LIGHT UP YOUR CLASSES WITH A BIT OF LIT

by Annabel Fernandez. ABSTRACT This article explores why literary texts should be used in the EFL classroom and explores its benefits. A methodological framework will be examined and a set of activities is presented. The set consists of five contemporary and authentic literary texts with activities designed for teenage and adult EFL students at an early to mid-intermediate level and includes a short story! two extracts from novels and two poems. The author will finally suggest that using literature can be highly motivating for EFL students as well as a springboard for creative writing and personal enrichment. INTRODUCTION: W y !"e l#$era$!re #n EFL% Reading has a strong positive impact on second language development (Lao & Krashen 2000), especially free reading and students who report more free reading achieve higher levels of competence in second language acquisition Literary wor!s provide authentic components of language and if we direct classroom activities to the unconscious acquisition of language rather than the conscious learning of the rules (Krashen, "##$) we find in literature meaningful memora%le conte&ts for processing and interpreting new language (La'ar, "##() Literature can provide good opportunities for e&tensive and intensive reading )lso it is good for practicing reading su%s!ills including s!imming, scanning, and finding the main ideas Reading in literature is a com%ination of reading for en*oyment and reading for information (Khati%, 20""a) +t can %e a source for language practise in the other s!ills as well, literature shows to set a good ground for creative activities for writing practice (Khati%, 20""a) -or spea!ing purposes, the events in a poem, novel, or short story can %e associated with the learners. own e&perience in real life /uch a practice paves the way for hot topics for discussion in language classes 0aving the students freely reflect on the events and having them critically comment is also facilitative for advancing spea!ing proficiency (Khati%, 20""a) -or listening purposes, the learners can %e e&posed to the audio versions of the poems, short stories, or novels )lso the musical elements in poetry stimulate the learners. desire for appro&imating their spea!ing patterns to the native spea!er norms %y adhering to the principles of rhythm, rhyme, and intonation /tudents in the 2"st century live in a digital age, dominated %y +12 tools which provide immediate short3term gratification and in general do not demand sustained concentration 4n the other hand, reading literary te&ts requires concentration over a period of time, hard wor! from the reader and considera%le patience (1arter & Long, "##") +f as 5-L teachers we are to engage our digital age students in reading and en*oying literature we may as well use +12 tools to our advantage and present literary te&ts %roadcast on 6ou2u%e, poems accessed through we%sites (/ivaplan, 200#) li!e the 7oetry )rchive (www poetryarchive org) or short3stories presented on computer game video clip format 8any of these activities show that poetry, or literature at large, can %e a colla%orative medium which can %e co3 1

authored, slammed, recorded or filmed %y ma!ers wor!ing together in the same real or virtual space (9ymo!e & 0ughes, 200#) 2he use of literature can also inspire students to ta!e ris!s with the target language, enrich their vision, fostering critical thin!ing, stimulating their creativity and promote their greater cultural tolerance and sensitivity (:en /u, 20"0) )s literature a%ounds in imaginative language it provides students with a conte&t to engage emotionally with the language and nourish their capacity for imaginative and e&pressive use of language %y giving them agency and voice (/ivasu%ramaniam, 200;) &ETHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO USING LITERATURE IN THE EFL +t is essential for teachers to choose an approach to help us develop our own classroom materials and for using these materials in a way that is relevant to our students (La'ar, "##<) 2he three main approaches to teaching literature (1arter & Long, "##") differ in terms of their focus on the te&t 2he first approach regards the te&t as a cultural artefact= in the second the te&t is used as a focus for grammatical and structural analysis and for the third approach the te&t is the stimulus for personal growth activities (Khahi%, 20""%) 1- THE CULTURAL MODEL 2his model represents the traditional approach to teaching literature, it requires learners to e&plore and interpret the social, literary and historical conte&t of a specific te&t +t is teacher centred and has %een largely re*ected %y 25-L (1arter & Long, "##") 2- THE LANGUAGE MODEL 2his is the most common approach to literature in the 25-L ena%les the learners to access a te&t in a systematic and methodical way in order to e&emplify specific linguistic features (1arter & Long, "##") 2his approach lends itself well to the repertoire of strategies used in language teaching3clo'e procedure, prediction e&ercises (/avvidou, 200() 3. THE PERSONAL GROWTH MODEL +t focuses on the particular use of language in a te&t and placing it in a specific cultural conte&t /tudents are encouraged to e&press their opinions and feelings to ma!e connections %etween their own personal and cultural e&periences and those in the te&t Learners are encouraged to e&press their opinions, feelings and ma!e connections %etween their personal e&periences and those e&pressed in the te&t (/avvidou, 200() 4. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH 2hese models are necessarily a%stractions and ideal types %ut in reality there is a greater overlap %etween the models and this is what + aim to do here, to advocate for an approach that integrates the three models )n integrated approach stresses that literature in a 5-L classroom can ma!e the learning e&perience much more en*oya%le and stimulating than classroom instruction that requires mere acquisition of the linguistic component of the te&t (/avvidou, 200() 2his approach therefore contri%utes to students. personal development and it enhances their cultural awareness and develops 2

