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DIVISION OF TEACHER EDUCATION

COURSE: JBTE/ENG 203:Teaching Adolescent Literature

NAME OF ASSIGNMENT: Alternative Assessment

STUDENT ID: 1907037

DATE: May 28th, 2020

LECTURER: Dr. Karen Thomas

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a. Select two texts.

The two texts selected are The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (drama) and Brown
Sugar and Spice by Betty Peter (novel).

b. For each text:

i. Provide an image of the text cover

Figure 1 Figure 2

Sources

Figure 1

Brown Sugar and Spice by Betty Peter. (2009, January 01). Retrieved May 27, 2020, from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16009213-brown-sugar-and-spice
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Figure 2

Durband, A. (1995, June 01). Shakespeare Made Easy: The Merchant of Venice. Retrieved May
27, 2020, from https://www.bookdepository.com/Shakespeare-Made-Easy-Merchant-
Venice-Alan-Durband/9780748703630

ii. Outline the Plot (80 - 100 words)

Brown Sugar and Spice by Betty Peter

Harriet's parents' work for the British Crown, led to the family's move from Grenada to

St. Lucia due to England's war with Germany. Their new home resulted in experiences of both a

religious and a superstitious nature, but a sudden attack on St. Lucia by the Germans, caused the

family to move to St.Vincent. This second beginning, brought a series of fun, childhood

adventurers both at home, school and at the primary and secondary levels of education for

Harriet and her siblings. After the war ended, Harriet initiated a fund raiser for injured and

helpless children in Britain.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

In Venice, Bassanio requests three thousand ducats from his wealthy friend Antonio to

pursue Portia. Unable to help, Antonio borrows the money from Shylock to be repaid in three

months or lose a pound of his flesh. At Belmont, Bassanio chooses the right of three caskets to

become Portia's suitor based on her father's will. Unable to repay the debt, Shylock takes

Antonio to court. Portia, who was secretly disguised as a male lawyer, wins the case for Antonio.

Consequently, Shylock is told to divide his property between the state and his daughter and

become a Christian.
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iii. Explain three (3) criteria used to select the two texts to teach to adolescents in a Literature
class.

As Literature teachers, we want our students to be able to do several things as they

interact with a text. We want them to read; to think about what they read; to enjoy the experience

of reading and to make critical judgments. For this reason, we must first give careful

consideration to the selection of texts for our Literature classes. Because we cannot teach

everything, our selection/choice of texts must develop and encourage literacy skills in our

students. As a teacher of Literature, I will greatly consider the students' age and experiences;

the quality of the text and the themes in my selection of the novel, ' Brown Sugar and Spice '

and the play, 'The Merchant of Venice' to be taught to a grade seven and ten class respectively.

In the selection of text, the students' age and experiences must first be considered.

Students in a grade seven class will possess an average age of eleven to twelve years. Having

recently matriculated from the primary level, many childlike qualities will still be present in their

lives. As a result, 'Brown Sugar and Spice' will be a fitting text for this age and the experiences

of the students. The novel focuses on a female protagonist (Harriet) and shows her stages of

development as she moved from primary education to the first level at secondary school. Form

one students can then make personal connections in two ways. Firstly, they are at the same

educational level. Secondly, they have had experiences in many of Harriet's 'exploits' - her

games of cowboys and Indians, hide and seek and playing pranks on her teacher. Similarly, in

the play, 'The Merchant of Venice', the students' age and experiences must also be considered.

The age of an average grade ten class will be fourteen to fifteen years. Having started puberty

and becoming more socially and emotionally involved, these adolescents will have experiences

of frivolous 'love affairs' . Consequently, they will be able to appreciate and connect with the
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events that led and helped to develop each of Shakespeare's portrayal of love, that exists

between: Bassanio and Portia; Lorenzo and Jessica and Gratiano and Nerissa.

Secondly, the quality of the text should be considered when choosing a text for

Literature. When reference is made to the quality of a text, some evident features are: variations

in setting; multifaceted characterizations and variations in topics presented. In 'Brown Sugar and

Spice', the setting changes as the plot progresses. The chapters 'Corpus Christi', 'Settling in at

Girls' High School' and 'Reaching the Heights at Girls High School' are all representative of the

settings of St. Lucia and St.Vincent respectively. The characters of Harriet's nursemaids in

Augustina and Clarissa show the differences in characters. Some topics that arose from the text

are: childhood illness, relationship and responsibility and war. Likewise, in the play, 'The

Merchant of Venice', the setting also changes in an effort to develop both the characters and the

plots. Several of these settings are: Antonio, Bassanio and Shylock's meeting to arrange for the

loan (Act 1, Scene 3 ); Bassanio's choice of the right casket (Act 3, Scene 2) and the trial of

Antonio (Act 4, Scene 1). The characters of Shylock, Antonio, Portia and Jessica reveal the

depth of diversity in the various characters. Topics such as relationship and responsibility and

religious war are also evident in the play. These add richness to the text and thus, provide

students will greater scope for learning several things from one text.

