Unit Standard Number 119466

LEARNER GUIDE

US 119466

Interpret a variety of literary texts

ContentsDESCRIPTION OF UNIT STANDARD.......................................................................................3

1 SPECIFIC OUTCOME: Extract meaning from a variety of literary texts..............................5

1.1 Listening/signing/reading/viewing strategies appropriate to the texts studied are

adopted................................................................................................................................5

1.2 Key features of literary texts are identified and the role of each is explained.........13

1.3 Own responses are confirmed and/or adapted after interaction with others when

discussing a text................................................................................................................. 14

1.4 Evidence cited from texts in defence of a position is relevant.................................15

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Date of Revision Description Revision No.

DESCRIPTION OF UNIT STANDARD

Unit Standard Title: Interpret a variety of literary texts

SAQA Number: 119466

Credits: 5

NQF Level: 3

Field: Communication Studies and Language

Sub-Field: Language

Registration Start Date: 2012-07-01

Registration End Date: 2015-06-30

This Unit Standard will enable learners to discuss the style and purpose of the text, implied

and stated meanings, themes, plot, the author's point of view and the context in which the

text arose. They will be able use literature as a base to study and make judgements about

human and social issues. They are aware of the drama and power of language.

By the end of this Unit Standard, you will be able to:

1. Extract meaning from a variety of literary texts

2. Identify and explain features that influence response to texts

3. Produce own texts in response to literary texts

SPECIFIC OUTCOME

11 SPECIFIC OUTCOME: EXTRACT MEANING FROM A VARIETY OF LITERARY

TEXTS.

The purpose of this Outcome is to enable you to extract meaning from a variety of

literary texts.

This Specific Outcome will enable you to ensure:

1. Listening/signing/reading/viewing strategies appropriate to the texts studied are

adopted.

2. Key features of literary texts are identified and the role of each is explained.

3. Own responses are confirmed and/or adapted after interaction with others when

discussing a text.

4. Evidence cited from texts in defence of a position is relevant.

1.1 LISTENING/SIGNING/READING/VIEWING STRATEGIES APPROPRIATE TO THE

TEXTS STUDIED ARE ADOPTED.

Test refers to a book or other written or printed work, regarded in terms of its

content rather than its physical form. There are various strategies that are

appropriate to specific texts and it is important to utilise the best strategy

applicable to text type. The strategies include the following:

1. Listening 2. Signing 3. Reading 4. Viewing

Listening Strategies

Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the

comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified

by how the listener processes the input.

Top-down strategies are listener based; the listener taps into background

knowledge of the topic, the situation or context, the type of text, and the

language. This background knowledge activates a set of expectations that help

the listener to interpret what is heard and anticipate what will come next. Top-

down strategies include:

listening for the main idea

predicting

drawing inferences

summarizing

1. Bottom-up strategies are text based; the listener relies on the language in the

message, that is, the combination of sounds, words, and grammar that

creates meaning. Bottom-up strategies include

listening for specific details

recognizing cognates

recognizing word-order patterns

Strategic listeners also use meta-cognitive strategies to plan, monitor, and evaluate their

listening.

They plan by deciding which listening strategies will serve best in a

particular situation.

They monitor their comprehension and the effectiveness of the selected

strategies.

They evaluate by determining whether they have achieved their listening

comprehension goals and whether the combination of listening strategies

selected was an effective one.

Listening for Meaning

To extract meaning from a listening text, you need to follow four basic steps:

Figure out the purpose for listening. Activate background knowledge of the topic

in order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate listening

strategies.

Attend to the parts of the listening input that are relevant to the identified

purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables you to focus on specific

items in the input and reduces the amount of information they have to hold in

short-term memory in order to recognize it.

Select top-down and bottom-up strategies that are appropriate to the listening

task and use them flexibly and interactively. you comprehension improves and

their confidence increases when they use top-down and bottom-up strategies

simultaneously to construct meaning.

Check comprehension while listening and when the listening task is over.

Monitoring comprehension helps you detect inconsistencies and comprehension

failures, directing them to use alternate strategies.

Reading Strategies

Individuals do not automatically transfer the strategies they use when reading in their native

language to reading in a language they are learning. Instead, they seem to think reading

means starting at the beginning and going word by word, stopping to look up every

unknown vocabulary item, until they reach the end. When they do this, they are relying

exclusively on their linguistic knowledge, a bottom-up strategy. One of the most important

reading strategies is to use top-down strategies as you do in your native language.

You need to adjust your reading behaviour to deal with a variety of situations, types of

input, and reading purposes. It is important to develop a set of reading strategies and match

appropriate strategies to each reading situation.

