SOUTHERN BAPTIST COLLEGE, INC.

HIGH SCHOOL
SY 2024-2025
ENGLISH MODULE

Quarter: 1 Week: 4 Date: July 1-4, 2025

Grade: 12 Subject: 21st Cen. Lit. Strand/s: ABM/TVL
Teacher: Mrs. Marilyn P. Tungala

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learners are expected to:
a. Differentiate the 21st century literary genres, and the one’s from the original genres;
b. Enumerate the elements, structures and traditions of each genre;
c. Appreciate the unique features of each genre.

Lesson: THE MAJOR LITERARY GENRES

1. Poetry is verse-based literature that stresses the use of words in a rhythmic pattern to
produce imagery. The word "poem" refers to a poetic work. A poet is a person who composes
poetry. Poetry is a significant literary form. The most significant distinction between poetry and
other types of writing is that poetry uses verse, which is concerned with meter, as opposed to
prose, which is not. Complete phrases and punctuation marks are also prohibited in poetry.
Instead, poetry emphasizes the use of words and syllables to create a poem's rhythm.
2. Drama is the performance of written language to depict fictional or non-fictional events
(either prose or poetry). Dramas can be staged, filmed, or broadcast on the radio. Dramas are
commonly referred to as plays, and their authors are referred to as "playwrights" or "dramatists."
3. Fiction is literature formed from the imagination and not presented as fact. The novel, short
tale, and novella are all examples of fiction literature. The word comes from the Latin fiction,
which means "to make, fashion, or mold."
4. Nonfiction literature includes biography, history, and the essay, as well as works of narrative
prose dealing with or expressing thoughts or conjectures about facts and reality (opposed to
fiction and distinguished from poetry and drama).

Formative Question 1: Are these familiar to you? Which of the following literary pieces have
you already encountered?

Guide Questions:
● What defines this particular genre?
● How do you distinguish between different literary genres?
● What are the key characteristics or conventions of this genre?

Formative Question 2: What is 21st Century Literature?

21st Century Literature refers to new literary works created within the last decade with
imaginative writing and deals with current themes and reflects technological culture. It often
breaks traditional writing and traces artistic representation of shared and familiar experiences.
Formative Question 3: What are the common characteristics of modern literary genres?

1. Creative Nonfiction, often known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction, is a type of

writing that uses literary techniques and styles to tell true stories. Creative nonfiction
contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in
accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service to its craft. As a genre, creative nonfiction
is still relatively young, and is only beginning to be scrutinized with the same critical analysis
given to fiction and poetry.

Things to consider in writing Creative Nonfiction:

● include accurate and well-researched information
● hold the interest of the reader
● potentially blur the realms of fact and fiction in a pleasing, literary style (while remaining
grounded in fact)

