Teaching Literature, Teaching Language: Same Difference?,

ISPI “San Bartolomé”

II CONGRESO REGIONAL DE CAPACITACIÓN PARA LA
ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS
Teaching Materials: Adoption, adaptation or creation

Rosario, 2004

TEACHING LITERATURE, TEACHING LANGUAGE: SAME
DIFFERENCE?

Mariel R. Amez
ISPI “San Bartolomé”; IES “O. Cossettini”

II CONGRESO REGIONAL DE CAPACITACIÓN PARA LA ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS
TEACHING LITERATURE, TEACHING LANGUAGE: SAME DIFFERENCE?
Mariel R. Amez – ISPI “San Bartolomé”; IES “O. Cossettini”

She is ravishingly beautiful
She is infinitely changeable
She is the finest cook in the world
She is always warm and welcoming
She keeps the world’s finest cellar
She is always young
yet full of experience

FRANCE

She has countless lovers. And is faithful to the end.


LITERATURE = TEXT READER
personal + aesthetic

Widdowson, H. G. (1979). Explorations in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: O.U.P.

REFERENTIAL INFORMS
LANGUAGE

REPRESENTATIONAL INVOLVES

McRae, J. (1991) Literature with a small “l”. London & Basingstroke: Macmillan

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING LITERARY TEXTS
 interest
 appeal
 relevance
 language difficulty
Collie, J. & S. Slater. (1987) Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: C.U.P.


CRITERIA FOR EXPLOITATION

♦ RELATING THE TEXT TO ONE’S LIFE

♦ DEVELOPING INFERENCE AND INTERPRETATION

♦ LEARNING TO APPRECIATE TEXT
 Plot
 Character
 Themes
 Language
 Imagery
 Sounds

II CONGRESO REGIONAL DE CAPACITACIÓN PARA LA ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS 5

TASK 3
1- Sid lived in six houses. (d)
2- He had six different names to remember. (f) 1
2
3- All this work sometimes wore Sid out. (c) 3
4- One cold damp day he caught a nasty cough. (e)
5- Sid didn’t have just one spoonful of medicine. (a)
6- Sid's owners were furious. (b)
4
5
6

Opening situation(s)/ problem(s)
(the main problem(s) that confront(s) the
characters at the beginning of the story)

Key events
(the main things that happen: characters’
choices/ actions & their motives;
consequences of actions & events; events
outside the control of the characters)

Climax
(what happens to bring about the ending?)

Ending


TASK 4
Scaramouche Bob Satan Sally Sooty Schwartz

behaviour swanky airs job naughty silly smooched rough
and
tough
food? chicken fish lamb mince fish beef and
kidney
stew
master? sophisticated, working spoilt obedient lonely grumpy
romantic lady class boy girl elderly old man
family lady

TASK 6
D A E D S O I P
M I L R A B U E
S O N T C F I R
E M Z N H Y H S
N A P O E O K O
U S V E R R J N
H T U B T P S A
W E M A N L D L
P R B N S M E I
R S A F A I B T
Y O H G V M A I
S E B Y U S E E
I D T S P O I S


 universal appeal
 inductive learning of wide range of lang. skills
POETRY
 leeway for experimentation
 complete context for writing in a compact form

 freedom to express ideas
 fast writing
PATTERN  different patterns of interaction
POETRY  practice of different concepts
 challenging
 non-competitive

TASK 7
Catalogue poem
Eating
Sleeping
Playing
Chasing
Sniffing
Mewing
Purring
Catching a ball
Entangling wool
Sid, Sid, Sid.


TASK 9
Narrator D.B. Mother Father
Next time I catch you … X
Life’s super, man, super. X
Can’t complain, really. I’ll X
soon be OK again.
You should know better X
than…

TASK 10
ADJECTIVE QUOTE

sensible his intelligence and his feelings were clearly separate
cautious wise judgment
contented on working days …he was a man of good character
serious a man of misty views
miserable??
dull?? thinking of what there would be for dinner

TASK 10
Eustacia Vye
Beautiful, self-centred.
Dreaming, scheming, seething.
Wishing for more, committed
Suicide.

TASK 11
On a dark (1) desert highway, cool (2) wind in my hair
Warm (3) smell of colitas rising (4) up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering (5) light
My head grew heavy (6) and my sight grew dim (7)
I had to stop (8) for the night.


TASK 14
”Hotel” is black and red.
It tastes like alcohol and chocolate.
It sounds like the silence of the desert.
And smells like musky smoke.
It looks like your worst nightmare.
It makes you feel befuddled.


 Representational language
 Reduced number of complementary, balanced activities
 Varied modes of presentation
 Main aim: foster enjoyment of reading

Adopt
Adapt
Create


ANIMALS DON’T SMOKE
ANIMALS DON’T DRIVE
ANIMALS DON’T WEAR MAKE-UP
ANIMALS DON’T USE PAINT
ANIMALS DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL
ANIMALS DON’T DROP BOMBS

BECAUSE YOU DO
WHY SHOULD THEY SUFFER?

