TEACHING LITERATURE IN SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Muhamad Yusuf Malindra (E1D118075)

7CG-2
Univeristy of Mataram
English Language Department
1. Teaching literature can be captivating for teachers and students, why? Because first,
teaching literature exposes us into a genuine and authentic language, not trivial, it is meaningful
type of language that can speak to people across cultures and time. Secondly, teaching literature
can be culturally enriching for readers because it contains social, historical, and cultural context
from the targeted language. Thirdly, teaching literature is language focused rather than grammar
focused, it can increase reader’s receptive vocabulary through extensive reading, provide a rich
content of vocabulary, language structure, and promote oral work. Fourthly, teaching literature is
engaging, because it can make the readers personally involved in what they read. Fifthly,
teaching literature is “real’ world centered, which means in literature, readers can experience real
experience through the literature they read, that usually contain real life problems that connect
with the readers’ real-life situation. Sixthly, teaching literature is universal, it means literature
deals with universal themes that linked with all human being experiences, like love, friendship,
revenge, and prejudice, themes that can capture the imagination of the reader. Lastly, teaching
literature contain many elements like characters, plot, the language used, and it’s meaning that
can motivate the reader to willingly talk about it.
But, in my opinion, teaching literature may not captivating to all the readers or the
participants like the examples above, because not all participants, in this case the
students, all have the same point of view about books. Some of the students may don’t
like to read books because it makes the students get a headache from the text, and some
of the students may love to read a book. So, does literature need to be in the form of
book? Because in the paragraph above, it focused on “reader”. Teaching literature need
an innovation, not only in the form of book, maybe starting with sounds/audio, or in a
form of video animation.
2. It is not necessary to be a reader to teach literature in classroom, but it helps if you are a
big reader and you enjoy reading. Literature is a bit different, because in its text, the author
chooses his/her characters, the world is chosen by author, and also the sentence constructions are
determined by the author. By just looking at the construction of the sentence in the text, reader
can guess who is the author of the book/ the text. In using literature in teaching, to use the whole
book of it, it can a little bit messy for teaching and language used is ungraded. But teachers can
extract a little bit of it to share it to the students for study purpose and what can they do with
them.
Based on summary above, I think it makes sense, why? Because literature tend to follow
the author’s emotion, type of thinking, and knowledge. So, teachers need to filter some
part that they think can be beneficial for the students and then apply it in the classroom
for study purposes.
3. Literature is a source of an authentic text in the language classroom, it also used for its
potential to teach and increase vocabulary acquisition, the development of reading skills, and to
spark students’ critical thinking. It provides opportunities for experiences and can appeal to
students with different learning styles. It offers linguistic input and can help learners to practice
the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Literature in an English classroom can help
learners to develop their understanding of other cultures, awareness of differences and to develop
understanding. And, it can lead to public displays of student output with their own literary text.

I agree, literary text can contain many things, from cultural understanding, literature text
construction, and hidden meanings, that it can increase the students’ cognition, their
language skills, and critical thinking.

4. In poetry, it always has meanings beyond what the surface of the text holds. Thus, in
order to judge on what kind of purpose that the writer intended to deliver through the poem, it
requires the students’ ability to judge or thinking. The judgment itself need to be logical and
supported with evidences. By doing an analysis of the literary text, in this case poetry, students
need to recall, retrieve, and reflect their prior knowledge in order to make a good judgment of the
hidden meaning in a poet. Then, poetry in this case, can or will be effective to enhance the
students’ critical thinking. For example, there is a poem about students studied where a Black
African-American feel angry when they are called by “Nigger” by White American. By
analyzing such poem may give reference that it is bad and offensive to call Black African-
American “Nigger”. Students may study the casual relationship between events and action by the
study of a poem and it will build a new scheme stored in their brain to help them making further
judgment or decision on particular actions.

Poetry will spark the students critical thinking for a while, but when they think what they
understand from the poem they read, it will not easy to change that mindset even if they
read it multiple times. Teachers need to make a room to express the students’ opinion
about the poem and then tried to lead them into the correct understanding about the poem.

5. Teaching literature in foreign language lesson needs the teachers to have confidents, the
know-how, and how to integrate the literary text in language classroom. The language used in a
literary text is quite particular and quite enriching as well. In teaching literature in foreign
language classroom, teachers need to encourage innovative approaches in foreign language
teaching. The teaching needs to use the resources, then evaluate those resources, and discuss it
with the students and teacher, then lastly everyone needs to inform and look at the resources
together before they are going to be presented by the students. Through literature the students
need to know that the language is more than just words. It is challenging at first, but rewarding at
the end. The language is not just what we say, the language is also what we live.
Teachers have an important role in order to make teaching literature in foreign language
lesson to be successful. Teachers also need to find some strategies to make the foreign
language students to be active in the literature class activity Not only to find the intrinsic
meaning in literary text, but also expressing what the student’s judgment about the text.
6. Teaching literature in a high school can be done by reading book together, talking about
book together, and can come up with interesting things to do about what they are reading about.
A lot of people think that a high schooler doesn’t have the capacity to talk about literature in a
good way, but it depends on the students itself. A good students can come up with a good
conversation about literature if teachers also can support them and motivate them without forcing
an agenda. Conversation with students about literature can take teachers and students, they take
you places, they take you to real places, take you to cool people, and take you to create memories
associated with what you are reading. Teachers need to encourage the student’s opinion and what
they think about honestly with what the book they are reading in order to have a good interaction
and conversation about literature.
High-schooler tend to stay away from books, but teachers can start to introduce literature
to the students with a fun and entertaining lesson plan.

