Siti A - to feel or not to feel? to care or not to care? ahah!

Okay so it's Friday .. I'm in the library ... *constantly smacking myself on the head to try to stay awake* trying to finish all the assignments by today so that I can enjoy watching LIVE performances of my No.1 passion tomorrow in KL. =p

So .. here's the 3 sites!

(1) http://wordswithoutborders.org/ - The online magazine for International Literature

4/5

I thought it would be useful to expose the students different types of writing from all around the world. There's even a graphic lit section which could be used for your lit lessons.

(2) http://www.short-stories.co.uk/ - Short Stories

4/5

Short stories organized into different genres and age ratings! A LOT of stories that can be used for lit lessons!

(3) http://www.poetryarchive.org - Poetry Archive

4/5

Poetry readings by the poet themselves! I found that students actually enjoy listening to the poets reading their own poems and they try to imitate them. Well anyway, lots of resources for poetry lessons!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, most of you would have already known CRAZY Siti's TOP 5 passions by now ...

Well, LIT is a serious business .. so here's SERIOUS SITI's TOP 5 passions! =p

(1) WRITING (about things I can relate to/have experienced)

(2) Family

(3) Friends

(4) Having the PASSION for something - it doesn't matter if it's a fleeting passion

(5) EMPATHY - putting myself in other people's shoes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here goes the rambling of lesson ideas ...

Writing is MY passion - I used to write in a diary and I would only let a few friends read it because I have a hard time expressing myself. I just can't say what I meant to say. I'm not a good writer but writing is how I let out my thoughts ... on to paper ..

The main problem, to me, in LIT classes is that students are unable to relate to a text that was selected for them. They are unable to identify with the characters or the feelings felt by the characters in a book/poem/drama. How do you instill EMPATHY in students when it's not in them in the first place ?!?!!?!

Anyway .... 'I don't really care' ... (Caleb's & HuaQi's 'conversation' totally messed up my mind.)

OKKKAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ONWARDS WITH THE TASK!

My class is 'simple' haha ... I want students to WRITE .. about their feelings.

As Davina mentioned today (18 March 2011 - Lit Class @ The Canteen) - *quote* students want their voices to be heard *end quote*.

My thinking is that if I focus on their feelings, on what they feel, on what they actually KNOW how to feel, I could link it to the lit text that I'll be teaching them .. eventually ...

It'll be like freedom writers meet crazy teacher who'll try to squeeze the feelings out of them!

I'm not really sure how I'll go about doing it. I'm thinking

(1) I choose a theme

(2) The students write anything they want in a notebook (a page)

(3) I'll read them .. select a few ... weekly .. gallery walk ... discuss .. sort of what Dennis mentioned about the 'LOVE' theme with the JC1 students

But I want the themes to be like ... 'FAMILY' ... 'FRIENDS' ... 'FOOTBALL' ... 'DANCE'.

Key questions: How do you feel about these things? Do you like it? Why? Do you hate it? Why? Why does it make you feel happy? What aspects of it would make you happy?

I want the students to have an idea of 'feelings' in relation to everything .. something that the students would get used to - writing, caring and having feelings .... about something.

So that *ultimately* I HOPE that when I introduce literature texts to them, they would have more 'feelings' about it! More adjectives at least - to describe the text. haha ...

Well, I don't really know if it'll work ..

-ideas & thoughts still in progress- will be back when my thoughts are more coherent - probably post super junior!

Siti A =))