ENGL 629
Critical Approaches to Teaching Lit.
Catalog Entry
ENGL 629. Critical Approaches to Teaching Lit.
Credit hours (3).
The course provides prospective teachers of literature with an examination and application of current theory research and practice in the teaching of literature. In a field experience portion of the course, students will design lesson plans and apply particular approaches to teaching literature with students in local middle, high schools, or college classrooms. They will design a Unit of Literature Study for classroom use.
Detailed Description of Course
Topics to be addressed include:
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course is a workshop in which students work in large and small cooperative and collaborative group settings. Students research specific topics on the teaching of literature and present the results of their research in formal presentations. Students write Units of Study for specific literature. These units must include writing-to-learn activities, audio-visual materials, and computer technology. The unit or parts of it will be taught in a local secondary English language arts classroom.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
The fundamental goal of this course is to provide students with research-based practices in the teaching of literature and to familiarize them with types of literature taught at the secondary level. Students who have successfully completed this course will be able to:
Assessment Measures
Student learning will be assessed in collaboration with professor, student and peers. Possible assessment tools may include assignment rubrics, quality of unit and lesson plans, effectiveness of implementation of unit plans, and quality of presentations. Students will assemble a portfolio of course work documenting learning from course.
Other Course Information
Texts might include: What is English? by Peter Elbow ; Changing Our Minds by Miles Myers; The Reader the Text and the Poem by Louise Rosenblatt; Envisioning Literature: Literary Understanding and Literature Instruction by Judith Langer; and Bridging English Chapter 5 by Milner and Milner. Articles from current and past Educational Journals addressing various aspects of teaching all genres of literature; reading in the content area; multicultural literature's place in English language arts classrooms; how to incorporate technology in English language arts classrooms in regards to teaching literature; the reading writing connection, etc.
Review and Approval
DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
VPPA 3/16/05