacher Help

Irrespective o f student's ability in this area teachers c a n h e l p them to organise their narratives b y encouraging them to answer simple preparatory questions. Again this m u s t b e treated w i t h sensitivity b y the teacher; this is meant a s a n aid to story-tellers not a n imprisoning rigid formula. T h e check-list o f the five W-questions a r e a practical story- tellers w h i l e preparing their material. W h a t happened? W h o w a s involved? W h e n d i d it happen? Where d i d it happen? W h y did it happen? H o w the students utilise the W-questions is their o w n concern: which order they arrange them i n o r d o they omit some, is a matter of individual decision. If the story works then such a formula becomes totally irrelevant; if the story doesn't work, then they become creative questions a student c a n a s k i n order to improve storying the next time. Besides individuals telling stories, interesting a n d challenging oral w o r k c a n b e carried o u t in this context b y inviting groups o r a whole class to co-operate in telling a story. Group S t o r y T h e initial stimulus to create the imaginative context for the s t o r y c a n v a r y enormously e.g. picture, sound, literary/media experience a n d s o on. E a c h g r o u p plans its story a n d then each p e r s o n in the group narrates a part of the story to the class. This is useful for getting a good sense o f shape to the story, i.e. beginning, middle, end; if there a r e three people i n the group they c a n e a c h tell a section o [ the story.
Prepare a Talk for the class

guideline

for

Formal

Talk

O v e r the course o f a year e a c h pupil could b e invited once/twice t o prepare a talk f o r presentation t o the class. T h e topic o f the t a l k could b e personally chosen, arising f r o m the u n i t b e i n g studied, a

2 -

v i e w o f a n author, character, place, scene. I f the student preferred he/she could give a talk o n a personal interest. Length o f talk, variable but initially 5 - i0 minutes. T h i s is a challenging exercise f o r m a n y pupils s o i t would have to be prepared well w i t h the h e l p of the teacher. The type o f tasks t o b e tackled b y the student w o u l d b e basically similar to those encountered i n writing a composition i.e. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Gathering Ideas;

Deciding a Viewpoint; Organising Material; from notes - (not reading out

M a k i n g a First Draft - speaking a text).

(v)

A t this point the teacher's intervention would b e necessary t o act a s a substitute audience a n d help the student through response t o improve the layout, thinking and general oral presentation. Obvious faults like speaking too fast, not enough illustrations, improving the shape could b e indicated. Finally the students could present the redrafted talk. Initially perhaps it might b e wiser to allow no questions i n response f r o m the class, b u t as students become m o r e accustomed t o the idea of giving these talks questions could b e allowed with some monitoring b y the teacher o r another student.

(vi)

Talk Games Other less formal approaches through speech-games (i) (ii) (iii) to develop talking skills could b e

T a l k for a minute o n a g i v e n topic Y e s a n d N o game Complete a sentence i n a group: e a c h person has just o n e word t o say. Games like this could b e played regularly t o introduce a class to oral w o r k o r to sharpen u p language awareness a n d concentration i n different contexts.

2 3 -

Interview Question and answer

This oral task c a n b e applied i n a range of different the students. contexts b y

(i)
(ii)

Interview class.

e a c h other for a specific

reason and then report to

Interview parents, grand-parents, chosen adults (priests, plumbers, b e invited to the school.

other teachers, other poets, etc.). These could

(iii)

Role-play interview i n a variety o f circumstances: a class could b e a press-conference for a character from literature e.g. Falstaff, H u c k Finn. Present a recording o f a n y one of these radio-programme. sessions a s a

(iv) (v)

R o l e p l a y a court-room scene: where each member of the class h a s a specific role, judge, lawyers, clerks, jury, witnesses, accused, etc. A character from literature could be put o n trial.

4 -

APPLICATION

O F THESE IDEAS T O SPECIFIC

TEXTS O'Connor or

Possible oral tasks based o n First Confession, F, Confirmation Suit, B. Behan for First Year.

(i)
(ii)

Tell anecdote o f incidents w h i c h caused you embarrassment frustration w h e n y o u w e r e younger. A s k parents/grand-parents/any adult for story f r o m their youth: tell to g r o u p next day.

and

(iii)

Compose anecdote (with beginning, middle and end) about ghost returning to w a r n the living about the quality of their lives. Compose interesting title and present in group focmat to class. Group Discussion Tasks: choose f r o m the following

(iv)

(a) What character d i d y o u like most/least? (b) What part of the story did y o u enjoy most? (Prepare reading o f it). (c) W h a t d i d y o u feel about the ending? Could y o u g i v e a n alternative ending? (d) Is there a n y person, scene i n the story you would like to k n o w m o r e about. Compose your o w n addition t o the story to fill the 'gap' you feel is there. (e) Did y o u have a final feeling o r image from the story. (f) Trace in diagram the w a y your feelings went through the story.

(v)

Improvise/roleh-play o n given topic:

i n pairs,

encounters

between

characters

(a) Nora a n d Grandmother; discuss m o n e y o r Jackie. (b) Priest a n d 'woman from Montenotte': discuss Hell/Heaven. (c) The grandmothers from the different stories meet: discuss food/drink/grandsons. (vi) Give short Brothers. talk to class o n the topic of Sisters a n d

POSSIBLE

ORAL TASKS FROM T H E GUESTS O F T H E NATION

(THIRD YEAR)

G r o u p Discussion

(i) (ii)
(iii)

Come t o g r o u p consensus J. O'Donovan. Does this story have viewpoint to class.

opinion about

behaviour of

significance

for today.

Present

group

Trace a graph o f tension in the story. shape o f g r a p h to class. Comment o n the different language How d o they a d d to the story?

Display and explain

(iv)

style o f the

characters.

5 -

Role-play/Improvise (a) Press Conference with Republican chiefs on killing of Belcher and Hawkins: Compose short radio report subsequently. (b) Bonaparte and Jeremiah O'Donovan meet many years later: improvise conversation. (c) Noble visits Hawkins' mother. (d) J. O'Donovan meets Belcher's child (O'Donovan is a life-prisoner: Belcher's child is a prison doctor). (e) Chose particular scene: present in reader's theatre format, i.e. reading texts, some gestures and facial expression, symbolic props. Story/Anecdote Let all the class be inhabitants of the town that is sited close to the scene of the killing. Let each tell in turn their knowledge of a part of the story. (A complex task but a great generator of interesting characters, viewpoints and interpretations). Typical roles might be priest, vicar, doctor, blacksmith, teacher, shopkeeper, courting people, bar-man, butcher, poacher, nun, nurse and so on.

2 6

CLASSROOM

APPROACHES

TO

LISTENING

LISTENING It is artificial to separate the development of talking and listening skills. M u c h of the w o r k outlined previously is obviously heavily dependent o n listening. However, it is possible to focus o n developing particular kinds o f listening skills in different contexts. M a n y students are unused to listening attentively: i n fact many students d o not really k n o w h o w to listen. The English teacher's task is to train them into the various stances and strategies w h i c h c a n be adopted for successful listening i n a variety of aural experiences. Making Meaning

Effective listening is a form o f active interpretation and reception: i t is a form of m a k i n g meaning through language. This meaning construction can (as with reading) occur at different levels of comprehension a n d understanding, e.g. literal, inferential,

7 -

evaluative. Students need to be gradually introduced to perceiving the different levels o f meaning in a n y encounter. To develop these approaches, the fundamental principle o f language skills being learnt i n a purposeful a n d meaningful context applies equally strongly. F o r the teacher to choose a passage randomly a n d read i t t o the class, a n d subsequently ask a series of questions fosters little growth in the student's listening skills. While reading a n d listening a r e obviously alike in m a n y w a y s the major difference is the transience of the listening experience. In reading it is possible to re-read, the same text searching f o r specifics; but i n listening students will rarely have the opportunity i n life situations to re-hear something; they need to develop approaches which w i l l help t h e m to quickly establish the necessary meaning i n g i v e n situations. There . are three elements i n every Reception listening experience:

This means that students m u s t h e a r accurately the words being said. They must b e in a position to h e a r distinctly not alone the words, but h o w they are being said a s well. Tone o f voice i n speaking m a y convey more than surface verbal content. Comprehension

This relates to the making of meaning out of what has been received. This m a k i n g o f meaning i n the listening situation is highly selective. Everything in a statement generally cannot and will n o t be understood in a n y one encounter so selective purposeful attention is called for. One can listen for a diverse range o f purposes, f o r

information and evidence instructions and directions answers persuasion entertainment interaction and confirmation critical purposes These purposes for listening clearly spread throughout the three domains o f language i n various degrees o f intensity: entertainment would have a v e r y h i g h presence i n the cultural domain. Likewise instructions a n d directions w o u l d be vital i n the social domain; they w o u l d b e o f less moment i n the personal domain.

8 -

Response

In response to a n y o f the above purposes the following outcomes a r e possible, (i) (ii) (iii) T o d o - to perform a n action of some k i n d T o learn - to g r o w i n awareness T o comment - to dialogue w i t h what has b e e n heard

This outline model o f the listening act provides the teacher w i t h some directions o n h o w to develop the required strategies o f attention in the students Strategies i. Give clear simple the students e.g. one-idea task appropriate to the ability o f

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii)

2.

What's being said about ........ factual/literal H o w m a n y people were .... W h o is speaking - viewpoint W h o i s being addressed - audience W h y is it being said - purpose H o w is it being said - tone, style What d i d y o u think o f - evaluate

Suggest a strategy to students for approaching the given assignment. They could, depending o n the purpose given b e advised to: focus expect and anticipate re-consider and recall organise and link

I n some situations it will be desireable that the students should b e encouraged to engage i n 'active' listening i.e. stopping the speaker and asking a question to clarify something. This kind of activity should not be interpreted a s implying a lack of attention o n the student's part - it is m o r e accurately interpceted to suggest concentration and interest. Retention Where intervention a n d clarification questions are not possible then it would s e e m useful to take brief notes during the listening This o f course m a y cause all kinds of difficulties a n d needs to b e handled carefully for pre-occupation with notes implies frequently lack o f attentive listening and therefore m i s s i n g m o r e than is gained.

4.

- 29 Class The Pattern of a class in listening then might usefully follow this

pattern

pattern. I. 2. Create context (within a unit).

(a) Give assignment (b) Give purpose (c) Suggest strategy Present recording or reading. revise purpose of assignment. Replay or re-read. Allow time for re-organising and patterning and then ask for oral responses. Record in written form outcome of experience. of Ideas and Suggestions Mass Media Unit To listen to radio/tape of advertisement What words catch your attention in the advertisement Link and recall , Take questions after reading and

3.

4. 5.

6.

Application I. Context:

Assignment: Purpose:

Strategy:

Play tape - revise purpose: (allow brief time for notes: if necessary replay tape) Response: Take lists from students;/list on blackboard: discuss the power of the words. Possibly suggest they compose advertisment on product using 'surprising' words. Story in Animal Unit: The Trout, S. 0'Faolain To listen to story being read How many important whom? decisions were laade and by

Outcome:

2.

Context: Assignment: Purpose:

Strategy: Response:

Focus and anticipate Read story. Gather views on assignment purpose. List ideas about significance of decision in chacacter's life. Write character sketch

Outcome:

30

3.

Context: Assignment:

P o e m :

variety of

interpretation separate reading o f

T o listen to two students' same poem

Purpose:

Identify differences i n emphasis a n d interpretation. Re-call a n d consider First Student - reads poem - give brief time for notes. Second Student - reads p o e m - give time for organisation.

Strategy:

Response: Outcome:

Collect Reading

views o n approaches o f the students. of p o e m i n pairs/groups.