AGAINST ALL ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS

Join the Army; travel to
exotic, distant lands;
meet exciting
unusual people


“In Extensive Reading the learner reads huge amounts of very
simple text so that she can read smoothly, confidently and
pleasurably.”

“Extensive reading usually refers to the kind of reading many
students already do in their own language, for example, reading
novels, non-fiction texts or reference books.”

Reading extensively will help students to:
 develop reading fluency and confidence in reading
 improve spelling, knowledge of grammar and vocabulary (a better
understanding of how the language is used)
 improve other language skills including writing, speaking and
listening
 develop a more positive attitude to the foreign language in general
 improve general knowledge


TASK 1 TASK 2
ACTIVITIES language? literature? FEATURES lit. text? other text?
matching repetition of words or
phrases
completing a chart parallelism
cloze multiple meaning of
words
pair work alliteration
discussion assonance
listening and note-taking figurative language
role-playing
creative writing

TASK 3 The beginning
7- Sid didn’t have just one spoonful of medicine.
8- Sid's owners were furious.
9- All this work sometimes wore Sid out.
10- Sid lived in six houses.
11- One cold damp day he caught a nasty cough.
12- He had six different names to remember.

TASK 4
a- What do you think the neighbours were like?
Complete this chart to help you
The end
Scaramouche Bob Satan Sally Sooty Schwartz
behaviour
food?
master?

b- Choose one of the neighbours and role-play his conversation with the vet.
c- Imagine Sid’s life on Pythagoras Street. Fill in a similar chart. Tell your partners about it.

TASK 6
TASK 5
What did Sid have six of? TASK 7
Choose the moral which you Find five words in this puzzle. Write a “Catalogue
think most appropriate. If none poem” describing
seems suitable, write one of your D A E D S O I P
M I L R A B U E Sid.
own. Be prepared to justify your
choice. S O N T C F I R
E M Z N H Y H S 1-One present
N A P O E O K O 2-participle
1- Variety is the spice of life.
3-per line,
2- Honesty is the best policy. U S V E R R J N
4-with each one
3- Communication is essential to H T U B T P S A
5-describing
happiness. W E M A N L D L
6-the nouns
4- Lying never pays. P R B N S M E I 7-in the last
5- Your own: ……….……….…… R S A F A I B T 8-line of
Y O H G V M A I 9-the poem.
S E B Y U S E E 10-Noun, noun, noun.
I D T S P O I S


TASK 8
Write the names of the characters on the spiders’ bodies. On their legs write facts about
them, such as their age, sex, job, role in the story etc..

TASK 9
Who could have said the following?
Narrator D.B. Mother Father
Next time I catch you …
Life’s super, man, super.
Can’t complain, really. I’ll soon
be OK again.
You should know better than…

TASK 10
Choose adjectives from the box to describe Gabriel. Then write phrases from the text that
helped you decide.

ADJECTIVE QUOTE arrogant – humble – sensible
– rash – cautious – serious –
clever – passionate – funny –
dull –adventurous –
contented – miserable –

TASK 10
Write a poem following this Cinquain Pattern
Line 1: One word, both title and subject of the poem (noun)
Line 2: Two words that describe the subject (adjectives)
Line 3: Three words that express an action by the subject (participles ending in -ing)
Line 4: Four words that tell a feeling the writer has about the subject (verb phrase)
Line 5: One word that is a synonym for the subject or restates or sums it up (noun)

TASK 11
Fill in the blanks with one of the words suggested. There are no right or wrong answers.
On a __________(1) desert highway, __________(2) wind in my hair
__________(3) smell of colitas __________(4) up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a __________(5) light
My head grew __________(6) and my sight grew __________(7)
I had to __________(8) for the night.

1- scary – quiet – dark 5- twinkling – shimmering – glowing
2- icy – cool – cold 6- gloomy – weary – heavy
3- lukewarm – warm – hot 7- dim – hazy
4- rising – wafting 8- rest – stop


TASK 12
Choose the most suitable meaning according to the text. More than one answer may be
possible.
1- Spirit 2- Beast
a- a strong alcoholic drink such as whisky a- an animal, especially a dangerous or
or brandy strange one
b- an imaginary creature with special b- the Antichrist, associated with the
powers number 666
c- a dead person who comes back into the c- heroin; LSD
world

TASK 13
Work in groups. Discuss the different explanations for the phrases below. Decide which
options are P (possible), I (impossible), and U (unlikely). More than one answer may be
possible.
1- 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell' 3- bring your alibis
a-This hotel could be either extraordinary or a- You’re going to be charged with a crime
appalling b- You’re going to commit a crime
b-This place could lead me either to salvation or c- It's a crime to have such a good time
to damnation
c-Here I can find either happiness or sorrow 4- Last thing I remember
a- He fainted on hearing the night man’s words
2- Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she’s got the b- He woke up on hearing the night man’s
Mercedes bends words
a- She is losing her mind c- He suffered a stroke on hearing the night
b- She has expensive tastes man’s words
c-She owns a renowned car

TASK 14
Listen to the song again. Try to “feel” it with your five senses. Can you write a poem to
convey your response? Follow this pattern.
Line 1: What colour the song is.
Line 2:. What the song sounds like
Line 3: What the song tastes like
Line 4: What the song smells like.
Line 5: What the song looks like.
Line 6: What the song makes you feel like

TASK 15
Write an epilogue for the story. You can do it in verse or in prose. The narrator could be the
protagonist, the woman, the night man, or somebody not mentioned in the song.

