Teaching TOWN Final

8/8/2019 Teaching TOWN Final

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English LAS 1 2010

Workshop 6: Teaching the

class novel/working with

Town


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Overview of workshop

Micro-teaching session

Introduction to teaching the class novel

Working on the macro and micro levels


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Micro-teaching


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Teaching the class novel/teaching Town

Questions for discussion:

Is the study of a set class novel appropriate?

Do all schools studying one set text at each

year level?

Teaching Town

What were your responses to reading the

novel?

Would you choose to teach this text? (What

criteria should we use to select texts?)

Resources:

Text selection guidelines (VATE)

Text selection guidelines (AATE)

ACARA draft English curriculum (go to page

36)

English and censorship (AATE)

Remember that you may not be in a

position to choose the set text


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Some key questions and considerations for

teachers prior to teaching the class novel (Town):

What could/ should my students learn out of the experience of reading and

exploring this particular text?

What might the key learning outcomes be?

What will be the key focus/theme (if any)?

What kinds of learning activities will I use to ensure:

Maximum student engagement the activities should be constructed oradapted to suit MY students.

A differentiated curriculum

Curriculum guidelines VELS/ACARA doc.

A range of learning tasks so that my teaching is balanced and varied (in

terms of LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND LITERACY tasks for example).

How can I workon my own learning/teaching practice out of teaching this text what can I learn from my students

as they engage with the text?

A note on preparing the text


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Preparing a unit on Town

Have a preliminary look at the ACARA English curriculum document for Year 9

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Documents/English%2

0curriculum.pdf

In groups of three or four, consider the Unit outline template attached. Discuss

the fields in light of the draft curriculum and make a start at filling them

inwell return to this later.

Unit outline

Microsoft Word

Document


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Teaching the class novel

How will your students read the text?

Some popular options include:

1. Reading whole text together in class

Whole class reads whole text aloud in class, with each student taking turns to

read. Other variations include teacher reads whole text aloud to students,

student readers volunteer to read aloud with teacher reading bulk of novel,

teacher narrates and students read dialogue in character.

2. Students are given homework time to read the entire text prior to the

commencement of teaching. Teacher begins teaching with the expectation that

all students have read entire novel.

3. Teacher plans teaching of the text around a combination of in-class readingaloud and homework reading.

.


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Reflecting on the teaching of the class novel

Discussion: What approaches have you seen on your

placement? Have you employed any yourself?

Anything different?

ACTIVITY: At tables, take a few minutes to discuss thebenefits and constraints of each of these options.

Choose your preferred option it may be a different

approach altogether - and give reasons for your

choice.

* Consider the use of talking books.


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Questions before reading

Focus on:

Front cover

Epigraphs (if any)

Contents page


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INTRODUCING THE NOVEL:One way in

1. Consider the image on the cover of the book.

2. Describe the people in the image.What do you notice about the image?

(Describe colour, lighting, setting, positioning

of subjects, clothing, facial expression and

actions)

3. Focusing only on the image, what do you think

this book might be about? Why?

4. What sort of adjectives might you use to

describe these people? Why?

5. How does the image work with or against the

books title? Give reasons for your answer.

6. Why do you think the author/publisher has

chosen to represent the figure in the foreground

in such a way that we cannot see her/his face?

7. Do you like this cover?

8. Do you have any other predictions about what

might happen in this story?


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How might you answer those questions differently

if this was the image on the cover of TOWN?


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Contents page

What does this contents page reveal about the structure, genre

and interests of this text?


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Looking at one story

What sort of questions will I ask my students? Be aware that the sorts of questions you

ask might reflect your own perspectives on English teaching.

Questions can focus on:

rhetoric (language)

aesthetics

ethics

Questions should address the different levels ofBlooms taxonomy:

http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm


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Asking questions

How would you classify these questions?

1. Why d o you think Ronnie acted the way she did? Would you have acteddifferently?

2. Howdo thechoices Roymakesre.settingreflecthisviews on whatit means tobe Australian?

3. Howdoes thestructure ofthe novelcontribute to yourunderstanding ofit?

4. Howare weasreaders positionedto feelabout the way teachersinteract withstudentsin thefirststory

5. Who is Martys partnerin crime?

You may like to consult this great resource:http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/askquest.htm


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Teaching Town: one story

Plan a lesson around one of the stories in Town. This lesson

should link in with you overall aims for the unit.

Consult the Australian curriculum for English and combine the

strands of literature/language and literacy into this plan

Consider the ACARA outcomes for Year 9 or 10 English whenplanning this lesson

Post to Wiki upon completion.

Some ideas for activities can be found here:Microsoft Office