1

AKLAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Banga, Aklan
2nd Sem/AY 2021-2022

Department: College of Teacher Education Course Code: ENG 28

Name of Instructor: Sharmaine L. Lava Schedule:
Course Descriptive Title: Teaching and Assessment of Literature Studies Semester: 1st Sem/A.Y. 2021-2022

Name of Student: ________________________________________ Year and Section: ________________________

Student ID Number: ______________________________________ Contact Number: _________________________
Email Address: __________________________________________ Alternate Contact Number: __________________

TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT OF LITERATURE STUDIES LEARNING MODULE 1

Course Description:
This course allows pre-service English teachers to explore the nature of literature and the theoretical
bases, principles, and methods and strategies in teaching and assessing literature. It aims to provide them
with various strategies for pre-lesson, during lesson, and post-lesson which will develop their learners’
higher order thinking skills in the use of the English language and will respond to their various
backgrounds. Also, they are expected to design developmentally-sequenced lesson plans and provide a
range of assessment strategies to communicate learners’ needs, progress and achievement in literature.

“Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your
heart.” ― Roy T. Bennett

 Module Release: February 14, 2021

 Submission of Tasks and Assignments: via E-mail lavasharmaine@gmail.com
 FB Learning Group: Eng 28 – Teaching and Assessment of Literature Studies
 2

MODULE 1 CONTENT
OVERVIEW
In the first two weeks in this subject, you will study the Nature of Literature and an Overview in Teaching
Literature and what it involves. Also, you will encounter terms and definitions often used in a literature
class and other related English major subjects. These terms are useful to fully understand the whole
course.

Along with these concepts, you will encounter activities that will gauge and evaluate your learning and
comprehension regarding the subject matter. Materials for your references are also available and
attached in this module. For this week, you are expected to gear yourself with the basic understanding of
the course in preparation for a larger scope of commitment to learn Teaching and Assessment of
Literature Studies.

WEEK 1-2 [NATURE OF LITERATURE/OVERVIEW IN TEACHING LITERATURE] OBJECTIVES

By the end of this chapter/week, you will be able to:
1. explain the purposes and genres under the literature umbrella; and
2. recognize important concepts in teaching literature in English.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
This week, we will utilize blended learning method. Upon receiving this learning module, you shall be
guided with the lessons, discussions, and tasks need to be completed. The discussion part of this module
is for your independent reading. Make sure to read and understand the provided notes and feel free to
use books or online references provided therein if you can access online. Prepare your inquiries and
questions regarding the topics in our scheduled online class and consultation. Also, you can reach me out
for your clarifications through my email lavasharmaine@gmail.com, or you can reach me out via
messenger just in case we cannot meet in person.

DISCUSSION
NATURE OF LITERATURE
What you mean by literature?
Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative
works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic
excellence of their execution.

What makes good literature?

Great literature is based on ideas that are startling, unexpected, unusual, weighty or new. Great
literature makes us see or think things we never did before. The ideas underpinning the work challenge
our accustomed categories and ways of thinking, putting minds on edge. We may agree, and also we
disagree.
 3

How can literature be a significant human experience?

The human experience in literature contains themes about life and society that are relatable to
readers. Foregrounding distracts the reader and forces them to re-examine what they know about a topic
through unconventional language choices.

What is the significance of literature to our lives?

Literature allows a person to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones who
walked before us. We can gather a better understanding of culture and have a greater appreciation of
them. We learn through the ways history is recorded, in the forms of manuscripts and through speech
itself.

How does literature relate to our humanity?

Literature is the foundation of humanity’s cultures, beliefs, and traditions. It serves as a reflection
of reality, a product of art, and a window to an ideology. Everything that happens within a society can be
written, recorded in, and learned from a piece of literature. Without literature, life ceases to exist.

How is literature a reflection of life?

Literature is truly the reflection of life and human experiences. Literature can allow people to
relive their memories. It also allows the reader to share the same experience with the writer. Lastly,
literature allows the reader to learn through a person’s mistakes and wins.

What is literature reflection?

“Literature is the reflection of human experience.” This quote is true. The human experience or a
memory is different through everyone else’s eyes. First, literature allows writers or readers to look back
on their memories because they can relive the memory or experience through words.

What is literature quality?

Quality literature is what makes up text sets that support inquiry and theme/concept exploration
across the curriculum. These opportunities, which also provide learners with experience in choosing text,
support student goal setting and reflection and formative assessment.