7. Literature in language teaching course have some objectives as follows: students will
develop a variety of reading strategies, they will identify the literary terms and study how these
terms contribute to their writing skill, they will develop skills to analyze literary texts, students
will develop discussion skills, students will discover connections with literature they read (text to
self, text to text, text to world), students will understand the role of literature which provides
insight into the culture of target language.
The development of skills depends on the students’ understanding about the literary text,
the most developed skill on the students when learning literature on the class, I think will
be on the students’ reading skills, because literature is very integrated with reading.

8.

a.) Cultural Model

Carter (1988) considers the information-based approach as a way of teaching knowledge
about literature. Literature is seen to offer a source of information to the students. Lazar (1993)
focus on content require students to examine history and characteristics of literary movements,
cultural, social, political and historical background to a text, thus demanding a large input from
the teacher. Cultural model aims to be more teacher-centered.

b.) Language Model

Carter and Long (1991) refer to as the ‘language-based approach’, it seeks a closer integration
between language and literature. The language model seeks a greater unification between
language and literature. Carter (1998): the language-based approach helps students to focus
attention on the way as how the language used. Language model see literary texts as resources fo
language practice through series of language activities rather than studying literal for the purpose
of acquiring facts and information. Language model aims to be more learner-centered.
c.) Reductive Approach
Carter and McRae (1996) describe this model as taking a ‘reductive’ approach to literature.
Activities are disconnected from the literary goals: can be applied to any text.

d.) Stylistic Analysis

Close study of the linguistic features of the text. It enables students to make meaningful
interpretation of the text. It aims to help learners read and study literature more competently.

e.) Personal Growth Model (PGM)

Carter and Long (1991) see PGM as an attempt to bridge the cultural and language model
Focus on the particular use of language in a text. Placing it in a specific cultural context. PGM
helps learners develop knowledge of ideas and language. PGM seeks the opportunity for students
to relate to their personal lives.

f.) Integrated Model

There are three elements that need to be present in this model, they are linguistic,
methodological, and motivational. Linguistically, by using a wide range of authentic texts,
teacher introduce learners to a very wide range of styles, registers, and text types at many levels
of difficulty. Methodologically, it uses the use of schema, strategies for intensive and extensive
reading etc. Motivationally, the literary text priorities the enjoyment of reading.

9.
a.) Wallek and Warren (1984)
Contain intrinsic and extrinsic approaches.

b.) Maley (1989)

Contain two major approaches: the critical literary approach and the stylistic approach.

c.) Carter and Long (1991)

Contain three main models: the cultural model, the language model, and the personal growth
model.

d.) Van’s (2009)

Contain six possible approaches: New criticism, Structuralism, the Stylistic approach, the
Reader Response approach, the Language-Based approach, and Critical Literacy approach.

10. In teaching literature, teachers need a criterion of a literature text to be used in language
teaching. Teachers need to look at the genre, length, availability, canonical/established text or
non-mainstream/non-canonical text, cultural familiarity or unfamiliarity for the students,
relationship of text to students’ culture, complete text, language difficulty, authentic,
conceptually difficult or easy text, thematic appropriateness, curriculum requirements and
assessment. In order to teach literature successfully, teachers must be well-prepared with a good
understanding of the literary text. Pre-teaching aims to remove barriers to comprehension for the
students. Teachers need to explain difficult words, explaining allusions, cultural features, and
give information to the students about the historical context and the society depicted in the story.
In teaching literature, students need to fulfill some skills and competencies, they are reading
skills, writing skills, oral skills, linguistic skills, argumentation skills, literary competence, and
life competence.
I agree with the statement above that a teacher need to short some criterion in choosing
literature to be used in a classroom. This shorting need to be accommodated based on the
students’ level in English and understanding so that the students can enjoy the lesson.

11. In teaching literature, teachers need to select the literature needed for the class activity.
Then, divide the class into some groups and give task to the students about overview of the
literature or literary elements of the literature used. After the finishing the assignment, students
need to present their work in front of the class by using Power Point or other form of media.
I think there are more better strategies that can be used in teaching literature, a strategy
that can evoke the students’ critical thinking, curiosity, and activity.

12. Teachers need to find and think the best strategy to teach literature to their students.
Teachers can’t just order the students to open their book, but teachers need to look at the students
in the eye and tell the story to them. Teachers need to remove the mindset of the students about
literature, how they can engage with their book, how they can fall in love with the books.
Teachers play an important role in growing those feelings on the students.
The strategy is a good starter to open a literature class, but students also need to be able
to evoke their curiosity and engagement in learning the literature by themselves when the
teacher is not present in front of them.