their language s!ills /tudents are encouraged to articulated their thoughts and feelings on te&ts and e&plore why they responded as they did )s >illian La'ar (La'ar, "###) e&plains, "#y exposing students to the rich language of the text! we can expand their language awareness! their overall knowledge of how words and grammar can be used. #y presenting students with the complex themes in the literary text we can motivate them to reflect imaginatively on their own experience and on that of writers in different societies. #y gently encouraging them to make their own interpretations of a text! we can develop their confidence in forming well-reasoned interpretations of the language that they read and hear$ LITERATURE AS A RESOURCE: A SET OF ACTI'ITIES: 2he 5-L set + have prepared consists of a collection of activities that revolve around ? authentic contemporary literary te&ts, including 2 poems, 2 e&cerpts from novels and " short story 8y choice was less concerned with evaluating the @aesthetic merits of te&tsA and view literature with a small @lA rather than with a capital @LA (8cRae, "##") 2herefore + chose te&ts that can %e stimulating for students and that can %e read %etween the lines + also %ore in mind the language difficulty factor %ecause access is restricted if students cannot attain a %asic level of comprehension and as a general rule it is %etter to choose te&ts which are not too far %eyond their normal reading comprehension (1arter & Long, "##") )nother !ey factor for my choice of te&ts was access on an e&periential level, that is, students need to %e a%le to identify with the e&periences, thoughts and situations depicted in the te&t to %e a%le to discover the !ind of pleasure and en*oyment that comes from ma!ing the te&t their own !nowledge of themselves and of the world that they inha%it 2he themes of the te&ts chosen are, love and loss, sadness over a deprived childhood, racial, se&ual and aesthetical discrimination, everyday pleasures and dreams 2he e&tracts from novels are %oth letters, one is from "Angela%s Ashes$ %y -ran! 8c1ourt and the other one from @Eat! &ray! LoveA %y 5li'a%eth >il%ert %oth novels have %een made into films /tudents en*oy watching a film and it is more li!ely for them to have seen the film version of a %oo! than it is for them to have read the te&t so it is engaging and motivating to appeal to te&ts they have had access to outside the 5-L classroom +f the te&t is difficult students may find than the film is a super% way in, (1arter & Long, "##"), however in the activities + have designed case + have *ust used the film trailers a lead3in activity into the te&t 0owever here the film trailers are used as an aid in language teaching %ut + do not dispense with the te&t %ut supplement the study of the printed version + also use two captions of the film @&retty 'omanA to ma!e students thin! on a deeper level of the narrative voice of >race Bichols. poem @ The Fat #lack 'oman goes shopping A and to foster group discussion Listening to a recording or watching a video clip of a literary wor! may certainly %e stimulating for some students and + have used 9orothea >rossman.s reading of her own poem @-uture 7astA and a film that illustrates 9an Rhodes. short story @ ToyA 2hough watching and listening can %e a passive process, (1arter & Long, "##"), reading a literary wor! is certainly not passive, and though reading literature may %e harder it is 3

part of the learning process and, hopefully, a pleasure 0owever in this process of discovery the audio and video feature of the literary te&ts help me to capture students attention and interest and then allows me to move on to wor! on the literary te&ts 2his set of activities is designed to %e used with teenage and adult 5-L in 2nd and <rd level at 54+s, so at a pre3intermediate to intermediate level 2here is practice for the four s!ills and for what Cohn 8cRae calls the fifth s!ill, thin!ing -ollowing La'ar guidelines (La'ar, "###) + have prepared different type of activities and for every te&t and there are, ") 2) <) () ?) ;) :arm3up activities Doca%ulary activities 1omprehension activities, )ctivities concerning the language of the te&t )ctivities to encourage inference and interpretation )ctivities to encourage creative writing