What is the format of literature review?

A literature review follows an essay format (Introduction, Body, Conclusion), but if the literature
itself is the topic of the essay, your essay will need to consider the literature in terms of the key
topics/themes you are examining.

Teaching of Literature – An Overview

Values of Literature
What is value?
The phrase "values of literature" refers to those qualities of poems, stories, novels, etc. that
make them worthwhile to read. If we feel our time reading is well spent, we can say that a work has
value for us. If reading the work was a complete waste, then we might say it has no value for us. And
there is a spectrum between the two extremes. Of course, if you simply do not like reading, then you
really have no say in the matter.

What is there to value?

A work of literature can be valuable in several ways. Open your mind:
 4

Literature has… If reading it…

Entertainment value is an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Political value can change the way people live with and
influence each other.
Artistic value helps us contemplate the nature of beauty and
human creativity.
Cultural value sheds light on the place and time of the author of
the work.
Historical value helps one understand the past and how the
world has evolved.
Philosophical value explores human knowledge, how we know and
what we know.
Moral value teaches a lesson that will inspire the reader to
live a better life.
Ethical value helps us asks questions related to the standards
of a "good" life.

Entertainment value
Literature has entertainment value if reading it gives occasion to enjoy yourself. This type of
value is inherently subjective because not everyone will enjoy the same kinds of stories, styles, or
themes. Being entertained is important, but being bored does not give anyone license to reject a work
outright. I can put the book down and not read it anymore, but I should be careful not to assume that
my boredom is somehow a characteristic of the work I tried to read. Rather, I was bored, plain and
simple. Someone else might not be. At the same time, if a work is awesome to me, exciting, intriguing,
etc., I should not assume that my interest is somehow a characteristic of the work I enjoyed reading.
Rather, I was interested, plain and simple. Someone else might not be.

Political value
Literature has political value if reading it gives occasion to change how a person thinks or acts.
Politics is about the management and flow of power. And power, like electricity, flows from one end of a
circuit to another to make things happen. Reading a work can jolt someone into action. It can reveal an
injustice, outrage its readers, give voice to the oppressed, ridicule those who are corrupt, etc. The main
idea here is to think about what the work of literature is trying to do. It has political value if it attempts
to persuade people or the world to start acting and thinking in "this" way. We can see the political
leanings of a work without necessarily being persuaded ourselves. But most of the time, we will like a
work for its political leanings if we are in fact persuaded to align ourselves with the author.

Artistic value
Literature has artistic value if reading it gives occasion to contemplate the nature of beauty
and human creativity. There are many works of literature that experiment with the limits of language
and its expressive power. If I like how words can be manipulated to create beautiful works of art, then a
work that tries to use words that way in a new and unique way will have artistic value for me. I would
say that every work of literature that we read in this course has artistic value because they are all works
that have remained important over the years for the way they extended the power of language in a new
direction. If you don't like words, it will be difficult to see the artistic value of any poem or story. The
value will still be there even if you don't see it, however.
 5

Cultural value
Literature has cultural value if reading it gives occasion to think about the place and time of
the author at the time the work was written. Authors might seems like supernatural beings or at least
people who are way above us, transcending the world down here to live among the heavens with their
artistic visions, but they are actually regular people like the rest of us. They care about what is
happening in the world around them, and they have experiences in life that shape their attitudes toward
various issues. If their work addresses the attitudes, customs, and values of their time (or another time),
then the work has cultural value. The work becomes a window into a world that is unfamiliar, and we
are encouraged to compare cultural differences.

Historical value
Literature has historical value if reading it gives occasion to think about the past, how things
changes overtime, and how the world has evolved into what it is today. Historical value sometimes
overlaps with cultural value; if a work is really old, then it can give us insight into a culture so far back
that we can also think about how that culture might be a foundation for our own. The cliché about
history is true--the less we now about how things were, the more likely we are to relive them. Of course,
some things might be worth reliving, and we might regret some of the history we have left behind, but
other things we want to avoid repeating. Works of literature can help us learn about the past, process
the past, and use the past to our advantage. Sometimes the historical value of a work is that it shows us
what we have gained and what we have lost.

