English 521: Teaching of Literature and the Literature Curriculum
Fall 2008—Iowa State University
Dr. Donna Niday
431 Ross Hall
515-294-9981 (O)
515-292-4622 (H)
Office Hours: 12:30-2:00 T/Th; 5:30-6:00 p.m., T; 9:00-9:30 p.m., T
dniday@iastate.edu
"Literature is no one’s private ground, literature is common ground; let us trespass freely and
fearlessly and find our own way for ourselves."
—Virginia Woolf
Catalogue Description: Examination of the roles of the literary work, reader, and
teacher in literary study. Responses to literature. Place of literature in language arts.
Study and development of curriculum materials for varied levels of instruction.
Course Objectives:
Students will be able to—
 define and revise their definitions of “literature.”
 analyze what happens in a reader’s mind by exploring literary theories and practices
and compose a philosophy of teaching literature which shows in-depth thinking in
teaching and learning about literature.
 analyze various curricular organizational strategies and create a curriculum outline for
a literature-based course showing rationales for various text selections, analyzing the
use of the canonical literature versus literature from historically marginalized
cultures.
 discuss and apply teacher professionalism and ethics to various teaching situations.
 determine personal teaching strengths.
 analyze the benefits and drawbacks of various literature instructional strategies,
including questioning and discussion techniques and connections between literature
and personal experience, prior knowledge, other literature, writing, non-fiction, film,
technology, music, and/or art.
 create a literature teaching unit with theoretical basis, text rationales, objectives,
assessments, and methods of meeting the needs of special populations: gifted, special
needs, ESL, etc.
 effectively teach one 30-minute lesson from the teaching unit.
 discuss and analyze action research in literature classrooms.
 assemble a course portfolio showing individual growth about the teaching of
literature.
Texts:
Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary
Theory to Adolescents. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.
Liesveld, Rosanne, JoAnn Miller, and Jennifer Robison. Teach with Your Strengths:
How Great Teachers Inspire Their Students. New York: Gallup Press, 2005.
Rosenblatt, Louise M. The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the
Literary Work. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1978.
Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. “You Gotta BE the Book”: Teaching Engaged and Reflective
Reading with Adolescents. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English,
1997.
(Donna will provide chapters from Gere/Sheehan's Making American Literatures in High
School and College, as well as other articles, through the Moodle site.)
COURSE OUTLINE
Part 1: What is literature?
We will create a definition of literature individually, in small groups, and as a large group.
We will also examine other people's definitions of literature.
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and
digested; that is, some books are to read only in parts; others to be read but not curiously
[thoroughly], and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention."
—Sir Francis Bacon
Part 2: What should be included in a literature curriculum?
Selection of texts
 Canon debate
 Literature of historically marginalized cultures
 Standards (NCTE/IRA)
 Writing rationales
 Genres, literary terminology, etc.
"The books we read should be chosen with great care, that they may be, as an Egyptian
king wrote over his library, 'The medicines of the soul.'"
—Paxton Hood
Part 3: What are the best practices of instructional strategies and
assessment?
1. Teaching strengths (
1. Instructional strategies (literature circles, jigsaws, modeling, groupings, multiple
intelligences, visualization, etc.)
2. Questioning and discussion techniques (literary theories, Christenbury’s question
circle, Bloom’s Taxonomy, HOTS questions, etc.)
3. Connections (personal experience, prior knowledge, world events, intertextual,
identity, non-fiction, film, technology, art, music)
4. Preparing teaching unit plans
4. Action research in literature classrooms (conferences, discussions, e-mail, etc.)
5. Special populations (special needs, ESL, gifted, etc.)
The four stages of teaching are (1) fantasy, (2) survival, (3) mastery, and (4) impact. You
will have matured as a teacher when you stop asking, "How am I doing?" and start asking,
"How and what are students learning?"
Course Recommendations
1. Attendance and active participation. Because each class period examines a different
topic and because each class period equals approximately three class periods, it is vitally
important that you are an active participant every class period. I expect that only
emergencies would require that you be absent and then only for a maximum of one
absence. If you absolutely cannot be present, you are to call me in advance of the class
meeting. Office phone: 294-9981
2. Student-teacher conferences. You are invited to participate in conferences with me to
discuss your reading interests, curriculum outline, and teaching unit.
3. Attitude/Work Habits. Be the student you would like your students to be.
Writing/Teaching Assignments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
One-pagers (written responses to the reading assignment)
Philosophy of teaching literature (1-2 pages)
Analysis of and use of five teaching strengths (2-4 pages)
Curriculum outline with general objectives and text rationales
Teaching unit
Teach classmates 30 minutes (from teaching unit)
Course portfolio (process: collect, select, project, reflect)
A portfolio is a collection of evidence of your growth as a current or future teacher of
literature. Each artifact is accompanied by a short reflection.