3 1

CLASSROOM

APPRO&O~IiS

TO

READING

Reading

a t Second Level

T h e n e w English syllabus emphasises the necessity o f teaching a w i d e range o f reading skills. M a n y teachers a t second level m a y feel that these reading skills should h a v e been taught i n primary school and that secondary teachers h a v e other responsibilities. B u t learning to read is not just a skill that is learnt once and then achieved for e v e r like riding a bicycle. Learning to read i s o n the contrary a continuous process; w e learn to read continually adjusting to different contexts, registers and purposes. It is this ability t o adjust to the kind of text being read a n d to develop strategies i n students for coping w i t h a wide range of texts is the responsibility of the teacher o f English a t second level. Furthermore since reading c a n take place a t various levels of understanding it is the role of the English teacher to h e l p the student to generate more understanding in relation to all the texts encountered. M o s t students in secondary school will have learnt the basic reading skills and w i l l b e quite competent in m a n y areas. However, some students will still have difficulties in basic reading skills, and co-operation between the English teacher and the remedial teacher is desirable in this context. Furthermore there will be some students w h o a r e not classified as needing remedial education w h o will n e e d special attention to develop reading competence. Relative to these students English teachers w o u l d need t o b e aware of: some diagnostic skills a n d procedures to identify individual's specific difficulties the reading-age o f all these students. these students to become m o r e

approaches f o r helping literate.

2 -

Deflnition

o f Reading

Reading h a s b e e n defined as "a psycho-linguistic guessing game". (Goodman): not perhaps a very informative definition, but it suggests appropriately some o f the complexity o f the activity. Reading cannot be identified w i t h 'decoding', identifying the words a n d sounding them with little apprehension o f meaning. Reading always implies meaning, reading is a n a c t of making meaning; it is not a passive receptive activity but a creative interpretative attack o n a text which generates meaning through interaction. The role of the secondary teacher is to provide students with the various strategies which facilitates this interactive encounter with the written text. Reading must b e meaningful

The first condition for teaching reading successfully is to ensure the material being encountered b y the student invites him/her into the challenge of reading in a personally meaningful way; reading instruction is best carried o n i n a purposeful context w i t h a n appreciable outcome for the student. Without these conditions the reader has no real motivation for approaching the text; he/she will b e reading for practice not for a purpose and therefore a s always the m i n i m u m is learnt a n d reading a s a n experience is devalued. Developing Basic Reading Skills

Various procedures can be adopted for helping pupils to construct meaning f r o m texts. For those w h o have basic problems then such activities as: Cloze procedures Sequencing Prediction Vocabulary building through games Using context clues Directed, limited comprehension tasks will b e found useful and rewarding. Likewise these students need to b e immersed in printed material o f diverse interest. The list o f texts suggested m a y be beyond their scope therefore alternative texts of m o r e popular appeal should be introduced. The important objective is help these students to read f o r pleasure and profit. Teachers should feel free t o use a n y material they consider useful and suitable for achieving this fundamental purpose. Syllabus Units can b e constructed about this material quite readily. Keeping the Balance

Students w h o have difficulty with basic skills are a particular challenge f o r the English teacher a t second level. The danger is that teachers understandably concerned about l o w standards will concentrate o n functional language learning at the expense of the imaginative and affective encounter with suitable material. This w o u l d b e most unwise, contradicting the integrated language policy

3 -

of the syllabus and imposing a n arid reductionism o n the English experience o f these students. O f a l l the students in our schools, these need desperately t o encounter words and languageexperiences which w i l l enthuse them w i t h a respect for words because of the pleasure and excitement they felt i n hearing the teacher read o r i n trying t o read themselves. Since some children w i t h reading difficulties come from environments w i t h little o r n o printed material present it is vital for the teacher t o read t o the pupils a great deal: n o t o n l y literature, b u t newspapers, magazines, anything w h i c h will confer value o n the a c t a n d the effort it takes in the eyes of the students. Students learn from models, they imitate models, so the teacher i n his/her approach should b e a model o f inquiry, interest, pleasure a n d satisfaction i n relation t o the reading material. L i k e m u c h else in education reading m a y b e caught rather than taught. While basically the same skills are required i n the three domains o f language the sophisticated level o f these skills that is required for reading for pleasure and satisfaction particularly in the domains of social a n d cultural literacy c a n b e daunting a n d should b e taught deliberately a n d systematically. (cf. programme o f activities in reading). READING IN T H E PERSONAL DOMAIN

A s w i t h a l l language skills, this is the area i n w h i c h confidence a n d value in reading can b e established. T h e basic skills of reading c a n b e greatly helped b y encouraging students to look a t their o w n and other students' writing a s reading-texts. Reading %n that context c a n achieve a w i d e range o f purposes, b y relating it directly to their own use o f w o r d s and helping them to experience meaning creation i n a n informal non-threatening context. Later the u s e o f this language-experience approach t o developing reading c a n b e effectively applied to developing writing skills in the a r e a o f revising, editing a n d proof-reading their o w n work. Making a reading collection from a class's o w n texts provides a n admirable resource for enriching this kind of approach. T h e students c a n begin to see themselves in the role of authors and therefore a b l e t o recognise that the w o r k o f other writers exists o n the same continuum o f writing a s their own, albeit a t a m o r e sophisticated level. READING I N T H E SOCIAL DOMAIN

For students i n second level school, this is the area o f m o s t challenge to their reading skills. In the past perhaps, English teachers h a v e been less than attentive to the actual reading demands m a d e i n this area, which a r e paramount for coping with the practical reading demands o f life.

34

E n g l i s h o n Service Role:

developing

study skills

Furthermore i n this domain English teachers have a n important service role to play i n relation to other subjects and their text-books. Just as the remedial teacher should be i n contact w i t h a l l other teachers w i t h respect to certain students so the English teacher should be i n a position to appraise other subject teachers o f the approach needed to ensure that students c a n read a particular text-book meaningfully. The development o f a coherent school policy about language in the classroom and the teaching o f reading a n d writing would be m o s t desireable. This kind o f reading has been categorised in a general w a y a s "efferent" reading [L. Rosenblatt]: reading w h i c h is directly concerned with establishing facts, evidence, ideas, directions, procedures a n d processes to be integrated into the reader's awareness. Teaching students to read for these purposes activities as: finding the m a i n topic o r idea finding supporting ideas a s evidence anecdote, illustration, comment, involves them in such

distinguishing explanation

between fact,

listing facts i n their o w n words - paraphrasing notetaking re-reading and and summarising reflecting form

outlining steps in a process in verbal o r diagra~natic questioning developing the text awareness of,

paragraph structure link words e.g. but, although, margin headings general layout increasing vocabulary

nevertheless

etc.

through using verbal and context clues accurately technical terms reading

learning a n d

re-defining

M a n y o f the above could b e included categories of i. 2. 3. Skimming Scanning SQ3Rs

under the general

- searching for m a i n ideas - reading foe information a n d specific details - (Survey, Question, Read, Reflect, Re-Read)

5 -

READING

I N T H E CULTURAL DOMAIN

W h i l e most o f the approaches to developing reading skills outlined already w i l l b e of significance in this domain there a r e dimensions to the reading o f literature (and approaching the mass-media) w h i c h are distinct and need to b e approached o n their o w n terms. Aesthetic Reading

Louise Rosenblatt, w h o h a s been quoted already, describes the reading in this domain a s "aesthetic reading". Aesthetic reading can be defined a s a reading stance i n which the reader is continually aware not alone of what is being said i n the text, b u t also h o w it is being said a n d furthermore of his/her o w n personal imaginative, emotional and intellectual interaction w i t h the text both during a n d after the reading. This reading stance involves a radical a n d complex refocusing of the person in contrast with the 'efferent' reading stance outlined earlier. I n attempting to develop the student's capacity for aesthetic reading then certain attitudes and a basic reorientation need to b e cultivated. This would involve developing i n the students a n awareness of: language a s a n artistic medium: suggestive, symbolic dimensions language as having sensuous, which are central to literature.

the need to b e alert for word-patterns i n diverse forms w h i c h m a y ignore, sustain o r build o n basic conventions to construct a greater intensity o f meaning a n d experience. the different stances needed for approaching the various literary genre. If a student approaches a lyric poem w i t h the same expectations a s he/she approaches a novel then frustration is inevitable. (e.g. "There is n o story"). This discrimination in approach is particularly important w h e n approaching a play-text; frequently play-texts have b e e n approached as novels w i t h obvious detrimental results o n the students understanding of h o w a play works i n the context of language and the theatre. the n e e d to re-encounter quality material so that the student c a n g r o w into the riches o f the experience. There is really little place in this domain for "fast reading": there is n o 'micro-wave approach' to the re-creation of a text. A s Robert Frost remarked "our problem today is that w e a r e too literal": students m u s t b e encouraged to escape from that prison of the literal a n d realise that literature says m o r e than it appears t o say. This does not imply reducing texts to hidden messages o r morals but rather o f empowering students to see perspectives i n their reading that a r e n o t attainable at a first encounter.

6 -

The recreative and interpretative nature o f aesthetic reading: each person recreates a text i n a unique way, a s Hermann Hesse remarks "each person believes in a different part of the same story". This uniqueness o f response needs to be facilitated a s m u c h a s possible in class through group/pair work, journal keeping, a n d a wide range o f interpretative activities. (cf. programme of activities for e a c h year). Teachers attempting to develop the above attitudes a n d skills w i l l find that many o f the techniques listed earlier are o f benefit, Cloze procedures, Sequencing, Prediction c a n b e used most creatively for a l l ability levels. Such procedures in the literary context involve the student in frequent re-readings of the text which h a v e great potential. T h e y can d r a w the pupil's attention to complex issues in w o r d pattern, structure, form a n d style and thus create the awareness of complexity in the literary u s e of language. Becoming a n 'ear-reader'

Cultivating students' participation i n the re-creation of literary texts is essential. Students need to be active in the literature class as m u c h a s possible, encouraged to read aloud i n a n interpretative manner o n their own, in pairs o r in groups. (This is not just reading around the class in a non-creative functional w a y to develop basic reading skills: such a n approach is highly detrimental to developing aesthetic reading, reducing the potential of the encounter to a minimum). T h e reading aloud as suggested above should greatly help the students to cultivate a n ear for language in literature. I n literature, sound a n d rhythm a r e fundamental meaning makers; to read literature without some sense of these basic attributes is to deprive oneself of pleasure and meaning. T h e American poet and novelist, Robert P e n n Warren says that "there a r e 'eye-readers' and 'ear-readers'; for literature it is essential to be a n 'ear-reader'". Memorisation I n relation to this topic a s well the whole activity o f memorisation arises. That students should engage i n memorising verse is undeniably a worthwhile end. It internalises, makes a personal possession o f forms, insights a n d words which can be recalled for savouring and contemplation at will: the a c t of memorising, as George Steiner emphasises "crowds the sensibility with the text i n a n intimate manner which enriches the person for life". The achievement o f this wished for end has to b e carefully managed, but a n orientation towards participation, performance, presentation and re-reading, creates a context in w h i c h memorisation happens almost incidentally. Memorisation should not b e the inevitable outcome of every poetic experience; rote-learning without a n appreciative context of aesthetic pleasure or interpretative purpose, should not be imposed o n students. Finally in this context, memorisation o f verse is a skill that teachers may have to teach: it should not be taken for granted that students have the skill of memorising from nature.

7 -

Questioning

i n Literature

I n attempting t o encourage students to more beyond the literal, certain questioning approaches m a y b e found useful a n d liberating. Students could b e asked to read (or re-read) a w o r k a n d write out three questions (not literal) which the reading brought to their minds. T h e teacher could then collect these questions and use them subsequently in class a s ways o f approaching the work. T h e distinct advantage o f this approach is that the teacher is beginning from where the students a r e relative t o their understanding o f the work, n o t where he/she thinks they are. Students could b e asked t o write d o w n the words/phrases w h i c h they noticed most i n their reading. Useful questions here are, W h a t word/phrases surprised you? A r e these related i n a n y way? W h a t word did y o u enjoy? B e g i n w i t h sensuous-experiences created b y the words. What kind o f sounds and colours, rhythms are in this poem? A r e there a n y contrasts i n sound/colours/rhythms? T h e m o s t difficult question to a s k is the opening question after a reading of a poem, short story, o r extract. If the reading has worked the atmosphere is tangible; t o intrude into that w i t h a literal minded question is to destroy it totally. Silence a n d a quiet student re-reading m a y b e the m o s t appropriate avenue of entry, followed b y questions o n feelings a n d images, o r a n invitation to write in their response journal.