2he questions posed are aimed at different levels of understanding of the te&ts, and they range from low3order to high3order and they try to help students wor! out for themselves what the te&ts mean 2here are language3%ased voca%ulary activities to help them deal with te&ts and encourage them to find the meaning of words from conte&t 4n the one hand there are factual reading comprehension activities that focus on the factual meaning of the te&t and on the other hand there are activities concerning the language of the te&t which focus on the linguistic and literary qualities of the te&t, unusual uses of collocation, %inary oppositions, figurative language, rhyme and styleE 2here are activities designed to encourage inference and interpretation, to ma!e students reflect on their own e&periences in connection with the te&ts -inally creative response activities are designed to encourage students to ta!e ris!s and play with the language creatively and imaginatively (8cRae, "##") either spea!ing or writing +f we regard creative writing as the production of te&ts which have an aesthetic rather than a purely informative, instrumental or pragmatic purpose (8aley,200#) 4ne of the main feature of creative writing te&ts @is a playful engagement with language, stretching and testing its rules to the limit in a guilt3free atmosphere, where ris! is encouragedA (8aley, 200#) 1reative writing puts the emphasis on the right side of the %rain, with a focus on feelings, physical sensations, intuition and musicality which is a healthy restoration of the %alance %etween logical and intuitive faculties (8aley, 200#) and it increases students. self3confidence and self3esteem %ecause they discover things for themselves a%out the language and a%out themselves too (8aley, 200#) +n a nutshell, these activities are designed to help students discover the !ind of pleasure and en*oyment which comes from ma!ing a te&t their own and to create conditions under which students can develop genuine response to literary te&ts )s 5lliott (5lliott, "###) points out "(y feeling is that literature can only be understood if the student develops literar !"#$ete%!e. The exact nature of this competence is hard to define but it must intricately involved with reader%s response.$ WRAPPING IT UP: A ()n(l!"#)n.

)fter wor!ing with my students with this set of activities + can conclude that literature provides a motivating drive for language learning and teaching due to its spectacular features not readily found in any other te&ts (Kha%i%, 20""a) Literature as an 5-L resource is a priceless pedagogic tool and the more it is used in 5L2 the more students will %e a%le to acquire literary competence, use their critical s!ills, grow personally and gain %oth systematic !nowledge of the language and meanings interpreted -urthermore it develops 5-L students. motivation in learning 5nglish and in reading literature and it enhances the en*oyment of reading in 5nglish /tudents showed deep personal involvement with the te&ts, engaging imaginatively with literature and shifting the focus of their attention %eyond the more mechanical aspects of the foreign language system and interpretations (/ivasu%ramaniam, 200;) 2he creative writing te&ts + corrected were rich, interesting and genuinely en*oya%le to read possi%ly the %est pieces of writing + have ever come across )s 5-L teachers we can use our particular stage to promote interest on reading and literature and its wealth, in the %elief that literature provides language learners with highly motivational material of an incompara%ly rich nature (5lliot "##0) 7ro%a%ly the !ey to success in using literature in the 5-L classroom depends on the wor!s selected and in wor!ing in @a communicative and interactive way which involve students e&periencing language, playing with language, analysing language, responding to language and en*oying languageA (4./ullivan, "##") Last %ut not least, another !ey component which underlies students. successful engagement with the literature in 5-L is teachers. enthusiasm for it and their a%ility to convey this enthusiasm to students and to help them respond with the same en*oyment and pleasure 8otivated teachers can %e highly motivating for their students -urthermore + %elieve that we as teachers should engage with e&tensive and intensive reading ourselves and in the same spirit in creative writing , (8aley, 200#), 2he %enefits of teachers participating in creative writing are remar!a%le, it !eeps our 5nglish fresh and vi%rant and it has an effect on the writer.s level of energy in general (8aley, 200#) and this inevita%ly impacts on our relationships with students + thin! it is worth em%ar!ing on this *ourney that is rewarded with motivated and therefore motivating teachers, motivating classes and motivated students