Philosophical value
Literature has philosophical value if reading it gives occasion to explore the nature of human
knowledge, how we know and what we can know. These questions are central to the production of art
because any artist must interact with the world in order to represent it, whether lyrically in a poem or
through storytelling in fiction; he must, to some extent, know the world. But it is hard to be certain
about what we know or even whether we can know anything at all. Some writers explore philosophical
issues pretty deeply because they are often a source of crisis that can create great drama and raise
intriguing questions. If a work invites us to think about perception, making sense of our place in the
world, or self-awareness, then we can say that it has philosophical value. In response to such works, we
tend to look inward and wonder, "who am I?"

Moral value
Literature has moral value if reading it gives occasion to learn a lesson. If a story or poem
TEACHES us how to live, or attempts to teach us, then it has a moral dimension. Is the work still valuable
if we do not like the lesson it teaches? Perhaps so. The best readers will see the moral value of a work
even if the morals it endorses are somehow distasteful to them. Moral value is a dangerous value to
measure. The history of censorship, for instance, is based on the idea that if a work teaches the "wrong"
thing, it should not be read at all. This idea goes all the way back to Plato, one of the earliest
philosophers to explore the moral dimension of stories and poetry. We have to be careful, I think, not to
hold moral value as the most important one. If we reduce a story or poem to a moral lesson, or require
that a story or poem BE a moral lesson that we can endorse, then we are USING literature to back up
our own beliefs. To avoid this mistake, we must learn to appreciate works of literature for its various
kinds of value. "To appreciate" means "to measure the value of something," and we need to try to find
value in a work if we are inclined to reject it simply because we think it teaches the wrong lesson. Here is
where ethical value comes into play.
 6

Ethical value
Literature has ethical value if reading it gives occasion to think about ethical questions. If a
story dramatizes conflicts and dilemmas, it is not necessarily teaching us how to live, but it encourages
us to contemplate the codes that the characters live by. If a poem has a speaker who promotes a
particular world view or seems conflicted about the world he lives in, the reader can try to look through
the eyes of that speaker and see what he or she sees. We may not agree with a speaker's or character's
morality, but seeing that morality in action can shed light on what it means or how it changes the world.
If we reflect on a moral code, instead of simply rejecting it or embracing it, then we are thinking
ethically, and literature that promotes such thinking is ethically valuable. Here are some important
ethical questions: What is the good life? What is the excellent life? Where do the definitions of good and
excellent come from? Why do different definitions come into conflict? On what basis do they
conflict? Remember: works that raise questions do not always answer them. To measure the ethical
value of a work of literature, we need to ask the following questions:
 Do the characters make choices in the work? What are those choices?
 Do the characters or speakers defend particular beliefs or points of view? What are they?
 What motivates those choices or beliefs or points of view in the work?
 Where does the confidence in that motivation come from in the work?
 Is there a crisis in that confidence in the work? Why?
 To what place do those choices or beliefs or points of view lead in the work?

Factors Affecting Interests in Literature

Why study literature?
 It helps to promote empathy to the child in developing great understanding of human condition.
 Get to travel to other realms and times through the texts they read and understand about their
own culture and others.
 Learn to empathize with characters to feel their joys and pains.
 Learn to consider multiple perspectives and understand the complexity of human nature.
 Develop a sense of individuality and creativity.
 Learn skills of persuasion as they need to convince others of their interpretations and this builds
their confidence.
 Develops students in enduring values such as integrity, compassion, loyalty and responsibility.
 It can introduce students to a range of aspects not also of the language but also of the culture.
 Learns the contexts and meanings of famous quotes and phrases.
 Provides an alternative to the pervasiveness of television culture with its immediacy and often its
shallowness.
 Students can learn not only language aspects such as vocabulary items but also that language can
be used for specific and aesthetic purposes.

Factors that Affect Interest in Literature

1. You need to learn how to read
2. Getting used to or becoming a habit of reading and wanting for more
3. It becomes part of communication for you and to the world.
4. You get to grow up with it or some grew only having literature from their childhood as their only
entertainment.
 7

Why are you NOT INTERESTED in literature?

1. “I don’t have time.”
2. Books are expensive.
3. I don’t know what to read.
4. Can’t I just watch the movie?
5. Reading is too hard.
6. I just never got into the habit.
7. Reading keeps me awake at night.
8. Vocabulary itself

Choosing Books and Reading Materials

Children who choose their own books have an early advantage. It helps them make independent
choices, develop literacy likes and dislikes and understand their own reading ability. Explore different
independent strategies for children on how to choose books to read.