2. Textula is a cell phone novel, or mobile phone novel is a literary work originally written on a
cellular phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it has
become a popular literary genre. However, its popularity has also spread to other countries
internationally, especially to China, United States, Germany, and South Africa. Chapters
usually consist of about 70- 100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.
Phone novels started out primarily read and authored by young women on the subject of
romantic fiction such as relationships, lovers, rape, love triangles, and pregnancy.
 However, mobile phone novels are gaining worldwide popularity on broader subjects.
Rather than appearing in printed form, the literature is typically sent directly to the
reader via email, SMS text message, or subscription through an online writing and
sharing website, chapter by chapter. Because of the short chapter format consisting of
around 70-100 words (usually fewer than 200), the phenomenon has brought a new
approach to literature, allowing a new vision to potentially redefine traditional writing
and the publishing world.
 Often, cell phone novels feature the use of fragments, conversational, simple and
delicate language; cliffhangers and dramatic dialogue emphasized by the unseen or
omitted becomes a vital part of the reading experience, allowing deeper meanings and
interpretations to unfold. Because of the use of poetic language, mood, emotions and
internal thoughts are stimulated in the reader easily
3. Illustrated Novels are stories through text and illustrated images. 50% of the narrative is
presented without words. The reader must interpret the images to comprehend the story
completely. Textual portions are presented in traditional form but some illustrated novels
may contain no text at all.
4. Digi-Fiction, also known as digital fiction, is a literary experience that combines three
media: book, movie/video, and Internet websites. It emerged with the advent and widespread
use of digital technology, particularly the internet and digital storytelling platforms. As
technology advanced, writers and creators began exploring new ways to tell stories using
digital mediums such as websites, interactive apps, social media platforms, and multimedia
presentations. Digi-fiction leverages the interactive and immersive capabilities of digital
technology to engage audiences in innovative narrative experiences. This emergence reflects
a shift in storytelling paradigms, embracing the digital age and expanding the possibilities of
narrative expression beyond traditional print media.
5. Graphic Novels are books written and illustrated in the style of a comic book. To be
considered a graphic novel, rather than a picture book or illustrated novel, the story is told
using a combination of words and pictures in a sequence across the page. Graphic novels can
be any genre, and tell any kind of story, just like their prose counterparts. The format is what
makes the story a graphic novel, and usually includes text, images, word balloons, sound
effects, and panels. Graphic novels are a subgenre of “comics,” which is a word you may also
hear people use when referring to this style of book.
6. Manga is used in the English-speaking world as a generic term for all comic books and
graphic novels originally published in Japan.
7. Doodle Fiction is a literary presentation where the author incorporates doodle drawings and
handwritten graphics in place of traditional font.
8. Chick-Lit is marketed as a “for women, by women, about women” genre. It is writing about
the feelings of women, and the “every woman type-heroine, complete with dieting woes and
dating insecurities”. It is a type of fiction, typically focusing on the social lives and
relationships of young professional women, and often aimed at readers with similar
experiences (Natalie Rende, 2008 , Bridget Jones, Prince Charming, and Happily Ever Afters:
Chick Lit as an Extension of the Fairy Tale in a Post feminist Society). It is usually associated
with young urban women’s culture: chick-lit books typically cover the lives of modern,
cosmopolitan, single women in their 20s and 30s who put great emphasis on their dating
 relationships, careers and shopping. Others use the confessional style of letters and emails,
and the intimacy of first-person narrative.
Almost all are written in a self-deprecating, funny, first-person voice. Taken as a whole, these
works offer the possibility of a fruitful interrogation of the images of contemporary women and
their concerns in popular culture, while providing a source of amusement for their readers (Burcu
Baykan, 2015, Women’s Reading and Writing Practices: Chick-Lit as a Site of Struggle in Popular
Culture and Literature).
9. Flash Fiction is a hybrid or mixed genre that consists of one part poetry and one part
narrative. It is also called prose-poetry and needs to be read slowly like a poem because
missing a word can change the meaning of the story entirely. The term “Flash Fiction” was
coined by James Thomas, in 1992, to include stories of up to 750 words. Nevertheless, due to
the continuous reconfiguration and mutation of the flash fiction genre, its word count now
ranges from 50 words to 1,000 words or from 75 words to 1,500 words. Moreover, a broad
spectrum of forms and styles are covered under the flash fiction rubric including content that