Texts:
1-“Six Dinner Sid”, in English Panorama 1,
C.U.P.
2- Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
3- Far from the Madding Crowd.
Longman Simplified Series.
4-“Hotel California” (Eagles)


Some useful websites:
http://uk.cambridge.org/elt/readers
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry
http://www.macmillaneducation.com/resource.htm
http://www.njcu.edu/cill/journal-index.html
http://www.oupjapan.co.jp/jr/article.shtml
http://www.penguinreaders.com/pr/resources/teachers.

TEXT 1
Sid lived at number one, Aristotle Street.
He also lived at number two, number three, number four, number five and number six.
Sid lived in six houses so that he could have six dinners. Each night he would slip out of number
one, where he might have had chicken, into number two for fish, on to number three for lamb,
mince at number four, fish again at number five, rounding off at number six with beef and kidney
stew.
Since the neighbours did not talk to one another on Aristotle Street, they did not know what Sid
was up to. They all believed the cat they fed was theirs and theirs alone.
But Sid had to work hard for his dinners. It wasn't easy being six people’s pet. He had six different
names to remember and six different ways to behave.
When he was being Scaramouche, Sid put on swanky airs. As Bob he had a job.
He was naughty as Satan and silly as Sally.
As Sooty he smooched but as Schwartz he had to act rough and tough.
All this work sometimes wore Sid out. But he didn’t care, as long as he had his six dinners. And
besides he liked being scratched in six different places and sleeping in six different beds.
In fact, life in Aristotle Street was just about perfect for Sid until one cold damp day he caught a
nasty cough.
The next thing he knew he was being taken to the vet. Poor Sid, he was taken not once, not twice
but six times. He went with six different people in six different ways.
The vet said Sid's cough wasn't nearly as nasty as it sounded; but, to be on the safe side, he
should have a spoonful of medicine. Of course, Sid didn’t have just one spoonful of medicine. He
had six.
Now one black cat does look much like another, but nobody, not even a busy vet, could see the
same cat six times without becoming suspicious. Sure enough, when he checked in his
appointment book, the vet found six cats with a cough – all living in Aristotle Street!
So he rang the owners at once and, oh dear, Sid was found out! When they discovered what he
had been up to, Sid's owners were furious. They said he had no business eating so many dinners.
They said, in the future, he would have only one dinner a day. But Sid was a six-dinner-a-day cat.
So he went to live at number one, Pythagoras Place. He also went to live at numbers two, three,
four, five and six. Unlike Aristotle Street, the people who lived on Pythagoras Place talked to their
neighbours.
So, right from the start, everyone knew about Sid's six dinners. And, because everyone knew,
nobody minded.


TEXT 2
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was
born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before
they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it. In the first
place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two
hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about
anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all - I'm not saying that - but they're also
touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I’ll
just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas before I got pretty
run-down and had to come out here and take it easy. I mean that's all I told D.B. about, and he's
my brother and all. He's in Hollywood. That isn't too far from this crumby place, and he comes over
and visits me practically every weekend. He's going to drive me home when I go home next month
maybe. He just got a Jaguar. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles
an hour. It cost him damn near four thousand bucks. He's got a lot of dough now. He didn't use to.
He used to be just a regular writer, when he was home. He wrote this terrific book of short stories,
The Secret Goldfish, in case you never heard of him. The best one in it was ”The Secret Goldfish”.
It was about this little kid that wouldn't let anybody look at his goldfish because he'd bought it with
his own money. It killed me. Now he's out in Hollywood, D.B., being a prostitute. lf there's one thing
I hate, it's the movies. Don't even mention them to me.

TEXT 3
When Farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread out towards his ears, his eyes
almost disappeared, and little lines appeared round them like the rays in a child's drawing of the
rising sun.
His first name was Gabriel, and on working days he was a man of wise judgment and good
character. On Sundays he was a man of misty views, and uncomfortable in his best clothes; he
went to church, but often he was thinking of what there would be for dinner when he meant to be
listening to the parson's address. He was at the brightest period of a man's growth, for his
intelligence and his feelings were clearly separate, not yet united by the influence of a wife and
family. In short, he was twenty-eight, and unmarried.


TEXT 4
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely face)
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she’s got the Mercedes bends
She’s got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely face)
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said ‘'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax,' said the night man,
’We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
but you can never leave!’

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