BIBLIOGRAPHY )!yel, ) , & 6alcdin, 5 ("##0) Literature in the EFL classes A study of goal achievement incongruence 5L2 Cournal, (( 1arter, Ronald & Long, 8ichael ("##") Teaching Literature, Longman 9uff, )lan and )lan 8aley ("##0) Literature, 4&ford Fniversity 7ress 9ymo!e, /ue & 0ughes, Canette (200#) )sing a poetry wiki *ow can the medium support pre-service teachers of English in their professional learning about writing poetry and teaching poetry writing in a digital ageG 5nglish 2eaching, 7ractice and 1ritique 9ecem%er, 200#, Dolume H, Bum%er < 5lliott, Roger ("##0) Encouraging reader-response to literature in E+L situations, 5L2 Cournal 0ae3Ri Kim (200<) Literature circles in 5-L curricula, 5sta%lishing a framewor! 2he 5nglish 2eacher III++, "3"? Khati%, 8 , Re'aei, / , 9era!hshan, ) (20""a) Literature in 5-LJ5/L 1lassroom 5nglish Language 2eaching Cournal ((") Khati%, 8 , Re'aei, / , 9era!hshan, ) (20""%) :hy & :hy Bot Literature, ) 2as!3 Kased )pproach to 2eaching Literature +nternational Cournal of 5nglish Linguistics " (") Krashen, /tephen 9 ("#H2) &rinciples and practice in second language ac,uisition. 4&ford, 7ergamon 7ress Krashen, /tephen 9 ("#H?) The input hypothesis -ssues and implications. 0arlow, Longman La'ar, >illian ("##<) Literature and Language Teaching A .uide for Teachers and Trainers, 1am%ridge 2eacher 2raining and 9evelopment La'ar, >illian ("##() )sing literature at lower levels ELT/ournal!01(2), La'ar, >illian ("###) A window on literature, 1am%ridge Fniversity 7ress 8aley, )lan (200#) 2reative 'riting for language learners and teachers , Kritish 1ouncil http,JJwww teachingenglish org u!Jthin!JarticlesJcreative3writing3language3 learners3teachers 8ason, K & Krashen, / ("##$) 5&tensive reading in 5nglish as a foreign language +ystem! 2?("), #"3"02 8cRae, C ("##") Literature with a small 3l%. London, 8acmillan 6

8cRae, Cohn ("###) 4ow 5ead on London, Routledge 4./ullivan, Radhi!a ("##") Literature in the Language 2lassroom, 2he 5nglish 2eacher Dol II 4cto%er /avvidou, 1hristine (200() An -ntegrated Approach to Teaching Literature in the EFL 2lassroom, 2he +nternet 25/L Cournal /hanahan, 9 ("##$) Articulating the relationship between language and culture Toward a new agenda for foreign language teaching and research 2he 8odern Language Cournal, H"("") /ivapalan, /u%arna and :an )hmad , :an -atimah and +sha!, Bur Khairun Bisya (200#) ) we%3%ased multimedia approach to literature in 8alaysian /econdary /chools, 9esign and learning preferences. +n, "H20 8elta +nternational 1onference, Cune ""3"<, 200#, Cohor Kahru /ivasu%ramaniam, /iva!umar (200;) &romoting the &revalence of Literature in the &ractice of Foreign and +econd Language Education -ssues and -nsights )sian 5-L Cournal, Dolume H, Bum%er ( 2?( Wen S!* S a). +,-.-/. (otivating and /ustifiable Teaching 'estern Literature to EFL +tudents at a )niversity of +cience and Technology. 25/L35C, "( "

ANGELA0S ASHES by Fran1 &(C)!r$

WAR&ING UP :hat school did you use to go to as a childG 9id you have Religious 5ducation as a su%*ectG :ere you %apti'edG 9id you learn the 1atechismG 9id you do the 1ommunion and 1onfirmationG :hat !ind of written assignments were you given at schoolG 9id you en*oy themG :hat did you li!e writing a%out %estG :here did you grow upG :hat was the weather li!eG

