How Do I teach literature at high school level?

Question

Just retired and am involved in the setting up of an adult enrichment programme in my area.

Answer 1

I'm going into my 8th year of teaching English, and I have found over the years that the best way to teach is to do as little traditional "teaching" as possible- meaning: carefully construct activities that make discussion and activities engaging and student centered. Model and guide good discussion techniques and show your students how to deeply analyze a text. Have them keep response journals that are meaningful- not busy work. Work towards having student-centered Socratic seminars where students guide the discussion and are encouraged to explore tangets while also monitoring their discussion behavior and collaboration.

I highly recommend Jim Burke's books- they are hands on and filled with great advice to get you going. The English Teacher's Companion and Illuminating Texts are especially good.

Answer 2

I taught middle and high school English for 10 years and teaching literature is the easiest and most rewarding part. Choose books that you love, have the students read them and discuss them. There are so many levels of discussion in most books and if you are teaching adults you can talk about all of them. Literature study lends itself to life study. Why did this character do that? Was it wrong? moral? would you do the same? how would you like to change this book? did the character have a fatal flaw? what is your flaw? do the characters seem realistic? rewrite the story (or section of the book) as a comedy. Write a journal entry from the main characters point of view. Make it fun! There are no rules; use your imagination. Discuss vocabulary and interesting sentence structure and literary terms such as flashback, foreshadowing, climax, denouement, plot, setting... Enjoy!

Answer 3

I'm assuming you don't have time or your school doesn't require a degree that would certify you to teach English. If so, an immediate and regular solution would be to join the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) because the many benefits of membership include recommendations and discounts on excellent teaching resources as well as a monthly subscription to The English Journal, which is full of practical teaching ideas. NCTE also provides great networking opportunities through workshops and conferences.

Answer 4

In Australia it takes 3 or 4 years to get a degree in English Literature, then another year at uni to study teaching. You can do a combined 3 year education degree with literature as a major.

In Australia like most English speaking countries you do need this combination of teacher education and literary studies, this goes for the USA as well. Ask a high school teacher in your area how they got their degree, and how can you teach.

Answer 5

Focus on what the students see, make the class more like a book club and less lecture. Guide discussion and have fun.

Answer 6

Plan comprehension curriculum based on short stories with interesting concepts and characters to supplement good books which participants can read in advance.

Answer 7

Your question ought to concentration extra on what center college scholars are prepared to take care of, and how the literature offered to them facilitates practice them for extra extreme analyze in severe college. I taught MS interpreting and placed my scholars had to come across the fashion to analyze what they study, not merely keep in mind the documents offered. not in ordinary words did they choose more beneficial vocabulary, the also needed the flexibility to variety and prioritize the documents, characters and plot documents of the extra complicated thoughts. in addition they choose more beneficial adulthood to awesome evaluate the extra complicated thoughts and behaviors adults reveal. MS scholars are frequently nevertheless uncomfortable with the emotional relationships and sophisticated causes that are coated in HS literature. Likewise HS scholars are not waiting for lots of the topics and titles that they're going to conceal intimately in college. yet some persons ought to be able to study, understand and luxuriate in extra stepped ahead fabric -- it quite is why maximum instructors assign e book comments with minimum regulations on what books scholars study.

Answer 8

Give out a reading list for reading books this summer first!

Answer 9

but a good literature book for teaching and follow the guidelines???