is whimsical, clever, entertaining, literary, ironic, satirical, sublime, funny, controversial,
unconventional, troubling, unsettling, and unpredictable. Flash fiction is known by various
names such as stories in miniature, short-short stories, prose poems, and various fiction
based names that include micro, sudden, postcard, furious, fast, quick, skinny, smoke-long,
and minute fiction (Laila Al-Sharqi; Irum Saeed Abbasi, 2015, Flash Fiction: A Unique Writer-
Reader Partnership, Studies in Literature and Language Vol. 11, No. 1, 2015, pp. 52-56
DOI:10.3968/7253).
10. Speculative Fiction has three historically located meanings: a subgenre of science fiction
that deals with human rather than technological problems, a genre distinct from and
opposite to science fiction in its exclusive focus on possible futures, and a super category for
all genres that deliberately depart from imitating “consensus reality” of everyday
experience. In this latter sense, speculative fiction includes fantasy, science fiction, and
horror, but also their derivatives, hybrids, and cognate genres like the gothic, dystopia, weird
fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, ghost stories, superhero tales, alternate history, steampunk,
slipstream, magic realism, fractured fairy tales, and more. Rather than seeking a rigorous
definition, a better approach is to theorize “speculative fiction” as a term whose semantic
register has continued to expand. While “speculative fiction” was initially proposed as a
name of a subgenre of science fiction, the term has recently been used in reference to a
meta-generic fuzzy set super category—one defined not by clear boundaries but by
resemblance to prototypical examples—and a field of cultural production. Like other cultural
fields, speculative fiction is a domain of activity that exists not merely through texts but
through their production and reception in multiple contexts. The field of speculative fiction
groups together extremely diverse forms of non-mimetic fiction operating across different
media for the purpose of reflecting on their cultural role, especially as opposed to the work
performed by mimetic, or realist narratives (Oziewicz, 2017).
11. Blog (a contraction of web log/weblog) is a form of online publishing, communication, and
expression that has gained significant popularity since its emergence in the late 1990s. The
terms blog (n.) and blogging (v.) were first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003,
and blog (n.) was chosen as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year in 2004 (Merriam-Webster
2004). Princeton’s WordNet database defines a blog as “a shared online journal where people
can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies, postings on a blog are
usually in chronological order”, and describes blogging as “reading, writing, or editing a
shared on- line journal”. Blogs are used to publish a wide array of content: In addition to
textual blogs, blogs are also used to share photos, audio clips, and video clips. Although
some degree of openness and sharing is usually associated with blogging, blogs with access
restrictions exist in corporate and organizational spaces and where individuals wish for their
blog to remain private. Associated terms such as blogosphere (n.) and bloggy (adj.) have also
entered the vernacular in the course of the last decade, denoting blogs in their (implied)
totality and the (implied) characteristics they share, respectively. Blogging is a global
phenomenon, reaching across languages, communities, and organizational contexts.
(Cornelius Puschmann,2013, Blogging).
12. Hyperpoetry, called cyber poetry, is basically a traditional work uploaded. True
hyperpoetry refers to works of verse (although not necessarily in lines and stanzas) which
could not be presented without the computer. Hyperpoetry includes verse with links to sub-
poems or footnotes, poetry “generators,” poetry with movement or images. Hyperpoetry is
usually highly steeped in the visual and sometimes involves parts that are read in varying
orders.
13. Holopoetry refers to 3-dimensional visual art that combines words with images using
holographic techniques. Some readers relate hyperpoetry to concrete poetry (in which
meaning is conveyed partly by the shape formed by the letters and words), prose poetry, hip-
hop, performance art, and other types of “hybrid” arts. (Sue Kuennen,
[Link]
14. Hypertext poetry and hypertext fiction are new genres of literature that use the
computer screen as medium, rather than the printed page. The literary works rely on the
qualities unique to a digital environment, such as linked World Wide Web pages or effects
such as sound and movement. Hypertext "poetry" can consist of words, although not
necessarily organized into lines and stanzas, as well as, sounds, visual images, movement or
other special effects. Although the poem may dazzling with sounds, perhaps of a lawnmower,
while the words "mowing," "stop," "Sunday," and "morning" float across the computer screen
in pseudo-three dimensional letters, one will have be hard pressed to identify the use of any
formal poetics.
15. Spoken Poetry is an oral art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play and intonation
and voice inflection.
Example: Isang Magsasaka, Dalawang Panginoon by Jonel Revistual

