The Classic Literature and Social Issues Today Project

The Classic Literature and Social Issues Today Project

Peace as a Global Language Conference 2006

24 September 2006 , Seisen University, Tokyo, Japan

Michael Stout

Takushoku University

Kanto International High School

[email protected]

Joseph Heilman

University of Digital Content


• Introduction: How the Project Started• Approach and Implementation• Goals• Project Scope and Sequence• Examples of Student work at Kanto

International High School• Student Reflections • Feedback


How The Project Started

Approach and Implementation

• An integrated Approach to teaching Literature in the Classroom• Culture• Language• Personal Growth

• Models for Implementing Project Work• Kilpatrick• Stoller• Legutke and Thomas• Heilman

Models for Implementing Project Work

Kilpatrick

1. Purposing

2. Planning

3. Executing

4. Judging

Legutke and Thomas

1. Opening

2. Topic orientation

3. Research and data collection

4. Preparing data presentation

5. Data presentation

6. Evaluation

Models for Implementing Project WorkStoller

1. Agree on a theme for the project2. Determine the final outcome3. Structure the project4. Prepare students for the language demands of step 55. Gather information6. Prepare the students for the language demands of step 77. Compile and analyze information8. Prepare students for language demands of step 99. Present final project10. Evaluate the project

Models for Implementing Project WorkHeilman

1. Generate ideas & outline project - Students should work on collaboration with their audience by sharing their ideas and getting/providing feedback on projects.

2. Develop a visual representation and discuss it - This can be done by having one student explain his conceptual idea and the other creating a visual representation. This gives the exercise a purpose for language use.

3. Research and written aspect to the project - Written aspect should include peer editing.

4. Preparation/practice day(s)5. Present or perform project & evaluation - Both teacher and peer

evaluation6. Reflection on project - How did the students perform, did they

meet their expectations, what were the challenges and benefits, etc.

GoalsStudents will:• enjoy reading a text based on a classic piece of English literature• acquire new vocabulary and broaden their range of understanding of words

familiar to them. • demonstrate an understanding of literary elements of a story including: plot,

character, setting, and theme(s)• demonstrate an understanding of connections between the thoughts and

feelings of the characters in the story and their own thoughts and feelings. • Explore a social issue dealt with in the story • Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the social issue in the

lives of the characters in the story that they are studying, in their own lives and in the lives of people throughout the world.

• Articulate various ways they personally can act to solve a problem in society

• Make a contribution to solving a social issue

Project Scope and Sequence

• Project serves to integrate Oral, Reading and Writing Classes• Therefore it includes work on speaking

strategies, presentation skills, various reading skills, vocabulary learning, and paragraph writing

Possible Timeline

Late September Topics allocated to classes

Late September Project Guidelines for teachers made and distributed

Early October Reader introduced

Early November Reader study completed

Early November Project Guidelines for students made and distributed

Late November Research homework set; websearch guides distributed

Late November Time and date coordinated, set and announced

Late November Rooms reserved and announced

Late December Cardboard ordered

Early January Students submit winter homework: teachers assist with research and comprehension

Early January Invitations to Japanese staff

Early January Room and group flow chart made up and distributed

Late January Students start work on posters

Early February Presentations

Adapted from Smith (2005) unpublished document

Examples of Student Work at Kanto International High School

2003Street Children

What we can do to support them?

• Volunteer Work - Skills Transfer• Resources Mobilization - Cash

or School Supplies, Used Clothes, Secondhand Books, etc.

• Technical Contribution - Translation work (documents, meeting, etc.)

“It's important that we try to do something for the Street Children. I think that we should know about Street Children!”


2004“In order to save the homeless, a lot

of money is required. I thought that it

would help to do some fund-raising

activity, but I thought that it was not

good to raise money recklessly. Then I

saw “Big Issue” ,,, a magazine

made to help the homeless raise

money to support themselves, and to

give them a feeling of fulfillment. I think

that it is a good way to raise money.

