Secondary School Literature
-
autumnbronze:
Mine the same as you, one more to add - Empire of the SunHere my list:
1. Julius Ceasar (familiar with \"et tu, Brutus\")
2. Things Fall Apart (excellent book if you want an introduction to the African culture (eg practice of circumcision, tribal culture etc..) -
Some of my Lit books over the years:
Sec 1 - Animal Farm
Sec 2 - Romeo and Juliet, To Kill A Mockingbird
Sec 3 - Emma
Sec 4 - Pride and Prejudice, Julius Caesar
J1/ J2 - Wuthering Heights, Hamlet, Selected Poetry by John Donne, Songs and Sonnets by Shakespeare, Proof
I'm sure I missed out on some though ...
My impression is appreciating Literature cannot be \"taught\". It's a skill you acquire through practice over time. I'm actually quite bad at it (my poetry analysis is dreadful!) but my tutors have instilled a great respect in me for the subject. I never appreciated Literature until I studied it this year (NYGH offers Language Arts from Sec 1 -4, which is a combination of both Lit and EL, but I didn't take Pure Lit in Sec 3/4).
Some of my personal tips:
1) Google/ Sparknote/ Popular, whatever. Go and read as much as you can on the books. Essays, background of the authors, the era of literature etc will help you in your overall understanding of the text. Don't be lazy; do notes!
2) READ YOUR TEXTS. Yes, it's annoying to read the authentic, unabridged copy of Shakespeare because you need to keep referring to the annotations. READ IT. Even in open book exams, knowing your text well helps you to select the relevant extracts quickly. If it's closed book, better memorize quotes.
3) Pace yourself. Make sure you have sufficient time for all the questions.
4) In exams, read the question, underlining key instructions. Then read the extract. Refer to the requirements of the question and annotate accordingly. Make sure you answer the question (this is the most important factor and a huge reason why I didn't do well in Humanities for a long time)
5) If you don't get the poem/ prose the first time round, nevermind. Read again and stay calm. Don't rush into answering the question because woe betide you if you realize that your analysis is wrong only midway through the answer. Teachers KNOW if you made a mistake initially.
6) Be organized. Group your response based on the question. For example, if a question asks you to compare and contrast two poems, decide how you want to do it. By theme? By rhyme scheme? By tone? Literary devices? Choice of words? Persona? Poem Structure? This makes your answer clearer and also makes sure that you don't repeat yourself.
7) Practice, practice, practice. (I find this works well for poems especially). Borrow model answers from your friends. Read literature guides. Speak to your teachers if you need help/ advice.
Teachers do not want to see you copy and paste whole chunks of extracts. What they want is insights and analysis. If you want to quote something, make sure you're not quoting for the sake of quoting, which is ultimately a waste of time.
9) Dont impose your views/ opinions/ prejudices on the poem/ prose. Analyze it for what it is, not what you think it is. Never assume. (Said by my tutor)
10) Appreciate Literature for what it is. For all the times I spend fretting about my grades, literature truly imparts critical thinking skills that no other subject can. It teaches you to think and really question, down to the subtleties and little nuances in tone and language.
11) Think positive. If you've already decided you don't like it, chances are you wouldn't like it at all. Give Literature a chance. Even if your grades sux like mine did, there's still something to gain from it all. Might as well milk it for all it's worth and enjoy it as much as you can!
12) A good command of the English language and good vocabulary is helpful in Literature because it helps you to express yourself and your ideas better. At the very least, teachers wouldn't be so annoyed picking out grammatical and spelling mistakes! (I know I drove my HCL teacher mad with all my cuo zi :oops:)
Hehe just my 2cts worth. I'm not good at Lit but I'm trying to enjoy it. My tutors are absolutely awesome though (they can analyze so much from just one page that it puts us all to shame), which helps tremendously. -
daisyt:
okie, remember some more tests I taught ...
Mine the same as you, one more to add - Empire of the Sunautumnbronze:
Here my list:
1. Julius Ceasar (familiar with \"et tu, Brutus\")
2. Things Fall Apart (excellent book if you want an introduction to the African culture (eg practice of circumcision, tribal culture etc..)
Red Sky in the morning - Sec 1
The River Between - Sec 4
Little Village By the Sea - Sec 4 (I think, many yrs back) -
micko07:
Hi miko07,Some of my Lit books over the years:
Sec 1 - Animal Farm
Sec 2 - Romeo and Juliet, To Kill A Mockingbird
Sec 3 - Emma
Sec 4 - Pride and Prejudice, Julius Caesar
J1/ J2 - Wuthering Heights, Hamlet, Selected Poetry by John Donne, Songs and Sonnets by Shakespeare, Proof
I'm sure I missed out on some though ...
My impression is appreciating Literature cannot be \"taught\". It's a skill you acquire through practice over time. I'm actually quite bad at it (my poetry analysis is dreadful!) but my tutors have instilled a great respect in me for the subject. I never appreciated Literature until I studied it this year (NYGH offers Language Arts from Sec 1 -4, which is a combination of both Lit and EL, but I didn't take Pure Lit in Sec 3/4).