Synthesis
Anything produced and published in the 2000s is considered 21st century literature. 21 st Century
Literature refers to new literary work created within the last decade. It is written by
contemporary authors which may deal with current themes/issues and reflects a technological
culture. It often breaks traditional writing rules. Existing forms of expressive culture are reacted
to and discussed in contemporary literature. As we become increasingly engrossed in
technology, we create and discover new types of expressive culture. We now have access to a
vast array of materials thanks to the internet, which has allowed individuals, particularly the
youth, to begin writing and expressing their views, ideas, and feelings.

ACTIVITY:

Instruction: Read the text first and do the task below.

TEXT: Flash fiction: Collateral Damage

THE DOWNBEAT - DLS Pineda - The Philippine Star

September 1, 2017 | 4:00pm

The slums are calling me back. Looban — it’s no different from a prison.

When I entered college, I bid goodbye to that place. The next four years were easy, even the
everyday commute from Binangonan to Pureza didn’t hurt. If any, my time on the jeep, on the
train, and on the pedicab to PUP, only strengthened my resolve to leave our ramshackle house in
Rizal. The farther I was from home, the clearer my thoughts became.

We had no real address. If you needed me, you’d only have to come around the corner, ask the
bystanders where the Velascos lived, and they’d point you to where we were. We moved five
times, all in the same area. Sometimes we moved because we could no longer afford the rent.
Sometimes we moved because it flooded for days inside the house. Twice, we moved because a
family member had relocated to his wife’s house and, to save money, we’d rent a smaller space.
Once, we transferred because one of my brothers had died, and my mother blamed it on the
drains near the house which, according to her, nursed the dengue mosquitoes which fed on my
brother.

Our area is what many call “urban poor.” It’s strange because many of those I met in Manila
considered Binangonan rural and imagined we were living in houses made of nipa and bamboo.
“Binangonan sounds like some distant country,” a girl I was dating joked, “like, is it even in
Luzon?” I got used to it. Outside “North” and “South”, there are many things Manileños are
clueless about, although many of them act like they know more than everyone else.

The rampant drug problem in our area is the biggest reason why I found myself relieved? — I
don’t know — when I finally became an engineer. Nobody I knew believed that anyone from our
area was fated to become one. Even I didn’t believe in myself sometimes. I’m a man of little faith
but I consider it no less than a miracle when I passed the board exams.

On the evening when I took my oath as a professional, my father — who wasn’t there at the
ceremonies — called me up and asked me to take the remaining hours in his 24-hour shift. It was
almost sunrise and he was still driving the taxi he had been driving for years. I acted like I didn’t
know that he was using a drug, not even an energy drink ‘cause those things melted the
pancreas. I just took the wheel from him and dropped him off at the Ortigas Extension, his mind
fried though he’d know his way home. He was my father anyway, a great man, and I owed him
everything.
The boys I grew up with are now all involved in the “Drug War,” one way or another. Many of
them are users, some of them are peddlers. Some of them are cops and a few of them are
barangay officials who work for the government as liaisons, staffers, clerks, foot soldiers, etc.
Sometimes, we’d find ourselves playing basketball on the same covered court we’d been playing
in since we were kids. We joked about it a lot, though it’s probably more real to us than it is to
most.

Whenever someone committed a foul, the cops among us would joke, “Isa ka na lang, pa-
tokhang na kita.” To which some would reply, “Ulul? Magkano bentahan sa na-raid niyo
kahapon?” This “War on Drugs” has been lost on us since day one.

It seems that these things had a system, too. One by one, pushers and users in our town were
shot. And once in a while, a cop would take his turn and bite the dust. When my friend, Jan, was
shot, we didn’t doubt the fact that he sold drugs. But when his younger brother was shot, we
knew it was mere bloodlust. Their youngest, Tonyo, 18, vowed revenge to shoot the cop who
shot Jan. But before he could, the cop was shot at the back of his head at a raid against unarmed
peddlers. A fellow officer had shot him down, and it was made to appear that a druggie did it —
the cops were all in on it.
Tonyo is now a peddler, a rank he “inherited” from Jan. He confessed to us that Jan’s old bosses
had left him with no choice. Either he takes the position Jan left vacant or he suffers the same
fate as his brothers. It wasn’t difficult to kill someone, not with all that money being tossed
around, and the business had to go on.

