Fi iv a Revised & Enlarged Edition mw | TEACHING ee) (ce | H yr “a TT a ) Chapter Thirteen TEACHING OF ENGLISH PROSE AND POETRY __ a In our schools, there is generally one textbook having es5ons boner | prose and poety. The number of poctry lessons is Few. There are two broad ane of teaching prose and poetry: (a) literary aim and (b) subject-matter aim Fe, these two ams, the teaching of prose and poetry should be inten g literary aim) as well as extehsive (for achieving subject-mang, aim), Intensive study is mainly related to explanation, detailed informations appreciation and all those aspects that are considered essential forthe devon. ment of aesthetic sense. Extensive study means gaining of knowledge. TEACHING OF PROSE | According to Coleridge, “Prose is words in their best order.” There isa need of a preplanned lesson plan for teaching prose. Different scholars have suggested different ypes of lesson plans. Accordiong to the Herbartian steps, there should be the following steps in a lesson plan for teaching a prose lesson These steps are strictly on ‘Apperceptionistic View’ according to which "Lear. ing isto link an old idea with a new idea.” These steps should be followed after writing these marginal entries—lesson’plan number, date, school, class, see: tion, period, subject and topic. (1) Aims: ‘The aims can be put under two headings : General Aims : (To enable students to understand the passage and grasp its meaning. Gi) To enable the pupils to read English passage loudly with corest Pronunciation, stress, intonation and articulation of voice. Gi) To enable them to understand the passage by silent reading. Gv) To emich their active and passive vocabularies. () To enable them to express ideas ofthe passage orally and in win (vi) To enable them to enjoy reading and writing. ‘Vii) To cnable them to get knowled ) To develop thei imaginative (9 To prepare them fur world citi Specific Spe ige contained in the lesson. powers, zenship. Ms \; pene @ |essons: “TS iy according 10 the subject-matter of the prose less!qa ~ ——— Teaching of English Prose and Poetry | 115 yy be descriptive or a story, biography, play or an essay. The hese types of prose lessons are : (i) To acquaint pupils with the style of the writer, (ii) To develop the imaginative power of students. (ii) To develop in students a love for natural objects. vy 1) Togive knowledge of some facts through the story. ww stor (ii) To teach some lesson through the story. (iii) To train students’ character. (iv) To acquaint them with the style of story writing. : (i) To get students receive knowledge. (Bs Gi) To make them curious about the subject , about the subject of the essay (iii) To acquaint them with the style of essay-writing. (iv) To enable them to arrange ideas in a systematic way + (i) To get students acquainted with the lives and deeds of great men. (ii) To show them the path of character buiding. (iii) To increase their love of aspiration, (iv) To inculcate in them desirable sentiments. : (i) To teach students with play-way method. Gi) Giving them opportunities for self-expression. (iii) To make them speak English language in a conver- sational style. (iv) To make them play different roles. (v) To build their character. (2) Preparation English is a foreign language and Indian students find it diffeult. So, teach- ars should try to motivate students to study the lesson, Whatever they do tc atiact students to learn the lesson, is called ‘preparation of the lesson’. Under this the following items arc to be considered : I. Material Aids. The teacher should use the various mate:ial aids, 59 that he can make the lesson interesting and enable students to understand th lesson with ease and enjoyment. But he should be cautious of the fact the unnecessary and superfluous material is neither desirable nor cffective. Il. Previous Knowledge. The teacher should know how much knowl tdge students already possess regarding the lesson, so that the teacher can give ‘ew knowledge by linking it to their past knowledge. In this way, he can get Mpils connect the new and past experiences mentally and learn the matter. UL Introduction. The introduction has two purposes « (i) To bring the past knowledge to consciousness. Gi) To attract students’ attention 16 the new subject ‘, oe teacher should first ask some questions to test the previous + . lents and then link that to the subject to be taught. son ma} eke aims ot (Play116 | Teaching English in India Statement of Aim. Psychologically, the learner should have ach lear cut objective before him, so that he ean strive (0 achieve that. Therefore, + the teacher should state the aim. (3) Presentation : resemine main part of the Tesson plan. To present the lesson bef pupils interestingly and efficiently, the teacher should teach the lesson in twa aor avs It te Lesson is very short, only one unit should be made, Ty Pr jamin subssteps should be Followed in both the uni S Tre all Reading. This model reading should be done by the teacher Its purpose is to enable students to know the exact way of reading. $6, the de eee Gpould try to read with correct pronunciation, intonation and ste dead aleo be particular about pause, articulation and expression, Before doin aan ae tting, he should give instructions to students regarding postures, open. Fravat the book anc atcnton, White fading, he should not absorb himset ranpletely in the book. He should give some attention (0 students too, He should hold the book in h hand. 1. Pronunciation Drill. Before the loud reading