Strategy for learning to read English texts of pupils of specialist humanities high school in Ukraine

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Strategy for learning to read English texts of pupils of specialist humanities high school in Ukraine

Анотація

У статті розкрито стратегії навчання читання англомовних художніх текстів учнів старшої школи гуманітарного профілю. Проаналізовані різні види літературних елементів і засобів художньої мови, доцільність їх застосування на заняттях з учнями.

Ключові слова: англомовний художній текст, засоби художньої мови, літературні елементи, учні старшої школи гуманітарного профілю;

Аннотация

В статье рассмотрены стратегии обучения чтению англоязычных художественных текстов учащихся старшей школы гуманитарного профиля. Проанализированы разные виды литературных элементов и средств художественной речи, целесообразность их использования на занятиях с учащимися.

Ключевые слова: англоязычный художественный текст, литературные элементы, средства художественной речи, учащиеся старшей школы гуманитарного профиля.

Annotation

language text literary figurative

The article is devoted to learning to read the English texts by the pupils of specialist humanities high school in Ukraine. It gives general notions about the steps of analysis of the literary text and the terms the pupils acquire while doing it.

Key words: reading the English texts, fiction, literary elements, figurative language

The main text

The famous psychologist L.Vygotsky gave the following description of the process of reading: “Reading is the complex process in which directly involved in higher mental functions of the mind”[ 1, 209].

In S.Folomkina reading is also defined “as a process aimed at extracting the information contained in the recorded speech text”[ 3, 64].

Reading is useful and it is a good thing for language of the pupils of specialist humanities high school in Ukraine.

Reading texts provide opportunities to study language in different types of reading, glossary, grammar, to analyze the literary elements and figurative language, to train summarizing.

Reading the English fiction outlines the steps of the literary elements and lists references to supplementary materials which can be used by the Ukrainian pupils of specialist humanities high school.

Home reading as one of the aspects of foreign language teaching has attracted the attention of several researches (S.Folomkina, M. Vaysburd, I.Ginniatulin, I.Galperin, N. Geraskevich, A. Domashniev, I.Zimnyaya, E.Ignatieva, S.Kirsanova, Kruglyashova, E.Maslyko, T.Muhaieva, G.Rogova, N.Selivanova etc.)

Currently home reading requires new thinking, and its implementation as a substantial component of training needs to develop a number of provisions relating to its organization and methodological support that determines the relevance of the article.

The purpose of the article is to help the pupils build interest in the English fiction and draw upon the pupils of specialist humanities high school prior knowledge to improve their understanding of the reading. The pupils see immediately how the skills they have developed can be applied to the kind of reading they enjoy.

In other words the ukrainian pupils of specialist humanities high secondary school study to read and analyze the English fiction beginning with the title page and ending with the figurative language.

The aim of this article is also to help the pupils with the figurative language they meet while reading the English fiction and this issue needs to be dealt with because the figurative language is used to create a more vivid or fanciful effect, as in simile, metaphor, personification., idiom, imagery, synonyms, antonyms, etc. [4, 758].

Turner's research indicates, however, that the pupils have difficulty in understanding figurative language in reading fiction [4, 758-759].

He points out three problems:

1. Understanding figurative language requires thinking that is more complex than what is required for literal comprehension. Meaning in figurative language is hidden and unexpected. The literal meaning of words in such passages is often contrary to the author's intended meaning.

2.Students are inexperienced with abstractions. They may not understand the meanings of all the figurative expressions they hear or use in oral communication. Students use figures of speech because they like the sound of them. They may be imitating peers, older students, adults, or television.

3.The figures of speech encountered in reading are usually not the same ones used in oral communication.

The first step is to develop the pupils' awareness that they use such language themselves. According to Turner (1976), instruction must then proceed from oral language and language experience to practice with reading and writing figurative language.

Although it may be helpful, the pupils don't need memorize the names and meanings of each type of figure of speech or literary element. It is important that they understand what figurative language or literary element does to the meaning of the fiction.

Reading provides one of the first good steps into literary elements and figurative language.

Reading the English fiction is the important thing because such texts are original ones. The pupils of specialist humanities high school concentrate on the details of what they are reading.

Study skills are started with parts of a book: title page, copyright page, index, table of Reading the English fiction may be a priority. And training the ukrainian pupils to read is to make them see that the way they read is vitally important.

contents, preface, glossary, word referents, apposition, base word.

Before reading a book or a text are explained the pupils that the title page is always the first page of a book. The titles of the stories and pages on which each story begins are shown on the contents page.

The title page tells the title of the book, the name of the person or persons who wrote the book, what company published the book, and where the company is.

The copyright page tells the year in which a book was published. It is at the front of a book, right after the title page.