Therefore, I think that I will support this

Publication”.

“I learned about world problems by communicating with my friends.”

Posters 2005

Posters 2005

Examples of Student Work at Kanto International High School2006

“I researched homelessness of South Africa. … there are many causes of homelessness. About seven million people are settler from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi because of economic problem, drought, politics problem and so on ,,,,. And also in UN research, about 500 000 families have been evicted and tens of people, including children have been killed in the chaos surrounding the evictions process.My research based on official company’s research. So, these numerical values are not exact. So I think homeless in South Africa is more than research.So I think the government, agency who help homelessness, also all of the people in the world try to help the homelessness because they also have human rights.”

Statistics in South Africa

050

100150200250300350400450

settler evicted people population

Millions

statistics


2006“In Nazareth, which is a town insouth-eastern Ethiopia, there are 5,138 street children living there. The average age of a street child is 12.9 years old. 90% of them are boys and the other 10% are girls. About 50% of this town’s street children left their families before their 10th birthday. Most of them have jobs to keep them living.”

Chart 1: Street Children Population of Nazareth Ethiopia

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Total male female

Student Reflections: The Project Overall

• “I learned about world problems by communicating with my friends.”

• “I thought about many social problems all over the world. We have to help as much as possible to solve these problems... ”

• “I thought this experience was very important and valuable for me.”

Student Reflections: The Project Overall

“There are four things I like about the social issues project. First I could learn about homelessness in Japan. I researched homelessness in Japan. I didn’t know that ‘the BIG ISSUE’ helps them. Second I learned to do presentation. It was very difficult for me, but it was very interesting.

There are two things I didn’t like about the social project. First Homeless people’s picture was very painful… Second I didn’t like to research population, number of homeless people and so on. It was very difficultly things…

I think 1 Kaede should do the social issues project next year for these reasons. First there is not chance to know these matters. We often leftover at meal. We can eat about any times. But homeless people cannot eat satisfaction. We unconscious in general this terrible matters. So we should know this matter.”

Student Reflections: Making Connections

“There are several similarities and difference between Oliver Twist and homelessness children. I think the similar point is they are both poor and they need someone’s help. But difference is the end of their life. Oliver must could have live good life totality but still there are many poor homeless children. Oliver was a one who had lucky destiny. I think this is the most different part between them.”

Resources for PresentersSchool Education and Youth Development DivisionJapan Committee for UNICEF UNICEF House4-6-12, Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8607, Japan Telephone: 03-5789-2014FAX: 03-5789-2034E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Resources for Presenters Second Harvest Japan

Charles E. McJilton, Executive Director

Main contact e-mail: [email protected] for volunteering info: [email protected]/Fax: 03-3838-3827Cellphone: 090-6029-1823Street address: Mizuta Building, 4-5-1 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo

AcknowlegementsThis project would not be possible without the

contributions of these people:

Yvonne Beaudry, Mark Caissey, Tom Granger, James Harman, Toru Kurobane, Kana Matsumura, Patrick McClue, Sarah McIlwaine, Yoko Miyoshi, Colleen Prescesky, David Schneer, Naomi Smith, Junichiro Takeda, Shari Tagashira, Richard Turchi, Paul Underwood, Carol Vaughan, and most importantly…

All our students!

References

Haines, S. (1989). Projects for the EFL classroom. Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons.

Heilman, J., & Stout, M. (2005). Putting Projects into Practice. In K. Bradford-Watts, C. Ikeguchi, & M. Swanson (Eds.)

JALT2004 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT.Savidou, C. (2004). An integrated approach to teaching literature in the EFL

classroom. The Internet TESL Journal. 10 (12). December. Accessed 20/9/2006 from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Savvidou- Literature.htmlStoller, F. (2002). Project work: a means to promote language and content.

In J.C. Richards & W.A. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice (pp. 107-119). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.