English 521: Teaching of Literature and the Literature Curriculum

Fall 2008—Iowa State University

Dr. Donna Niday

431 Ross Hall

515-294-9981 (O)

515-292-4622 (H)

Office Hours: 12:30-2:00 T/Th; 5:30-6:00 p.m., T; 9:00-9:30 p.m., T

"Literature is no one’s private ground, literature is common ground; let us trespass freely and fearlessly and find our own way for ourselves." —Virginia Woolf

Catalogue Description: Examination of the roles of the literary work, reader, and teacher in literary study. Responses to literature. Place of literature in language arts. Study and development of curriculum materials for varied levels of instruction.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to—

  • define and revise their definitions of “literature.”
  • analyze what happens in a reader’s mind by exploring literary theories and practices and compose a philosophy of teaching literature which shows in-depth thinking in teaching and learning about literature.
  • analyze various curricular organizational strategies and create a curriculum outline for a literature-based course showing rationales for various text selections, analyzing the use of the canonical literature versus literature from historically marginalized cultures.
  • discuss and apply teacher professionalism and ethics to various teaching situations.
  • determine personal teaching strengths.
  • analyze the benefits and drawbacks of various literature instructional strategies, including questioning and discussion techniques and connections between literature and personal experience, prior knowledge, other literature, writing, non-fiction, film, technology, music, and/or art.
  • create a literature teaching unit with theoretical basis, text rationales, objectives, assessments, and methods of meeting the needs of special populations: gifted, special needs, ESL, etc.
  • effectively teach one 30-minute lesson from the teaching unit.
  • discuss and analyze action research in literature classrooms.
  • assemble a course portfolio showing individual growth about the teaching of literature.

Texts:

Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.

Liesveld, Rosanne, JoAnn Miller, and Jennifer Robison. Teach with Your Strengths: How Great Teachers Inspire Their Students. New York: Gallup Press, 2005.

Rosenblatt, Louise M. The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1978.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. “You Gotta BE the Book”: Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.

(Donna will provide chapters from Gere/Sheehan's Making American Literatures in High School and College, as well as other articles, through the Moodle site.)

COURSE OUTLINE

Part 1: What is literature?

We will create a definition of literature individually, in small groups, and as a large group. We will also examine other people's definitions of literature.

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to read only in parts; others to be read but not curiously [thoroughly], and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention."

—Sir Francis Bacon

Part 2: What should be included in a literature curriculum?

Selection of texts

  • Canon debate
  • Literature of historically marginalized cultures
  • Standards (NCTE/IRA)
  • Writing rationales
  • Genres, literary terminology, etc.

"The books we read should be chosen with great care, that they may be, as an Egyptian king wrote over his library, 'The medicines of the soul.'"

—Paxton Hood

Part 3: What are the best practices of instructional strategies and assessment?

1. Teaching strengths (

  1. Instructional strategies (literature circles, jigsaws, modeling, groupings, multiple intelligences, visualization, etc.)
  2. Questioning and discussion techniques (literary theories, Christenbury’s question circle, Bloom’s Taxonomy, HOTS questions, etc.)
  3. Connections (personal experience, prior knowledge, world events, intertextual, identity, non-fiction, film, technology, art, music)

4. Preparing teaching unit plans

  1. Action research in literature classrooms (conferences, discussions, e-mail, etc.)
  2. Special populations (special needs, ESL, gifted, etc.)

The four stages of teaching are (1) fantasy, (2) survival, (3) mastery, and (4) impact. You will have matured as a teacher when you stop asking, "How am I doing?" and start asking, "How and what are students learning?"

Course Recommendations

1. Attendance and active participation. Because each class period examines a different topic and because each class period equals approximately three class periods, it is vitally important that you are an active participant every class period. I expect that only emergencies would require that you be absent and then only for a maximum of one absence. If you absolutely cannot be present, you are to call me in advance of the class meeting. Office phone: 294-9981

  1. Student-teacher conferences. You are invited to participate in conferences with me to discuss your reading interests, curriculum outline, and teaching unit.
  2. Attitude/Work Habits. Be the student you would like your students to be.

Writing/Teaching Assignments

  1. One-pagers (written responses to the reading assignment)
  2. Philosophy of teaching literature (1-2 pages)
  3. Analysis of and use of five teaching strengths (2-4 pages)
  4. Curriculum outline with general objectives and text rationales
  5. Teaching unit
  6. Teach classmates 30 minutes (from teaching unit)
  7. Course portfolio (process: collect, select, project, reflect)

A portfolio is a collection of evidence of your growth as a current or future teacher of literature. Each artifact is accompanied by a short reflection.

