Lesson Plan for Teaching a Poem

Teaching Literature

Lesson Plan for Teaching a Poem:

          There are many ways of teaching literature in the class. Bright & McGregor and H.L.B. Moody suggest following outline for teaching a poem or story in their books. The selected sample poem is Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

          Before a literary piece (poem or story) is taught, there is the stage of Preparation on the part of the teacher. This is a pre-class activity by the teacher. There are two parts of it:

1. Preliminary assessment -

          of the work. Here the teacher decides whether the work to be taught is easy or simple. What kind of difficulties are there? Difficulties can be linguistic (related to language), thematic (related to the theme of the work) or conceptual (related to the concepts occurring in the work.) The teacher will also make sure about the genre/nature of the work. Whether it is lyrical poem/sonnet/story/ one-act-play/tragedy /comedy/satire/modern/ancient etc.

          "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a poem by American poet Robert Frost. It consists of 16 lines only. It is short and comparatively a simple poem. The only words/phrases needing explanation are "harness bells" and "downy flake." The difference between "wood" and "woods" will also need to be made clear. Ail other words are quite easy and familiar to students. It's a lyrical poem and talks about attractions or temptations of life which make us forget our goal. So the theme is also not difficult.

On the basis of this assessment the teacher comes to next stage i.e.

2. Practical decisions -

          Like whether he should begin with some authorial or background information. He will also decide whether the work can be taught in a single lecture or requires more lectures. He will decide about the best way of introducing the work in the class. He may begin with something similar taught in previous stages of learning. He may begin with an interesting anecdote or story or real life examples relevant to the lesson. He will also decide about the educational aids to be used in the teaching of that literary unit.

         In case of Robert Frost the general nature of his poetry can be given. The poem itself does not need any special background explanation. This is a short poem so it can be taught in a single lecture in an undergraduate class. Perhaps I can refer to a nursery rhyme while introducing the poem.

In-class activities involving the learners begin next and they include Introduction, Presentation and Discussion.

3. Introduction - 

          At this stage the teacher introduces the poem or story. He will give basic information about the author, the age in which he worked. If any background information (sociological, historical, biographical etc) is necessary that information will be given at this stage. Explanations related to theme, concepts or language can also be given here. The introduction part does not cover every thing about the poem/story. It is intended to arouse the curiosity of students and get over the hurdles in understanding of the text.

          The teacher asks the students to remember the rhyme learnt when they were children. The exact words of the rhyme are:-- Pussy cat, Pussy cat where have you been?/ I have been to London to see the Queen./ Pussy cat, Pussy cat what did you see there?/ I saw a little mouse under the chair. The cat in this rhyme forgot her aim. Instead of the Queen she was attracted by the mouse. Similarly the horse rider in the poem "Stopping by Woods" is attracted by the lovely woods for a few moments. But he reminds himself of his own goal and continues his journey.

4. Presentation -

          Presentation of a poem is to be done in the form of reading. The teacher reads the poem aloud with proper stress and intonation and the students listen attentively. This is necessary because poetry has musical quality and you have to listen to it to become aware of it. Sometimes a student can also be asked to read the poem if the teacher is sure of his pronunciation. If available, audio tapes/ cassettes/CD/DVD etc of the poem can also be used in the presentation of a poem in the class. At the primary stages singing of rhymes or poems is also possible.

          Let me read out the poem now. Just listen very carefully, no need to look at the text. (The teacher presents the poem by reading it aloud in the class and the students listen carefully.) The sounds of the poem (the rhyme and rhythm) make the first impact on the students. The same poem can be read again by a good student and this time students listen while looking at the text of the poem in the book. This helps the students to connect the sound and sense of the poem.

5. Discussion - 

          This is the most important stage in the teaching of a poem. The discussion is in the form of question-answer session. The teacher should begin with simple text-based questions about the title/ the theme//the speaker/listener in the poem. The answer to these questions are found in the text itself and they are intended to motivate students to look at the text carefully and make intelligent guess abcut the setting of the poem (people, place, time etc) After these basic questions more detailed and critical questions are asked by the teacher. These questions focus on the content and possibie interpretation of the poem. The emphasis is on close reading, self-discovery and developing analytical thinking of the students. After the discussion the teacher links all the points emerging from the discussion, summarizes the poem and concludes the class.