The title page includes the following information:

• the title of the book

• the name of the author or writer

• the name of the company that publishes the book

• the city in which the company is located

After these definitions are given to the pupils, their comprehension is checked by the following questions:

1. What is the title of the book?

2. What is the book's author?

3. What is the name of the company?

4. Where is the company located?

5. When was the book published?

Then the pupils look at the contents page.

The table of contents is a list of the chapters, articles, or stories in a book. Again the students are asked a set of questions:

1. How many stories (chapters) are listed in this book?

2. Who wrote the first (second) story?

3. On which page does the first (second) story begin?

4. Which story begins on page 10, 24 or 45?

Having finished the introducing the contents page, pupils' attention is drawn to the glossary or specialized vocabulary. It's easier to work with the glossary (specialized vocabulary) because it contains fewer words and only those that are important for understanding a book or a text. It may include only the definition of a given word as it is used in the book, rather than all definitions of the word.

Some books have a preface. The preface comes at the beginning of the book and is an introduction to the book. It explains the purpose of the book and gives the students an idea of the kind of information they will find while reading.

An index lists topics discussed in a book and tells the pages on which these topics are discussed. The topics are arranged in alphabetical order in an index. An index is at the back of the book.

Pronouns such as she, he, they, it and the words here and there are used to refer to people, places, or things named earlier in a sentence or a paragraph. Pronouns usually appear close to the words they refer to. It is important to read carefully in order to identify the correct word or words referred to by a pronoun.

Often an unfamiliar word is explained or defined by a word or a group of words that come immediately after it. This is called apposition. Words in apposition are usually set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.

A base word is a word to which other word parts can be added. An ending is a word part that is added to the end of a base word.

The main idea

What is the topic? is the central thought of a paragraph or a longer passage. Recognizing the main idea of paragraphs will help the reader concentrate on the most important information, organize the important information and remember better what have been read.

It is necessary to review the main idea with the pupils of specialist humanities high school. Supporting details explain or give more information about the main idea. If the main idea is stated in the text, it is usually done in the first or last sentence. But it may not always be stated directly.-When the main idea is implied, important details can be used to determine it. Pupils read the text and answer the questions:

1. What is the topic about?

2. What is the most important information about the topic?

3. Who is the main character in the story? Etc.

Reading the text the pupils copy phrases from the paragraph that contain details related to the main idea. They use this information to formulate the main idea sentence.

1. What is an implied main idea? (a main idea is not directly stated)

2. What strategy can you use to determine an implied main idea?

3. What details in the text do support the main idea?

There are many elements that comprise a story: plot, setting, mood, theme, narrative point of view, sequence of events etc.

By reading a story carefully the ukrainian pupils can identify the plot, theme and characters. They are explained that being able to identify the plot, theme, and characters will help them understand and enjoy a story.

First the label Elements of a Story is written on the blackboard. Under the elements, are meant the words: characters, plot, and theme.

There are different aspects to a plot:

1. Conflict is a point at which the characters are introduced and the problem is described.

2. Rising action is a part of the story in which the problem becomes more complicated.

3. Climax is a high point of the action or a point at which the conflict must be resolved or when the character takes action to resolve the conflict.

4. Resolution is a point at which the conflict is resolved.

5. Conclusion is an end of the story. Resolution and conclusion may occur at the same time, or there may be some events following the resolution that conclude the story.

The theme of the story is the underlying message or point the author is making. It is usually unstated, but may be revealed through a main character's conflict and in what the character realizes or learns.

The setting of a story is the time and place in which the story occurs. Sometimes an author will tell us exactly where and when a story takes place. But many times the pupils must look for clues to help us understand the story setting.

1. Where does the story take place?

2. What clues tell you this?

The mood of the story is the feeling the author is trying to convey in a story or the atmosphere the author is trying to create. The mood may be set by the way the stage is lit and the characters' reaction to the setting. For a reader the mood would be conveyed by the stage directions, the dialogue, and character descriptions.

There are different kinds of mood:

* a sad mood

Becky's lip trembled and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

* a playful mood

After telling a ghost story, Granny winked at me and said, "Boo!"

* a fearful mood

Dan cautiously backed out of the yard as the growling watchdog crept toward him.

* an angry mood

Liz stamped out of the room and slammed the door.

* a happy mood

Marti jumped up and down gleefully when she won the _ first prize in the contest.

Besides there are many other words that characterize the mood. The mood can be anxious, scary, exciting, unhappy, worried, lonely, warm, dangerous, cheerful, tense, ironic, etc.

Sequence of events is the order in which things happen. Sometimes in stories events are mostly described in the exact order in which they occurred. At other times an event that took place earlier is described with the events that are taking place in the present time of the story. When this happens the students must look for clues that show the order of events.

The wrong order The right order

*She typed her report (7)

* Mr.X. gave the assignment (1)

* She went to the library (3)

* She chose a topic (2)

* She wrote her report (5)

* She organized her notes (4)

* She edited her report (6)

Pupils of specialist humanities high school should list the events in the order by the numbers in parentheses.

