Welcome

Back!
Teaching Literacy
the Elementary
in

Grades through
Literature
 Chapter 1:
Engaging Teachers
in the
Teaching of
Children’s Literature
 LESSON 1:
Literature Program
in
K to 12
 Where does literature come
in the new curriculum?
Cruz (2012) offers a glimpse at the learning
competencies and standards in the new curriculum to see
if literature will finally be given its proper place in the
education of our youth.
On the whole, the program prescribes that “after 12
years of pre-university education, a student wishing to
enter college should be able to (among others):
• Analyze themes, structures, and elements of myths,
traditional narratives, and classical and contemporary
literature.
• Read a poem with proper pronunciation and appropriate
emotion.
• Recite at least ten poems from memory.
• Identify the characters, setting, theme, comflict, and
type of a work of fiction.
• Discuss literary devices, such as point of view and
symbolism, used in a work of fiction.”
Competencies
Article1. A “competency” is an array of knowledge, skills,
and abilities (KSAs) required to successfully perform a specific
task ( Competencies and Learning Objectives, 2020). The
following are competencies that are expected to be developed in
the K to 12 learners:
Grade 1 to 3
Students from Grades 1 to 3 are expected to:

• Deal with simple literary elements of text such as

character, plot, and setting. This would be entail
knowing the events and transpire in the story and
identifying the problem and the solution.
• Identify the characters, their individual traits and
qualities from their thoughts, words, and behavior.

• Infer thoughts, feelings, and actions of characters and the

reasons that justify why the character/s acted
accordingly.

• Make out striking message and provide an

explanation or rationale behind occurrences in the
story.
GRADE 7 to 10 (JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL)
In junior high school, the students are expected to:
• Recognize literary devices and figure speech that make
writing interesting and appealing. Flashback is an example
of a literary device, and simile, metaphor, sarcasm, and
alliteration among others, are some examples of figures of
speech.

• In regard to basic literary and expository discourse

(fiction and nonfiction prose and poetry), acquire and
develop the effective use of rhetorical devices such as
• simple literary elements of text such as character, plot,
and setting. This would be entail knowing the events and
transpire in the story and identifying the problem and the
solution.

• Scrutinize portions of the literary text that are faithful

to, or takes lightly, the practice in the creation of literary
works.

• Critique or analyze a text or reading selection in a away

that is structured, organized, and objective and that can
stand on its own merits.
GRADE 11 to 12 (SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL)
The senior high school core curriculum covers 21 st century
literature from the Philippines and the world. The following
are the expected competencies.

• Identify the geographic, linguistic, and ethnic

dimensions of the Philippine literary history from
precolonial to the contemporary.

• Identify representative texts and authors from each

region (e.gg., engage in oral history research with focus
on key personalities from the students’
region/province/town).
• Value the contributions of local writers to the
development of regional literary traditions.

• Appreciate the contributions of the canonical Filipino

writers to the development of national literature.

• Differentiate/Compare and contrast the various 21 st

century literary genres and the ones from the earlier
genres/ periods citing their elements, structures, and
traditions.
• Infer literary meaning from literal language based on
usage.
• Analyze the figures of speech and other literary
techniques and devices in the text.

• Explain the literary, biographical, linguistic, and

sociocultural contexts and discuss how they enhance the
text’s meaning and enrich the reader’s understanding.

• Situate the text in the context of the region and the

nation.

• Explain the relationship of context with the text’s

meaning.
• Produce a creative representation of a literary text by
applying multimedia skills; choose an appropriate
multimedia format in interpreting a literary text.

• Apply Information and Communication Technology

(ICT) skills in crafting and adaptation of a literary text.