there should be the pronunciation dil, The election of wor for pronunciation dil should not be aro pasis of meaning but on the basis ofthe which are pronounced or canbe Pronounced weongly by students. The words should be written onthe blak reo one by onc and get died. Tis drill can be done before or after the mode reading by the teacher. TIL Loud Reading. This reading should be done by students. Two or three students should be asked to read aloud. Other students should follow in thet books. The following points should be kept in mind in this regard : {j) The errors of pronunciation must be corrected at the end of the read- ing. (ii) Students should be asked to keep the book one foot away from the eyes. (iiiy They should hold the book in the left hand while the right hand should be kept free. (iv) All students should sit or stand in proper postures. 1V. Exposition and Explanation. The purpose of exposition and explant” tion are = (i) To clear the meaning of diffeult words, phrases and idioms. (ii) To make the comprehension of passage easy. (iii) To pave way for intensive reading. ‘The teeshet ¢ in employ the following methods for exposition of words: @) Direct Method. The meaning is taught by showing the object picture or by some action. @) Translation Method. In this method, the meaning of words is told i translating it into the mother-tongue. This method is not much effective should only be used whygn the ieacher is not in a position of usin other mothor eelTeaching of English Prose and Poetry | 117 this method, the meaning is elicited by using words aces should be such as to make the meaning clear. Word Method. By giving words of similar meaning, the F words cats be elicited. peatite Vntrasted Word Method. In this method, words with contrasting 8) 2 used. waning ae USE Derivation Method. By telling how the word was formed or from (6 eed was dcrived, its meaning can be explained. nse Ie reference Method. By telling the cultural or social story or refer- (? ay), the meaning ean ve clicited, oe rer exposition, the teacher should explain in brief the difficult portions ferences of the pas : anne siient Reading. This reading is done by students. ‘The purpose of * To enable students to reed silently. {i To pave the way for extensive reading and {ii)To bring students back to the passage after the exposition and expla- ‘int ra good silent reading, the teacher should keep the following instruc- tions in mind : . {i) The lips Of pupils should not move. {i The whole class should be quiet. (iy The postures of students should be appropriate, (iv) The teacher should supervise the whole class. (8) Pupils should be given judicious time for silent reading, Vi. Comprehension Questions. Aficr the silent reading, some questions should be asked to test pupils comprehension of the passage. This can be done ssfollows : (i) By asking meaning, (ii) By asking questions on main portions of the Passage, (ili) By asking the gist, {W) By asking to describe the passage in their own words and ) By asking figures of speech, phrases, idioms of the passage. * Purposes of asking ‘comprehensive questions’ are : () To elicit the meaning of words etc. (i) To test if students have understood the passage, (iil) To draw their attention to the main reference ") To improve their expression in spoken language and ) To make them contrast ide: 2 i . “ofthe yee cting the lesson in one or more units, there should be recapitula- 6 nthe The Purpose of itis to kriow : Students have learnt what has been taught.ck ah Tnall ‘ 18 | Teaching English in India ii) If they can derive the gist of the Passage, (iy hey can wansfer thei learning to other situations, The recapitulation is generally done with the help questions are different from comprehension questions. Th following characteristics (i) The answers to such questions should be long, (9) Te questions shoud be from ll the passages taughy oi . fre oe The questions should demand logical thinkin, ' The recapitulatory questions can be as follows « (i). ‘Translate this passage in your mother-tongue. (ii) Deseribe the main incidents ofthe story. (iii) Explain these passage. (iv) Fill in the gaps (©) What lesson do you derive from the play 2 (vi) Why he went there ? (8) Black-board Work : Tt contains the following . Marginal entries, ii) Words of pronunciation drill, and : (ii) Table of exposition work, Black-board can be used for removing rea iding difflculties, ‘Writing the comprehension and recapitulatory questions and their ane wers, The assigns can also be written on the black-bosrd, maa (6) Assignment : Students should follows : () Toremember the meaning and spelling of new words, Gi) - To use these words in sentences, ii) To fill in the gaps, (iv) To translate the passage into mother-tongue, To write the gist. ‘To explain words, questig, ‘ ns, Y shoulg hay, hese © the 8 ON Pupils” part, be given some assignments. This assignment can bes s Phrases and idioms. i To answer ‘questions.on the Passage. (vi i) To give the synonyms and antonyms of the new words. aes fix) To write in few lines what lesson has been given through the pas: TEACHING OF POETRY » pri Poetry as, ““The best words in-their best ordi Ty is made out of life, belongs to life and exists i” $. Subrahmanyan?, “Poetry is a thing of beauty : bea 1. Altesson plan for teaching 28. Subrahmanyam : The Coleridge define Hudson says, “Poet only.” According to 18 Prose is given in Appendix A. Teacher Speaks, Vol. I,Teaching of English Prose and Poetry | 119 ry of thought, mood, and feeling.”