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NAWAL HUSSEIN LAFTA

H. M. Patel Institute of English Training

and Research

M.A. (ELT) FinalDiwali Assignment

2009-2010

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Choose a short poem (for example, from any of the textbooks). Prepare a series of tasks based on the poem for secondary-level learners. You must have at least:- Two pre-tasks.- One while task.- Reading comprehension questions.- Two vocabulary tasks.- Two grammar tasks.- Two appreciation tasks.Write a research report on your materials production. Your research report should have:- The reasons for choosing the poem.- The principles that you had in mind while preparing the tasks.- What do you think are the tasks capable of achieving.- And a review of at least two articles or books that related your material production.- Any problems that you faced and how you overcame them.

INTRODUCTION

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- Literature in the language classroom has long been an integral part of ELT.

-Awareness of variety in language can be an important prerequisite for responding sensitively to literary language use. -Literature study also enhances awareness of language functions.

- Literature offers several benefits to ESL classroom .It can be useful in developing linguistic knowledge, both on a usage level and a use level.

- Student enjoys reading literature, it may increase their motivation to interact with a text, and thus ultimately increase their reading proficiency.

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There are certain advantages in using literature in the language classroom. Study of literature:

- Develops learner autonomy by indicating that teacher is not the font of all knowledge.

- Stimulates students to interact with the text creatively.- Helps students to become an active agent rather than a passive recipient.

- High lights language properties like coherence and text organization in the best way.

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- Can be used for testing different sorts of abilities, the ability to make connections and cross-references.- Develops independent thinking skills.

- Enables learners to appreciate the phonetic features (especially - through rhyming in poetry).

- Makes the learner aware of possibilities of semantic range.

- Encourages overall development of personality through - role plays and others interactive activities.

- Encourages classroom discussion and lateral thinking.

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Why use poetry to learn English?

- Poetry is the type of English which touches our personal feelings most closely.

- Poems can help us to assimilate the typical rhythms of a language.

- Poems are often very easy to remember.

- Poems stick in our minds without conscious effort.

- The topics which poems about are in themselves interesting and important.

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- stress the important words and phrases.

- convey appropriate feelings.

- dramatis action and mood.

- show pictures of similar imagery.

- point out differences between cultures.

- emphases the message the poem may convey

Teachers should process the poem for their own, understanding, so that when they read it to the classes, they might:

Song of the Skyloom

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O our Mother the Earth, O our Father the Sky,Your children are we, and with tired backs.We bring you the gifts that you love.Then weave for us a garment of brightness;May the warp be the white light of morning,May the weft be the red light of evening,May the fringes be the falling rain,May the border be the standing rainbow.Thus weave for us a garment of brightnessThat we may walk fittingly where birds sing,That we may walk fittingly where grass is green,O our Mother the Earth, O our Father the Sky!

(American Indian Chant )

Pre Tasks Pre Task. 1

With these pictures, suggest a possible title for the poem :

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Pre Task. 2Discuss in group of three. List out the words that are

related to the nature .

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Vocabulary Task. 1 When we hear the word ‘mother’ other

connected words that come to mind like ‘chlidren’, ‘home’, ‘family’, ‘love’

etc. as in the following example.

mother lovehome

children

family

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In pairs, make a list of five words that are related to word ‘sky’. Share with the class.

sky

Vocabulary Task. 2Match Column A with B

All the words are taken from the poem.The first one is done for you.

Column A Column B

fitting appropriate

weave edge of piece of cloth using a loom

tired clothes

border stretched length-wise

garments to make cloths

warp exhausted

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While TaskListen carefully and then fill in the blanks.

Song of The Sky Loom

O, our Mother the _______, O our Father the Sky Your children are we ,and with tired backs We bring you _________ that you loveThen weave for us a __________ of brightnessMay the ___________ be the white light of morningMay the weft be the red light of eveningMay the ___________ be the falling rainMay the border be the standing rainbowThus _________ for us a garment of brightnessThat we may walk fittingly where ________ singThat we may walk ___________ where grass is greenO, our Mother the earth , O our Father the sky !

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Grammar tasksTask.1

The line beginning with ‘May’ tells us what the poet wishes. The line beginning with ‘Thus’ tells us what happens when the poet’s wishes get fulfilled.Make similar two sentences expressing a wish and fulfillment.

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Grammar Task.2

In pairs, find two sentences in the poem in which subordinate clauses are used and say where they are adjectival or adverbial.

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Reading comprehension questions Task.1

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Which children is the poet talking about? What does the poet compare border of the garment with? What kind of warp is the poet talking about? Where would the poet like to walk?

Appreciation TasksTask.1

Can you think of other words (not from this poem) to rhyme with

“sky”, ”morning”, ”love”, ”rain”, ”sing” and “green”.

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Reading comprehension questionsTask.2

1. How do the singer address the earth and the sky?2. What kind of gifts is the chanter offering ?3. What kind of light makes up the warp?4. How is the garment decorated?5. Where and how do chanters wish to walk?

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Appreciation Task .2

1.How are the rain and rainbow contrasted?

2.How does the chant tell you that the chanters love of nature?

3.Why do the chanters give only “gift of love “?

4.What do the chanters mean by “garment of brightness”?

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This poem talks about a different culture, it can help students to extend their vocabulary and help memorize them in a number of meaningful ways, encourage reading for pleasure because the students like to repeat rhyming words charm words and refrains.

The reasons for choosing the poem.

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The principles that I had in mind while preparing the task.

the poem should lend to:

- learning of vocabulary.

- learning of literary rhyming, figure of speech .- evoking responses from students.

- constructing language learning tasks.

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What do you think are the tasks capable of achieving.

The tasks capable of achieving, to diagnose assess students ability to perform a simple task and to assess student competence to read and write at the intermediate level.

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- Poem into Poem, Reading and Writing Poems with Students of English. Alan Maley and Sandra Moulding. Cambridge University Press. 1985.

- Literature and Language Teaching. C. J. Brumfit and R. A. Carter. Oxford University Press. 1986.

- The Teaching of Poetry, European Perspectives. Edited by Linda Thompson. Continuum International Publishing. 1996.

- Lecture Notes on Materials for the Teaching of Languages. M.A. (ELT) previous, H.M. Patel Institute of English Language Teaching and Research. (2008).

- Lecture Notes on Literature and English Language Teaching. M.A. (ELT) final, H.M. Patel Institute of English Language Teaching and Research. (2009).

- http://www.bloomington.in.us/~dory/creative/class5.html.

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