THE CONTEMPORARY

CHILDRENS LITERATURE

LEVEL 2
 AIMS
AIMS
Create interest in pupils towards literature by
introducing them to a variety of literary texts of
different genres.

Provide pupils with an early beginning and foundation

to literature.

Develop pupils understanding of other societies,

cultures, values and traditions that will help pupils in
their emotional and spiritual growth.

Expose pupils to the aesthetic use of the English

language.
 BACKGROUND

Introduced in all primary schools since 2004.

Involves pupils from Year 4 - 6 (Level 2).
Compulsory to be taught and learnt.
Current cycle of books will end in 2014 for Year 4.
Cycle 2 (new texts) will be used from Year 4 onwards
in stages.

2014 2015 2016

Year 4 Year 4 Year 4
Year 5 Year 5

Year 6
 Texts In The Current Cycle (Cycle 1)

Year 4 National Schools

The following titles are used in Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang,
Perak, Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Negeri
Sembilan, Melaka and Johor:

1.Tidy Your Room, Tanya! Pamela Rushby

2.Tales and Tails Hyacinth Gaudart
3. The Little Blue Boy Fatou Keita Danalis Distributors

The following titles are used in Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan,

Sabah, Sarawak and Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan:

4.Coral Bay Surprise Barbara & David Miller

5.Everyone is Good At Something Peter Etherton
6.The Humble Prince Kumara Velu
 Texts In The Current Cycle (Cycle 1)

Year 4 National Type Schools

The following titles are used in all
National Type
Chinese and Tamil schools:

1. Caught in the Act Patricia Sealey

2. The Old House Sandra Clayton
3. A Wise Man Chan Siew Mei
 Texts In The New Cycle (Cycle 2) SK & SJK
GENRES
POEMS (COMPILATION) THE SHORT STORY THE GRAPHIC
NOVEL
1. Sand Castle by J. Patrick Lewis The King of Kites The Jungle Book

2. Sounds Like Magic by Celia Warren By Judith Heneghan By Rudyard Kipling

and
3. Holiday Memories by June Crebbin
Laure Fournier
4. At The Playground by Brian Moses

5. Clap Your Hands by Pam Gidney

6. Woodpecker by Brenda Williams

7. Grandmas House by Pamela

Mordecai

8. Noisy Food by Marian Swinger

 KEEP IN MIND!

Teachers are free to choose whichever genre to start

teaching in Year 4 as long as all genres are covered
in a year.

Teachers need to plan the allocation of time (weeks)

to cover each text according to the needs and level
of their pupils.

If pupils are advanced and teachers have finished

teaching all the texts in the 3 genres, they are
encouraged to use literary texts of their own during
the Language Arts classes.
 Benefits Of Using Literature In Second Language Acquisition

Children's literature is an important part of English

language literature as a body of work, and using it for
EFL/ESL teaching has many benefits for students.

Exposure to new, illustrated vocabulary in context,

provide repetition of key words and phrases that
students can master and learn to manipulate.

Pupils feel a sense of accomplishment when they have

mastered a piece of literature written in English.

Sabrina Peck (2003, p. 141), says that, "Many children

do not tire of practicing a repetitive and rhythmic text
several times a day, many days a week.
Reference:
Peck, S. (2001). Developing Children's Listening and Speaking Skills in ESL. In Celce-Murcia, Marianne, (Ed.),
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. (pp. 139-149). Boston, USA: Heinle & Heinle.
 Lets take note!
Do not rush! Give enough time for pupils to interact with the text.
This is to enable pupils to fully absorb the text.

Short attention span of pupils - Create an active classroom with a

variety of activities.

Advantage of using children's literature can be an effective and

enjoyable way to teach language. Pupils who are enthralled by a
story forget their worries and anxieties about the language

Storyteller Dvora Shurman says, "The best way to teach is not to

impose teaching, but to allow the listener to become so involved in
hearing a story that his 'defenses' are no longer active. It is our
sense of enjoyment, excitement, and emotional involvement that is
a necessary condition for learning, and using literature in the
classroom can provide the content base for the magic.

Reference:
Ackerman, T. (1994) Storytelling: A Way of Freeing the Imagination. An Interview with Dvora Shurman. The Journal of the
Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching, 2. Retrieved December 31, 2003, from
http://www.njcu.edu/cill/journal-index.html.
 Some Strategies For Classroom Teaching
A good plan is to have a little enthusiastic singing chanting
recitation, a little quiet listening, a little enthusiastic dancing
/physical activites, and a little quiet artwork.
Example:
Sing - Pupils sing, recite, or read a passage from the
story/poems/novels in groups.
Listen - Pupils listen to the story/poem from beginning to end.
Dance/Movement- Pupils get out of their chairs for some physical
activity.
Draw/Write- Pupils may illustrate or complete a piece of work.

Reading aloud - Anne Burns (2003, p. 22), in her study of

second-language learner attitudes toward literacy learning noted
that "students were almost unanimous in their desire for teachers
to read aloud to them." Pupils find it helpful to hear fluent reading
in English, listening to the written words, hearing correct stress
and intonation patterns, as well as receiving a model for imitation.

Reference:
Burns, A. (2003). Reading Practices: From Outside to Inside the Classroom. TESOL Journal, Volume 12, 18-23.
 Conclusion
The thing to remember in your literature class is to
keep it fun, enjoyable and meaningful. Do not
underestimate your pupils ability to enjoy literature
even though they may not be very proficient in the
language. Your challenge as a teacher is to make
literature come alive in your classroom so that your
pupils will begin to develop a love for the English
language and hopefully, this will motivate them to strive
to acquire the language.
Reference:
Burns, A. (2003). Reading Practices: From Outside to Inside the Classroom. TESOL Journal, Volume 12, 18-23.
Thank You