Strategies that can help you read more quickly and effectively include:

Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of

the structure and content of a reading selection.

Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content

and vocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and

purpose to make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the

author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content.

Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identify

text structure, confirm or question predictions.

Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text

as clues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up.

Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating

the information and ideas in the text

When and how to use reading strategies in several ways.

By modelling the strategies aloud, talking through the processes of previewing,

predicting, skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing. This shows how the strategies

work and how much they can know about a text before they begin to read word by

word.

By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary items. This helps you

learn to guess meaning from context.

By trying out different strategies you think will help you approach a reading

assignment, and then analyse after reading about what strategies you actually used.

This helps you develop flexibility in your choice of strategies.

When you use reading strategies, you find that you can control the reading experience, and

they gain confidence in your ability to read the language.

Reading to Learn

Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports

learning in multiple ways.

Reading to learn the text: Reading material is text input. By reading a variety of texts,

you are faced with multiple opportunities to absorb vocabulary, grammar, sentence

structure, and discourse structure as they occur in authentic contexts. You thus gain

a more complete picture of the ways in which the elements of the language work

together to convey meaning.

Reading for content information: Your purpose for reading is often to obtain

information about a subject you are studying. Reading for content information gives

you both authentic reading material and an authentic purpose for reading.

Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Reading everyday materials that are

designed for various speakers can give you insight into the lifestyles and worldviews

of the people whose language they are studying. When you have access to

newspapers, magazines, and Web sites, you are exposed to culture in all its variety,

and monolithic cultural stereotypes begin to break down.

When reading to learn, you need to follow four basic steps:

Figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background knowledge of the topic in

order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate reading strategies.

Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore

the rest. This selectivity enables you to focus on specific items in the input and

reduces the amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory.

Select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task and use them flexibly and

interactively. You comprehension improves and their confidence increases when

they use top-down and bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning.

Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task is completed.

Monitoring comprehension helps you detect inconsistencies and comprehension

failures, helping them learn to use alternate strategies.

Viewing Strategies

As you view visual texts, you need to use a range of viewing skills and strategies to make

sense of the visual images, and accompanying oral and print text.

Connect meanings in the messages to their prior knowledge and experiences

Consider the pragmatic issues associated with the images including:

What is the message?

Who is the message for?

What is the purpose of the message?

What have I learned about the topic, about myself, and about others?

Whose point of view is presented?

You need to make sense of it and respond personally, critically, and creatively.

The International Reading Association says that, "Being literate in contemporary society

means being active, critical, and creative users not only of print and spoken language but

also of the visual language of film and television, commercial and political advertising,

photography, and more"

Viewing skills and strategies: Guidelines.

Expose yourself to many opportunities for to view daily.

Recognize the different forms visual texts can take including:

Visual Audiovisual/Multimedia

advertisements (print)book coversbulletin boardsbrochurescartoons (print)computer graphicsdiagramsdioramasdrawingsillustrationsmapsmime presentationsmodelspaintings photographspost cards and posterstableaux

animationCD-ROMsdance creationsdramasfilmsInternet sitesmultimedia presentationsnewscastson-line magazinesoral reports puppet playsreader's theatresskitssound piecestelevisionvideos

Viewing Strategies

1. Picture Book Studies: Select various picture books or illustrations for viewing.

Through guided discussion, talk about the author or illustrator's style, art work, and

other interesting details. You can learn to enjoy and appreciate well-crafted visual

text and the language that accompanies it. Read and view other books written or

illustrated by the same authors and illustrators.

2. Gallery Walks: Gallery walks allow you to view others' work, particularly displays,

illustrations, photos, or multimedia representations, and to process the content in

preparation for discussion and reflection. Construct displays or representations

about various aspects of a topic. Record the important points of your observations

and discussion. Review your notes and determine what you think are the most

important observations. Shares your individual list with someone and negotiate to

create a common list.

3. Drama and Puppet Plays: Whether formally structured and presented by a

professional troupe or informally staged by peers, drama and puppetry are powerful

vehicles for developing viewing skills. You can learn to analyze and appreciate the

situations and plots, the dialogue and characters, and the elements that go into a

performing art. Viewing live theatre and puppetry can be a wonderful means of

encouraging oral communication, writing, and critical listening and viewing.

4. Videos, Films, Television, CD-ROMs, and the Internet: Using the contemporary media

that reflect a wide variety of cultures and experiences offers a chance to help you

analyze visual texts. These media can be used to extend your' vocabulary and

experiences and to help you develop lifelong critical thinking and viewing skills.