3 8 -

CLASSROOM

APPROACHES

TO

WRITING

Writing

a n d Thinking

Writing and thinking are often understood to be two distinct activities. T h e traditional reproach from teachers to pupils, "Think before y o u write", exemplies the dichotomy that was felt to exist between the two activities. Modern research has shown that writing a n d thinking are more accurately seen a s interactive, and inderdependent processes; the a c t of writing is best seen a s a process o f thinking, o f analysing, exploring, ordering and synthesising experiences. E. M. Forster cogently summarised the intimate creative encounter that exists between words a n d thought w h e n h e remarked, "How d o I know what I m e a n unless I see what I say" (or write). Writing is best seen then a s a developing process o f thought rather than as some ornament or dress o f thought. T h e implications of this viewpoint for the teaching o f writing a r e substantial. Teacher's stance o n pupils' writing, the preparation a n d developlaent of writing, the modes of response to and evaluation of writing a l l need reconsideration. Writing and Audience

If writing is seen a s a process of thought then all writing m u s t b e intentional and purposeful as though inevitably is. We cannot think for the sake o f thinking n o r c a n w e write for the sake of writing. A s w i t h all the other language skills writing is o n l y developed and improved i n a personally meaningful context of experience. All writing should be a genuine act of communication to a specific audience which c a n range from self as audience to the Irish people a s audience. Achieving successful written communication with others

9 -

is certainly dependent on developing competence in the basic skills of punctuation, spelling and paragraphing but also in knowing the appropriate language register to use for a given audience. In a survey conducted in England some years ago (Nancy Martin: Learning to Write, 11-16) it was found that students wrote predominantly in a narrow range of language functions for predominantly one audience. In the following sketch diagram, the shaded area shows the range of school writing; students wrote in the functions of generalised narrative and classification for the audience of teacher as examiner.

RANGE OF WRITING CONTEXTS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL Range of Language Functions Used Range of Audience Addressed

Plays Stories

Self

Friend Poems Descriptions Songs Class Language Play School Record Report Generalised Narrative Classification Teacher as Exalainer Argument Speculation Theorising Public Persuasion Regulation Parents Outsider Peer

Abroad

If this is typical then it is not surprising that students lose interest in writing and language since there is little variety experienced or no interesting communicative challenge offered.

0 -

Dependent o n the purpose context and audience o f a piece o f writing a teacher's stance must also vary. Traditionally teachers have tended to approach a l l writing in a similar manner looking for the correctness o f Standard English. T h i s m a y not always be the best initial stance t o student's writing. I n seeking to develop the student's b e taken that he/she: (i) (ii) (iii) writing skills then care should

writes i n all the domains of literacy, for a variety o f purposes and audiences, and experiences teacher. LITERACY Thinking appropriate response and evaluation from the

PERSONAL Initial

Writing i n this domain should b e employed always as a sorting-out process w h i c h m a y b e a n e n d i n itself b u t also m a y b e preparatory to writing in the other domains. Students should be invited and encouraged t o think through writing b y freely associating (brainstorming), constructing attempting generally Response words around a particular topic

diagrams a n d spidergrams, formulations context.

provisional

playing with words a n d ideas in a particular

Journal

Allied to this is the activity o f keeping a journal o r diary i n response to literary (or other) experiences: s u c h a response journal should b e a n integral part of English teaching. Such w o r k gradually develops i n the student a n awareness o f his/her o w n unique affective and imaginative responses, and confers a validity and permanence o n them. Furthermore it allows space for every student to respond which m a y not be always possible i n the hurly-burly o f classroom life. The journal helps the student (and the teacher) t o see t h e development in his/her understanding o f a text hopefully to a gradually deeper encounter with the w o r k i n question: it is a m a p of a n individual's interactive dialogue w i t h a text, a record o f his/her constructions o f meaning and interpretations. The journal m a y consist o f lists of words, phrases, lines noted a n d liked; comment a n d reflections o n w o r d s a n d expressions; drawings, diagrams, personal anecdotes linking the w o r k to other personal experiences a n d relating the w o r k to others b y comparison a n d contrast a n d s o on. A journal perhaps is best described a s a k i n d o f personal scrap-book i n response to literary o r media experiences.

1 -

Teacher

Response

I n this a r e a o f personal literacy, where the emphasis is o n the expressive u s e of language, it is important for the teacher to be particularly aware a n d sensitive i n his/her approach t o response. N o o n e writes perfectly initially; t o expect a n d demand the polish o f standard English i n this context is to interfere seriously w i t h a necessary developmental process. This initial stage is exploratory and speculative, attempting to nurture a basic f l o w of ideas, feelings, images a n d words whereby the student c a n begin to relate to the experince being offered and gradually integrate it into his/her o w n meaning system. While the 'basic skills' o f spelling a n d punctuation are essential for proper communication, too early imposition o f the demands they m a k e c a n b e counter-productive for the development o f personal literacy. T h e process of thinking, feeling and imagining are untidy; w e don't think a n d feel neatly i n full stops, capitals, sentences a n d paragraphs. Thinking and feeling occur i n rhythms o f their o w n and initial writing i n this domain will reflect those uncertain rhythms. T o develop i n students, the language skills a n d v e r b a l range needed to disclose their internal experiences is a fundamental objective o f this domain. T o attempt to 'hustle' students through this experience, o r to m a k e it into something else is to short circuit the w h o l e process of writing development a n d to endanger the possibility o f writing becoming a meaningful liberating activity for the student. T h i s initial expressive u s e of language is the foundation for growth into the o t h e r areas o f literacy. W h e n confidence is established here then progress in the other domains c a n a n d w i l l be m u c h better. I n the domain o f social literacy the audiences a n d purposes become m o r e challenging a n d correspondingly the demands for accuracy and expertise i n 'basic skills' grows. SOCIAL Basic LITERACY Skills

While there has been m u c h concern expressed about a serious decline in basic skills there is a s y e t n o evidence to s h o w that such a decline is actually taking place. S t u d e n t s are, it is true, less aware of the written word, they a r e less dependent upon it than previous generations for their entertainment and the visual image has taken o v e r a s the prime means o f communication a n d entertainment. [In the n o t too distant future w h e n word-processors with in-built spelling procedures become m o r e available, other interesting issues will arise]. D r i l l and Practice I n the past, basic skills tended to b e taught i n a 'drill' like fashion e.g. lists o f spellings w e r e learnt a n d tested regularly, punctuation w a s taught through practice; awareness o f sentence structures a n d paragraphing happened rather than being systematically taught. A s a total approach to basic skills, this methodology w o u l d appear to b e n o t the wisest. T h i s is n o t t o say there is n o place for the learning o f spellings o r exercises i n punctuation but rather to assert m o r e m a y b e acomplished i n other

42
In general terms the basic skills are learnt better when the student perce1Ves a clear need and purpose for accuracy in the composition of text. The teacher can create frequent contexts in the area of social literacy for the student to realise that along with appropriateness, accuracy and correctness are essential for successful communication. Opportunities for teaching spellings and eunctua~ion can be easily included in all the syllabus units planned for a class.
Thus in students as: the domain strongly of social literacy towards accuracy opportunities be found which such motivate contexts

will

in

various looking .report .newspaper .advertising, filling The very While discipline effective this

kinds of formal for information, and essay articles posters Out forms imposed indeed. contextualisation for here writing and

letters, comments intended school

e.g. to for

applications, the press reading by other

invitations

classes

magazines

and

brochures purposes an awareness of audience is generally

various by

will

certainly

motivate

students

more

powerfully than 'drills and many students more elaborate accuracy and awareness will
Individual problems: class

practice'. strategies have to be

teaching

there is to build used.

no doubt up their

that with language

There

is

no

easy

answer

to

teaching

basic

skills

in

a large

class

Each child will have a different set of problems relative to the skills and needs to be dealt with individually if he/she is to overcome the difficulty. Nevertheless certain general strategies and approaches may be found useful.

Spelling:
.students sound use a should aloud, always be encouraged and then attempt to regularly 'hangman' to visualise write it. encounters squares, a word first,

it

'game'

approach

-frequent , word

with are

anagrams, beneficial.

crosswords,

word-building

.word-associations and homograms .arising syllables

-gives

through prefixes, a sense of suggestion, gradually

suffixes, shape and

roots, pattern. be

homophones

from the previous first and then

put

words mi8ht together.

broken

into

43
I obviously the use of a suitable dictionarydictionary Students might be encouraged to keep a personal spelling-book where they recorded correctly, words they are continaully misspelling: these words then could be deliberately learnt examined .spelling have little repeatedly by the teacher. useful in with in some cases -but generally practice unless copiously and a wide array of word examples. they "; would b~ importgnt.

and

rules

may be real effect illustrated

obviously useful.

the

use of

computer

programmes

in

this

area

would

be

fundamentally students should be expected to learn spellings rather than being taught them. This implies that they are involved with their own written work in the role of proof-reading. The teacher in the past perhaps devoted too

much

time to this work e.g. marking incorrect spellings and punctuation with little effect. Students before handing in any written work should be given ample time to re-read their work for this specific purpose. Peer reading may also be found useful. Students might mark in their work items they think are suspect for accuracy and then through consultation with peer. teacher. spelling book. dictionary. determine the correct spelling.

Punctuation
As with spelling, class teaching in this area is of limited effectiveness: each student will have a different set of difficulties which need to he attended to on an individual basis. In large classes of mixed-ability this becomes an almost impossible task and failure for students to learn in class situations should not cause either surprise or frustration in the teacher. Basically it is best to do a little on a topic of punctuation {e.g. use of capitals, speech marks, full-stops) but to do it regularly.

Some useful
.punctuate rewrite .listen correctlyon note how

strategies
the same

which
sentence in reading paper

might
in

be employed
a variety lengths of of

are

as follows

ways sentence and extract

a paragraph to people to the

different or

speaking,

transcribe

punctuation being original

in

a text

being

read

is

organised desirable

listen to a text and compare with Paragraphing

read: punctuate punctuation

as is in text.

thought

Paragraphs are the essential building blocks of all written composition. Student awareness of paragraphing should be repeatedly fostered through reflecting on the layout of paragraphs in texts and through repeated assignments specifying the number of paragraphs required e.g.

1.

Choose core-text(s), appropriate to pupils. Decide think on contexts might be of

or

cultural

issue

or

language

issue

2.

or aspects interest to course selecting design from may extend

of the core you and the for the class. three

material pupils. Decide domains

which

you

3.

Relate to overall on objectives by literacy. unit which objectives.

provisionally of oracy and the

Opportunities may modify,

arise and

in the course of teaching supplement these original

4.

Choose possible supplementary range and diversity of material Plan or provisional number of outline classes needs adapted class (approx.) to to

material from essential. sequence you intend and to

available

resources;

5.

the

length on

of the

time Unit. by

spend

6.

This procedure teachers and pupils.

be used with care meet the specific

and sensitivity needs of their

~ ~

4 -

Write one

paragraph o n your opinion o f ......... between ........

. Write two paragraphs o n the difference Write three

paragraphs o n the stages of development o f .......

A s w e l l students will need to be introduced to ways of constructing a paragraph. The teacher could illustrate this best b y actually writing a paragraph o n the black-board a n d thus exhibiting the process o f paragraph making. The students should be paragraph has (i) introduced to the basic notion that each

a specific w e l l defined

key-sentence

(ii)

a section wherein this key-sentence is elaborated a n d developed in a variety of ways e.g. b y illustrations, anecdotes, examples, descriptions, lists, reasons a n d analysis.