Young children are repeatedly in a position where adults choose their books. Teachers and
parents pick books with the best intentions, usually for reading development, but not always to develop
a love of reading. We need to teach them how to choose books to read by themselves.

Children who have opportunities to choose their own books have an early advantage. It helps them:
 make independent choices
 develop literacy preferences
 understand their own reading ability
 choose books for specific needs

Training students on how to choose books to read independently, the sooner they will recognize
their reading preferences. As they get older, they will have strategies to determine the best material for
their own academic endeavors.

Children may pick books that are too hard or too easy but this is part of the process. They won’t
understand their own reading preferences and ability until they choose books that they can’t read or don’t
want to read. Very young children will not choose books to read independently but they can start the
process from an early age.

Children who read for pleasure are more likely to be successful in school. Part of developing this
success is giving them the skills on how to choose books to read independently. They are more likely to
want to read a book they have chosen rather than a teacher or parent.

Choosing a good book can be an overwhelming task for many children. As teachers, we can guide
them through the process. With a few effective strategies, it gets easier and becomes a habit for a lifetime.
So, how do we help children make appropriate, independent choices? Here are a few strategies to help.

1. STRATEGIES FOR H OW TO C HOOSE B OOKS TO R EAD

The first step is to find out what your students enjoy reading. Let them loose in your classroom or
school library to see what they choose for themselves. You may be surprised by the choices they make.

Have a quick chat to discover their thought process. You may find you have a class of fantasy
lovers or ones who enjoy nonfiction.
 8

 Did they pick the book from the cover

 Have they read it before?
 Did they pick up any book because they felt overwhelmed by the task?

Take note of any common preferences and interests to inform your read-aloud choices. Teachers
are influential in developing a love of reading in children. This means we need to promote their access to
a varied selection of reading materials. For example, graphic novels and magazines can have as much
impact on reading as traditional books.

2. USING THE F RONT C OVER AND THE B LURB

Do your students look at the front cover when making book choices?

Give them time to explore books in your classroom or school library. Ask them to choose a book
just from the front cover. What book covers interest them? Colourful, bold, realistic, fantasy, muted,
animals, people, etc.

Once the children have chosen a book by the cover, teach them about the benefits of a book
blurb. Even though the blurb on a picture book or an easy reader is small, there will be enough information
for them to make an initial decision. Does the book still interest them? If so, get them to explore random
pages to further gauge their interest.

3. EXPLORING THE INTERESTS OF YOUR S TUDENTS

Exploring books opens up discussions about a child’s interests. If a book doesn’t represent a child’s
preferred genre(s) they will be less inclined to choose it. They will be more motivated if the topic is
something they enjoy.

Ask your students questions for inspiration and help them narrow down their interests. Here are
a few examples:
 Do they like scary or funny books?
 Who is your favourite character or author?
 Do they enjoy fiction or nonfiction?
 What kind of movies and TV shows do you like to watch?
 What type of books don’t you like?

If you are lucky enough to have a school library – take advantage! Libraries are full of fiction books,
but they also carry nonfiction books for all ages. You will find books on every topic that a child gets
obsessed with, including dinosaurs, transport, animals, sports and natural disasters. Adding non-fiction
into the mix can be a game-changer for some struggling readers and make them more likely to pick up a
book for pleasure.

4. FIND A B OOK SERIES TO F OLLOW

Another great strategy is to find a book series students can get invested in. They will enjoy
following the same characters through different adventures and benefit from knowing the book is a good
fit.
 9

The problem arises when they finish the series and find it hard to move on. Do some research of
your own on different series so you have suggestions to offer. Some authors write more than one series
which will help children move from one series to another.

Being unable to move from one series to another is a phase for some children. A book series can
be like a comfort blanket, especially if they are struggling to integrate new reading strategies.

5. UNDERSTANDING READING LEVEL AND A BILITY

Part of the process involves helping children select a book that not only interests them but they
can read. This involves a lot of trial and error and is a crucial part of the process.

The 5 Finger Rule is one way for children to gauge whether a book is within their reading ability.
It is a versatile strategy and can be used with any reading material.

PROCESS: After choosing a book, students select a page at random and read it. When they come across a
word they don’t know or understand they raise a finger.
 If they have 4 or 5 fingers up the book will be too hard.
 If they have 0 or 1 finger up the book will be too easy.

