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Introduction
The teaching process is indeed quite delicate and involves a considerable amount of planning and preparation. The educational unit which is being prepared within this paper reflects numerous factors which have to be considered for a comprehensive and positively influential educational process. The topic that has been selected is “British Literature for Children”, and it takes into account national educational standards, innovative teaching techniques as well as the issue of interaction between peers in a classroom.
Rationale
The target audience for this unit is schoolchildren in the first grade. At this stage of learning they are normally capable of critical assessment of the information and its logical structuring. The unit involves usage of various genres of literature – fairy tales, ballads, legends, contemporary poetry and classical novels. The methodology of teaching the unit involves various forms of media apart from the traditional printed sources, such as video and slides of illustrations. The ways of conducting the classes involve lecturing, debates, peer-based discussions and students’ reports. At the age of 6 students are normally capable of the mentioned activities. Besides that, one of the classes will be specifically dedicated to the story element analysis.
Theoretical support
These lesson plans have been composed in compliance with the national educational standards. Apart from that, the theoretical support included exploration of the teaching techniques once developed and adopted by Maria Montessori. Such techniques have a range of specific features which were applied throughout this course:
- Active participation of students in the class activities;
- Moderating role of the teacher;
- Wide range of teaching materials;
- Active interaction of students with the teacher and among each other;
- Complex analysis of the topics.
This methodology will provide students with proper factual materials and respective mechanisms of their optimal utilization.
Lesson Plans
Lesson 1
Duration: 45 minutes
Lesson 2
Duration: 45 minutes
Lesson 3
Duration: 45 minutes
Lesson 4
Duration: 45 minutes
Lesson 5
Duration: 45 minutes
Newsletter to the students’ families
Dear Parents,
It is my utmost pleasure to inform you that your children are about to start one of the most interesting and challenging courses of the year – British Literature for Children. Throughout this course they will not only gain understanding of main genres of literature – novels, poems, folklore and fairy tales, but will also develop the analytical apparatus and esthetical preferences which may help them in years to come. The course involves various media materials – video, music, slides – which will help students to understand the material in a deeper, more constructive manner. The course will involve various forms of teaching and interaction, including peer-based discussions, debates, reports and analytical teamwork. The pressure on students throughout this course is not going to be excessive, however it is important that they come to class prepared, and it is in your power to help them with this. Please kindly note that the materials of this course include the following components:
- Fairy tales by Beatrix Potter and respective cartoons;
- Traditional English ballads from the Child Ballads Collection;
- Legends of the British Isles from the book “Folk Tales of Britain: Legends” by Katharine M. Briggs;
- Poems for children by Walter de la Mare;
- Child stories by Charles Dickens.
It would be highly appreciated if you could spend some time with your children prior to the course or particular classes and do some respective reading with them. General familiarity with the topic of the lessons will increase their interest and motivation!
References:
Simons, R.J., Linden J., and Duffy, T.(2006). New Learning: The Montessori Model. Lavoisier.
De la Mare, W.(1947). Collected Stories for Children. Faber and Faber.
Briggs, K.M.(2007). Folk Tales of Britain: Legends. Folio.
Dickens, C. The Baron of Grogzwig. Web. Retrieved 4 February 2014 from http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/BarGro.shtml