Every story is told from a specific point of view. The identity of the narrator, or storyteller, determines the narrative point of view.

In a story told from the first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story. By using the first person, an author can clearly present the thoughts and feelings of one character, the narrator. The pupils of specialist humanities high school learn directly how the narrator feels about the other characters and about what happens in the story. Authors often tell a story from the point of view of one of the characters by using the words me, we, and us as they relate the events.

The first-person narration can make a story very real.

A story may be related in the third-person from the point of view of a character in the story, using the words he, she, it, they and them. In this case, as in the first-person narration, the student's understanding of the characters is limited to what the narrator understands to be true.

Third-Person Omniscient:

The story is related by an all-knowing narrator. The narrator knows everything about every character's thought, motives and actions. The omniscient point of view provides the most information about all of the characters in a story. Characterization:

Major characters are the most important characters in a story. What a character says and does or how the author describes a character can help the students determine what the character is like. Minor characters can play an important role in their effect on the major characters and what happens in the story.

1. Who is the major character in this story?

2. What kind of character is he / she ?

3. How would you describe his / her character in the story?

A context clue is a word or group of words near an unknown word. Context clues can come in the same sentence as the unknown word, or they can come in the sentence before or after the unknown word.

Author's purpose, types of literature.

An author's purpose is the reason or reasons an author has for writing a story or an article. Authors write a selection to inform, to entertain, to teach, or to persuade readers. According to these purposes the following kinds of stories can be defined:

1. A realistic fiction story is a story that seems as if it could happen in real life.

2. A tall tale is a story that is full of funny exaggerations.

3. A myth is a story that comes from ancient times.

4. An informational article is nonfiction and gives facts or tells about real people.

The skill of summarizing is important when the high grade pupils want to tell someone about a story they have read. But knowing how to summarize can also help them remember the important parts of a story. A good summary does not include every detail in the story. It should only include the important information. It should identity the characters, the major problem, and the important events that lead to solving the problem [2, 233].

Reading a literary text, the pupils of specialist humanities high school are introduced to different means of the figurative language: synonyms, antonyms, simile, metaphor, idiom, imagery, personification etc. [ 5, 778-783].

Synonyms are words that have the same or almost the same meaning. Antonyms are words with the opposite meanings.

Simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the the words like or as.

* In winter, the forest is like a fairy tale world.

* He was so nervous that he shook like a tree in the wind.

Metaphor is an implied comparison of two unlike things

* A mountain of paperwork sat on his desk. He was a fish in the water!

Idiom is a phrase that has a special meaning different from the usual meaning of the words in the phrase.

* He makes lots of money but puts them into holes.

Imagery is the use of the particular words that appeal to the senses, including touch, taste, sight and hearing.

* The fresh bread melted in my mouth.

Personification is giving human characteristics to animals, objects, or ideas.

* Geese gossiped with one another as they flew.

* The corridor shook with heavy footsteps.

Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration of some quantity or quality.

* I would give the whole world to look at him again.

Irony is the use of words or situations to contrast what is expected with what is meant or occurs. Bitter, socially or politically aimed irony is called sarcasm.

* Helen smiled the sweet smile of a hyena.

After having read and prepared the literary text analysis the pupils of specialist humanities high school discuss it and write a test, a letter, or a composition. They should write a clear beginning that shows there is a clear understanding of the topic. Pupils need to use the specific details to show what is meant. The conclusion should show that their thoughts were developed in the topic.

Theoretical significance of the article is the importance of justification aspect of home reading for learning a foreign language of the pupils of specialist humanities high school, as well as in the development of instructional strategies work with an English fiction.

Practical significance of this article consists in that the proposed methodology of the home reading is to make the process of learning a foreign language more efficiently and contributes to the formation of pupils' of specialist humanities high school in communication competence and some of its components.

Future prospects of this research is to develop a model of learning to read English texts of the pupils of specialist humanities high school in Ukraine.

References

1. Выготский Л.С. Мышление и речь. История развития высших психических функций / Л.С.Выготский // Серия «Антология гуманной педагогики». М., 1996, - С. 209;

2. Володина Н.Н. Интерпретация художественного текста как средство совершенствования иноязычной речи на старших курсах языкового вуза: Дис. канд.пед.наук: 13.00.02. / Н.Н.Володина. Горно-Алтайск, 2002. С. 233.

3. Фоломкина С.К. Методика обучения чтению на иностранном языке в средней школе / С.К.Фоломкина: Автореф.дисс.кандлед.наук: 13.00.02. М.,1974. С. 64.

4. Turner T. N. Figurative Language: Deceitful Mirage of Sparkling Oasis for Reading // Language Arts. 1976. P. 758-761.

5. Layton J. R. Hyperbole, Metaphor, and Simile- Words not to be taken literally - Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral // Language Arts. 1979. P. 778-783.

Размещено на Allbest.ru