Secondary School Literature
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Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2069337\" time=\"1654101971\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2069337 time=1654101971 user_id=58173]
I had a good lit teacher when I was in secondary school. The novel we studied at that time is \"Lord of the Flies\" by William Golding. I still remember my lit teacher who was a lady from the United Kingdom explained to us the theme of the book, the implications behind each characters and the correct way to answer the questions during exam. I am grateful to be her student.
Your “situation” still not that bad, after all you only need to underline in red. I had a lit teacher who told us to copy word for word into another book, to do annotation! Oh I remember it for life..[/quote] -
Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2069337\" time=\"1654101971\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2069337 time=1654101971 user_id=58173]
No no... I wasn't exactly replying to Dean. So sorry for the confusion... :oops:
Hey Chief! Thank you for replying, but I don’t see the relevance of your reply to what is being quoted. Could you elaborate? Do you know Dean personally? I wish we could use his expertise here! Thanks!
Your “situation” still not that bad, after all you only need to underline in red. I had a lit teacher who told us to copy word for word into another book, to do annotation! Oh I remember it for life..[/quote]
PS. Copying word for word?! I guess there's always someone worse
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Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2069326\" time=\"1654091453\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2069326 time=1654091453 user_id=58173]
Hi Zeal Mummy,
Thank you for the reply, Dean!
May I ask, what do you mean by “your school”? I thought you were from a tuition center. Pardon me if I missed it if you had mentioned it before. Are you currently still a sec sch teacher?
.. How do you help a student to do well for this text? If you don’t mind, could you help suggest a few tips or themes to look out for? I think I need a general direction how to go about and I would try to guide him along. I would also like to know what role does SS play when it’s combined humanities.
My current understanding is that the student will be required to know the plot well but the exam paper will not test how well he knows the story. Rather, the focus is more on the effect of language use for the PBQ, and the themes and characters for the essay-type question. So he needs to read the story, annotate, unpack it, and re-organise it to list and understand the various aspects of the text. He needs to identify the language use, analyse the evidence, then explain and elaborate it. Also, annotation is a very important element required for Literature.
Would appreciate and welcome any suggestions or feedbacks! Many thanks![/quote]
I was never with any tuition center. I am currently teaching English & Literature in a Secondary School, and also giving private tuition for these subjects - I believe 1-1 sessions are most effective for Languages/Literature as each student's competence and style are different.
Your understanding of what a Lit student needs to do it pretty spot-on. :salute:
Some of the themes for this book are loss of individual identity, technology's control over mankind, the negative impact of mass media/censorship, knowledge is power etc.
Also prepare an analysis of the main characters like Guy, Mildred, Clarisse and Captain Beatty
It is quite a hands on process so you need to show him how to apply all these processes that you have mentioned. Knowing is one thing, but it is usually the execution that lets the student down. It is the sensitivity to the text and the application of that knowledge that determine how well the student answers the question.
The purpose of a combined Humanities, as with a combined Science is to lessen the academic load of a student without sacrificing scope. You learn half the load of the \"pure\" subject but at least get some exposure to that subject.
SS is the only compulsory subject among the combined Humanities. While some may feel that it is a waste of time, it exposes students to the world outside of their own time and space, and broadens their world view. By understanding the world they live in, they are able make more informed decisions in their live, and survive well in our global village when they grow up.
SS actually ties in very nicely with Lit as they both show us what it means to be human, and in the process shaping us to be better versions of ourselves.
If you look at the themes I mentioned for Fahrenheit, it is a book written in the 1950s, yet the themes of Knowledge/Ignorance, Technology and Power are so ever relevant in today's context.
Hope this helps
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ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2069328\" time=\"1654094248\" user_id=\"3:
I have excellent Literature teachers in both my Secondary School and JC, and they really shape me for who I am today.
I still remember I had quite a literature teacher in Sec 2. My actual teacher was pregnant and dropped out after a while for her motherly responsibilities, so we were taken by the PE teacher. Her style is to simply tell us to read aloud the text and underline what she said, word for word. The text was \"King's Solomon's Mines\" and I couldn't read it afterwards due to all the red underlines in the book!
Sorry to hear about the horrors of how Lit lessons are conducted here. I too have my own observations, experiences and opinions but professionalism forbids me to share any.
What I can say though is,
- Literature teachers are harder to come by - how to produce such teachers when most parents and students choose to drop it the first chance they get?
- don't assume that a school teacher will always be better than a tutor,
- don't assume that a teacher from a top school will always be better than one from a neighbourhood school. -
D3@n\" post_id=\"2069466\" time=\"1654216990\" user_id=\"124020:
So glad we have you here! I had a good Lit teacher, she really was very cool and different.
I have excellent Literature teachers in both my Secondary School and JC, and they really shape me for who I am today.