5. Viewing Centres: Provide a variety of forms and genres (including magazines, CD-

ROMs, videotapes) in a viewing centre. Texts that are appropriate for display in

viewing centres or for use in classroom viewing activities are listed below.

Visual Audio Technical

Arrangement ColorFacial

expressionGestures

LinePoint of view

Size Shape

DialogueHigh vs. lowLoud vs. soft

MusicSilence

Single vs. multiple sounds

Sound effectsVoice overs

Angle of shots

Camera work

Editing LightingMotionProps

Special effectsTitling

Types of shots

1.2 KEY FEATURES OF LITERARY TEXTS ARE IDENTIFIED AND THE ROLE OF EACH IS

EXPLAINED.

Literary texts are a variety of spoken, written and visual texts that promote use

of imagination, thought or emotional response in the reader or listener. Literary

texts tend to teach the reader some kind of life lesson through the main

character evolving and changing as the novel or short story progresses. It utilizes

metaphors and symbols to show and enhance the protagonist’s (the main

character, usually the hero) adventure throughout the novel. These texts are

usually read to teach rather than for entertainment because literary texts range

from easy to understand to something that has to be read more than once and

analyzed. These types of texts always have a reason for being written rather than

simply on a whim. Literary texts, such as Shakespeare, Faulkner, Emerson, and

Langston Hughes, bring up large issues of society or flaws in human nature that

are explored and exposed for the problems that they cause and some even go a

step beyond this to offer a way to repair them or even futuristic predictions.

Literary texts are well constructed and take time to compose creatively and

meaningfully.

Key features of literary texts

An important feature of literary texts which distinguishes them from

other kinds of persuasive discourse is the fact that they operate not

through direct statement and explicit revelation of their contents but

instead through indirect allusion, understatement, implication, and even

concealment.

Literary texts in effect often veil the 'truth' which they seek to convey in

an attempt at enhancing its attractiveness and endowing it with a sense

of mystery and transcendental value. Literature, much like modern

advertisement, is often an attempt at persuasion which operates on

subliminal levels and artfully instils its message by concealing it under a

cover of fictional situations and devices affecting the audience on

emotional, intuitive, experiential, and instinctive levels. A given story for

example may seek to promote a particular view of the world not by flatly

stating it but instead by constructing a set of emotionally charged and

seemingly "realistic" situations leading to the almost unavoidable, but

always unstated, conclusion of the story's intended moral.

Literary texts thus convey meaning to their readers in ways which go far

beyond the mere literal or "surface" level of signification. Indeed, literary

texts distinguish themselves from other texts by the subtleties and

intricacies of their many levels of meaning and by the common fact that

the actual "meaning" of the text is almost always hidden and implicit in

the fabric of the work's devices.

Meaning in literature is therefore something that needs to be determined

not merely on the basis of a face value understanding of the words in it

but through a complete evaluation of the signifying complexity of the

rhetoric, figures of speech, images, symbols, allusions, connotations,

suggestions, and implications of the entire text.

1.3 OWN RESPONSES ARE CONFIRMED AND/OR ADAPTED AFTER INTERACTION

WITH OTHERS WHEN DISCUSSING A TEXT.

Group discussion is a process where exchange of ideas and opinions are debated

upon whilst discussing texts. When you participate in group discussions, it

important to realize that the other members may not share the same views on

the text as you.

Ask questions and give responses that will generate good discussion of the text.

Guide the interaction with focused questions and responses which can have

more than one answer. Avoid questions that can elicit one-word answers and

also one-word answers.

1.4 EVIDENCE CITED FROM TEXTS IN DEFENCE OF A POSITION IS RELEVANT.

Evidence is required from the primary text to ensure that your defence of a

position is relevant and also supports your interpretative claims. Your critical

points must be rooted in the text itself, and not based on conjecture or

speculation.

Of course, there is a great deal involved in using textual evidence to defend a

position.

The key point to remember is that your use of other texts is not limited to

quoting from authors with whom you agree (though this will be the most

common use). You can cite evidence from texts as:

Sources of evidence

Objects of analysis

Sources of data or information

Authorities to support your claims

Representatives of opposing points of view

There are three main ways to use evidence or examples from a text to defend your

position and also illustrate your own points. They are:

1. Making a reference to the author or the text.

2. Paraphrasing/summarizing the author by telling about the ideas or story in your

own words.

3. Directly quoting from the text

When you first refer to, paraphrase/summarize or quote from another work you should

try to incorporate into your sentence the full name of the author and the title of the

text.

Subsequent references to the same work and author can use the last name of the author

or the title of the text