“INTO,” “THROUGH,” AND “BEYOND”  STRATEGIES

                  Although most of us have used most of these techniques at one time or another, we are very grateful to the participants of the California Literature Project  (1985) for their work in renewing interest in techniques and strategies for teaching literature and for their constant affirmation of the works of literature at the heart of the experience.  If you wish further exploration of this area, order a copy of the invaluable Literature for All Students: A Sourcebook for all Teachers , Office of Academic Institutional Programs, University of California, Los Angeles (1985).

·       Read aloud a portion of the work.  Relish its language with the class.

·       Use good filmstrips, films, or recordings to arouse students’ interests.

·       Bring in outside lecturers to fill in special background.

·       Get students to relate to their own feelings about situations similar to those in the work they will read.

·       If the work is very extensive or very difficult, provide study guides, plot summaries, and overviews.

·       Study vocabulary in context.  Make a list of key words; then have students look for context clues before they begin to read the work.

·       Provide different types of background information:  appropriate biographical information, historical information, factual information.

·       Explore the depth of a few crucial quotations to make sure that students see the implications.

·       Convert a dramatic scene of a novel into a short dramatic piece.

·       Create a courtroom-style debate on an issue raised in the work.

·       Have students assume the personae of characters in the work for either a written or an oral report.

·       Have students make predictions about the characters’ sequence of actions.

·       Have students make a visualization: collage, map, chart, timeline, etc.

·       Use parallel readings between genres to illustrate common concepts and themes.

·       Create games or shows based on literary works. (Steve Allen’s television production, Meeting of the Minds, is an excellent prototype.

·       Write a screenplay/videoplay and produce it.

·       Create interviews of personae from the work.

·       Reproduce as written articles for video.