ABOUT THE BOO2 A%&ela'( A()e( is -ran! 8c1ourtLs auto%iographical novel told from his own point3of3 view as a child Kecause of this perspective, the novel is often as funny as it is tragic http,JJwww youtu%e comJwatchGvMp')yNygyf*o 'OCABULARY &a$( $ e 3)rd" 3#$ $ e#r de4#n#$#)n" bel)3: " 2 < ( 8anna -ists 1onsumption 9amp A) a hand with the fingers and thum% held tightly in B) slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comforta%le C) (in the Ki%le) a food which dropped from heaven and prevented 8oses and his people from dying of hunger in the desert D) old3fashioned for tu%erculosis

READING AN E5TRACT

6ESUS AND THE WEATHER

T #" #" 7y ()78)"#$#)n. I d)n9$ $ #n1 6e"!" W ) #" O!r L)rd 3)!ld a:e l#1ed $ e 3ea$ er #n L#7er#(1 be(a!"e #$9" al3ay" ra#n#n; and $ e S ann)n 1ee8" $ e 3 )le (#$y da78. &y 4a$ er "ay" $ e S ann)n #" a 1#ller r#:er be(a!"e #$ 1#lled 7y $3) br)$ er". W en y)! l))1 a$ 8#($!re" )4 6e"!" He9" al3ay" 3ander#n; ar)!nd an(#en$ I"rael #n a " ee$. I$ ne:er ra#n" $ ere and y)! ne:er ear )4 any)ne ()!; #n; )r ;e$$#n; ()n"!78$#)n )r any$ #n; l#1e $ a$ and n) )ne a" a <)b $ ere be(a!"e all $ ey d) #" "$and ar)!nd and ea$ 7anna and " a1e $ e#r 4#"$" and ;) $) (r!(#4#=#)n". Any$#7e 6e"!" ;)$ !n;ry all He ad $) d) 3a" ;) !8 $ e r)ad $) a 4#; $ree )r an )ran;e $ree and a:e H#" 4#ll. I4 He 3an$ed a 8#n$ He ()!ld 3a:e H#" and ):er a b#; ;la"" and $ ere 3a" $ e 8#n$. Or He ()!ld :#"#$ &ary &a;dalene and er "#"$er* &ar$ a* and $ ey9d ;#:e H#7 H#" d#nner n) >!e"$#)n" a"1ed and He9d ;e$ #" 4ee$ 3a" ed and dr#ed 3#$ &ary &a;dalene9" a#r 3 #le &ar$ a 3a" ed $ e d#" e"* 3 #( I d)n9$ $ #n1 #" 4a#r. W y " )!ld " e a:e $) 3a" $ e d#" e" 3 #le er "#"$er "#$" )!$ $ ere ( a$$#n; a3ay 3#$ O!r L)rd% I$9" a ;))d $ #n; 6e"!" de(#ded $) be b)rn 6e3#" #n $ a$ 3ar7 8la(e be(a!"e #4 e 3a" b)rn #n L#7er#(1 e9d (a$( $ e ()n"!78$#)n and be dead #n a 7)n$ and $ ere 3)!ldn9$ be any Ca$ )l#( C !r( and $ ere 3)!ldn9$ be any C)77!n#)n )r C)n4#r7a$#)n and 3e 3)!ldn9$ a:e $) learn $ e (a$e( #"7 and 3r#$e ()78)"#$#)n" ab)!$ H#7. T e End.