  • Cover page, table of contents, and introductory reflection
  • Philosophy of teaching literature
  • Curriculum outline, general objectives, text rationales for one course
  • Representative pieces from your teaching unit (general objectives, rationale, accommodations for special needs students, approximately three lesson plans, directions for assignments, assessments)
  • Reflection on teaching experience
  • Representative samples of own literature responses
  • Representative sample of literature paper (from another course)
  • Concluding reflection (optional)

"The student who can begin early in life to think of things as connected, even if he revises his view with every succeeding year, has begun the life of learning."

—Mark Van Doren

Class Schedule—English 521 Fall ‘08

Day / Date / Theme:
Theoretical/
Practical / Assignments Due / Activities
1 / 8/26/08 / Introduction / -- / Introduction to syllabus
Introduction of students
Begin discussing "What is lit.?"
2 / 9/2/08 / What is literature?
What are the characteristics of a "good reader"?
How does literature shape our world (culture, ethnicity, gender)?
How do the NCTE/IRA Standards apply to classrooms? / Have read Eagleton's "What is literature?"
Have written letter to classmate / Discuss “What is literature?”
Discuss T. Eagleton, “What Is Lit.?”
Discuss outcomes of reading—“good reader”
Discuss comments on letter to classmate
View NCTE/IRA Standards
Discuss canon vs. diversity
3 / 9/9/08 / No class (Labor Day), but do read the assignments and send the email / Have read Wilhelm—intro.
and Ch. 1-2
Have read preface, Ch. 1-2
of Rosenblatt
Have written letter to classmate (send via email)
4 / 9/16/08 / How do “engaged” vs. “struggling” readers differ?
What is
a good class discussion? / Have read chapter of choice in Gere, Shaheen (Donna will provide this)
Rough draft of teaching
philosophy due / Share/workshop teaching philosophies
Discuss double-entry journal
Discuss ways of organizing the curriculum
Discuss class discussions—
questioning strategies
5 / 9/23/08 / How do efferent vs. aesthetic readings differ? How do teachers make effective text selections? / Have read Wilhelm Ch. 3
Have read Ch. 3 of Rosenblatt
Have completed double-entry journal
Have written analysis of teaching strengths / Discuss “web” directions
Share one-pagers
Discuss webs
Discuss text selections/censorship issues
6 / 9/30/04 / How do we “evoke”
Literature?
How can teachers accommodate special learners? / Have read Wilhelm Ch. 4
Have read Ch. 4 of Rosenblatt
Have created “web” or graphic organizer of reading (choose
circles, tree, etc.)
Rough draft of curriculum outline due / • Discuss Wilhelm, Rosenblatt
Discuss Howard Gardner’s “multiple intelligences”
Discuss special populations (gifted, ESL, special needs)
Workshop curriculum outlines
7 / 10/7/08 / How do readers
make literature transactions (“the poem”)? How does visualization (drama and art) help readers? How do teachers create effective units? / Have read Ch. 5-6 of Wilhelm
Have read Ch. 5 of Rosenblatt
Have created response to literature
using your “multiple
intelligence”
CURRICULUM OUTLINE DUE (outline, objectives, rationale) / Discuss Ch. Wilhelm, Rosenblatt
Share “multiple intelligence” projects
Discuss lesson/unit planning
8 / 10/14/08 / How do readers
interpret, evaluate, and critique literature? What are effective instructional strategies? / Have read Ch. 6-7 and epilogue
of Rosenblatt
Rationale, philosophy (theories used), calendar, bibliography, and one lesson plan for unit due / Discuss instructional strategies such as giving directions
Teacher-student conferences on unit
9 / 10/21/08 / What is a good discussion? / Have read introduction and
Ch. 1-3 of Appleman
Days 1-5 of teaching unit due / Discuss Appleman
Analyze reading conferences, class discussions
10 / 10/28/08 / What is action
research? / Have read Ch. 4-5 of
Appleman Days 6-10 of teaching unit due / Discuss action research
11 / 11/4/08 / What are appropriate teacher ethics? / Have read Ch. 6 of
Appleman
Days 11-15 of teaching unit due / Continue analysis of action research
Workshop unit plans in class
Discuss teacher professionalism and ethics
12 / 11/11/08 / How can I show my teaching strengths through a portfolio? / Have read Ch. 7-8 of Appleman
Pre-planning page, accommodations, interdisciplinary connections, assessments, and handouts are due / Work on preparing for teaching in class and on portfolio
13 / 11/18/08 / How can I apply what I've learned to my own (current or future) classroom? / Have read articles given by
Donna
TEACHING UNIT IS DUE
(including handouts, educational theory, and literary theory)
14 / 11/25/08 / Thanksgiving Break—no class
15 / 12/2/08 / What can I learn from observing other teachers? / Have read articles given by
Donna / 1-4 students teach from own unit
receive comments on teaching unit
16 / 12/9/08 / What are my teaching goals? / Have read articles given by
Donna
Revision of teaching unit due
(optional) / 5-8 students teach from own unit
17 / 12/16/08 / How can I continue to learn as a teacher? / Course portfolio due / 9-11 students teach from own unit