I n first year w o r k particularly the emphasis should be strongly o n developing the paragraph concept and i n written composition, quality, perhaps should b e aimed at rather than quantity. Handwriting Particular attention m a y need t o be paid to this dying art. A good, legible h a n d is a great advantage for any student particularly when the w o r k is frequently presented t o others for their response. Communication of excellent content is regularly frustrated not b y problems w i t h punctuation and spelling but b y illegible hand writing. Motivating students in this context m a y a g a i n b e achieved b y introducing audience awareness into a s many writing tasks a s possible. A useful link w i t h the art-teacher could be established here in the a r e a of calligraphy a n d in the creation a n d production of posters, brochures, word cards, captions a n d titles. I n the domain o f social literacy the basic skills a n d their accurate u s e in conventional terms assume major importance. Teachers in responding to exercises in the social domain w i l l therefore obviously b e k e e n to cultivate the necessary skill and expertise i n these areas. But proficiency in these skills is not achieved early o r quickly. Pupil involvement i n their use, for clearly defined ends and arising from felt needs, will achieve the objectives eventually. CULTURAL LITERACY

Writing i n this a r e a offers a difficult challenge t o students. Here sophisticated skills a r e necessary (along with the basic skills) for achieving worthwhile growth i n language. This domain is the particular cherished a r e a o f English teachers, a n area singularly belonging to the subject English. It is concerned w i t h using English as a n artistic medium; encouraging students to write i n literary forms a n d create experience through words used accurately i n complex patterns to generate rich perspectives o f experience f o r both writer and reader.

5 -

Since the 60's w h e n creative writing became central i n English teaching, the term h a s gradually come to denote, at best a n essay option o r at w o r s t a n excuse for the student t o indulge i n undisciplined, a n d illiterate writing. Creative writing approached properly is one o f the m o s t challenging (if none the less enjoyable) tasks a teacher would give to a student. It entails a n awareness of words and language structures much above that demanded i n a n y other domain. In creative writing words a r e being used a t their most intense to create a n experience for the reader, n o t b e tell about experience o r t o indulge in therapeutic overflow. Creative writing is dependent o n careful preparatory work, awareness o f form a n d constant revision a n d reworking s o that desired ends a r e being achieved. Students n o matter what their ability should b e invited to write Creatively i n a range o f literary forms chosen to suit their ability a n d experience. Prose Narrative is obviously the most fundamental form to b e offered - narratives based o n auto-biographical events, imagined events, local historical events a r e a l l possible. Drama Scripts i n various forms and for various media.

Poems ranging f r o m the simple colour poems to the Sonnet

46-

WRITING

I N RESPONSE TO LITERARY

EXPERIENCES

Interventions This syllabus strongly advocates a form of creative/critical writing called 'interventions'. Interventions involve the student in a sophisticated form of literary play which attempts to enter m o r e fully into the imaginative world o f a text b y exploring alternative possibilities i n character, scene, setting, etc. Since e v e r y text (aural, written, o r visual) is a selection o f words, images, characters, scenes a n d viewPoints , it is possible to imagine that a n author could have m a d e alternative choices in a n y of these areas, e.g., omitted scenes, added a character, changed a viewpoint, given a different beginning o r ending. Furthermore in every text there are 'gaps' which invite the imagination o f the reader to fill them w i t h speculations and explanations. Roland Barthes has commented that the most erotic aspect o f a garment is where it gapes; so, h e continued, where the textual garment gapes the strongest invitation is offered to the reader to explore and discover. These two areas then of 'possible alternatives' and 'textual gaps' are the ideal stimuli for motivating students to write creative interventions. Before a n y such writing is attempted it would be o f fundamental importance that the students a r e familiar with the atmosphere, characters a n d general quality of the text's imaginative world. It is only from such intimacy that aesthetically valid interventions can b e created. A n intervention w h i c h generally contradicts the general tenor of a text or totally belies a character would b e o f suspect value. Thus it would seem unlikely based o n textual evidence that the Nurse i n Romeo and Juliet could b e presented in a n intervention as a puritanical spinster o r that Falstaff could seriously be presented a s being anti-alcoholic drink! The patterns o f the primary text will clearly suggest certain parameters and within those the interventions c a n freely be created. There m a y b e a risk that this kind o f writing m a y displace the student's melaory o f the primary text. This can v e r y simply be offset b y a re-reading of the primary text if it is thought necessary. Objections to this approach m a y arise from those who view primary texts as making definitive statements. No text of merit has such in-built finality. Literature questions, reveals a n d makes available experiences, it does not g i v e simplistic one-dimensional answers. A text for each reader is "a spectrum o f possibilities": the intervention approach invites the reader to explore these possibilities. This entails close reading, the testing of hypotheses and interpretations and the refinement and deepening o f personal response at a l l levels, affective, imaginative and critical. While a number of examples of earlier i n the context of oral approaches to a poem (Charles Lulu?) will help to underline this approach have b e e n suggested a n d aural skills the following Causley's poem, What has happened to the approach.

7 -

WHAT HAS HAPPENED T O LULU?

What h a s happened to Lulu, mother? W h a t has happened to Lulu? There's nothing i n her bed a n old rag-doll A n d b y its side a shoe. W h y is h e r window wide, mother, T h e curtain flapping free, A n d o n l y a circle o n the d u s t y shelf Where h e r money-box u s e d to be? Why do you And w h y And why do And say turn your head, mother, d o the tear-drops fall? y o u crumple that note o n the fire it is nothing a t all?

I w o k e t o voices late last night, I heard a n engine roar. W h y d o y o u tell m e that things I heard W e r e a dream a n d nothing more? I heard somebody cry, mother, In anger or in pain, But n o w I a s k y o u why, mother, Y o u s a y it w a s a gust o f rain. W h y d o y o u wander about a s though Y o u don't k n o w w h a t to do? W h a t has happened t o Lulu, mother, W h a t has happened to Lu? (from Golden Apples (p.8): Piper Books)

Possible (i)

Interventions farewell note. W h o w a s speaking? What w a s being

Write Lulu's Speculate said?

(ii) (iii)

o n the "voices".

W h o is the speaker o f the poem? Describe and outline the relationship y o u imagine existed between L u l u a n d the speaker i n a n imagined dialogue between them i n the past. What kind o f setting does the poem suggest? Describe Lulu from differing viewpoints e.g. Father's, Mother's, Brother's/Sister's, a n y others. Write another and rhythm. verse for the p o e m maintaining its style, tone

(iv) (vi)

(vii)

8 -

Critical

Writing

T h e writing o f critical commentaries should have a significant place i n the writing o f those students w h o are capable o f encountering the challenge this discipline offers. English teachers a r e well aware o f the methodology for teaching this f o r m of writing so the minimum will b e said here. I n summary the teaching o f critical writing should seek to help students to: take notes while re-reading for a critical purpose. responses

select appropriate references to justify a n d interpretations.

individual

analyse artistic patterns and explain h o w they achieve particular effects. trace the development o f themes and characters. use necessary terminology for discussing compare a n d contrast texts. revise critical essays o n g i v e n topics. literary texts.

inter-relate, plan, write,

To contrast the critical approach with the intervention approach typical critical questions o n the poem "What has happened to Lulu?" might b e a s follows:

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)

W h a t range o f feelings a r e present i n the poem? W h a t details i n the poem generate the feelings? W h y is the poem i n the format of questions? W h y is a child's viewpoint used? contribute t o the

H o w does the Simplicity o f the language poem's overall effects?

W h y does the poem have such a dramatic impact?

49

CLASSROOM APPROACHES TO DRAMA

(An Introductory Note)

Since student-participation and activity-learning are seen as central to this syllabus it is obvious that drama as a methodological approach should pervade the English classroom. This d0es not mean that all English teachers must immediately transform themselves into theatrical producers. It does suggest however that drama approaches should and can be employed successfully by all teachers no matter how limited their experience may be in this area. Drama in education, is essentially concerned with engaging students in the process of "living out imagined experience" whatever its source or context rather than in producing performances for an audience. Drama is initially concerned with developing the students confidence and self-awareness by encouraging participation in classroom drama in diverse forms. Irrespective of the form and context the prime objective of most dramatic activity will be for the student to experience "on pulses and palms" a "doing of life". Areas of dramatic activity may be briefly summarised as follows: i. Oral and aural skills Anecdote Story-teaching Dialogue Interview Public Speech Giving instructions, Tape-recording 2. Methodological

directions and commands

Approach to Literature

Dramatic Reading Role-Play Mime/tableau Verse-speaking: Choral Verse: Group Scene-writing Script-writing Improvisation with character 3. Play-Texts How to read a play-text Awareness of language-use in texts The significance of stage-directions 4. Theatre/Stage Image

presentation

A sense of space and shape Visuallsation of scene Stage-Image Sets, Costumes Colours/Symbols

0 -

5.

Critical

Discussion - Terminology of Drama

Character Climax Point of V i e w Tension Resolution Tone Mood Hero/Villain

Elaborate resources are not needed for introducing drama approaches. Teachers c a n begin b y integrating some drama in the students encounter w i t h a wide range o f texts. Students could start b y reading interpretatively a part of a text i n pairs o r small groups: these could then b e developed quite easily into a n improvisation of a n imagined dialogue between characters in the text. Obviously as student confidence grows more challenging tasks could be given; the reading o f drama-texts and the creation of more elaborate improvisations leading to script-writing and eventual performance would b e a reasonable direction for growth. ILLUSTRATION i. OF DRAMA-APPROACHES Class o n the poem 'Timothy Winters'

D r a m a in Education

Introduction This class uses a n easy and accessible poem a s the stimulus for imaginative exploration both of poem and of the issues dealt with in that poem. It utilises a series o f drama-in-education techniques including teacher-in-role but at no time is the need to play a role too heavy or too isolated for teacher o r pupils. The structure of the class moves the pupils from energetic creation o f characters i n the 'families of Timothy's neighbours' which frequently produces, unthinkingly, v e r y prejudiced attitudes to the quiet reflection of the final moments where they engage with Timothy's responses. The necessary neutrality of the teacher-in-role as the social worker will produce a range of social attitudes which will provide a fruitful background to the class. Properties Copies of 'Timothy Winters', copies of the report. a photograph o f Timothy's street and

If o n e is available, the use of a real camera will the creation of the 'photograph'. W h o l e Group. Teacher in Role

greatly h e l p in

T h e teacher addresses the class a s Mr/Ms Mahony from the Department o f Social Welfare. 'Good morning. I'd like to tell y o u about one of m y cases, one that's causing m e a great deal of worry. H i s name is Timothy Winters a n d this is w h a t I've been told about him:

1 -

Timothy

Winters

Timothy Winters comes to school W i t h eyes as wide a s a football pool, Ears like bombs a n d teeth like splinters: A blitz of a b o y is Timothy Winters. His And His And belly is white, his n e c k is dark, h i s hair is a n exclamation mark. clothes a r e enough to scare a c r o w through his britches the blue wind blow.

W h e n teacher talks h e won't hear a word A n d h e shoots down dead the arithmetic-bird, H e licks the patterns off his plate A n d h e ' s not e v e n heard o f the Welfare State. Timothy Winters has bloody feet A n d h e lives i n a house i n Suez Street, H e sleeps i n a sack o n the Kitchen floor A n y they say there aren't boys like h i m anymore. Old m a n ~inters likes his beer A n d h i s missus ran o f f with a bombardier, Grandma sits in the grate w i t h a grin A n d Timothy's dosed w i t h a n aspirin. The But So And Welfare Worker lies awake the law's a s tricky as a ten-foot snake, Timothy Winters drinks his cup slowly goes o n growing up.

A t Morning Prayers the Headmaster helves F o r children less fortunate than ourselves, A n d the loudest response i n the room is w h e n Timothy Winters roars 'Amen'! So c o m e one angel, come o n ten: Timothy Winters says 'Amen' A m e n a m e n a m e n amen. Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen. Charles Small Groups Causley

The teacher continues. 'I h a v e a picture o f the street where Timothy lives i n number 5 and I k n o w y o u live there too. I've tried calling to Timothy's house but there never seems to b e anybody there. Hello, y o u must be the Murphys. What number d o y o u live Mr. Murphy? Please introduce m e to your family?'