I’ve seen their plan unfold. It has taken the lives of the people I grew up with. I’ve made a map in
my head and I’ve traced where this will all boil down: it feels like what they are planning is a
systematic killing of our kind, like they’ve made murder a policy.
For so long, I’ve wanted a way out of the place I grew up in… and I made it out. But now it’s
calling me back. Pretty soon, there’ll be no one left to kill in my hometown. Pretty soon, they’ll
come for my father. Then they’ll come for me.

TASK: Each group will prepare answers for one focus question below:

1. Group 1: Story Summary & Insights Presentation (PPT)

Goal: To explain what happens and why it matters, helping the class understand not just the plot, but the
emotional and thematic depth of the flash fiction.

 What is “Collateral Damage” about?

 What are the key themes and social issues?
 What makes the ending powerful or emotional?

2. Group 2: Genre Features Presentation (PPT)

Goal: To help others understand what flash fiction is, and show how “Collateral Damage” is a strong example
of the genre.

 What is flash fiction?

 What makes “Collateral Damage” a good example of flash fiction?
 What techniques are used to make a short story impactful?

3. Group 3: Genre Promotion (PPT)

Goal: To persuade others to read and appreciate flash fiction, especially those who might not normally choose
that genre.

 Why should others try reading flash fiction?

 How can we promote “Collateral Damage” to someone who doesn’t like or know
flash fiction?
 Create a short persuasive speech.
Rubric: Genre Discussion Recap – Flash Fiction “Collateral Damage”

Criteria Excellent (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2) Beginning (1)

Shows clear
Demonstrates deep Shows basic Shows limited
understanding,
understanding of understanding, or incorrect
Content with mostly
the story and genre but may include understanding
Understanding accurate and
with clear, accurate some unclear or of the story or
relevant
insights. incorrect points. genre.
insights.
Only partially
Fully addresses all Addresses most
addresses the Off-topic or very
parts of the parts of the
Focus on Assigned topic; some little relevant
assigned group task assigned task;
Topic parts are preparation is
in a well-organized organization is
missing or evident.
way. mostly clear.
unclear.
Strong and effective Minimal or
Adequate use of No clear
Use of Text use of examples or vague examples;
text examples; examples or
Evidence/Example references from connection to
supports points text references
s “Collateral the story may be
reasonably well. are provided.
Damage”. weak.
All group members Some members Very little
Most members
contribute participate; collaboration;
Collaboration & participate and
meaningfully and unequal work appears to
Group Effort collaborate with
work effectively as contribution is be done by one
some guidance.
a team. noticeable. or two people.
Mostly prepared
Fully prepared, well- Partially Unprepared or
with a few
Preparedness & structured notes or prepared; notes lacks structure
missing details
Organization outline ready for the are unorganized in presentation
or weak
talk show. or incomplete. materials.
organization.

TOTAL: 20 points
 PRODUCT

Literature Circle allows students to cooperatively learn and comprehend texts through casual
conversation amongst their peers as well as immersion in discussion surrounding purposefully chosen
questions that will aid in text comprehension.

Instructions: The students will be divided into small groups. Then, using the story assigned earlier,
each member will be given any of the following roles:

1. Researcher - Your job is to dig up some background information on any relevant topic related
to the reading.
2. Word Wizard - The words a writer chooses are an important ingredient of the author’s craft.
Your job is to be on the lookout for a few words that have special meaning in the reading
selection.
3. Summarizer - Your job is to prepare a brief summary of the reading. Your group discussion
will start with your statement that covers the key points, main highlights, and general idea of
the reading.
4. Passage Picker - Your job is to pick parts of the story that you found significant, engaging, or
unusual. Record them and explain why. These can be:
 An interesting part, A good description, A funny part, A scary part, or A sad part
5. Artful Artist - Your job is to visually depict anything about the story that engaged you.
 A character, the setting, an event, a surprise, a problem, or a prediction
6. Connector - Your job is to find connections between the story and you, and between the story
and the wider world. Consider the list below when you make your connections.
7. Discussion Director - Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to
discuss about this part of the story. Don’t worry about the small details; your task is to help
people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best
discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read. You
can list them below during or after your reading. You may also use some of the general
questions below to develop topics to your group.

RUBRIC: Literature Circle