working with literature in class
Class 10b, March 2000: Time to work on a book instead of the text-book. Loads of suggestions from the teacher's side. Reluctant reactions like "Sounds boring to me", "I know the film", "I hate science fiction", "Utopian topics are of no interest to me", etc.
Teacher resigns for a while, looks for further titles in various catalogues. Easter break.
After some more discussions a final remark from the teacher: "I'll try to find a book which none of us knows and we'll just read it. It's either a good one or we're all disappointed, as easy as that!"
Yes, a very didactical approach indeed!
More catalogues and brochures, no, sounds like boring stuff, well, no, not really, what's that?
- "Trumpet Voluntary von Jeremy Harmer. Eine Musikerin verschwindet und lässt nur eine geheimnisvolle E-mail Nachricht zurück. Ihr Mann macht sich auf die Suche nach ihr. Für ihn wird es eine Reise in die eigene Vergangenheit und in die Abgründe des menschlichen Herzens. Thriller."
- Klett Verlag, 112 Seiten (3-12-574603), 12,60 DM
Was it the key-word "E-mail" or "Thriller"? Anyway, sounds good. Books are ordered and handed out to the 10th graders. We are reading this book, folks!
Working with literature in class
Normal procedure. "For the next lesson read the next chapter, please" (there are 11). The 10th graders work with an individually designed reader's diary. What has to be written down by everyone are at least 10 new words from each chapter and notes on contents (summary-like), characters, development, etc.)
The pupils like reading this book, two have already finished the whole book while the others just have read the second chapter. Vocab work, characters, summary - that's what we do in class.
The E-Mail (simulation) project: start
In the book Derek checks Malgosia's email and finds this one (p. 11):
"Malgosia, where are you? I'll try and ring you, but in case I can't get through... Things are getting a bit difficult. Get here quick, otherwise I'll be in trouble.
- You'll love Rio. I promise.
- Tibor"
There must have been numerous phone calls, secret meetings, and eventually emails before, as the reader gets to know that three years after Malgosia's marriage with Derek there was the first contact with her former lover.
And suddenly the teacher hands out the screen-shot of an email from Tibor Arkadi, Malgosia's former lover in London times <tibor_arkadi@yahoo.co.uk> asking the pupils to read it carefully and to prepare answers to it in pairs, following the logic of the story they know so far.
That's not so easy, especially as Malgoisa was betrayed by Tibor three years ago (he slept with her sister) and can't be too happy to get an email from him after this time (as a married woman now). The pupils are astonished: Is that a really existing email address? Yes it is, thanks to http://www.yahoo.co.uk . And of course to http://www.scotland.com . As the reader already knows that Malgosia quite often spent more or less mysterious & secret weekends in Scotland, there seems to be something special about Scotland, so why not having an email-account with scotland dot com? Here it is: <malgosia.armstrong@scotland.com >
BTW: Yes, the teachers has created these email-addresses, no prob to do this, free of charge, real digital persons in a really digital world, or: Now the fictitious main characters of "Trumpet Voluntary" have got real email-addresses (and even more than two, but that's part of the second phase of the project).
Homework: Write Malgosia's answer. Those who have got access to E-Mail, please email your answer to Tibor's email address (sure, the teacher knows the password to log on ;-).
The E-Mail simulation project: phase two
And of course the pupils wrote answers to Tibor, some not at all following the logic of the story, some a bit indecent, some did it very well, two examples (slightly corrected) of Malgosia's email triggered off the following developments (not planned by the teacher beforehand, really, I didn't want to realize another Internet project, honestly!)
As the pupils were so motivated with this creative approach, I wrote another email, no sorry, tibor_arkadi@yahoo.co.uk wrote an answer to malgosia.armstrong@scotland.com and the teacher hesitated to print it out and give it to the pupils as a mere handout. Print copy of an email? Senseless. Here we go: Friday, 6th period: Class divided into two groups, each group into a different computer room. One group = Arkadi, the other one = Malgosia. Task: Check email, answer, check email, answer, 45 minutes time, let the emails flow....... And that's what they did, here is the stream of messages.
Yes, they developed the secret love-story a bit further, suggesting meeting places (different ones, depending on who worked together with whom in front of the computer). And so they ended up with six possibilities where the two lovers (?) could meet:
And thus six groups worked on: Writing emails to develop the love affair, searching for some information on possible hotels where to meet, touristic information and so on.
Yes, I created some more email-addresses, this time 12: Six for Tibor, six for Malgosia so that each group now had two email-addresses for their characters, following this logic:
malgosia.leith@scotland.com tibor_leith@yahoo.co.uk
malgosia.glasgow@scotland.com tibor_glasgow@yahoo.co.uk
etc.
The E-Mail simulation project: phase three
Exchanging mails and searching web-pages about the secret localities and a possible hotel were done at the same time but I thought there was too much writing about love and no real thrill. Meanwhile we knew the end of the book and had written a test about it. Finishing round: I sent another "special" email from Tibor, but this time from http://br.yahoo.com/ as he wanted Malgosia to do something for him and to come to Rio. A slight problem was the Portuguese language to register Tibor there, but knowing one email-yahoo seems to qualify even for a registration procedure in Portuguese!
This letter intended to force Malgosia to act, although under false conditions as Tibor lied to her (This, unfiortunately, makes only sense to those who know the book). A web-page gave loads of explanations and the six groups had to work out Malgosia's next move.
Unfortunately I had to use a really existing University Marine Biological Station on the Scottish coast for Tibor's mean game: he calls it a secret laboratory for chemical agents). Sorry folks in Scotland, I know that Tibor lied.....
Knowing the surprising end of the book gave the pupils an idea for their reactions and then the groups could finish their works until Malgosia flew to Brazil, as we know from her final diary notes (of course not in the book, though, but one task in the test) - and of course from reading the book.
What was left was putting all the web-pages together, which was done by the groups according to their favourite design and individual abilities to work with Frontpage. Luckily Nigel, webmaster of our school's homepage, did most of the technical necessities (thanks, Nigel), the result is this little project!
BTW: Unfortunately the summer holidays brought this project to a real final end. Otherwise there would have been the possibility of inventing new story-lines (and some more email-addresses): Malgosia's sad sister is living in Warsaw and could play an important role, the private detective in Brazil (and the teacher of EFL in Rio who only shows up very briefly, and....., OK, yes, summer break, what a pity!).
- July 14th, 2000
[back]
© Class 10b Gymnasium Ulricianum Aurich - June 2000