2 -

The class is broken u p into groups of 4-6, e a c h group becoming a family w i t h children, grandparents, etc. The 'families' live m o r e o r less close to Timothy and as they a r e questioned b y the teacher-in-role t h e y reveal the life that Timothy lives a n d society's varying attitudes to him. The knowledge that the person from the Department has the power to remove Timothy from his surroundings hang over the discussion and some 'families' are reluctant to give details of all they k n o w to such a person. The Groups T h e teacher asks a l l the children of the street to come together for a photograph. He/she places a chair where Timothy will sit when h e can be found. T h e 'children' are asked to pose themselves near to or a w a y from Timothy depending o n whether they like h i m or not. Advice o r comments from the 'parents and relatives' are encouraged. Report Writing

E a c h person o r group is asked to fill i n a report o n Timothy. A l l information has to be gathered so that the Department c a n decide what to d o about the situation. A consensus of the recommendations of people i n Timothy's neighbourhood is essential in making the ultimate decision as to whether or not to remove h i m t o a children's home. Empty Chair

The teacher then asks the class to become basically three groups and t o be the voices o f Timothy, the neighbours and Mr/Mrs Mahony. This can b e done very quietly a s the teacher places the 'Timothy' chair in the centre o f the space a n d begins to talk v e r y smoothly: 'But that night Timothy lay awake for a long time and the voices kept g o i n g through his head. H e could hear Mr/Mrs Mahony saying ........ (turning to the g r o u p w h o represent the social worker and taking a line from there) ... but Timothy thought differently .... (turning to the Timothy group), etc. the teacher effectively channels a discussion 'through' Timothy without Timothy ever appearing. Conclusion The clas during the course of this will have examined not o n l y the details of the p o e m but also, imaginatively, the social background which produced Timothy a n d the complex attitudes which people have towards the immediate a n d concrete problem o f what to d o about him.

- 53 PROCEDURE i. F O R DESIGNING A SYLLABUS U N I T

Choose core-text(s), o r cultural issue o r language issue appropriate to pupils. Decide o n contexts o r aspects o f the core material w h i c h y o u think m i g h t b e of interest t o y o u and the pupils. Relate to overall course design for class. Decide provisionally o n objectives b y selecting from the three domains of oracy a n d literacy. Opportunities m a y arise in the course of teaching the unit which m a y modify, extend a n d supplement these original objectives. Choose possible supplementary material from available range and diversity o f material essential. resources;

2.

4.

5.

P l a n provisional outline class sequence a n d the length o f time o r number of classes (approx.) y o u intend to spend o n the Unit. This procedure needs t o b e used w i t h care and sensitivity b y teachers a n d adapted to meet the specific needs o f their pupils. DIAGRAM OF INTERACTIVE

STRUCTURE

OF

SYLLABUS

UNIT

SPEAKING

PERSONAL DOMAIN

SOCIAL
DIARY / \ FORMS FORMAL LETTERS

PERSONAL

INTERVIEW MAGAZINES

REVIEW A N D
CONVERSATION WITH FOCUS/CORE OF UNIT
=

PUBLIC SPEECB
~ A N D DEBATE
I , , 4

\ FRIENDS

/
ANECDOTES

TEXT, THEME,

GENRE i ETC.

T.V,

RADIO A N D FILM

DRAMA

STORY

POETRY

I NOVEL

DOMAIN

J |

LISTENING

SECTION C

Syllabus Units

4 -

SAMPLE

UNITS

General

Approaches to Sample Units The following units are simply illustrative of the approach recommended by the syllabus. All these units, whether detailed or in outline, will need to be adapted by individual teachers to suit their own particular situation. Teacher interest, availability of resources and student ability will obviously be major factors determining changes. If teachers find these units unsatisfactory then they should design their own Units in co-operation with colleagues. In text based units it is of fundamental importance that a priority position is given in the classroom to an initial enjoyable encounter with the chosen text. Although language assignments can be provisionally planned by the teacher they should arise naturally out of the imaginative and recreative experience of the text. Language assignments should not be arbitrarily imposed as texts. Theme based units should be approached in such a manner that does not severely reduce the potential and fullness of texts to serve the needs of the unit. In all units literacy and oracy skills should be effectively integrated as the teacher realises the needs and standards of the students in these areas.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

NOTE: T h e N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l f o r Curriculum and A s s e s s m e n t has i d e n t i f i e d the s p e c i f i c n e e d t o e n s u r e that r o u t e s through the s y l l a b u s be d e v i s e d f o r weak o r remedial students . . Some sample u n i t s , f o c u s i n g on language development w i l l be d e v e l o p e d i n this c o n t e x t . In p a r t i c u l a r , it must be s t r e s s e d that the c u r r e n t s y l l a b u s can e a s i l y encompass remedial c o u r s e s d e s i g n e d to m e e t the n e e d s of t w e l v e t o f i f t e e n year olds with language d i f f i c u l t i e s .

5 -

LIST OF SAMPLE UNITS

Sample Unit

1. 2 3 4 5

Heroes and Heroines Fiction: Fiction: Fiction: 'The Midnight Fox' 'Walkabout' 'The Cay' 'Twopence to

Prose (Autobiography): Cross the Mersey'

6 7 8 9 i0 ii 12 13 14 15

People and Relationships Fiction: 'The Iron Man'

Short Stories: Animals in Literatur~ Poetry: Fiction: Drama Drama: Drama: 'The Merchant of Venice' 'Henry IV' Narrative Verse 'Huckleberry Finn'

Mass Media: general Mass Media: advertising

SAMPLE A. HEROES AND HEROINES

56 -

UNIT 1 - A Thematic Unit

i. 2.

First Year. Contexts of Interest (a) P o p Stars a n d Sport Heroes/Heroines

(b) Dreams of F a m e a n d Fortune (c) Rebels, (d) 3. Patriots, Explorers, Handicapped Persons

Heroes/Heroines

i n Literature

Provisional (a) Personal Speaking

Objectives Literacy and Oracy: and Listening: Group/Class Discussion, Interviewing Personal Literacy and Oracy: Newspapers Headlines, Blurbs Literacy: and Magazines Captions and Record Letter

Writing: (b) Social Reading: Wrting:

(c) Cultural

Respond to short-stories, poems a n d novels i n a variety o f ways e.g. compose scenes, interpret orally, listen to readings: read novel.

4. Resources Choose from the following a s appropriate and interests. to students' abilities

(i) (ii) (iii) (iV)

Pictures

of P o p Stars and Sports Stars magazines, record sleeves

Newspapers, Short

Stories:

Walter Mitty: The Trout

Novels: The Boy W h o w a s Afraid - A. Sperry; The Eighteenth Emergency - B. Byars; Walkabout - J.V. Marshall Verse a n d Story: T h e Highwayman: T h e Ballad o f Athlone; Horatius o n the Bridge (Extract); Songs of the Sourdough; et al.

(v)

57

OUTLINE OF CLASS ACTIVITY:

Heroes and Heroines

Context i. Pictures and Photographs (Video)?

Response and Activity Oral: Group/pair discussion on aspects of material viewed e.g. the glamour and money. Written:

(i) (ii) (iii)

Description of favourite Star List of questions to ask this Star (punctuation opp.) A series of captions, titles and headlines about Star (simple sentence structures)

2.

Magazines/Newspapers: Items on outlook and behaviour of stars. Students could bring in their own chain of materials and read to group.

Oral:

(i)

(ii)

Comment on works and topics of article. Consider view-point and attitudes revealed. Improvise conversation with Star on content of article; role-play of reporter interviewing Star.

Written: (i) Some short paragraph(s) about star in 'journalese' style. Fan-letter to chosen Star.

(ii)

3.

Read The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Oral: Full discussion of the experience of the story: Highlight the contrast between dream and reality achieved by changes in style of sentence, vocabulary and dialogue. Written: Compose another dream episode for Mitty using the contrasting style of the story. Write a story on 'Dreams of fame I have'.

4.

Rebels,

Portraits,

(et.al)

Oral: Give accounts of this type of 'heroic' behaviour. Personal Anecdotes and/or research in available resources etc. Written:

Reading: Select from Diary of Anne Frank; Under the Eye of the Clock, etc.

Emphasis: Courage, Commitment, Loneliness, suffering, triumph. 5. View Video/Film and/or Read Novel Select from e.g. i. 2. 3. Walkabout J.V. Marshall The Boy Who Was Afraid - A. Sperry The Eighteenth Emergency B. Byars
-

Describe specific hero/heroine! Make small posters.

Oral:

Discuss development of hero/ heroine in text. Consider: relationships, challenges, decisions, out-look, range of feelings. Written: i. Comment on aspects of text of interest to class. 2. Each student keeps journal/ diary of response while encountering text. Oral: Discuss personal challenges: moving from fantasy to reality, from refusal to responsibility. Improvise dialogue based on imagined scene between characters. Written: Compose (autobiographical) narrative to show a specific personal challenge or decision.

Or: Listen to Audio-Cassette of appropriate novel. Read: The Trout, S. O'Faolain

6.

Verse/Song Select from:

Oral: Take pleasure in the sound, rhythm and adventure of the verse. Present dramatic interpretations. Written: Present scene from poem in playscript form. Compose short verse in style of poem. Do not mention the words hero/heroine - see what happens in their own responses. readings and oral

The Highwayman; Contemporary Ballads

SAMPLE
The

UNIT 2 - A Fiction U n i t
Fox - Betsy Byars

midnight

Resources i. C o p y of novel for each student. 2. Selection o f poems, short stories, media material. 3. File/copybook for each student - to m a k e a portfolio o f w o r k focussed o n the novel. General Objectives activities) i. Oral/Aural: (taken from F i r s t Y e a r programme of concepts a n d

tell anecdote~ engage in discussion; questions; present poems.

ask

2. Reading:

read silently for a range of literal a n d appreciative purposes; read aloud interpretatively; read stories and poems for pleasure; approach media material to focus o n word choice. write narrative w i t h beginning, middle, end shape; compose nonsense poems, engage in w o r d play; plan a n d present poster; write letter to outside audience. Capitals, Fullstops, paragraph a n d vocabulary as they arise. making, spellings

3. Writing:

4. Basic Skills:

5.

Literary concepts:

character

development,

hero,

story shape.

Pre-Reading

Activities Discuss cover picture Speculate o n title Read opening paragraphs:

APPROACHES:

prediction

Reading

the Novel: for developing student engagement:

Strategies

i. Teacher reads regularly - humour, tone, emotional range 2. Students d o g r o u p reading for interpretative purpose 3. Silent reading for particular end, e.g. facts, opinion, response class a n d g r o u p discussion o n character and action. 4. Students write regularly i n response journal free o r directed written interventions in text, fill i n gaps, change viewpoint. 5. Language awareness procedures as is thought desireable - cloze, prediction, sequencing, summary. Post-Reading 6. Divide n o v e l into episodes for T.V. series; g i v e title t o each. 7. Describe a picture y o u would compose for this novel - reconsider the cover picture. 8. Compose epilogues: what happened to Tom, the f o x a n d cub, Petie.

0 -

S A M P L E U N I T - 'The Midnight Fox' - extended

activities

I.

RE-READINGS/AESTHETIC

A N D IMAGINATIVE T o m a n d Animals

CONTEXTS

(a) Re-read a n d discuss (i) (ii) (iii) (b) Related (i) (ii) Tom's initial attitude T h e changes The Aftermath Readings (Select) (Beginning) (Middle) (End) Assignments Compose suitable Headlines/Captions for each story: W r i t e paragraph to develop headline Oral/Written: Imagine characters f r o m the different stories meeting suggest w h a t would happen. i. Tell anecdote about animal encounter. 2. Compose story and animal theme: viewpoint: beginning/middle/ end: 3-6 paragraphs. A f t e r final draft insert into file.