• Do self-and/ or peer-assessment of the creative

adaptation of a literary text, based on rationalized
criteria, prior to presentation.
 ASSESS

1. What advancements in technology bombard the

Generation Z learners? Give as many examples.
2. How can you effectively interface literature and
literacy to Internet savvy learners
3. What challenges do you see that literature
teachers may be confronted with about Gen Z
learners?
LESSON 2 APPROACHES IN TEACHING
LITERATURE
Learning Targets
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
• differentiate the three approaches from teaching
literature;
• develop understanding and appreciation of the
approaches; and
• engage in activities contextualized to a particular
approach
 INTRODUCTION
Approach, according to the McMillan dictionary, is the “ particular way
of thinking about or dealing with something.” Thus, in the context of
teaching literature, approach would mean the best way or the best practice a
teacher uses to teach literature to learners in the classroom in order to
achieve his/her goal of imparting relevant and meaningful knowledge to the
learners. Moody (1983) refers to this as an operational framework
applicable to realities on the ground in the classroom.
Aim and approach go hand-in-hand in teaching. If one has clear-cut aim
in terms of the lesson per se and expectations from the learner , the decision
on what approach to tackle that will suit the needs of the leaners and make
learning of great value and interest will come easy.
 THINK
The teaching of literature can be achieved using one, or a combination,
of three approaches namely: traditional approach, language-based
approach, and reader-response approach. An understanding of each
approach is essential.

TRADITIONAL APPROACH

The teaching of literature in our school become mainly lectured-based

with the conventionally used traditional teacher-centered approach.
Classroom setting, the teacher provides background information like
social, political, historical background to a text.
 He/she also explains some thematic and stylistic features of the text
( or other literary genres). The learners, on the other hand, have only a
few opportunities to do the task by themselves and formulate their
feelings and responses about the reading text, which tends to make this
approach quite teacher-centered. As a consequence, the students
becomes parrot-like, merely repeating what has been presented in class.
Milliani (2003:2) states “ thus , the course (of literature) become a
simple transposition of the teacher’s impressions and feelings to the
learner toward a literary work, and not an intellectual exercise for the
latter who should seek and discover meaning by himself with the means
and strategies provided by the teacher .”
 Generally speaking, this approach does not consider the learner too
much. Learners, thus, read a large number of literary works, but whether
or not their capabilities of assimilating, appreciating, and analyzing are
developed and nurtured, is questionable.
LANGUAGE-BASED APPROACH
In this approach, the student’s attention is focused on the way
language is used in the literary texts, drawing the attention of the learner
to various aspects of the target language like grammar and vocabulary
among others, thereby either improving , increasing, or enhancing his
awareness of the language. This is what Maley and Duff (1990) surmise
as the primary aim of this approach that is, to engage learners in
language activities via literary text.
It becomes obvious that, in the language-based approach, the learner
manipulates the language alongside learning literature. We see here
running parallel the goals of both language learning and literature
learning. The learner is seen
engaged in varied language activities such as jigsaw puzzle, fill-in-the-
blank exercises, organizing sentences, creative thinking and writing, as well
as performance activities like drama and poetry recital. All of these are done
with the intention of using the various aspects of a language as a means to
teaching literature through what is called as deconstruction. This is
proffered by Savvidou (2004), who asserts this approach as using literary
text as a means of linguistic practice and literature as the source of language
activities.
READER-RESPONSE APPROACH

Rosenblatt (1978) is said to be the best known theorist who espoused

the reader-response approach. In her “ transactional theory,” she
distinguishes clearly between utilitarian reading and aesthetic reading,
the former referring to a purpose and the latter referring to reading for
pleasure and appreciation. It is to be understood that this process seeks
not to control the reader’s experience but rather to facilitate the reader’s
own structuring of that experience.
This approach, rich in student-centered activities, draws out from the
learner his/her varied response while at the same time promotes his/her
personal development and growth.
 This activities include individual tasks like personal writing, ang
journal writing along with collaborative task like brainstorming sessions
and small-group discussion.
By allowing the active participation of students and their full
engagement in reading a text and class discussion, this approach vests
upon those teaching literature the indisputable power that literature can
have in positively affecting the lives of students even beyond the
classroom.
 HARNESS
Dramatic response to literature offer opportunities for individual
creativity and cooperative achievement (Chen, n.d.).