Sorry to hear about the horrors of how Lit lessons are conducted here. I too have my own observations, experiences and opinions but professionalism forbids me to share any.
What I can say though is,
- Literature teachers are harder to come by - how to produce such teachers when most parents and students choose to drop it the first chance they get?
- don't assume that a school teacher will always be better than a tutor,
- don't assume that a teacher from a top school will always be better than one from a neighbourhood school.
Would you be able to share your thoughts on Merchant of Venice? My lower sec child has to do it this year and she is just completely resisting reading it. She keeps saying the language sounds so weird.
We also have some issues with the themes. Is Shylock a villain? Is he not a villain? We have to tread carefully here around what is considered acceptable in Shakespearean time vs today. How do we express the role of greed? Is it even greed?
Thank you! -
Toomuchlaundry\" post_id=\"2069485\" time=\"1654225457\" user_id=\"197996:
Ooh... we did Merchant of Venice in, I think, Sec 3. Shylock was depicted as a villain, then.
So glad we have you here! I had a good Lit teacher, she really was very cool and different.
Would you be able to share your thoughts on Merchant of Venice? My lower sec child has to do it this year and she is just completely resisting reading it. She keeps saying the language sounds so weird.
We also have some issues with the themes. Is Shylock a villain? Is he not a villain? We have to tread carefully here around what is considered acceptable in Shakespearean time vs today. How do we express the role of greed? Is it even greed?
Thank you!
Is it greed when we start charging people based on \"smelling\"? Well, that is subjective today. We don't charge people for \"smelling\" perfumes, but we charge them for buying a bottle of perfume that carries that \"smell\". So I suppose the principle behind Merchant of Venice still holds today. Shylock remains a villain
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Toomuchlaundry\" post_id=\"2069485\" time=\"1654225457\" user_id=\"197996:
Merchant of Venice is a classic Shakespeare play that I studied in Upper Secondary, and have been teaching for many years. I have fond memories reading it as a teenager, and enjoy teaching this book now. It is such a shame your daughter is completely resisting it. Two of my Secondary Two students are reading it this year and both are enjoying it immensely.
So glad we have you here! I had a good Lit teacher, she really was very cool and different.
Would you be able to share your thoughts on Merchant of Venice? My lower sec child has to do it this year and she is just completely resisting reading it. She keeps saying the language sounds so weird.
We also have some issues with the themes. Is Shylock a villain? Is he not a villain? We have to tread carefully here around what is considered acceptable in Shakespearean time vs today. How do we express the role of greed? Is it even greed?
Thank you!
Shakespearean English may seem foreign because we don't speak or write in this manner today. However, tell your daughter she does not need to understand every single \"weird\" vocabulary because she won't be tested on that. That should ease some of the pressure for her. For every Scene of the play, just understand the basic plot of it, paying special attention to certain quotes. For these quotes though, she will need to know the meaning of the key words and the literary devices used. Through this, she will realise how clever Shakespeare actually is in his play of words. Also, these quotes can be used as her evidence should she need them to answer any PBQ or EBQ for her WA/EOY.
In dealing with the themes, there is no need to tread carefully in terms of what is acceptable then and now. The reason Shakespeare's plays remain as classic is because the themes of these plays are still very relevant in today's context. A student should be mindful though, of not giving too extreme or biased an answer. Maturity in thought is required and a balanced answer reflects that.
So with regards to your question about Villainy and Greed, Shylock is seen as a villain because of his hatred of Antonio and his scheming plan; he is greedy because all he cares about is charging high interests and is more concerned about his money than his daughter when both went missing. However, to see him only as that is a two-dimensional discussion. We have to discuss the reasons behind his behaviour. We see how he is being despised by Antonio and all in Venice (even jeered at by the children) simply because he is a Jew. The cruel Christians have spat on him, called him names like \"dog\", \"devil\" etc (he was never addressed as Shylock until the official court hearing) and accused of being mercenary. They even celebrate his misfortunes. His only daughter betrayed him by stealing a lot of money from him, and eloping with a Christian who despises him and keep damning him to hell. We may not condone his cunning scheme, but we can sympathise with his situation which shaped him to be this way. His revenge of Antonio is motivated by \"justice\" - an eye for an eye. His greed stems from the fact that wealth is the only certainty in his life that can provide him some protection and security in a place where he faces prejudice and discrimination. In the end, the forgiveness of Shylock's crime smacks of elitism and racial/religious prejudice. He was forced by the self-righteous Christians to surrender half of his wealth, give up Judaism and to convert to Christianity. How is this forgiveness charitable and noble? Of course there can be more in-depth discussion but I can only do so much given the space and time constraints.