The W r e n ' s N e s t The Kitten

Contrast the experience o f these stories w i t h the novel:

(i) (ii) (iii)

m a i n character attitude to animals effect o f ending

1 -

SAMPLE

UNIT - 'The Midnight Fox' - extended

activities

2. HUMOUR AND FANTASY

Assignments

(a) Discuss the funny aspects o f the novel: list the type of funny items e.g. Tom's fantasies Petie's headlines Parodies o f T V

i. E a c h student prefers a reading o f a particular incident. 2. Compose another fantasy in the form of a n entry to Tom's diary (Chpts. i, 7, i0)

(b) Related Readings (select) Walter Mitty (extracts) First Confession (c) Nonsense Riddles. Verse/Parodies Compose riddle/ parody. Indulge i n word-play. Prepare choral reading o f W a r m Babies.

Poem: W a r m Babies

2 -

SAMPLE U N I T - 'The Midnight Fox' - extended

activities

3. M A S S M E D I A Assignment

(a) (i)
(ii)

Choose a n advert, the media.

from

Invent a c o m i c version o f t h e advert. W r i t e letter to proprietary brand requesting explanation. Improvise role-play i n either of these game-contexts. Write u p dialogue (P). Devise similiar questionnaire o n chosen topic. Apply to people and report b a c k to class (P).

S h o w h o w it could b e wrongly interpreted.

(b) Two T V Games mentioned i n the novel: p . 1 6 " Y o u have a secret". p.71 "This is your bad moment".

(c) L o o k at Petie's questionnaire discuss does it actually make sense. Answer the questions.

3 -

SAMPLE U N I T - 'The Midnight Fox' - extended

activities

4.

LANGUAGE

AWARENESS

(a) Re-read Tom's description o f the fox. Discuss h o w h e created his feelings; (i) (ii) (iii) adjectives headlines (Fox) comparisons Assignments (b) Related readings: poetry/select Describe something y o u find 'awesome': Verse/Prose.

Four ducks o n a pond Tyger, Tyger The T o m Cat T h e Eagle

Optional

Private

Reading B. Byars T. McCaughren G. Swarthout S. Burnford J. Steinbeck

The Eighteenth Emergency R u n Wild, R u n Free Bless the Beasts a n d the The Incredible Journey The R e d Pony

Children

64

SAMPLE U N I T 3 - A Fiction Unit

Walkabout - J. V. Marshall

Resources i. Copy o f novel for e a c h student. 2. Selection o f poems, short stories, m e d i a material. 3. File/copybook for each student - to m a k e a portfolio o f w o r k focussed o n the novel. General Objectives activities). i. Oral/Aural: (taken f r o m F i r s t Year programme of concepts a n d

tell anecdote; engage i n discussion; questions; present poems.

ask

2. Reading:

read silently for a range of literal a n d appreciative purposes; read aloud interpretatively; read stories a n d poems for pleasure; approach m e d i a material to focus o n word choice. write narrative w i t h beginning, middle, e n d shape; compose nonsense poems, engage i n w o r d play; p l a n and present poster; write letter to outside audience. capitals, fullstops, paragraph making, spellings a n d vocabulary a s they arise, speech marks, forms o f composition a n d story.

3. Writing:

4. Basic Skills:

5. Literary Concepts:

story-shape, viewpoint relationships, change, sound a n d texture of words.

character

Pre-reading i. Tell stories Wills). from the exploration of Australia (Burke a n d

2.

Discuss the Aborigines attitudes. Display paintings,

(the word) - beliefs,

practices,

3. 4.

photos - select

impressions. - create a sense o f size

D r a w m a p of Australia a n d space.

- m a r k in deserts

Reading i. 2. 3. Teacher reads - description Student participation and settings.

dialogues/choral. outlook, viewpoint, attitudes,

Silent reading - facts, responses.

4.

5
free o r directed;

Students write regularly in response journals; comments, images, feelings, ideas, words. Interventions i n the text: a d d scene, viewpoint, speculate o n alternatives. Language awareness

5.

fill i n background,

change

6.

exercises o n quality of style, etc.

Post-Reading i. Write a eulogy for the aborigine - give h i m a name to his actions. W r i t e epilogues (i) - i n a variety of forms, e.g. - diary, newspaper, report, appropriate

2.

M a r y back i n Charleston public speech.

(ii) .

Peter - pareuts v i e w o n h i m - the changes.

Imagine filming the three most important scenes of the book. Make out a series of 'shots' y o u would take to create the feeling and the mood o f these scenes. - 'Walkabout' Values

Re-Readings i.

Prejudice a n d Cultural

(i)

Outline i n a list the two cultures i n the book - survey series o f attitudes. Where d o the conflicts Itemise the scenes. arise?

(ii)

(iii)

Is anyone to blame for the outcome of the book?

Group discussion. Report back to class and improvise/ role-play. Interview with Peter a n d Mary. Make o u t specific stereotype: Present to class, discuss.

(iv)

Stereotypes: relate to prejudice. H o w a r e people stereotyped: List controls. Readings M y parents kept m e f r o m children who w e r e rough. Extracts from: H u c k Finn The Summer o f M y G e r m a n Soldier Roll 0 f Thunder, H e a r M y C r y

Related

(i)
(ii)

Write story based o n prejudice/ stereotype: contrast scenes told f r o m different viewpoints.

(iii)

M e d i a material

6(i

1-

L4adddd~4

of

iuQtrdl{~

-ThQ

M~tural

Uorld

Individual/pairs
Aim: place. Approaches:

project

work
of for other chosen class. (?) animal/objects/

a brochure/poster/folder Have exhibition Co-operate Write to

with various

History/Geography/Art agencies for material talk to world class

Invite Australian to Film/Video -Australian

3.

Sounds

and

Texture

of

Words:

[Syllables

-Spelling]

Make dictionary/glossary
Add other words, nowa

of
part

aborigine
of English

words
e.g.

in

novel

Boomerang;

didgeridoo. (iii) (iv)

Discuss
Make mostly).

the

'kind'
of your

of

words

theyare.
words -(sound and texture

a list

~favourite

Related

Readings Mushrooms Sylvia Plath

'Ough'
Assignment e.g.

w.
Compose

T.

Goodge
of your own favour words

a poem

Haberdashery Ooze and frippery Elongate and hippo too Pom-pom, do-do Blight and sojourn Are words I like to listen

to

4.
(a)

Myths, Frequent

Legends/Lore reference throughout the novel

..The-rock-that-fell-out-of-the-moon'

Only (iii}

Man has Fire Vadhalla,

the

Avalon,
Dreamtime-

The Isle
Spirits

of

the

Blest

Significance
(b) Supplementary
A selection of

of

place

names

in

all

landscapes

Irish]

Reading:
myths/legends

7 -

(c) Assignments:

(i) (ii)
(iii)

Tell legend to the class/groups Compose narrative in legend/myth based on some of the events in the book The aborigine was not buried according to the ritual of his people: base a legend/ghost story about this involving the three characters.

Private

Optional Reading

Across the Barricades, Joan Lingard The Great Gilly Hopkins, K. Paterson The Cay, Theodore Taylor The Machine Gunners, Robert Westall

SAMPLE

68

U N I T 4 - A Fiction Unit

THE

CAY

BY

T.

TAYLOR

FIRST YEAR Possible Language Assignments Oral/written present story, journal of personal experience of insecurity and threat Report o f Philip's captain, r e sinking; interview other survivors Supplementary Material First Confession F. O'Connor; J a n e y M a r y - J. Plunkett; Not Waving But Drowning - S. Smith Accounts of famous s e a disasters e.g. Titanic, Lusitania. Extract f r o m Ancient Mariner, S.T.C. Sea Scape - W.H. Auden; T h e Lobster Season - M. O'Sullivan Hunchback i n the P a r k - D. Thomas; r e a d extracts from Roll of Thunder, Hear M y C r y - M. Taylor; or/and Across T h e Barricades - J. Lingard M i m e a n d drama o n theme o f blindness. R e a d extract f r o m Treasure I s l a n d o n the blindman, P u g h R e a d obituary notices.

Aesthetic a n d Imaginative Contexts Philip's isolation exiled f r o m home: feeling lost a n d threatened

S e a disasters; mysteries

sea

Island setting a n d landscape

Letters t o travel agents for brochures; descriptive essay: M y Island Compose another incident t o s h o w Tim's understanding a n d Phil's prejudice

Development o f relationship b e t w e e n T i m and Phil; significant moments in novel

Phil's blindness; sound and shapes; texture o f words and things

Describe object o r experience o n l y i n terms o f sound, shape a n d texture - class to identify Write obituary o f Tim. Imagine previous life a n d w r i t e biographical sketch W r i t e conversation between parents about changes i n Phil

Character

of Tim

Phil's return to parents a n d h o m e

F o r optional i. 2. 3. 4.

private

reading:

TREASURE ISLAND - R.L. Stevenson MOONFLEET - J. M e a d e F. THE O L D M A N A N D T H E S E A - E. Hemingway A C R O S S T H E BARRICADES - J. Lingard

69 gAMPL UNIT S -A ProBe Unic FORRESTER

TWOPENCE TO CROSS THE MERSEY BY HELEN

Ordinary
Asterisked level. Preparation: The

and Higher
section Collect

Level
may be

First

Year
too difficult on Victorian for Ordinary houses/slums/

considered

information/pictures

Depression. and Contexts Memories Possible Assignments Language Supplementary Material Extracts from: (1) Friedrich by Ran Peter Richter (N) (2) A Strong and Willing Dorothy
A Christmas by (P) Break (P) by Patrick

Aesthetic Imaginative Childhood

Collect oral anecdotes of personal memories emphasis on remembered feelings e.g. fear, guilt, excitement, etc. Write an autobiographical incident. Dialogue between any two characters.

Girl by Edwards

(N)

Childhood Kavanagh Mid-Term S. Heaney

Poverty-

struggle

for

survival/unemployment/ humiliation

Interview Vincent worker worker. report

with a de Paul or social on Write-up same.

Collect newspaper articles on poverty, unemployment, etc. Write Helen's letter to her best friend explaining how she feels. Filling in formsfor application unemployment

Janey Mary (S.S.) Excerpts from: (1) The Charwoman's Daughter by J. Stephens (N) (2) Timothy Winters by C. Causley (P)

benefit. Illustrations of incidents/places, etc. Charityof; forms availability of; etc. in the novel.

Write letters charitable

to

Excerpts Christmas Charles

from: Carol Dickens

! by (N)

organisations requesting information re extent of poverty, help provided, etc. Debate: That the Irish people do not do enough for the poor. Oral presentation of facts to class. Essay: What I would do for the poor if I were Taoiseach. Write a poem: "My little world was swept away".

Aesthetic a n d Imaginative Contexts Good character creation a n d development

Possible Languag e Assignments W r i t e a description o f H e l e n including appearance and personality (and other characters)

Supplementary Material Short character descriptions from: i. James & T h e Giant Peach, Roald D a h l (N); 2. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl (N); 3. H o m e Before Night, H u g h Leonard; 4. Cider w i t h R o s i e Laurie L e e Excerpts from: i. Upstairs Downstairs 2. A Victorian Household, Eil~s D i l l o n The Shy Fathers Lynd, T h e Poteen M a k e r (S.S.) Michael McLaverty

Creation o f atmosphere i n descriptive passages

W r i t e a description of a Victorian household - appearance, servants, status, etc. e.g. "Upstairs, Downstairs" Class divided - one half w r i t e a section o f the Mother's diary, the other half write Helen's diary. Read aloud - Discussion (This is a n effort: to show that adults Parents/Teachers - are h u m a n too). Dramatization o f a n y incident involving H e l e n and h e r mother. O r a l collection of personal examples o f same. Panel discussion o n topic: Reasons for: examples of: Solution to: etc. W r i t e "If I w e r e Helen, I would..."