* So poetry has three aspects : oom, 01 ginative and rhythmic. Teaching of poerty to students has fol- wns ees jovi 22 elps in the all-round devefopment of pupils, as pointed out by S. vam, “The value of teaching poetry in English language course at sua choo! level is immense. Tt leads to an all-round development of ie tee ersonality of pupils, particularly the emotional, imaginative, intel- the gesthtic and intuitive sides. 1 tect Teenriches the experiences of the pupils. ti) jt facilitates the natural aptitude for poetry. in pupils. nables students to lean speech rhythm through the rhythm of (iy) Me 5) nas cathartic value because it helps in expression and training of sosons. According (o Billovts* “There seems to be a special value in poetry om reign language in opening up the fantasy and giving release to inhibited a excessively introverted types. - (si) Poetry always imparts enjoyment and pleasure to students. (vii) It introduces variety. (vii) teaches pattern sentences because uf repetition of certaing pat: temsina poem, as is obvious in the following poem = Twinklduwirikle little star How I wonder what you are, Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky, But there are some educationists who think teaching of poetry as redun- dantand unnecessary. The arguments against poetry teaching are : (i) English is a foreign language for Indian pupils. So, they cannot under- sand and appreciate the beauty of poetry. (ii). Poetry does not facilitate the linguistic aim of teaching English. (iii) In poetry, pupils have to face vague ideas, unusual words and different ord order. (iv) It does not help in increasing vocabulary, because the words used in Poetry are generally not used in day-to day life. 7 ° The similis and metaphors used in a poetry are beyond pupils’ under- sul? Me foreign background described in poems is unfamiliar v0 Indian nts, many scholars think 'nspite of all these arguments against poetry teaching, i we can summarize ites Pte ofall the inal Keeping in view the various advantages of it. So, dl Words of Billows', “To leave poetry out of a language course 1s to 1 2 RL pa 2 pig, BOWS : The Techniques of Teaching Language P. 233.“OM 120 | Teaching English in India renounce an extremely effective and labour saving method of absorp language". Menton and Patel have said, “The aim of teaching poet, much to improve the child’s knowledge of English as to add to increase his power of appreciation of beauty.”” Methods af Teaching English Poetry : There is no particular method of teaching poctry. Each poetry n, exclusive method and treatment. For teaching poetry, forehand. First of all, they should write the marginal e prose. After this the following steps may be followed : (1) Aims The main aim of teaching poetry is to develop the of beauty. The general and specific aims are as follows : General Aims The following are the general aims of teaching poetry : @ To enable students to appreciate the beauly, rhyme and style ofthe poem. (ii) To enable pupils to read aloud the poem with proper rhythm and intonation. f - Gi) To enable students to enjoy recitation, individual or chorus of the poem. (iv) To make students understand the thought and imagination contained in the poem. (v)_ To train the emotions of students. (vi) To create a love for English literature in them. (vii) To develop their aesthetic sense. (viii) According to Ryburn, “To give pleasure and thus to lay the founda- tion for an adequate appreciation of English poctry which may come later.” (ix) According to Eastman, ‘To leave the child with a sense of satisfac- tion that comes from play, from absorption or from any spontaneous activity.” Specific Aims The specific aims of teaching poetry differ from poem to poem. They depend largely on situation, scene, feeling and thought depicted in the pocm Each poem brings a special and exclusive message from the poet. Nevertheless the following are the specific aims of teaching any poem : \ (i) To enable students to appreciate the poem namely Gi) To enable students to read this poem with correct rhyme and rhythm Gi) To enable them to understand the idea of the poem. ' (iv) To communicate the pupils the exclusive message of the pocm?- (2) Preparation . I. . Material Aids. There is no need of material aid for poetry teachine r + Pi 4 jicting AF the Soetry is not making the scene clear, material aid of a picture dePi Ui Ser so er0ugh, . MME Usery Mot sq HOY ang his j teachers should Plan _ nities, asin the lesson sp Power of appreciationTeaching of English Prose and Poetry | 121 ious Knowledge. The teacher should know the age, previous rsd mental development of students, These help him in teaching pt inking the new knowledge tothe previous one. je oduction. To make students ready t9 read the pocry, is called I 10 giffers according to the subject-matter of the poetry. Thompson rote suggested three ways of introduction; gn HT best method is to read a parallel poem, ée., a poem similar in 2 er with the poem tobe taught. If possible, the parallel poem should sider game poet. pebyite si srethod is togive the pist of the poetry and then ask two or three ii) sions on that. a _ cy ii) The third method is to give the life-sketch, style and characteristics ofthe poet. ‘Some more ways of introduction are : {jy The introduction can be done by playing some music. (ii) The teacher can ask some questions on the previous knowledge of alent. « deccrintive ari OO (ii) Ifthe poem to be leamt is descriptive, a picture can be shown, Two or she questions on