The thing I love about Literature is that there is no \"right\" or \"wrong\" answer. Just like life itself, there is no one way of answering a question. But whatever answer you choose, do it in a balanced and measured manner. Come up with 2 strong points, back it up with convincing evidence, and analyse and elaborate them well. You will be able to score well. -
D3@n\" post_id=\"2069536\" time=\"1654268291\" user_id=\"124020:
Oooh much thanks for the amazing insight into the themes! I'm sure you are a great Lit teacher to your students, this analysis is positively professional!
Merchant of Venice is a classic Shakespeare play that I studied in Upper Secondary, and have been teaching for many years. I have fond memories reading it as a teenager, and enjoy teaching this book now. It is such a shame your daughter is completely resisting it. Two of my Secondary Two students are reading it this year and both are enjoying it immensely.
Shakespearean English may seem foreign because we don't speak or write in this manner today. However, tell your daughter she does not need to understand every single \"weird\" vocabulary because she won't be tested on that. That should ease some of the pressure for her. For every Scene of the play, just understand the basic plot of it, paying special attention to certain quotes. For these quotes though, she will need to know the meaning of the key words and the literary devices used. Through this, she will realise how clever Shakespeare actually is in his play of words. Also, these quotes can be used as her evidence should she need them to answer any PBQ or EBQ for her WA/EOY.
In dealing with the themes, there is no need to tread carefully in terms of what is acceptable then and now. The reason Shakespeare's plays remain as classic is because the themes of these plays are still very relevant in today's context. A student should be mindful though, of not giving too extreme or biased an answer. Maturity in thought is required and a balanced answer reflects that.
So with regards to your question about Villainy and Greed, Shylock is seen as a villain because of his hatred of Antonio and his scheming plan; he is greedy because all he cares about is charging high interests and is more concerned about his money than his daughter when both went missing. However, to see him only as that is a two-dimensional discussion. We have to discuss the reasons behind his behaviour. We see how he is being despised by Antonio and all in Venice (even jeered at by the children) simply because he is a Jew. The cruel Christians have spat on him, called him names like \"dog\", \"devil\" etc (he was never addressed as Shylock until the official court hearing) and accused of being mercenary. They even celebrate his misfortunes. His only daughter betrayed him by stealing a lot of money from him, and eloping with a Christian who despises him and keep damning him to hell. We may not condone his cunning scheme, but we can sympathise with his situation which shaped him to be this way. His revenge of Antonio is motivated by \"justice\" - an eye for an eye. His greed stems from the fact that wealth is the only certainty in his life that can provide him some protection and security in a place where he faces prejudice and discrimination. In the end, the forgiveness of Shylock's crime smacks of elitism and racial/religious prejudice. He was forced by the self-righteous Christians to surrender half of his wealth, give up Judaism and to convert to Christianity. How is this forgiveness charitable and noble? Of course there can be more in-depth discussion but I can only do so much given the space and time constraints.
The thing I love about Literature is that there is no \"right\" or \"wrong\" answer. Just like life itself, there is no one way of answering a question. But whatever answer you choose, do it in a balanced and measured manner. Come up with 2 strong points, back it up with convincing evidence, and analyse and elaborate them well. You will be able to score well.
You know all these themes make Merchant of Venice very difficult to read. Later I guess we made Shylock a central figure and a tragic character, \"shaped\" by his times. But in the play with the tone of a romantic comedy, Shakespeare makes Antonio generous and kind, others charming and feisty, and provides almost no good qualities at all for Shylock! The sad and unfair outcome for Shylock is very hard to read, esp since we know in medieval Europe several kings kept confiscating the goods and money of Jews whenever the royal treasury ran low, so it is more fact than fiction. It is particularly hard to read after the Holocaust.
Also you can say looking at society now, the money lenders (aka banks) have won. So in a way Merchant of Venice was not prophetic. Very few good books about capitalism. Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho is terrible. I'm reading Don Delillo's Cosmopolis now (due indirectly to a Robert Pattinson phase), do you have any thoughts on it? -
D3@n\" post_id=\"2069536\" time=\"1654268291\" user_id=\"124020:
:goodpost: :goodpost:
Merchant of Venice is a classic Shakespeare play that I studied in Upper Secondary, and have been teaching for many years. I have fond memories reading it as a teenager, and enjoy teaching this book now. It is such a shame your daughter is completely resisting it. Two of my Secondary Two students are reading it this year and both are enjoying it immensely.
...
I'm starting to remember Antonio . I think there was also a lady who dressed up as a male lawyer for Antonio... forgot her name. I must have loved it then if I can even remember it now...
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Any insight if kid is choosing between Eng Lit and Geo?
In terms of O level time table, which subj has more interval for revision between other subjects?
Geo is more popular with most students, would it be harder to score among the stronger ones?
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