IMP+Proposal


 * IMP Proposal (revised copy) **

** Overview: ** According to the National Council of the Teachers of English, "(1) The study of literature must. . . move from 'a closed conversation to an active dialogue.' Students must be encouraged not only to respond personally but to discern authorial intent or cultural bias and be equipped to resist manipulation, to take responsibility for their own 'meaning making.' (2) Furthermore, . . .teachers can no longer be priests and priestesses exhorting their congregations to venerate the canon of classical works. English classrooms must become sites for the critical examination of all sorts of texts, including newspapers, movies, and television programs" ("From Closed Conversation to Active Dialogue" 73). By teaching students to examine literature through a critical lens, teachers will enable students to take control of their own learning. College students increasingly find themselves unprepared for the level of literary analysis they encounter in the university classroom: "In the past decade or so, critical theory has played an increasingly important role in professional conversations between college and literature professors and has become more visible in college literature classrooms as part of what it means to study literature" (Appleman 5). Richland School District II requires all high school English classes to write four predetermined essays and two choice essays per grade level. Two of these predetermined essays--the critical lens paper and critical stance paper—seem to be particularly troublesome for both the teacher and the student. These essays require students to examine literature through a critical theory lens. This instructional multi-media project will teach learners to analyze literary texts through a variety of critical lenses such as the reader response lens, the historical lens, the feminist lens, the Marxist lens, the psychoanalytic lens, the archetypal lens and the deconstruction lens. Many of the teachers in the district have communicated a desire to learn more about theory in order to be able to teach it more effectively.

** Goals and Objectives: ** Upon completion of the project modules, students will be able to  · Understand the workings of ideology.  · Think critically about the world around them.  · Explore contemporary literary theory.  · Evaluate literary and nonliterary texts using specific critical lenses.  · Write a critical lens essay

In line with South Carolina's English/ Language Arts standards, students will be able to:  · Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make inferences (E3-1.1).  · Evaluate the impact of point of view on literary texts (E3-1.2).  · Evaluate devices of figurative language figurative language (E3-1.3).  · Evaluate the relationship among character, plot, and theme in a given literary text (E3-1.4).  · Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and allusion) on the meaning of literary texts (E3-1.5).  · Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods such as written works, oral presentations, media productions, and the visual and performing arts. (E3-1.6) Teachers will be able to Use the instruction as a resource for their students and for their lesson planning. Understand the rationale behind teaching the critical lens essay

** Instructional Content: ** The instructional multimedia project will begin with modules that will introduce multiple perspectives with images and video. Students will then begin to work with more complex texts as they move from fairy tales to poetry to short stories and finally to novels. The final project will involve a more complex analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald's __The Great Gatsby__. In order to engage learners in meaningful experiences, the modules will require student dialogue and project-based learning. The modules will be hosted within a wiki so that students may join the discussion, interact with the learning materials, and upload content. Student dialogue will be take place on the class Ning. Modules may be used individually to learn each theory or they may be used in a specific order to build toward a final critical stance essay. Modules will begin with the theory and definitions of each type criticism and then learners will apply their knowledge by analyzing images, video, and finally literature in practical applications. Each lesson will be used as a framework for classroom teaching. In other words, instruction is not meant to be stand-alone but should be used it conjunction with classroom discussion and teacher guidance. Formative evaluations will be embedded in the wiki through simple Google form quizzes. Students will show their mastery of the application of criticism through a final essay in which they will choose one type of critical lens to critique The Great Gatsby. This essay will involve a multi-step approach in which students self-critique their writing. A teacher resource page will provide educators with a list of objectives and resources for use with planning. Teachers may use the unit plan in their own classrooms.

** Target audience: ** The target audience for this project will be 11th and 12th grade college-prep and honors level students. Teachers may also use the modules as a means of reviewing literary theory and as a means of gathering lesson materials. "High school literature teachers often feel distant and detached from recent developments in literary theory" (Appleman 4). Although geared toward students, the IMP will also provide a quick resource for high school teachers.

** Resources: ** Appleman, Deborah. __Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents Second Edition__. New York: Teachers College Press 2009.

Bretz, Mary Lee, and Margaret Persin. "The Application of Critical Theory to Literature at the Introductory Level: A Working Model for Teacher Preparation."__Modern Language Journal__ 71.2 (1987): 165-70. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. []

"From Closed Conversation to Active Dialogue: Recent Books of Critical Theory." __The English Journal__ 81. 7 (Nov., 1992): 73-76 []

Harris, Violet J. "Applying Critical Theories to Children's Literature." __Theory into Practice__ 38.3 (1999): 147-54. ERIC. EBSCO. Web [] :search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ594242&site=ehost-live

"Literary Criticism." 42explore: Thematic Pathfinders for All Ages. Web. < [] >.

Moran, Charles, Elizabeth F. Penfield, and Urbana, IL. National Council of Teachers of English. __Conversations: Contemporary Critical Theory and the Teaching of Literature.__ 1990 []

Slevin, James F., Art Young, and Urbana, IL. National Council of Teachers of English. __Critical Theory and the Teaching of Literature: Politics, Curriculum, and Pedagogy.__ 1996. ERIC. EBSCO. Web [] : search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED390060&site=ehost-live

Sullivan, Patrick. "'Reception Moments,' Modern Literary Theory, and the Teaching of Literature." __Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy__ 45.1 (2002): 568-577. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. [] ://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2002700847&site=ehost-live

"Teaching Literature." Web. . < [] >.