Responsibilities Parents to Children; Children to Parents

* U p the B a r e Stairs (S.S.) Excerpts from: T h e D i a r y of Anne Frank

Children's cruelty t o o n e another

M y Parents K e p t M e F r o m Children W h o W e r e Rough, Stephen Spender (P); W e e p f o r O u r Pride (S.S.) James Plunkett. Excerpt from The Didekoy R u m e r Goden (N). H i d e and S e e k b y V e r n o n Scannell

(P)
Neighbours
W a t c h v i d e o of o n e episode o f "Neighbours ' O r a l - the part played b y neighbours i n this episode T h e Confirmation Suit b y Brendan Behan (S.S.); Excerpt from: T h e Charwoman's Daughter b y J . Stephens

Follow-up: Dramatize.

1
Write, then

Helen is interviewed for television.

In the case of some themes, there may seem to be too many "assignments" listed. Only as many as the teacher considers suitable should be tackled. For Optional Private Reading by PuPi!s During This Unit A Strong and Willing Girl by Dorothy Edwards. I Was There Friedrick by Hans Peter Richter. Dan Alone by Frances Hodgeson Burnett. The Didekoy by Rumer Godden. *The Circle Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor (Plus). *Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. (Devised by Ms. Colette Dunne, Walkinstown, Dublin). Assumption Secondary School,

N-Novel;

P-Poem;

SS-Short Story

72

SAMPLE UNIT 6 - A Thematic U n i t

PEOPLE AND RELATIONSRIPS

PERSONAL LITERACY [Characters Parents a n d children Characters i n novels/stories Relationships i n novels/ stories] Discussion Interview Personal letter Improvised d r a m a

SOCIAL LITERACY R e a d newspaper article W r i t e interview questions for magazine L e t t e r to newspaper

CULTURAL LITERACY Response to texts Readings Read novel, poetry, stories and/or watch f i l m W r i t e character descriptions W r i t e short story o r poem

Resources: Pictures Newspaper article Short Stories - M y Oedipus Complex, F r a n k O'Connor Novels: - Walkabout - James Vance Marshall; T h e Red P o n y - J o h n Steinbeck. Verse: The W i l d Traveller - N a n Joyce; I n M e m o r y o f M y Mother Patrick Kavanagh; T h e Hired M a n - Robert Frost; A Boy's H e a d Miroslav Holub; L u c y - Wordsworth; It W a s L o n g A g o - Eleanor Farejo~n; A Gentleman - Edward Thomas; N o t Waving B u t Drowning Stevie Smith; D a n n y Murphy - J a m e s Stephens. Extracts from novels e.g. Dickens - Mrs. Gamp i n 'Martin Chuzzlewit'; Steinbeck - George a n d Lennie i n 'Of M i c e a n d Men'. M e d i a - Episode o f a S o a p Opera.

SEQUENCE i. Picture

O F CLASSES of face/person Oral: , Class discussion Write: L i s t o f characteristics for wanted poster. W r i t e (i) T h r e e sentences describing a man who is to be the hero o f a story (Do not say h e is the hero). (2) T h r e e sentences describing a m a n w h o is to b e the villain o f a story. (3) A pen portrait o f someone in the class Write: T h i s picture m o v e s into a c t i o n a n d a short film starts. Tell the story.

Text - extract (e.g. Dickens) describing a character a n d suggesting personality

Pictures Advertisements shampoo

for

Oral: Discuss denotation a n d connotation

73

2.

The Wild Traveller N a n Joyce

O r a l :

Respond to poem in discussion

Write: Questions from a journalist for magazine article Write: A letter to the paper about the article (emphasise correctness for publication). Write: Mother's letter to h e r sister about h e r problems with Larry and her husband. (Letter format). Write: mother world. Impression o f and her

3.

Newspaper Article o n Itinerants

Oral: Identify information given. Discuss writer's attitude to topic.

M y Oedipus Complex Frank O'Connor

Oral: Groups discuss t h e story. Improvised drama - father talks to friend about his difficulties

I n Memory of M y Mother Patrick Kavanagh

Oral: Respond to p o e m in discussion

Episode opera

from a soap

Oral: Discuss relationships revealed.

family

4.

The Hired M a n - Robert Frost

Oral: Dramatized reading o f text

Write: In pairs, script the woman's conversation w i t h h e r daughter when she tells her about the incident. Use this dialogue in a paragraph from a story. (Pu,~ctuation, direct speech). Write: K e e p a record o f character development during the novel.

5.

Watch film or read novel: Walkabout - James V a n c e Marshall The R e d Pony - J o h n Steinbeck

Oral: Discus the m a i n character a n d h o w h e o r she changes, the relationship w i t h other characters, and h o w some characters are m o r e fully drawn than others. Oral: Readings o f poems. N o t e sounds a n d rhythms. Respond to poems i n discussion.

6.

A Boy's Head Miroslav Holub. Lucy - Wordsworth. It W a s Long A g o Eleanor Farejohn. N o t Waving But Drowning - Stevie Smith

Write: A p o e m about a friend o r relative.

(Devised

b y Lorna Gault,

Ursuline

Convent

School,

Sligo).

SAMPLE

74

U N I T 7 - A Fiction Unit
by TED HUGHES

THE I R O N M A N

1S T Y E A R

AESTHETIC A N D IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS i. Dramatic style: sound a n d rhythm o f words

POSSIBLE LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS Dramatic reading b y groups o f students

SUPPLEMENTARY

MATERIALS

W A R M BABIES - K . (poem); DANIEL J A Z Z - V . (poem)

Preston Lindsay

2. Images a n d illustrations

Collect photos a n d illustrations from papers etc. - m a k e o u t titles, headlines o r summary o f event Tell (or write) a ghost-story

Reading pictures a n d cartoons

3. G o o d story-telling: tension a n d climax

V i d e o o f T V thriller conversation a n d discussion Y O U R ATTENTION PLEASE - P e t e r Porter (poem)

4. Iron M a n and dragon: great conflicts i n o u r world 5. I r o n Man: giving directions a n d commands

R e a d war-story

Write o u t the instructions y o u think the Iron M a n g a v e t o Hogarth G i v e personal understanding o f text

Read carefully instruction leaflet for operating a n y appliances

6. A s m o d e r n myth: interpretation

Read other myths e.g. T H E CYCLOPS a n d ODYSSEUS; THESEUS A N D T H E M I N O T A U R

5 -

SAMPLE UNIT 8 - A Short Story Unit

OUTLINE UNIT AESTHETIC AND IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS

ANIMALS

IN LITERATURE

2ND/3RD SUPPLEMENTARY

YEARS

POSSIBLE LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS

MATERIALS

i. Read His First Flight creation of viewpoint through sensuous details: animal as hero 2. Contrast of man and animal. The Wren's Nest: story shape 3. Animal as symbol: The Trout Romance v. Realism 4. Animal in satire and humour. Down with Pigeons 5. Discussion on variety of approaches possible to animals in literature: contrast and evaluate approaches 6. Private reading

Description of animal from two contrasting viewpoints

Read The Rockfish; contrast with His First Flight

Nature diary for a week: record and comment on interactions observed Discussion on attitudes to animals in popular entertainment Write animal caricature of any public figure

Snake: group of poem

presentation

Animals as used in Advertisements, T.V., film

Extracts

from Animal Farm

Write animal story from Read other students' particular viewpoint in stories comment on chosen approach approach.

Oral presentation of book review to class

Optional

private

reading during this Unit

The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars The Red Pony by John Steinbeck Kes by Barry Hines Watership Down by Richard Adams Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson M y Family and Other Animals by Gerard Durrell

76

SAMPLE UNIT 9 - A Poetry Unit

OUTLINE UNIT

NARRATIVE VERSE

2ND/3RD

YEARS

AESTHETIC AND IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS

POSSIBLE LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS

SUPPLEMENTARY

MATERIALS

i. Trad. Ballad; dramatic details and dialogue in Sir Patrick Spens.

Write short dialogue based on events in poems: redraft poems as short plays in three scenes

Rosabelle: dramatised reading in groups

2. Modern social ballad Discuss issues raised e.g. Sacho and Venzetti in Ballad; role-play The Band played as characters. Select Waltzing Matilda, issue for Ballad Timothy Winters treatment attempt version 3. The Quarry (Auden) Dramatic intensity achieved through unity of time, place and action 4. The Highwayman as Romantic melodrama: Style and effects achieved Create context for events. Write short radio play with this ballad as central episode Write description of contemporary 'soap' plot. Write or present short scene in class

Contrast in theme and approach The Ballad of Reading Gaol and The Ballad of the Breadman (Causley)

Listen to recording of short play. Discuss approach and techniques.

Collect accounts of sensational events as reported in press. Comment on style and approach. Discus Oral story telling

5. Morte D'Arthur: Atmosphere and Mood

Research and tell to class an Arthurian legend

SAMPLE UNIT 10 - A Fiction Unit IIIICKLKBERRY IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS & AESTHETIC Fllil~ b y M a r k T w a i n 2ND/3RD YEARS

POSSIBLE LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS

SUPPLEMENTARY T E X T S A N D MATERIALS: (To b e used at the teacher's discretion for fuller exploration o f a context a n d a s a stimulus for student's work)

i.

Relationship o f Huck, T o m a n d Jim: friendship, loyalty, betrayal

Newspaper o r Read a n d discuss: GUESTS documentary account o f OF T H E NATION F. O'Connor (story); Teacher read: Extract from T H E GREAT G I L L Y HOPKINS - K . Paterson (novel); Presentation to class/ audience Compose ghost-story set i n local community a n d environment Readings from a n anthology of ghoststories; local anecdotes a n d superstitions (oral) T H E PLANSTER'S VISION J. Betjeman (poem); MACAVITY - T.S. Eliot (poem). Language u s e in the press or a specific T V programme Read a n d discuss: THE DIAMOND M A K E R - H.G.WelIs (story); THE G R E E N D O O R - O. Henry (story) Discuss approach of: (a) T V comedy (b) 'Soap' operas

2. H u c k and J i m - attitudes to supernatural: superstitions, ghosts

3. General style o f novel ironic language use: parody and satire

Write dialogue parodying a T V personality's style o r a specific newspaper's style

4. Huck's "stretchers": tall stories and fantastic inventions

M a k e u p advertisement for n e w fantasy invention; display poster o r T V advert o r radio advert Describe and evaluate i n a review article a n episode o f a T V soap opera Class debate on: PREJUDICE IN O U R COMMUNITY. W r i t e ballad/story o n "Being left out"

5. "Duke" a n d "King" episodes: humour and melodrama

5.