Some of my personal tips:
1) Google/ Sparknote/ Popular, whatever. Go and read as much as you can on the books. Essays, background of the authors, the era of literature etc will help you in your overall understanding of the text. Don't be lazy; do notes!
2) READ YOUR TEXTS. Yes, it's annoying to read the authentic, unabridged copy of Shakespeare because you need to keep referring to the annotations. READ IT. Even in open book exams, knowing your text well helps you to select the relevant extracts quickly. If it's closed book, better memorize quotes.
3) Pace yourself. Make sure you have sufficient time for all the questions.
4) In exams, read the question, underlining key instructions. Then read the extract. Refer to the requirements of the question and annotate accordingly. Make sure you answer the question (this is the most important factor and a huge reason why I didn't do well in Humanities for a long time)
5) If you don't get the poem/ prose the first time round, nevermind. Read again and stay calm. Don't rush into answering the question because woe betide you if you realize that your analysis is wrong only midway through the answer. Teachers KNOW if you made a mistake initially.
6) Be organized. Group your response based on the question. For example, if a question asks you to compare and contrast two poems, decide how you want to do it. By theme? By rhyme scheme? By tone? Literary devices? Choice of words? Persona? Poem Structure? This makes your answer clearer and also makes sure that you don't repeat yourself.
7) Practice, practice, practice. (I find this works well for poems especially). Borrow model answers from your friends. Read literature guides. Speak to your teachers if you need help/ advice. Teachers do not want to see you copy and paste whole chunks of extracts. What they want is insights and analysis. If you want to quote something, make sure you're not quoting for the sake of quoting, which is ultimately a waste of time.
9) Dont impose your views/ opinions/ prejudices on the poem/ prose. Analyze it for what it is, not what you think it is. Never assume. (Said by my tutor)
10) Appreciate Literature for what it is. For all the times I spend fretting about my grades, literature truly imparts critical thinking skills that no other subject can. It teaches you to think and really question, down to the subtleties and little nuances in tone and language.
11) Think positive. If you've already decided you don't like it, chances are you wouldn't like it at all. Give Literature a chance. Even if your grades sux like mine did, there's still something to gain from it all. Might as well milk it for all it's worth and enjoy it as much as you can!
12) A good command of the English language and good vocabulary is helpful in Literature because it helps you to express yourself and your ideas better. At the very least, teachers wouldn't be so annoyed picking out grammatical and spelling mistakes! (I know I drove my HCL teacher mad with all my cuo zi :oops:)
Hehe just my 2cts worth. I'm not good at Lit but I'm trying to enjoy it. My tutors are absolutely awesome though (they can analyze so much from just one page that it puts us all to shame), which helps tremendously.
Thank you for your '2 cents' worth. They seem more than 2 cents to me actually
I hope parents/pupils will read and take note of your insights ....
Are u a student?? :? -
autumnbronze:
Haha me and my long-windedness! Sorry guys! :oops:
Hi miko07,
Thank you for your '2 cents' worth. They seem more than 2 cents to me actually
I hope parents/pupils will read and take note of your insights ....
Are u a student?? :?
Yes, I'm a J1 going on J2 student taking English Literature.
-
micko07:
Hi miko07,
Haha me and my long-windedness! Sorry guys! :oops:autumnbronze:
Hi miko07,
Thank you for your '2 cents' worth. They seem more than 2 cents to me actually
I hope parents/pupils will read and take note of your insights ....
Are u a student?? :?
Yes, I'm a J1 going on J2 student taking English Literature.
Allrightee :celebrate:
So nice to have a student in this thread. And one too who has a positive attitude towards Lit. We need more like you ....
BTW, you were not long winded
BUT rather
informative ...
Cheers
-
DS3 doing Animal Farm for Lit this year. :lol: Hope can help him one way or another.
More to the list:
1. Elevator Food
2. The Clay Marble
3. Or Else, The Lightning God and other stories
:love: -
Animal Farm is quite easy to read and a short book.
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tutormum:
Hello tutormum ....DS3 doing Animal Farm for Lit this year. :lol: Hope can help him one way or another.
More to the list:
1. Elevator Food
2. The Clay Marble
3. Or Else, The Lightning God and other stories
:love:
You got A1 rite
Of course your DS3 will not have ANY prob in Lit k ....
Here's my vote of confidence :celebrate: -
autumnbronze:
ThanksHello tutormum ....
You got A1 rite
Of course your DS3 will not have ANY prob in Lit k ....
Here's my vote of confidence :celebrate:
Hopefully he gets my gene (actually nothing to do with genes lah - only interest that got me going) but I think looking at his English results, I think he'll do well even without my help. 
He has finished reading the book today and waiting for me to read it so that we can 'discuss' :roll: So happen that DS1 girlfriend did it in sec 1 also so I can get her to 'discuss' instead :siam: :evil:
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