the picture should be asked. Menon and Patel are of the view that introductory talk may be given in nner tongue. Poem (parallel) too, can be in thé mother-tongue. Whatever, method the teacher employs for introduction, he should be particular about not iospoil the environment necessary for the poem. IV. Statement of Aim. After making students curious to know about the poem by introduction, the teacher should state the aim briefly in clear words. Q) Presentation Ryburn says, ‘A good poem is a complete whole.”” So, the poetry should betaught in only one unit with the following steps : L Meaning of Diffeult Words. Exposition and explanation are not done inthe teaching a poem. If there are some diffcult words in the poem, the teacher {ould ll their meaning one by one only orally. He should not give much time wit ag i Model Reading. A pocm only exists for pupils if they hear and read it rem el the music and beauty of its language. The teacher should always mare that the medium of poetry is music and its subject-matter is emotion. shout dea in Poetry teaching what matters more is how it is read. Hence, he rhythm Ne a model reading with best pronunciation, intonation, stress and by Rypye model reading should be done twice or thrice, as wisely pointed thee tego ‘One reading, of course, is not enough. It must be read two or Should be. i ‘irst time, when the teacher reads the poem, the books of students Mier the ie and they should be asked to listen to the teacher attentively. t, La reading, students should be asked to open their books. hepoem jue Reading. The teacher should ask two or three students to read "with effags go> the teacher has read. The teacher should help them in reciting ut not check them while reading, because it mars the flow. | aOE, 122 | Teaching English in India TV, Comprehension Questions. The purpose of comprehension ga, is to know if the meaning of the poem is clear to students and to male ns ideas more clear. These questions should be simple and should not breattia continuity of the poem. Their number depends upon the length and ideas of poem. ; the V. Appreciation Questions. Appreciation questions are to the : (i) beauty, (ii) feeling and (iii) main idea of the poem. Thes, test Make clea © question (a) Appreciation of the beauty of thought. ation of the beauty of images. (c) Appreciation of the beauty of emotio (@) Appreciation of the beauty of style and language. VI. Final Model Reading. The final model reading by the teacher jg done when the appreciation of the poem by the studénts has heightened. ig effect is much, because students feel more interest and enjoyment now. VIL. Choral Recitation. The pupils will recite the poem in chorus, 1. ‘may be that the teacher recites on line, then the students follow in chorus. It heips them in overcoming shyness. Later an, they can recite it independently. It aso heightens aural effect which is necessary for appreciation. Besides, it helps in emotional release, development of eloquence and fluency. Moreover, children find ita source of enjoyment. (4) Assignment There is not much importance of assignment in poetry teaching. The teacher may ask to memorize the lines of the poem or to-write the gist of the poem. The assignment can be related to some creative work, too. The students can be asked to draw a picture depicting the scenes described in the poem. Teaching of poetry has been nicely described by Haddow' in these words, “Read each poem twice, give the children time to form their own impressions, invite them to criticize and help them in doing so. Let the poetry period be, 8 far as possible a period of joy, a period of pondering over things they love already. Let them choose for themselves the poems they are to learn by hear, cach choosing his own favourites. Thus, only can we develop a taste for poetty and train their ear to the variety of beautiful sounds, Thus, only can we rouse nt them some idea of the wealth of poetry that lies before them, Remember that we must aim at turning out readers of poetry, not students of poetry.” Difference in Prose and Poetry Teaching : The major difference in teaching prose and poetry are : at @®__ Prose is taught for language training and poetry teaching aims * appreciation of beauty. in (ii) In prose teaching, exposition and explanation are main, wheres poetry teaching it is not desirable, because it kills the aesthetic sense ° poem. Gil) Poetry lesson is not taught in parts like a prose lesson. i2ddow : On the Teaching of Poetry. fe acre af Tedehe i aching of English Prose and Poetry | \ 23 oetry teaching, more is i ) Inpoetry teaching, more emphasis is put al . On Put on model reading than that ety There gracing not much need of assignment in poctry teaching, as itis i a itis in EXERCISE Fy Ty Questions z Pat are the different types of English prose lesson ? Mat are the aims and objectives of teiching English Prose? Wat are the language material for teaching English Prose > Iyhat are the aims of teaching poetry ? How they differ fi i wa oe y om the aims of short Answer ‘Type Questions : 1 whats silent reading ? 2. Whatare the general aims of methods of teaching English poctry ? tare the major difference in teaching prose and poetry ? fee a Whi Objectives TYPE Questions : |, Poetry must be read with ‘Ans rhythm 2 Poetry increases a child’s .. to beauty. (@) interest () behaviour (©) awareness (d)_ sensitiveness Ans. (d) 4. The outcomes based on the poetic inputs are different. (a) basically (b)emperically (0) poctically (qualitatively Ans. (4) e