XII. GOAL 12. Introduce students to a specific body of literature.

A.        CONTENT OUTLINE

1.         Presentation, discussion, and interpretation of selected materials from the textbook African American Literature.

2.         Development of critical thinking skills.

B.         INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

1.         Textbook: African American Literature.

2.         Course Syllabus. English 1Y, 2Y, 1&2 RC.

3.         Sample instructional plans prepared at the July 16‑18, 1991 workshop. [These are to be distributed to each of the participants by school mail at the start of the Fall, 1991, semester]

4.         Comprehension tests from the teachers manual.

5.         Comprehension tests prepared by the teacher and/or the students under teacher direction.

C.        TEACHING STRATEGIES

1.         Stress and cover by reading orally to and discussing with the students for each selection: (1) About the Author, (2) Before You Read, (a) Using What You Know [To connect the new material with what students already know—PRIOR KNOWLEDGE], (b) Literary Focus, and (c) Setting a Purpose.

2.         As required, read aloud the initial portion of a selection, then let the students complete reading silently on their own.

3.         Let the students prepare multiple‑choice comprehension questions for the selections. Follow the directions in selection 1259A, "How to Write Multiple choice Questions," with reference to Selection 1259, "Guidelines for Writing Effective Multiple‑Choice Test Questions," and Selection 1241, "Guidelines for writing effective multiple‑choice questions" (apparently an earlier version). For vocabulary test question writing suggestions, see Selection 1240, "Guidelines for writing multiple‑choice vocabulary test questions." Consult the article, "Deconstructing the Multiple Choice Test," in Literature and Life: Making Connections in the Classroom (Classroom Practices in Teaching English, Volume 25, 1990), pp. 129‑133. See also Robert J. Starr, "How to Write and Evaluate Multiple‑Choice Questions," in Measure for Measure (Classroom Practices in Teaching English, Volume 10, 1972, NCTE), pp. 87‑89.

4.         Amplify and highlight the topics provided in Literary Focus, Literary Elements, Language and Vocabulary, and Critical Thinking. These may be extended by furnishing additional definition, examples from other stories, and by the use of Special Skills File Selections and teaching outlines.

5.         Make use of the suggested writing assignments provided in the textbook. Supplement the directions with fuller instructions from the Writing Ladder directions in the Special Skills File where appropriate.

6.         Provide opportunities for Collaborative Learning Experiences. [See the directions developed for teaching in the lesson plans used at Cass Technical High School. See also suggestions from the July 16‑18, 1991 Workshop. See also National Council of Teachers of English Publications on this subject.]

7.         Teach students to construct multiple­ choice comprehension questions for the reading selections. Let these be the springboard for further discussion.

D.        EVALUATION PROCEDURE

1.         Students will be given oral credit for responding to oral questions and discus­sion.

2.         Students will be given credit for multi­ple‑choice question writing.

3.         Students will receive credit based on their scores on tests of comprehension.

4.         Students will receive credit for written compositions.

5.         Students will receive credit for keeping on file the Reference Notes on Litera­ture presented on the blackboard for them to copy.

6.         Students will receive credit for their participation in Collaborative Learning Experiences.