Midterm – Literature for Teens

Students must choose one of the novels assigned as mandatory reading for the course and
record a video recommendation for it. If students wish to record a video recommendation
about a different novel, they must get in touch with their TA (jskovacs@uc.cl). Novels other
than the ones read in class could be used for the assignment as long as both professors (and a
considerable number of classmates) have read them.

The focus of the recommendation must be pedagogical, that is, it must cater to fellow
colleagues wanting to include novels in an EFL classroom setting. The video recommendation
must include:

• A brief introduction of the speaker (Hello, my name is… and I will talk about…)
• A brief description of the novel (title, author, year of publication, and a succinct
synopsis of its main argument— e.g., the novel talks about…, the novel deals with…, the
novel follows the life of…, etc.).
• A mention of the age-grade for which you are recommending the novel at hand. Your
age-grade choice must be supported by the student’s alleged level of EFL proficiency
and by specific learning goals.
• A proposed activity that you would recommend carrying out with the novel at hand.
o The activity must employ one of the methodologies reviewed during the first
part of the course (reading circles, community of inquiry, artistic creation, etc.).
If you wish to employ a different methodology, you must make reference to at
least one author that has written about it (mentioning the title of the
book/article and its author will suffice).
o When explaining your activity proposal, you must mention the reasons why you
have chosen that methodology for your novel, and how the activity must be
carried out in the EFL classroom. Justifying your choice is important, so be sure
to bring forward solid arguments for your novel-methodology-activity pairing.
Your arguments must be compelling enough to persuade fellow EFL teachers to
take your recommendation. Comentado [jk1]: Que incluya una de las metodologías
que ya se han pasado. ¿Cómo aplicarías una de las
metodologías que se han pasado a esta novela?
Video recommendations must be 120-240 seconds long.

The deadline for uploading your video recommendations is September 14th at midnight.
Once video recommendations are uploaded to Canvas, students will be required to comment
on two of their peer’s recommendations. Peer comments should include:

• Commentary on your peer’s choice of age-grade for the novel being recommended. If
you think the novel could be recommended for other ages or grades as well, you are
welcome to mention it.
• Commentary on your peer’s activity proposal (aspects that could be touched upon
include—but are not limited to—clarity, feasibility, appropriateness, and possible class
engagement). Please keep your critiques constructive.
• Commentary on your peer’s pairing of novel and methodology. You are welcome to Comentado [jk2]: Incluir coentario sobre la metod.
build upon your peer’s proposal or suggest a different set up, approach and pairing.

The deadline for posting your comment on Canvas is October 5th at midnight. An open forum
discussion will be opened for students to comment on their peer’s recommendation videos.
Comments must be 350 words maximum.
 Midterm Rubric

Total score: 18 points Comentado [jk3]: El principal problema que tengo con
esta rúbrica es que funciona como un checklist de cosas a
incluir en el video. No evalúa la calidad de las
recomendaciones. ¿Cómo evaluaremos eso?
Criteria Not included or Lacking some Meets all requirements (2
not clear enough elements (1 point) points)
to evaluate (0
points)
The student’s video recommendation meets
length requirements.
The student introduces him/her/themselves and
gives a brief description of the novel including all
the requested elements (title, author, year of
publication, and a succinct synopsis of its main
argument).
The student mentions the age-grade for which
they recommend the novel. Their choice is
supported by specific learning goals and/or by
the student’s EFL level.
The student includes an activity that makes use
of one of the methodologies reviewed in class. If
the student chooses a different methodology to
the ones reviewed in class, a brief reference to
its source is provided.
The student’s pairing of methodology and novel
is well supported and shows critical thinking
around the pedagogical potential of including
literature in EFL classes.
The student’s activity and its methodology are
clearly explained throughout the video.
The student’s recommendation activity is
persuasive and encourages the target audience
to use their novel-methodology pairing in EFL
classes.
The student’s language use is proficient. If
mistakes are present, these do not gravely affect
the intelligibility of the recommendation.
The student comments on one of their peer’s
video recommendation. The commentary meets
formal length requirements and touches upon
the requested topics ( peer’s choice of age-
grade, peer’s activity proposal, peer’s choice of
methodology, etc.).