After careful listening/reading of the poem the teacher asks following general questions :

1. Is the title of the poem a sentence or a group of words?

2. What is the time mentioned in the title?

3. What is the difference between "wood"and "woods"?

4. Who do you think is the speaker in the poem? Is he alone?

5. What is puzzling or queer for the horse?

6. What does the horse want to ask by shaking his harness bells?

7. What are the sounds mentioned in the poem?

8. Which lines are repeated in the poem?

After these general questions, the teacher asks following detailed, analytical and critical questions :

1. What are the thoughts of the speaker mentioned in the first stanza?

2. Which are the two lines describing the place and time in the poem?

3. How is the nature described in the poem?

4. How is the last stanza different from the first three stanzas?

5. What is the speaker's comment about the woods at the end?

6. Why does he decide to continue his journey?

7. What is the significance of the repeated lines at the end?

8. What is the possible meaning of the word "sleep" in the last two lines?

9. Is the poem a dialogue or a monologue?

          In conclusion the teacher sums up the poem by saying that the poem is not just about a traveler and his journey. Life is a journey and every man is a traveler. The traveler in the poem is tempted by the beauty of the forest. Similarly we are tempted by many things in life. But we have to remember our goals and move on in the journey to achieve those goals. We can not stop and forget our goals. We have to fulfill the promises given to others and ourselves.

6. Reinforcement - 

          In this stage the teacher gives homework or home assignment to the students. The questions for this should be relevant to the poem and they should focus on the critical appreciation of the poem. Mere summary or paraphrase of the poem should not be asked. Suggestions for further reading, memorizing or re-reading the same poem from a different perspective can also be a good re-inforcement activity.

The possible home assignment on "Stopping by Woods" can be as under :

1. Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem and explain the symbolism in it.

OR

2. Imagine that the horse in the poem speaks and describe the events in the poem from the horse's perspective.

Also another poem by Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken" can be suggested for further reading and compare the ideas in the two poems. (Both poems talk about a journey. But the dilemmas in the two poems are different. Compare them.)

Teaching of Vocabulary and Grammar

Teaching Vocabulary :

Introduction :

          Words are essential for communication. Children start speaking single words and then move on to chains of words. Vocabulary building is an important part of second language learning.

Types :

For purposes of teaching, vocabulary is divided into 3 types :

1. Ad-hoc vocabulary :

          This is necessary for understanding a particular lesson but not likely to occur in general use. For example the word 'chasm' in Coleridge and Shelley's poems. 

2. Passive/Recognition vocabulary :

          This is necessary for comprehension in general. Student knows and recognizes it but does not use it in his own speech/writing.

3. Active vocabulary :

          This is the vocabulary known by the student and actively used by him in his own speech and writing.

The principles of selection, gradation and presentation must be followed in teaching vocabulary.

a) Selection - 

          All the words can not be taught together at a single time. The teacher has to select 'some words' to be taught at each successive stage of learning. He also decides whether these words are to be taught for active use or only for recognition purposes. 

b) Gradation - 

          The teacher grades the words according to their difficulty level. Thus concrete words come earlier because they are easier to learn than abstract words. Similarly base/root words come first e.g. 'nation'. Derivatives (with prefixes /suffixes etc e.g. antinational, nationality, nationalize, nationalization) come later. Initially the words are taught in isolation and then we move to their use in sentences.

c) Presentation - 

          In presenting new words the teacher should make the students aware of their 'sound', 'sense' and 'shape' i.e. their pronunciation, meanings and spelling.

          Words have to be taught in context and not in isolation because they get their meaning from the context in which they occur. Contextualized presentation is thus an important technique in vocabulary teaching. Most English words have multiple meanings and the specific meaning of a word becomes clear only in a context. (e.g. bar of sap, bar of chocolate, beer bar, milk bar etc)

          Apart from contextualization, training the students in using dictionary is extremely important. The dictionary may be in a book format or a mobile app. Constant use of dictionary is necessary for maximum vocabulary learning. 

Following techniques are also useful for teaching vocabulary .

1. Pasting name-labels on objects 

2. Using blackboard sketches and pictures in magazines/books ete 

3. Using real classroom objects like clock, calendar, table, chairs, benches, windows etc 

4.Using physical gestures 

5. Demonstrating actions like walking jumping, etc 

6. Teaching synonyms antonyms and their uses. 

7. Teaching the concept of 'lexical sets' or word categories

8. Teaching about various word formation processes 

9. Giving mother tongue equivalents whenever necessary.

10. encouraging students to guess the meanings of words from the context

          Words taught through these techniques have to be repeated several times to consolidate their learning. Retention of vocabulary learnt at earlier stages is necessary. Continuous expansion of the vocabulary is possible only by developing reading habits among the students. It is a never ending process because languages like English are very rich in vocabulary. Nevertheless enrichment of vocabulary through reading contributes to your personality development, academic success as well as professional achievement.