Finally, teachers must also consider the themes that arise from the text when engaging in

text selection. Themes are one of the major considerations given to the selection of any text.

Themes are universal in nature and hence, they transcend cultural barriers. For this reason, the

themes that arise from a text must produce both an aesthetic and efferent experience. In 'Brown

Sugar and Spice', the themes of religion and superstition and childhood innocence are quite

evident in the novel. In these two themes, the students can make 'self to text' connections. Many
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will be able to recall several 'jumbie' stories told to them by their grandparents and parents. Due

to the fact that they are now moving out of childhood, they can also relate to many of Harriet's

games and her naivety in following Augustina's order to protect her family from evil spirits.

Correspondingly, in the play, 'The Merchant of Venice', themes of friendship (Antonio and

Bassanio) and family relations (Shylock and Jessica) are present. Again, students are able to

make personal connections with these themes especially in the areas of friendship and family

relations. At this stage and age, they get closer to their peers and further away from their parents

(Erik Erikson's identity versus role confusion). Hence, the broken relationship that exists

between shylock and his daughter Jessica will be perfectly understood by these adolescents.

Section C

i. Teaching the drama, 'The Merchant of Venice'

Too often teachers focus on the English A class to develop specific skills in their

students. However, an English B class can be equally chosen to develop these skills with the use

of any form of Literature. Thus, the play, 'The Merchant of Venice' can be used to improve

writing and speaking skills as well as develop critical thinking skills in fourth form students.

In seeking to improve the writing and speaking skills of students, they must be given the

opportunity to both write and speak before, during and after the lesson. For example, students

can be asked to write three sentences in their literature logs on their view of Shylock's request for

a pound of Antonio's flesh. The writing of these sentences can help the students to improve in

their construction of sentences. Additional writing activities that can be given are:

● pretend you were Bassanio, write a letter to Antonio telling him about your success in

selecting the right casket.

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● Rewrite a scene in an Act -e.g Have Jessica confront her father and tell him that she is

leaving instead of doing so without his knowledge.

● Devise another plan to save Antonio from death

These activities move beyond the scope of simply being able to write - put words together. In

writing the letter to Antonio, students will be able to develop the skill in letter writing. In

rewriting the scene for a different Act, students will develop the skills in writing dialogues. In the

last activity - devise another plan - students are given the opportunity to develop skills in

arranging events in order. A new plot will necessitate the understanding of what must be placed

first, second or last.

In improving students' ability to speak these activities can be given:

● Readers’ theatre on a designated act or scene

● Impromptu/ debates - e.g Shylock versus Antonio

● Persuasive speeches - Pretend you were the Prince of Morocco, write a persuasive piece

to persuade the class that the golden casket is the right casket.

● Memorize speeches - Portia's speech

● Accountable talk

In allowing the students to engage in the above activities, the teacher is seeking to improve

fluency, intonation and correct pronunciation in his/her students. The area of 'accountable talk'

speaks to the students' ability to respond to their peers comments, suggestion etc while

providing an atmosphere for them to do so respectfully especially when they disagree with their

peers' responses. Good speakers not only possess good speaking ability (intonation etc) but they

also know how to respond positively to another's point of view even when it conflicts with theirs.
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Developing critical thinking skills in students is the common cry of every teacher.

Similarly, in writing and speaking, the teacher must seek to engage the students before, during

and after the lesson if the development is to be effective. At the introductory stage, the use of an

anticipation guide can help to activate prior knowledge and create a deep awareness within the

minds of the students to analyze and evaluate questions before responding. For example, "you

should always show mercy to others". Students must note the word 'always' and hence, a

question of this nature will require higher order thinking skills; the ones we want to be present in

our students. Some activities that can be done by utilizing the play to further develop critical

thinking skills are:

 questioning the author - How might Shakespeare have written this more clearly?

Why is he telling you that?

 hot - seating - Using Portia's character, explain how you devised the plan to save

Antonio.

 essential questioning - Relating concepts, ideas, and opinions: “How does that compare to

_____?”

Predicting: “What will you do next?” Will Bassanio forget about Antonio, his good friend

since he has now gained Portia as his bride?

Describing: “What did you observe happening? What did Portia do when she realised

that Bassanio has an opportunity to choose from the three caskets?”

These activities do not require a "yes" or "no" response. They also do not require the simple

recall of evidence from the text to support an answer. They require careful analysis, evaluation
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and synthesis in order to produce a sound and appropriate response. These critical thinking skills

will move beyond the classroom and into their daily lives as they make decisions for themselves.