Justify the selection. Provide suggestions on how you would help develop children’s language use and aesthetic values.

This story managed to highlight an event which would eventually help pupils

to develop their cognitive abilities. Precisely, The Scarecrow and the Tin Man

debated which is more important to have: brains or a heart. However, the debate

was left unresolved, with the implication that both brains and heart are good and

should coexist. This can be considered a perfect opportunity to convey the message

of being intellectual and compassionate to the pupils. Pupils would be able to

understand that. In addition, this story allows pupils to question themselves on how

to embrace and tackle the challenges of growing up. For example, how can I act

intelligently (the challenge faced by the Scarecrow); how do I act courageously when

I am scared (the goal for the Cowardly Lion); and how I be a caring individual (the

desire of the Tin Man)?

In terms of developing the social aspect of pupils, this can be justified through

the theme of accepting friends for who they are. Despite the difference of species or

creatures of the characters of the Wizard of Oz, which are, they managed to cope

with their differences and form a strong bond of friendship with each other. In the

classroom, this situation can be assimilated to encourage pupils to mingle and be

friends with friends of different kinds of races and religions. Dorothy, the Scarecrow,

the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were all very different. Each and every one of

them had their individual skills and strengths and the completed each other. Without

the combination of these, they would not have made it to the Land of Oz. Likewise,

the thought of accepting friends for who they are, upholding similarities and

accepting differences would definitely produce a conducive learning environment.

Furthermore, "The Wizard of Oz”, would be able to develop the aesthetic aspect of pupils. This can be justified as this story explores a lot of issues and fears that are being faced by children between the ages 5 - 12. The mutual connection between the main character, Dorothy, and the pupils in the classroom in terms of age is the most suitable setup to cultivate love for literature. The sense of belonging highlighted in the story would then enable pupils to immerse themselves into the characters and discover similarities between the story and reality. Besides, this story portrays one of the greatest songs of all time, “Over the Rainbow," accompanied with a few more songs which would be entertaining, enjoyable and most importantly educational for the pupils. Through such setting, pupils would be able to appreciate such great work of literature.

TWO ACTIVITIES (Develop Language Use) and (Aesthetic Values)