READING CO&PREHENSION E5ERCISES +n the te&t there is a clear contrast %etween life in )ncient +srael and life in Limeric! in the "#(0s 1lassify the words used to descri%e each place, LI&ERIC2 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO "

ANCIENT ISRAEL OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2 < ( ? ;

:hat are the connotations lin!ed to each placeG :hat has the writer chosen to focus on and whyG :hat is the relationship of character to placeG :hat does the e&tract suggest a%out the storyG :rite your own composition from the perspective of an eight3year3old e&plaining how your childhood was affected %y the place and the time you were %rought up in 8a!e it as humorous as you can

10

*T)e +at Bla!, W"#a% G"e( S)"$$i%&. Gra!e Ni!)"l(

/hopping in London winter is a real drag for the fat %lac! woman going from store to store in search of accommodating clothes and the weather so cold Loo! at the fro'en thin mannequins fi&ing her with grin and the pretty face salesgals e&changing slimming glances thin!ing she don.t notice Lord is aggravating Bothing soft and %right and %illowing to flow li!e %ree'y sunlight when she wal!ing 2he fat %lac! woman curses in /wahiliJ6oru%a and nation language under her %reathing all this *ourneying and *ourneying 2he fat %lac! woman could only conclude that when it come to fashion the choice is lean Bothing much %eyond si'e "(

@T)e +at Bla!, W"#a% G"e( S)"$$i%&- . Gra!e Ni!)"l(

WAR& UP ACTI'ITY P P P P P :hen was the last time you went shopping for clothesG :hat did you %uyG 9id you try it onG :as it the right si'eG :as the shop assistant helpfulG :hyJnotG 9o you en*oy shopping for clothesG :hyJnotG STUDENT B

READING ACTII'TY

Cigsaw reading 6our partner has the first half of the poem and you have the second one 5&plain to each other in your own words what the te&t is a%out.

11

/hopping in London winter is a real drag for the fat %lac! woman going from store to store in search of accommodating clothes and de weather so cold Loo! at the fro'en thin mannequins fi&ing her with grin and de pretty face salesgals e&changing slimming glances thin!ing she don.t notice Lord is aggravating >R)15 B+104L/

SPEA2ING )s! each other questions a%out their picture to find similarities and differences %etween %oth pictures

12

@T)e +at Bla!, W"#a% G"e( S)"$$i%&- . Gra!e Ni!)"l(

WAR& UP ACTI'ITY P P P P P :hen was the last time you went shopping for clothesG :hat did you %uyG 9id you try it onG :as it the right si'eG :as the shop assistant helpfulG :hyJnotG 9o you en*oy shopping for clothesG :hyJnotG STUDENT A

READING ACTI'ITY

Cigsaw reading 6our partner has the first half of the poem and you have the second one 5&plain to each other in your own words what the te&t is a%out. Bothing soft and %right and %illowing to flow li!e %ree'y sunlight when she wal!ing 2he fat %lac! woman curses in /wahiliJ6oru%a and nation language under her %reathing all this *ourneying and *ourneying 2he fat %lac! woman could only conclude that when it come to fashion the choice is lean Bothing much %eyond si'e "( >R)15 B+104L/ SPEA2ING )s! each other questions a%out their picture to find similarities and differences %etween %oth pictures.

13

@T)e +at Bla!, W"#a% G"e( S)"$$i%&- . Gra!e Ni!)"l(

READING ACTI'ITIES ,. +n the poem there is a clear contrast %etween Kritain and Kritish women and the -at Klac! :oman and her country of origin 1lassify words that are connected to each of these ideas,

BRITAIN BLAC2 WO&AN ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? BRITISH WO&EN BLAC2 WO&AN0S COUNTRY ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????????? ???????????????????????? < +n the poem you will find e&amples of @7atwaA 5nglish, an 5nglish3le&ified creole language with :est )frican influences spo!en primarily in Camaica :rite down a few e&amples 6oru%a and /wahili are spo!en in the countries coloured in yellow in the maps %elow 9o you thin! the -at Klac! :oman is from any of those countriesG :ho may thin! so, and whyG