Teaching Grammar :

The word grammar can refer to 3 types of grammar:

1. Every native speaker - literate or illiterate- uses his mother tongue correctly. He has unconscious knowledge of the rules of his own language. He knows it intuitively without going to school. This is Native speaker's grammar.

2. Linguists like Bloomfield, Chomsky and Halliday have analyzed language scientifically and described it. This kind of formal analysis and description of language is called Linguist's grammar or Descriptive grammar.

3. Grammar also refers to the rules prescribed for the correct use of language. Wren and Martin and Nesfield have written such grammar books for the benefit of students. Such grammars are called Prescriptive grammar or Teacher's grammar because it is useful in teaching.

There are 2 Methods of Teaching Grammar :

1. Deductive Method : 

          Deductive method is traditional method of teaching grammar. It is also known as a 'top-down' approach. Here the teacher first explains the rules to students and then gives examples. For example: Rule - the present perfect is made of 'have' plus the past participle of main verb. It expresses an action completed in recent past. Example - I have finished my work.
This method is not very effective because students find it dull and boring.

2. Inductive Method :

          Inductive method is known as a 'bottom-up' approach. Here students discover grammar rules on their own from the examples given by teacher while working through exercises. Here the sequence is from examples to rules. This method is more effective and interesting because it ensures active participation of student in the process of rule discovery.

          Every language has its own rules and the teacher's job is to explain and teach them. But it is important to know that grammar rules are not static. They are just conventions of language and like all conventions, grammar rule also change with times. So a teacher should remember that rules are important but current usage is more important than some outdated rule. Also a teacher's job is to teach the use of language. He should help students to internalize grammar rules by giving him lot of practice. Mere knowledge of rules is of no use if the students can not use these rules to construct sentences of their own and use them in their speech and writing. So our focus is to teach 'language' and not 'about language'. The emphasis should be on oral drills, pattern practice, substitution tables, matching tables and similar other exercises. Explanations are important but practice is more important in grammar.

          Maximum exposure to language is necessary for learning grammar. After all native speakers learn their language simply by lot of exposure to language and not by formal teaching.

J.P.B. Allen suggests following four approaches to the teaching of grammar :

1. Situational method - 

          It aims at creating situations of language use and help students to discover underlying rules instead of the teacher overtly explaining them. Play-acting element in this method encourages the young learners.

2. Pattern practice - 

          Is based on repetition of certain structural patterns and it aims at developing and consolidating newly learnt language rules or patterns. Oral drills also form a part of pattern practice.

3. Grammatical explanation - 

          This is suitable for adult learners who have enough language experience. Grammatical explanations have to be contextualized with examples. Use of contrasts is also qute helpful. Grammar item are learnt better when presented in contrast with others. For example - Simple present vs present continuous - I generally write with a blue pen but today I am writing with a black pen.'

4. Multiple approaches - 

          None of the above is complete in itself so a combination of all the three is always practically useful. The teacher is the best judge and he can decide the best way to teach his students. This kind of flexible approach may be called a multiple line approach.

       

   Lastly we must note that grammar teaching also follows the principles of selection, gradation and presentation. In other words we can not teach all the grammar points at the same time. We have to focus only on a few selected grammar items at one particular stage; grade them according to their difficulty level (easy to difficult sequence); and present them in appropriate context for better learning.

Teaching of Listening and Speaking

Teaching of Listening and Speaking English 
part of Applied Linguistics 

Subjects taught at the school/college level are divided into two categories.

1. Information subjects (for example History and Geography inform us about certain facts of history and geography.) Learning of these subjects requires good memory. 

2. Skill subjects (for example Mathematics and Language. These subjects are skill subjects and skills can be acquired by continuous practice only) Language actually involves 4 skills listening, speaking, reading and writing i. e/ LSRW.

Let us now focus on listening skill.

          Listening is a passive or receptive skill. A person who is listening looks physically passive. He is in the role of a receiver of language spoken by somebody else.

          Listening involves recognizing and interpreting spoken sounds.More specifically it involves the process of : a) identifying sounds and words (i. e. combinations of sounds) b) understanding them c) understanding syntactic patterns or sentences d) interpreting stress, rhythm and intonation e) identifying the information or meaning transmitted by the speaker and finally f) identifying the tone/attiude/emotion of the speaker.

