1	"We Real Cool" We Real Cool: Interpreting and Integrating Poetry in Advanced Listening and Speaking Course using Multimedia and Online Technology Paper Presentation Aiden Yeh May 01, 2004 National Kaohsiung Normal University TELL Conference
2	Background What is Literature? A broad subject that covers poems, stories, plays, and anything that is considered to have value as art Provides cultural images Pitfalls Literary activity promoted language acquisition but the poetic concepts and cultural assumptions are sometimes too difficult for EFL students (Finch, 2003) Students are overwhelmed with technical jargons and linguistic expressions
3	Points to ponder Will it ever be possible for EFL students to: Look at poetry with interest Without the fear of getting lost in translation With a simple appreciation of the texts and an interpretation that requires an understanding of their true selves? Points to consider How poetry is taught in the EFL classroom Teacher’s attitude towards poetry
4	What is Poetry? Poetry or poem is a kind of writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arrange to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound and rhythm (Merriam-Webster)
5	Why use literature? Literature is authentic material- source of unmodified language It encourages interaction- texts are rich in multiple layers of meaning It expands language awareness- asking students to examine sophisticated or non-standard examples of language (Widdowson, 1975) Literature educates the whole person (develop attitudes towards them) It is motivating
6	How to teach it? 3 Models Cultural Model Language Model Personal Growth Model (Carter and Long, 1991 and Lazar, 1993)
7	Cultural Model Source of information about the target culture traditional approach Examines the social, political and historical background Tends to be quite teacher-centered
8	Language Model Aims to be more learner-centered Ss pay attention to the way language is used Ss understand the meaning of the text Increase their general awareness of English Teacher can focus on grammar, vocabulary and/or stylistic analysis
9	Personal Growth Model Process-based approach Tries to be more learner-centered Encourages learners to draw on their own opinions, feelings and experiences Aims for interaction between the text and the reader in English Recognizes the immense power that literature can move people
10	The Class
11	Written by Gwendolyn Brooks, published 1960 from The Bean Eaters We Real Cool: The Pool Players. Seven at the Golden Shovel We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin Gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.
12	The Author
13	Teaching poetry in the classroom Stage one: Warmer Running Dictation Paste 5 copies of the poem, “We Real Cool” on the wall down the hallway. Make sure the distance between the classroom and where the sheets are placed isn’t too near nor too far. Students form in groups of 4-5. Each group must assign a member who will be responsible for writing [what’s being dictated]. The other 3-4 members will take turns in running/walking down the hallway to read a passage or two. Students need to memorize as much words or lines as possible. They will return to the classroom and will dictate what they have remembered. The writer jots everything down. They should write exactly the way the poem was written. The first group to submit the finished poem wins.
14	Stage Two: Before Reading This stage could be optional, or it may be a part of the warmer. Preparing to read activities include: Pre-teaching very difficult words (note: pre-teaching vocabulary should be approached with caution. Predicting. Give students some words from the extract and ask them to predict what happens next. Giving students a taste. Read the first bit of the extract (with their books closed, or papers turned over) at normal speed, even quickly.
15	Stage Three: Understanding the text, general comprehension Read the whole thing to the students so that they can get more of a feel for the text. With very evocative pieces of literature or poetry this can be quite powerful. Then let students read it to themselves. One of the aims of teaching literature is to evoke interest and pleasure from the language. Once students have read it once, you can set comprehension questions or ask them to explain the significance of certain key words of the text.
16	Stage Four: Understanding the language See how many of the unfamiliar words students can get from context. You could also look at certain elements of style that the author has used. If appropriate to the text, look at the connotation of words which the author has chosen.
17	Using Multimedia Projected powerpoint slides About the author About the poem Text and message Comprehension Reflection
18	Using Video and Online Technology To understand various interpretations of ‘We Real Cool’ A video by white American student, John Ulrich, from Boston
19	Stage Five: A task-based activity Interpreting from the Heart Students choose a poem that they would like to interpret. They will read the poem before and after they give an explanation why they chose the poem and how it (or the words/ideas/content) relate to them as a person. Stating "I chose this poem because I like the author and I like the poem." is not enough. Going down to a personal level and expressing their thoughts and opinions, and sharing with others their experiences are the most important criteria in this project. Students who will be writing and presenting their own written poems will get additional marks for effort and creativity. Given as an assignment. Ss also had to submit a CD version of their audio recording Presentation materials used: powerpoint, web pages, audio recording Marks were based on an oral presentation rubric which included criteria for writing, content, analysis of the poem and amount of time and effort spent on their material.
20	Students’ Presentation
21	Questionnaire 1. In what ways do you think this activity proved to be beneficial to your thinking, listening and speaking (and writing) skills? 2. Did the pre-student presentation activities (running dictation and lecture on 'We Real Cool') help you in preparing and doing this project on your own? In what ways did they help? 3. Did you find any difficulty in choosing/writing (a) poem/s? If yes, what did you find most difficult, and why? 4. Were you able to search for data and information relevant to your presentation on the internet? What other resources did you use aside from the Internet? 5. In preparing for your oral presentation material, did you encounter any difficulties? If yes, please state what is/are the difficulty/ies you encountered and how did you manage to overcome it/them? 6. Do you feel that you did your best in this activity? Why, why not? 7. How do you feel about using poetry in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom? Do you think that EFL learners can learn something from poems? 8. Last but not least, will you recommend this activity to other students? Why, why not? 9. Please feel free to add any comments or suggestions regarding this activity.
22	Rubric
23	Conclusion Poetry can be used as a topic of discussion and task-based activities can be explored this activity can increase the students’ level of poetic awareness and at the same time boost their motivation towards the use and learning of the English language. The application of multimedia and online video tools provided Ss resources. the integration of poetry, if delivered effectively, can hone the students’ thinking, reading, listening, writing, speaking and analytical skills. In great presentations it is not only the amount of hard work that students put in that matters but how far their imagination can go. Gwendolyn Brooks once said, “If you let your imagination go you’ll see we’re in for some very lively poetry.”
24	Food for Thought Poetry is food for the soul; when we find a connection to the words, to the rhythm, and its whole content, and be able to relate to it or vice versa, our sense of being, our emotions and our feelings towards everything around us, that is when we have truly understood the very essence of what poetry truly is all about. [Aiden Yeh, 2003]