14

@. 9oes the fat %lac! woman en*oy shoppingG -ind evidence in the te&t that %ac!s up your answer A. /tudent ) watches a clip and descri%es what heJshe sees to /tudent K Bow swap /tudent K watches another clip and descri%es it 2ogether find the differences and similarities %etween %oth clips CLIP .: $$8:BB333.y)!$!be.()7B3a$( %:CEdDCE;A5FNAG4ea$!reCrela$ed CLIP ,: $$8:BB333.y)!$!be.()7B3a$( %:C$T$''H;H.1UG4ea$!reCrela$ed D. 9o you thin! the -at Klac! woman.s shopping e&perience in London would have %een different if she were, a) /lim and pretty %) ) %lac! man +n pairs discuss how and why ; $ :hat do you thin! are the implications of the line @Lord is aggravating$6 :ho is he aggravating with and whyG +n the %oo! @2he Keauty 8ythA Baomi :olf (% "#;2) states that 1ontemporary standards of feminine %eauty have devolved to a point that can only %e descri%ed as anore&ic, and )merica.s young women are paying the price through a near epidemic of %ulimia and anore&ia 2he most effective way to com%at this epidemic, :olf argues, is to show how what we call @%eautifulA is a cultural myth that has %een framed for certain purposes3essentially, :olf %elieves, to !eep women under control %y imprisoning them in their %odies 9o you agree or disagree with her viewsG 9o you feel %eauty is an important asset in our societyG 0ave you ever %een discriminated against for not %eing @%eautifulA enoughG 9o you !now any%ody who has e&perienced itG 9o you !now any%ody who suffers from any eating disordersG 0ow long have they %een in this situationG :hat do you thin! are the roots of this growing social epidemicG a) ) rich %lac! woman %) ) :hite woman

15

+UTURE PAST . D"r"t)ea Gr"((#a%

PRE-READING TAS/S 78 This is the first line of a poem by contemporary American write 9orothea .rossman! how would you finish this sentence yourself6 I0 I )a1 (ta e1 a(lee$ I 2"3l1 )a4e #i((e1 5555555555555555555..5555. 55555555555555555555. :8 9id you write something ordinary or extraordinary6 Ask around and found out what other people in class answered and write down the two you like the most. I0 666666666 )a1 (ta e1 a(lee$ )e7()e 2"3l1 )a4e #i((e1 5555555555555555555..5555. 55555555555555555555. I0 666666666 )a1 (ta e1 a(lee$ )e7()e 2"3l1 )a4e #i((e1 55555555555555555555555... 55555555555555555555. I0 666666666 )a1 (ta e1 a(lee$ )e7()e 2"3l1 )a4e #i((e1 5555. 55555555555555555555555555555555 555555..5. ;8 The line can be read as an invitation to become aware of what is really important in life or <ust finding pleasure in simple! everyday acts. 2omplete the second line of the poem with basic ordinary things that you find en<oyable to do T)e 03% "0 ====================================. T)e 03% "0 ====================================. T)e 03% "0 ====================================.

16

WHILE READING Bow have a listen to the poem and complete the gaps with one of the words provided %elow, http,JJwww poetryfoundation orgJ*ournalJaudioitem htmlGidM2"$( -rom min (,<< to (,(?

9reams

5nglish

satisfaction

spea!ing

-f - had stayed asleep - would have missed the fun of >>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> The ,uiet >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of appointments kept The way >>>>>>>>>>>> change when you try to describe them 9orothea >rossman A+TER READING " 2 < :here you surprised %y the poet.s choiceG +s spea!ing 5nglish good fun to youG :hyJnotG 9o you usually descri%e your dreamsG :hyJnotG +f you do, who do you descri%e your dreamsG +s it an easy thing to doG 9o you thin! the attempt to descri%e a dream changes or spoils itG :hyJnotG

17

IT)yJ by Dan R )de"

9an Rhodes was %orn in 5ngland in "#$2 and he has pu%lished two collections of short fiction, )nthropology, )nd a 0undred 4ther /tories (2000), which contains very short stories a%out
WARM UP8

9o you like playing computer games6 9o you have a 4intendo! a 'ii or a &+&6 'hich are your favourite games6 9o you usually play computer games by yourself6 'ith friends! family! boyfriends or girlfriends6 *ow often do you play computer games6 'hen do you play them6
THE FIL&

4ow you are going to watch a film which illustrates a short story by 9an 5hodes in a .rafik (aga?ine 9@9 A B+ound and @isionB. )tt$877222. "3t3.e.!"#7re(3lt(9(ear!)6:3er ;t" (<1a%<r)"1e(=a:;0

LISTENING COMPREHENSION 7. 'hat is the story about6

:. -s it a happy or sad one6 'hy6 ;. 0. C. 'hat games does the narrator play in the story6 *ow does the narrator feel at the end of the story6 4ow listen again and fill in the gaps below with the missing words