          Here we need to distinguish he word 'hearing' from 'listening' Just hearing is not listening. Hearing is just recognition of spoken sounds. It is a passive and mechanical process. Listening is different because it involves attention and understanding. It is an active and meaning -oriented process. The listener is outwardly passive but his mind is alert and active.

          Listening is important because it is an important means of language learning. Listening provides necessary exposure to the language that we want to learn (i.e. TL/Target Language) If you listen to lot of English you learn it faster. Maximum exposure maximum learning.

Types : 

According to Anthony Howatt and Julian Dakin there are
 two types of listening. 

1. Intensive listening - 

This refers to listening with greater attention for deeper and detailed understanding of the spoken matter. 

2. Extensive listening - This refers to listening with lesser attention for general and non-detailed understanding of the spoken matter.

There are also levels of listening like half-listening, selective listening, holistic listening and listening with critical attention.

Strategies for Teaching : 

There are following ways to teach effective listening : 

1. Motivating the students and creating a proper mindset for listening. This can be done by arousing the interest of the students or highlighting the importance of the topic.

 2, The technique of guided or clued listening is also helpful. 

3.
Selecting material appropriate to the age and interst of the audience. 

4. Using varieties of topics to speak on so that attention is ensured. 

5, Speaking effectively by paying attention to pronunciation and body language 

6. Sometimes interesting matter on tapes/cassettes/CDs/DVDs can also be used to teach effective listening.





Speaking Skill :


          Teaching of speaking begins with repeating or imitating teacher's speech because it is a model for the student. So the teacher has to be extra careful about his own spoken language. His pronunciation and grammar must be a perfect model for imitation.


Speaking skill involves two things: 

1. Ability to produce utterances in the target language (like English) This requires knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and

2. Ability to pronounce them correctly. This involves knowledge of phonology, stress and intonation.

The objectives of teaching speaking are that 

1. The student should be able to participate in a conversation, respond appropriately to questions or statements. 

2. Make short contributions of his own to the conversation 

3. He should be able to read aloud properly. 

4. He should also be able to develop a short oral composition ( e.g. a short speech/lecture/presentation) of his own when necessary.

          The teacher simultaneously plays two roles in the teaching of speaking skill. He plays the role of a coach who encourages and guides the students in te art of speaking. He also plays the role of a judge or umpire because he watches and evaluates the spoken performance of the student and corrects him whenever necessary. So the there are two preconditions for teachers of spoken English. One is that he himself should speak good English and secondly he should have some raining in phonology and teaching of pronunciation.

In teaching spoken English 

1. The teacher has to begin with sentences. (How to pronounce them properly.) 

2. Then short basic dialogues can be taught. This will involve teaching of greetings and responses to them, introducing yourself and others, making inquiries and providing information, joining and leaving conversation etc. 

3.
Sometimes guided dialogues in which a subject is specified (e. g. buying a dress, visiting a doctor etc) Sometimes some parts are given and some parts are to be supplied by the students to complete the dialogue or conversation. 

4. All this has to finally lead the student to the stage of free conversation where he participates independently in a conversation.

Teaching Strategies include following : 

1. Asking students to read aloud from a written matter from a book/magazine/newspaper etc. 

2.
Asking students to describe a picture orally in spoken English 

3. Conducting question -answer sessions in which teachers ask questions and students respond orally in their own language. 

4. Role playing technique - for example teacher plays the role of a doctor and a student plays the role of a patient. They develop a conversation and talk to each other in this imaginary situation and other students watch their performance and learn from it. 

5. The annual social gathering of the school/college can be used to present a short drama/one-act-play/skit. Such activities provide a lot of speaking practice speaking English for students. And spoken English can be developed by practice. The more you speak the better your spoken English. 

6. Asking students to watch English programmes on TV will also provide necessary exposure to spoken English which is necessary for developing speaking skills.

Conclusion -

          In conclusion we can say that special courses for teaching spoken English can also be devised keeping in mind the situation in India. It is our experience in our country that students have no mastery over English despite long years of teaching it.

Three factors are important in Spoken English.

 1. Phonetic accuracy i. e. good pronunciation 

2. Grammatical accuracy or correctness of sentence structure and finally 

3. Contextual accuracy which means that whatever we speak should be appropriate to the situation.