 Cover page, table of contents, and introductory reflection
 Philosophy of teaching literature
 Curriculum outline, general objectives, text rationales for one course
 Representative pieces from your teaching unit (general objectives, rationale,
accommodations for special needs students, approximately three lesson plans,
directions for assignments, assessments)
 Reflection on teaching experience
 Representative samples of own literature responses
 Representative sample of literature paper (from another course)
 Concluding reflection (optional)
"The student who can begin early in life to think of things as connected, even if he
revises his view with every succeeding year, has begun the life of learning."
—Mark Van Doren
Class Schedule—English 521 Fall ‘08
Day Date
Theme:
Theoretical/
Practical
Assignments Due
Activities
1
8/26/08
Introduction
--
2
9/2/08
Have read Eagleton's "What
is literature?"
Have written letter to
classmate
3
9/9/08
What is literature?
What are the
characteristics of a
"good reader"?
How does literature
shape our world
(culture, ethnicity,
gender)?
How do the
NCTE/IRA Standards
apply to classrooms?
No class (Labor Day),
but do read the
assignments and send
the email
Introduction to syllabus
Introduction of students
Begin discussing "What is lit.?"
Discuss “What is literature?”
Discuss T. Eagleton, “What Is
Lit.?”
Discuss outcomes of reading—
“good reader”
Discuss comments on letter to
classmate
View NCTE/IRA Standards
Discuss canon vs. diversity
4
9/16/08
How do “engaged”
vs. “struggling”
readers differ?
What is
a good class
discussion?
5
9/23/08
How do efferent vs.
aesthetic readings
differ? How do
teachers make
effective text
selections?
6
9/30/04
How do we “evoke”
Literature?
How can teachers
accommodate
special learners?
7
10/7/08
How do readers
make literature
transactions (“the
poem”)? How does
visualization (drama
and art) help
readers? How do
teachers create
effective units?
Have read Wilhelm—intro.
and Ch. 1-2
Have read preface, Ch. 1-2
of Rosenblatt
Have written letter to
classmate (send via email)
Have read chapter of choice
in Gere, Shaheen (Donna will
provide this)
Rough draft of teaching
philosophy due
Have read Wilhelm Ch. 3
Have read Ch. 3 of
Rosenblatt
Have completed doubleentry journal
Have written analysis of
teaching strengths
Have read Wilhelm Ch. 4
Have read Ch. 4 of
Rosenblatt
Have created “web” or
graphic organizer of
reading (choose
circles, tree, etc.)
Rough draft of curriculum
outline due
Have read Ch. 5-6 of
Wilhelm
Have read Ch. 5 of
Rosenblatt
Have created response to
literature
using your “multiple
intelligence”
CURRICULUM OUTLINE
DUE (outline, objectives,
rationale)
Share/workshop teaching
philosophies
Discuss double-entry journal
Discuss ways of organizing the
curriculum
Discuss class discussions—
questioning strategies
Discuss “web” directions
Share one-pagers
Discuss webs
Discuss text
selections/censorship issues
• Discuss Wilhelm,
Rosenblatt
Discuss Howard Gardner’s
“multiple intelligences”
Discuss special populations
(gifted, ESL, special needs)
Workshop curriculum
outlines
Discuss Ch. Wilhelm,
Rosenblatt
Share “multiple
intelligence” projects
Discuss lesson/unit planning
8
10/14/08
9
10/21/08
10
10/28/08
What is action
research?
11
11/4/08
What are
appropriate teacher
ethics?
12
11/11/08
How can I show my
teaching strengths
through a portfolio?
13
11/18/08
How can I apply
what I've learned to
my own (current or
future) classroom?
14
11/25/08
15
12/2/08
16
12/9/08
Thanksgiving
Break—no class
What can I learn
from observing
other teachers?
What are my
teaching goals?
17
12/16/08
How do readers
interpret, evaluate,
and critique
literature? What are
effective
instructional
strategies?
What is a good
discussion?
How can I continue
to learn as a
teacher?
Have read Ch. 6-7 and
epilogue
of Rosenblatt
Rationale, philosophy
(theories used), calendar,
bibliography, and one
lesson plan for unit due
Have read introduction and
Ch. 1-3 of Appleman
Days 1-5 of teaching unit
due
Have read Ch. 4-5 of
Appleman Days 6-10 of
teaching unit due
Have read Ch. 6 of
Appleman
Days 11-15 of teaching unit
due
Have read Ch. 7-8 of
Appleman
Pre-planning page,
accommodations,
interdisciplinary
connections, assessments,
and handouts are due
Have read articles given by
Donna
TEACHING UNIT IS DUE
(including handouts,
educational theory, and
literary theory)
Discuss instructional strategies such
as giving directions
Teacher-student conferences on
unit
Have read articles given by
Donna
1-4 students teach from own unit
receive comments on teaching unit
Have read articles given by
Donna
Revision of teaching unit due
(optional)
Course portfolio due
5-8 students teach from own unit
Discuss Appleman
Analyze reading conferences, class
discussions
Discuss action research
Continue analysis of action research
Workshop unit plans in class
Discuss teacher professionalism
and ethics
Work on preparing for teaching in
class and on portfolio
9-11 students teach from own unit