ORAL PRESENTATION
Oral interpretation is usually done by a single individual in
presenting a poem or a story. The lines are memorized and presented
dramatically with appropriate bodily actions like gestures, facial
expression, eye contact, posture, and movement as well as vocal
expressiveness of pitch, volume, rate, and quality.
 STORY THEATER

Story theatre is basically a pantomime

where the actors act out the story read by a
narrator. It encourages children to be
imaginative, original, inventive, and
creative by acting out the thoughts and
emotions of the characters in the story. Only
actions with a lot of drama and acting
allowed.
 READER’S THEATER
Whereas story theatre is all about acting,
reader’s theatre is all about vocal presentation
as if one were listening to a drama on radio.
The focus here is on the language and the range
of vocal qualities such as articulation,
enunciation, pronunciation, rate , pitch, volume,
and quality. A story theatre with lots of
speaking parts, dialogue and conversation, easy
vocabulary, and a good story line appeals very
much to children.
 ROLE- PLAYING
Role-playing is like creative dramatics, But unlike creative
dramatics, the characters paly out assigned roles, and on the
spot, cook up dialogues and actions along the way of the
dramatization. The plot normally revolves around a problem
which the actors are expected to resolve through the
exchanges and threads of conversation and acting, making
this creative presentation valuable in teaching interpersonal
communication skills. Role-playing is often resorted to thresh
out present-day personal and social issues that children also
need to be aware of.
 PUPPET THEATER
Puppet theatre is a familiar creative drama, a popular
version of which is that of Sesame Street and our own
“Batibot.” An effective tool in teaching literature, this
appeals to children for its dramatic effects and artistry.
Children, being naturally creative, can come up with a
whole lot of puppes made from scratch and scrap
materials like posicle sticks, cardboard paper, plastic
and paper cylinders, used clothing, and a lot more.
 IN A NUTSHELL
Mission accomplished! You have now reached the end of the first
chapter of module. How about giving yourself a treat? To officially end
your learning experiences, write your reflection and conclusion by
completing this graphic organizer.
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I am certain that I learned I could apply what I

I there is a need to…
about… learned by…
Chapter 2:
Engaging Learners
To Literature
Reading
 CHAPTER 2

Essential Question:

How do I ensure the

engagement of my
learners in my literature
class?
LESSON 4
Selecting Appropriate
Materials for Teaching
Literature
THINK

Instructional materials play both an essential and

significant role in teaching and the learning of various. In
terms of learning, Olayinka (2015) posited that
instructional materials promote teacher’s efficiency and
improve learner’s performance. He also added that
instructional materials make learning more interesting,
practical, realistic, and appealing.
THINK

However, selecting instructional materials in literature

classes remains to be one of the weakness of literature
teachers in the elementary grades. In fact, Choi (2008)
included the issue of selecting instructional materials for
language and literature teaching as one of the significant
concerns in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.
THINK
Among the problems listed by Choi included:

• the existence of few pedagogically designed suitable materials

that can be used by language teachers in a language or even in
a literature classroom
• the lack of preparation in the vicinity of literature teaching
• The dearth of clear-cut objectives defining the role of
literature in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English
as a Foreign Language(SFL) contexts.
In this sense, the teacher bears the burden of selecting the
appropriate instructional materials in teaching literature.
THINK

Several studies (e.g.Collopy, 2003; Remillard, 1999; Sherin&

Drake, 2009; Thompson&Senk, 2014) have pointed out that teachers
tend to use the materials selectively, and modify the suggested activities
to suit their own purposes, needs, and interests. Hence, the key to
filtering the best materials emerges from the appropriate criteria for
selecting materials.
This means that when you become literature teachers, you will have
to select those materials which facilitate learning and make learner
contributing members of their societies. It is here that literature
introduces itself to lead these teachers in their own right track.
THINK

One latest study along this line is that of Bulusan (2019). He

suggested four major criteria to consider whenever selecting
instructional materials for literature teaching. They are
encapsulated in the acronym CARE:

1. cultural enrichment,
2. authenticity of the material,
3. relevant language enrichment, and
4. ease requirements in reading and understanding
THINK

1. Cultural enrichment
One primary reasons for incorporating culturally bound
materials is the inseparable nature of language and culture
(Erkaya, 2005, p.1) Considering the richness of the mirrored
culture on the text used for literature teaching is further
highlighted by Nasihramadi et al. (2014). He said that teaching
culture in EFL classroom provides EFL language learners with
an opportunity to reconsider their cultural system and
appreciate, modify, and probably reject and replace it.
THINK

Teaching literature enables students “to understand and

appreciate cultures and ideologies different from their
own in time and space, and to come to perceive
traditions of thought, feeling and artistic form within the
heritage the literature of such cultures endows”