"Dn the last day of our relationship my girlfriend brought toys. - had no idea our >>>>>>>>>>>>>> had ended and was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> to <oin her in a 2onnect 0 contest. "-t%s over$ she told me! halfway through the game. "'hat%s over6$ - asked! happy to be having so much fun. "Eou and me$ she replied >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2onnect 0 and Astro'ars. "- don%t want to see you anymore$. - tried to see how much she was scoring but was >>>>>>>>>>>>>> by tears. - knew the game <ust by listening - could tell she was doing very well.$
A. 2here are many positive ad*ectives in the te&t to descri%e how the narrator is feeling while playing the computer game, write them down, ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????? $ +s this the end of a happy relationship or of a failing oneG

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? K. 1R5)2+D5 :R+2+B>, Bow you write a "0" word story a%out love starting

4n the last day of my relationshipE

Ea$* 8ray* l):e by El#zabe$ G#lber$

PRELREADING ACTI'ITY +n this auto%iographical %oo! 5li'a%eth >il%ert e&plains her travels to +taly, +ndia, and +ndonesia after a traumatic divorce and a crushing depression resulting in panic, confusion, and weight loss 2his is the story of her travels and e&plorations of three different cultures, in an effort to find %alance in her life again 2he %oo! has %een adapted into a film :atch the trailer to get a gist of what the story is a%out http,JJwww youtu%e comJwatchGvMm*ay?vg+wt( DISCUSS IN PAIRS " 2 < ( :hat was 5li'a%eth e&periencing %efore she set off on her *ourneyG 0ow would you descri%e 5li'a%eth.s personalityG 0ave you ever had such a ma*or life crisisG :hat started itG 0ow did you get over itG 9o you !now any%ody who is going through a similar e&perience right nowG

9ear .od. &lease intervene and help end this divorce. (y husband and - have failed at our marriage and now we are failing at our divorce. This poisonous process is bringing suffering to us and to everyone who cares about us. - recogni?e that you are busy with wars and tragedies and much larger conflicts than the ongoing dispute of one dysfunctional couple. #ut it is my understanding that the health of the planet is affected by the health of every individual on it. As long as even two souls are locked in conflict! the whole of the world is contaminated by it. +imilarly! if even one or two souls can be free from discord! this will increase the general health of the whole world! the way a few healthy cells in a body can increase the general health of that body. -t is my most humble re,uest! then! that you help us end this conflict! so that two more people can have the chance to become free and healthy! and so there will be <ust a little bit less animosity and bitterness in a world that is already far too troubled by suffering. - thank you for your kind attention. 5espectfully! Eli?abeth (. .ilbert

READING CO&PREHENSION ACTI'ITIES

? ;

:hat is the purpose of addressing her letter to >odG :hat is her @hum%le requestAG :hat does she thin! are the main things >od should %e dealing withG

'OCABULARY E5ERCISES: )) 8atch the following words which are used to descri%e her divorce with their definitions, " 2 < ( ? )nimosity Kitterness /uffering 7oisonous -ailing A) when you e&perience physical or mental pain B) very unpleasant and hurtful C) an unpleasantly sharp taste D) strong disli!e, opposition, or anger E) a fault or wea!ness

K) +n the te&t we find two parallels, one %etween wars in the :orld and the narrator.s messy divorce and the other %etween a human %ody and our planet, classify the words which are used to each category, discord dysfunctional healthy soul trou%led dispute free

:)R/ J ) 9+--+1FL2 9+D4R15 ) 14B-L+123-R55 K496 J 7L)B52 CREATI'E WRITING " :rite a letter to your divinity e&pressing the things you wish for

B#)da$a

)nna%el -ernande' has %een an 5-L teacher for "( years /he has taught 5-L in private language schools, state secondary schools and for the last seven years in 5scoles 4ficials d.+diomes /he holds a K) in /ociology of 5ducation from Fniversitat )utQnoma de Karcelona and spent a year in the Fniversity of 5ast London where she too! Literature and >ender /tudies su%*ects as part of her degree 0er main field of interest is innovative ways of using literature in the teaching of 5-L