6. HELPFUL Q UESTIONS ON H OW TO C HOOSE B OOKS TO R EAD

Ask your students the following questions to support them in making appropriate book choices.
Encourage them to verbalize and explain their choices.
1. What type of book are you looking for?
 Are you looking for fiction or nonfiction?
 Are you looking for something funny, scary, adventurous…?
2. Does the book cover spark interest?
3. Does the cover provide any clues to the theme of the book?
4. Does the blurb make you want to find out more about the book?
5. Does the topic or theme of the book interest you?
6. Is the book part of a series?
 Do you think you would want to read more about the characters?
7. Do you know the author?
 Have you read any of their other books?
8. Does the length of the book seem a good fit for you?

IN CONCLUSION ...
There are no rules on how to choose books to read, but these strategies help children make
appropriate choices. Each child is different so they can determine the best strategy to help them discover
the best book for their needs.

Reading should be fun otherwise what is the point. As children get older they will read for learning,
but we don’t want them to lose their love of learning in the meantime. That’s why we need to embed a
positive attitude while they are young.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but don’t push children to read what they are not ready for.
You are only reinforcing the message that reading is a chore. When children choose a book they don’t like,
 10

they can put it back and choose another one. The goal is for reading to be about pleasure not forced
enjoyment.

Reading should be fun otherwise what is the point! For children reading should be about
enjoyment and entertainment. As they get older they will read for learning, but we don’t want them to
lose their love of learning. That’s why we need to embed a positive attitude while they are young.

REFERENCES OF THE T OPIC /S

https://www.mvorganizing.org/how-can-literature-be-a-significant-human-experience/
http://english2112horton.blogspot.com/2010/08/values-of-literature.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2wry-M4B98
https://childrenslibrarylady.com/strategies-choose-books-independently/

TEST AND EVALUATION

TASK DIRECTIONS
1. Go over your module, read and understand so that you can answer the evaluation comprehensively.
2. You can search online for further readings through the links provided above but you are not allowed to
copy answers from Google.
3. Ask for clarification (that is, ask questions) if needed.
4. Please practice independent reading and independent learning in this new normal set up.
5. Most importantly, STAY SAFE always!
ANSWER THESE! 11

Direction: Copy the following questions and answer in 3-5 sentences only.
1. How does literature relate to humanity? How does it shape the perspectives of humans?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. How does literature become a reflection of life? Cite instances that apply to this idea.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. What is there to value literature?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4. Enumerate the factors both positive and negative that affect the interest in literature.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you think is the most important concept in teaching literature?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

DIRECTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF T ASK AND EVALUATION

[You can pass your evaluation task through online or in person. If you prefer online, kindly send it to my email
account, lavasharmaine@gmail.com, or you can submit in our FB Learning Group comment section.]
 12

RUBRIC FOR COMPREHENSION INVENTORY AND WRITTEN TASK

Numerical Letter Description

Value Value

1. The student includes meaningful, substantial, relevant, informative,

100-95 A+ and accurate contents.
2. She/he observes always the logic in paragraph development &
organization.
3. She/he observes always the appropriate transitional expressions &
words.
4. She/he applies always the rules of English grammar.

1. The student includes often meaningful, substantial, relevant,

informative, and accurate contents.
94-90 A- 2. She/he observes often the logic in paragraph development &
organization.
3. She/he observes often the appropriate transitional expressions &
words.
4. She/he applies often the rules of English grammar.

1. The student includes fairly meaningful, substantial, relevant,

informative, and accurate contents.
89-85 B+ 2. She/he observes fairly the logic in paragraph development &
organization.
3. She/he observes fairly the appropriate transitional expressions &
words.
4. She/he applies fairly the rules of English grammar.

1.The student includes seldom meaningful, substantial, relevant,

informative, and accurate contents.
84-80 B- 2. She/he observes seldom the logic in paragraph development &
organization.
3. She/he observes seldom the appropriate transitional expressions &
words.
4. She/he applies seldom the rules of English grammar.

1.The student includes poorly meaningful, substantial, relevant,

informative, and accurate contents.
79-75 C+ 2. She/he observes poorly the logic in paragraph development &
organization.
3. She/he observes poorly the appropriate transitional expressions &
words.
4. She/he applies poorly the rules of English grammar.

1. No attempt to respond to the written task.

74-65 C- 2. No effort can be gleaned from the student to meet the writing task.

END of Learning Module 1