Methods for Teaching Authentic Literature in the Target Language

1. Methods for Teaching Authentic Literature in the Target Language Elizabeth Berry Douglas County High School elizabeth.berry@douglas.k12.ga.us

2. If I could pick one concept that was the most difficult for me to teach from the beginning, it has been authentic literature. • They can’t do that!! • It’s too difficult. • They won’t understand it. • I will just have to result to English anyway. • It’s boring. • Successful teachers expect their students to succeed. • Students can do no better than the assignments they are given. • Literature teaches them: • More vocabulary • More grammar • History • Culture

3. Step 1 : Choose Level Appropriate Literature • Make sure it aligns with your unit content, vocabulary, and grammar goals. • Authentic Literature Spotlights in Textbooks • Ventanas • En Primera Persona • The internet

4. Examples • Level III • Unit: Welcome to my World (Spanish I and II Review) • Poetry of José Martí • Unit: The World of my Childhood (Imperfect Tense) • La casa embrujada– Peruvian Legend • Unit: The World of my Past (Preterit Tense) • Unacarta a Dios - Gregorio López y Fuentes • Unit: The World of my Experiences (Preterit vs. Imperfect) • El Iztaccíhuatly el Popocatépetl – Aztec Legend • Level V • Unit: Immigration • Selections from …Y no se lo tragó la tierra – Tómas Rivera • Unit: Technology • Los mutantes – José Ruibal • Unit: World Health • Instantes- Jorge Luis Borges? • Unit: Enviroment • La guerra de los yacarés – HoracioQuiroga • Unit: Literature/ShortStories • El fantasma- Enrique Anderson Imbert

5. Step 2: Identify Key Vocabulary • Make a list of words you know students will not understand. • Put all verbs in the infinitive form. • For homework or in class have students look up those words. • Have students highlight those words in the text.

7. If time permits: create simple activities using words (Fill in the blank, definitions, charades, synonyms and antonyms, etc…)

8. Step 3: Pre-Reading • Use Pre-Reading activities from texts • Introduce genre/literary terms • Introduce/Talk about Author • Discuss Historical Background if necessary • Review grammar concepts if necessary • Predict the Plot • Have students skim/read the texts using vocabulary individually for homework, extra class time, etc…

11. Step 4: Read • General recommendations: • USE A DIFFERENT WAY TO READ EVERYTIME • Spilt up text into sections and have different activities to do for each section. • For beginners read as a class, then move on to group reading, then to pair reading, and finally individual reading. (Think about how you learned to read in your first language!!) • Sometimes students need to “Pre-read” beforehand. “Pre-read” to me means they read using the vocabulary they have looked up, but don’t necessarily read for total comprehension.

12. Whole Class reading ideas: • Have each student read one sentence at a time. Teacher stops to check for comprehension every once in a while. Ask questions, act out certain words , verbs, use props, etc…BE ENTHUSIASTIC! (Better for shorter texts, theater)

13. Have each student read one sentence at a time. Teacher draws what is going on. Ask students what needs to be drawn, added, erased, etc…. The worse the drawing the better! (Pre-Reading recommended)

15. Whole Class reading ideas: • Read, Draw, Share: Have a student read a pre-determined amount of the text while one student has to draw what is going on. Then another student has to summarize based off the drawing. Great for total class participation. (Pre-reading recommended) • TPR/Modified TPR: Create a TPR lesson/modified TPR lesson for the text. Use cut-out pictures for characters, create actions to act out important words/characters, etc… (Better for shorter texts)

16. Group/Pair reading ideas: • Always read the text out loud in groups/pairs. • Teachers identifies key sentences/plot points in the text and students have to draw them out (like a comic strip).

17. Modify the previous activity to where the students have to identify the key sentences/plot points and create the comic.

18. Text is spilt into sections and each group is assigned a section. Group must draw out the section of the text and summarize what happened in their own words in two-three sentences. Teacher checks sentences and then each group presents their drawings and sentences for a summary of the text. (Pre-reading recommended)

21. Group/Pair reading ideas: • Modify previous activity and have students create dialogue/act out scene instead.

22. Teacher gives pre-made pictures created for the text.Students have to put them in the correct order and write a sentence for each picture.

23. Step 5: Comprehension Questions • Boring but necessary! • Tell students not to attempt them until after finishing reading activities. • By spending time doing reading activities versus just reading the text plainly, I have found students do not fear comprehension questions and usually get them all correct because they are more prepared and ACTUALLY understand the text. • Don’t always need to be short answer. Use true/false, fill in the blank, character matching, etc….

26. Step 6: Application/Assignment • Should always have a written component. • Give students choices. • Can be done in same groups/pairs or individually if possible. • What happens next? • Alternative ending • What would have happened if…? • Write your own_________ • Create skit/video for text • Pretend you are… • Use different formats for the writing components: • Dialogue • Movie script • Police Report • Letter/Email • Poem • Newspaper Article • Postcard • Brochure