Grangerford's a n d Sheperdson's feud; J i m ' s experience a s a black

Read and present: Extract from R O M E O A N D J U L I E T W. Shakespeare - (oral); Interpret - negro spirituals o r freedom songs; TELEPHONE CONVERSATION - W.Soyinka (poem); M Y PARENTS K E P T M E F R O M CHILDREN W H O W E R E R O U G H S. Spender (poem)

Optional (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)

Private Reading

Roll o f Thunder, H e a r my C r y - M i l d r e d Taylor T h e C a y - T. Taylor Across the Barricades - J. Lingard T o K i l l a M o c k i n g B i r d - Harper L e e A Separate Peace - J. Knowles H o w M a n ~ Miles to Bab~lon - J. Johnston The Great Ghilly Hopkins - K . Paterson

SAMPLE UNIT II - A Drama Unit DRAMA: SECOND YEAR Imaginative Theme: Youth a n d Age

and Aesthetic Contexts:

The imaginative contexts for this unit include the recognition of the needs and the problems of old age both in themselves and in how they relate to children. The aesthetic contexts include the recognition of the shaping of the experience into different literary forms and the translation of personal or imagined experience into one or more of those forms. Core Text: The Granny Project by Anne Fine from the Plays Plus Series. (Books in this series each contain a play text and a great many suggestions for work based on the text). LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS THE CORE TEXT POSSIBLE SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Textual

Analysis

The play, which is adapted from a novel centres on children and the family difficulties they encounter with their grandmother Suggested activities - given in the book around the play text are: Drama based on the script Written and spoken personal versions of the plot Versions life of Granny's Vanity by Daniel Corkery

Analysis of dramatic form and construction (plot, character, tension, climax, etc.) Extrapolation unknown from known to

First Confession by Frank O'Connor Among the Ruins by Brian Friel

The difference between the story and drama

Diary/Narrative/Report

Base Details by Siegfried Sasson. A Christmas Childhood by Patrick Kavanagh The Weavers by James Stephens

Improvisation, sayings, proverbs, appropriate word usage Written and verbal description and observation Comparative analysis

Created personalised brainstorming

Character

Studies

To a Child Dancing in the Wind by W.B. Yeats

Old age in Literature (7 poems or prose extracts are given) Your own Granny Project

Building a picture of one individual through a life time

0 -

TEXTS: All supplementary texts are from Exploring English 1 and 3. CORE TEXT: The Granny Project by Rosemary Fine from the Plays Plus Series, Collins Educational, 1986, Price (December 1988) IR2.55. (Devised by Emilie Fitzglbbon, Company, Cork). GRAFFITI Theatre in Education

81

SAMPLE UNIT 12 - A Drama Unit The Merchant of VenieW. Shakespeare careful 2ND/3RD Y E A R HIGHER LEVEL reading o f the play. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

The core o f this Unit is a close, AESTHETIC A N D IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS Justice/Mercy/Law dogmatism and human values

LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS O R A L A N D WRITTEN Re-enactment o f the court scene. Write the speech for defence a n d the speech for the prosecution. Newspaper report o f trial - a sensationalised report and a factual report. Write a tabloid newspaper report of Portia's father's will complete w i t h headlines

Short story T h e Majesty of the L a w Occurence a t Owl Creek Bridge

Speech f r o m the Dock, Meagher

Character

Analysis

Learn b y heart some m a j o r speeches a n d deliver them paying attention to meaning, phrasing, pauses, tone etc. Concept of loaded and neutral words e.g. scrawny/slim. Selectivity o f all language use. Write description o f stereotypical American, Irishman, German, Frenchman, teacher, politician, farmer. W r i t e a character sketch o f o n e o f these from real life a n d compare. Write a story of Shylock's life including his life preceeding a n d subsequent to the play. Study concepts o f accent, dialect, slang, jargon, received standard. U s e o f tape recorder.

Video o f p l a y (BBC television)

Animal imagery to dehumanise

(Poetry) Unknown Citizen Prayer before Birth

Concept type. Shylock

o f the stereothe standard jew.

Poetry T h e Squire The Miller M y Parents K e p t M e F r o m Children W h o Were R o u g h

Money/Love themes Bussario/Portia/Antonio's wealth. Shylock's obsessive attitude. Concept o f Fate. Lancelot-and-Gobbo linguistic pretensions

Historical enquiry into jewish race Christianity, banking. England a t the time o f Elizabeth - n e w prosperity, travel.

Optional

reading: T o Kill a Mockingbird;

T h e D i a r y o f A n n e Frank.

- 82 SAMPLE

UNIT 13 - A D r a m a U n i t

Henry

IV

by

W.

Shakespeare

2ND/3RD

YEAR

IMAGINATIVE CONTEXTS

& AESTHETIC

POSSIBLE LANGUAGE ASSIGNMENTS

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS A N D MATERIALS (To b e used a t the teacher's discretion for fuller exploration o f a context a n d as a stimulus for students' work)
(i) THE HIGHWAYMAN - A. Noyes (poem); (2) Newspaper items o n courage of all kinds: discuss the language u s e d t o describe events; (3) Film: A M A N F O R A L L SEASONS

i. Hotspur a n d Hal: heroes and villains: ideals and motives

Compare the different k i n d s o f language these two characters use. Discursive essay: "There a r e n o heroes anymore"

2. Falstaff - humour and farce: b l a c k comedy

Interview Falstaff. M a k e o u t wanted notices for e a c h m e m b e r of the gang: invent short biography and criminal record (based o n text a s far a s possible) W r i t e a mythical exploration i n story-form for a n y contemporary natural event W r i t e dialogue o r scene o f other characters v i e w o f this father a n d s o n r o l e friendship

T H E SECRET LIFE O F WALTER MITTY J. Thurber (story).

3.

Glendower myths

- legends a n d

W E L S H INCIDENT - Robert Graves (poem)

3. H e n r y IV and H a l father and son/power politics a n d people

T H E W E B - James (story)

Plunkett

5.

Shakespeare's

theatre

Write description o f T h e B B C Television interpretative Shakespeare HENRY IV P I stage-set for some scenes. Suggest a range of interpretative costumes for major characters throughout the play G r o u p readings a n d presentation. Write press accounts o f these chosen scenes Discussion o f interpretative approaches. Realism v. symbolism

6. Chosen scenes e.g. Gadshill/robbery; final battle

8 3 -

F o r optional (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

private

reading b y pupils during this unit

Catch 22 - J. Heller T h e Good Soldier Svejk - I. H a s e k T h e H u m a n Factor - G. Greene I a m the Cheese - R. Cormier T h e S p y w h o Came i n from the Cold - J. L e Carte

84

SAMPLE

UNIT

14 -

Mass

Media

Introduction to Media Studies

Introduction t o Media S t u d i e s i s d e s i g n e d f o r i s t year s t u d e n t s a n d h o p e s t o e n c o u r a g e t h e m t o b e g i n t o t h i n k and t a l k a b o u t t h e media as products/processes. T h r o u g h a r a n g e of l i n g u i s t i c e x e r c i s e s i t aims to develop: i. 2. Basic The cognitive skills, of in terms of media. concepts

understanding

underlying

media

media/medium broadcast media print media images/visuals selection construction of personal, social and cultural facets of the

3. The awareness media

s t u d e n t ' s own i n t e r a c t i o n with t h e media peer group consumption/preference/opinions views/judgements of consumption patterns of

other

subgroups

Aesthetic and Imaginative Contexts I. Pervasiveness Persuasiveness the media and of

Possible Language Assignments In-class survey and discussion of m e d i a consumption and preference Write a d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e media f o r people from Mars. Debate: Younger c h i l d r e n s h o u l d be allowed watch whatever they like on T V . Describe a 'medium' f o r the c l a s s without using certain key w o r d s Write t w o l e t t e r s a b o u t an i s s u e , one to a newspaper, another to a friend; how do t h e y d i f f e r in s t y l e , c o n t e n t ?

Supplementary Material ( T I T L E ) was a popular story/play what does it share with television stories/plays today?

2. Mass

Media

D i s c u s s t h e p o e m s of a selected writer Which modern mass medium would best popularise them? Does a TV S o a p have an a u t h o r , l i k e a short story has?

- 85 Aesthetic and Imaginative Contexts 3. The Power Image of the Possible Language Supplementary Material E x p a n d a poem i n t o a s h o r t TV d r a m a . D e s c r i b e one i m a g e that would best express the sentiments in a poem/story/film.

Assignments W r i t e t h e s t o r y of a TV ad - c o m p a r e with the class How i s i t s i m i l a r to a short story? What d o e s i t s h a r e w i t h t h e n e w s on T V ? Write an o u t l i n e for the next episode of your favourite soap/ serial

4.

The Media Make the News: Selection/ Construction

Given a l i s t o f Take a 'nasty' possible articles, character from a write headlines and n o v e l or s t o r y by-lines and a r r a n g e and write a them for the front sympathetic page of a newspaper description of him/ Discuss your selection her. Construct a and w h a t you l e f t o u t . sensational news Listen to a radio news item from a selected and compare the poem. selection of items w i t h f r o n t p a g e of newspaper Compare headlines across the newspapers that deal with the same topic choice and use of words and typeface

(Adapted

from

Unit

devised

by

Irish

Film

Institute).

86

S A M P L E U N I T 15 - M a s s M e d i a

ADVERTISING

'Advertising' is designed t o follow o n the Introduction t o M e d i a Studies Unit for Ist y e a r students Through a range o f linguistic exercises focusing o n advertising, it a i m s to develop: I. Basic 2. T h e cognitive skills, i n terms o f media. of fundamental media concepts -

understanding

denotation connotation anchorage preferred reading target audience representation social and cultural facets o f the

3. T h e awareness of personal, media .

range of m e d i a products i n society personal consumption of media products personal/social preference for m e d i a products m e d i a a s a source o f pleasure cultural-specific elements in the m e d i a

T h e unit is designed to encourage the use of a w i d e range o f media formats a s is feasible - magazines, newspapers, record/book sleeves, comics, bill board reproduct[ons, radio, television, video a s w e l l a s integrating literary texts (drama, poetry, novels). Duration o f the course would b e approximately 6 weeks.

Aesthetic and Imaginative Contexts i. Favourite/worst advertisement: range o f a d s across the media; aesthetic, personal, cultural preferences Composition/style o f images/messages denoted/connoted. .

Possible Language Assignments Individual/group oral selection a n d justification o f favourite/ worst a d s from a selection o f media; . Class discussion

Supplementary Material Survey o f a d consumption school/home

2.

Oral/written analysis checklists of contents and technical c~nposition o f selected images. . Description of messages b o t h explicit a n d implicit.

- 87 Aesthetic and Imaginative Contexts 3. C o n t e x t and t a r g e t a u d i e n c e f o r an advertisement.

Supplementary Material

Possible Language Assignments . S e l e c t or c o m p o s e an ad. to sell a product; . Organise a presentation to sell y o u r ad t o t h e c o m p a n y concerned - explain w h e r e i t would a p p e a r and w h o i t w o u l d be aimed at. F i n d a c h a r a c t e r in a n u m b e r o f TV a d s t h a t you think is a stereotype - list the shared features of each ad. Select a character from a play as a model to sell a product explain your choice. S e l e c t a TV p r o g r a m m e and watch the credit sequence. O r g a n i s e and w r i t e a description of how i t sells a programme. Develop a credit sequence to suit a n o v e l d e s c r i b e how it would attract a particular audience.

4.

Representation in advertising images

School book covers how do t h e y represent the s u b j e c t and a t t r a c t students.

5.

The

moving

image

Compare a video ' t e a s e r ' a n d t h e fly c o v e r of a n o v e l - do t h e y give t h e same information?

(Adapted

from

unit

devised

by

Irish

Film

Institute).

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH

GENERAL WORKS

Teaching the Universe of Discourse, (Houghton) J. Moffett. Language and Learning, J. Britton. (Penguin)

Literature as Exploration, L. Rosenblatt.

(Heinemann)

Literacy, Society and Schooling, (Cambridge) Edit. S. de Costell et al. Teaching Literature 9 - 14, (Oxford) M. Benton & G. Fox. Out in the Open - a secondary English curriculum, (Cambridge) G. Blanchard.

TEACHING OF FICTION

Developing Response to Fiction, University) R. Proterough. Encounters with Books, (Methuen) D. Jackson.

(Open

TEACHING

OF POETRY

Words large as Apples, M. Hayhoe & S. Parker.

(Cambridge)

Teaching Poetry in the Secondary School, (Arnold) V. O'Brien. Poetry Experience, S. Tunnicliffe. TEACHING OF DRAMA (Methuen)

Any texts by: Gavin Bolton, Dorothy Heathcote, Cecily O'Neill. A practical guide to Drama in the Secondary School, (Wardlock) D. Self. Drama in the English K. Byran. Teaching Shakespeare, V O'Brien. Classroom (Methuen)

(Arnold)

9 -

TEACHING OF TALKING

Encouraging Talk, (Methuen) L. Knowles AND LISTENING Hearsay, (Scottish H.M.S.O.) D. Northcroft. Speak Out! (Bell & Hyman Ltd.) Thompson. Dialogues & Situations for Secondary Schools, (Heinemann) Byran & Dube.

TEACHING OF READING

Perspectives on Reading, (The Glendale Press) D. Swarm.

TEACHING OF WRITING

The Writing of Writing (O.U.P.) A. Wilkinson. The Quality of Writing (O.U.P.) A. Wilkinson.

Wt. P45183. 2,500.12/96. Cahill.(M21681). Gr. 30-01.