Selecting and Evaluating Materials in Literary Text

A.
Selecting texts
Since
reading
literature
must
be
interesting for the students, Teacher should

analyze which material that appropriate
with
the
students.
There
are
three
Indicators to consider text or material in

teaching learning activity;
1.the
2.the
type of course you are teaching,

type of students who are doing
the course, and
1. Type of course
Level
of students:
Students' reasons for learning English:
Kind of English required on the course: (e.g. English
for Academic Purposes, English for Business,
General English, etc.)
How intensive is the course? (e.g. five hours a day
for three months four hours a week for a year,
etc.)
Is there a syllabus?
1. Is it flexible?
2. Is literature included?
Can you include literary texts on this course?
Why/Why not?
What kinds of texts will be most suitable? Extracts
from novels? Poems? A full-length play? Why?
2. Type of students
Age
of students:
Interests/hobbies of students:
Cultural or ethnic
background/nationality of
students:
Students' previous experience of
reading literary texts:
Criteria for selecting

texts based on the type
of course and students
THE STUDENTS' CULTURAL BACKGROUND
When considering this factor, think about how far the students' cultural
background and their social and political expectations will help or
hinder their understanding of a text.
THE STUDENTS' LINGUISTIC PROFICIENCY
Are students sufficiently familiar with the usual norms of language use
to recognise when these are subverted?
How much of the language in the text will students be able to infer?
Will students find it useful and enjoyable to study the text, or will they
feel demotivated by the difficulties of the language?
THE STUDENTS' LITERARY BACKGROUND
This is concerned about their linguistic competence
3. Other factors to
consider when selecting
literary texts
AVAILABILITY OF TEXTS
1. What kinds of books and texts are available from
which you can choose?
2. How easily can you make these texts available
to your students?
LENGTH OF TEXT
1. Do you have enough time available to work on
the text in class?
2. How much time do students have to work on the
text at home?
3. Could you use only part of a text, or an abridged
version of it? If so, how much background
information will you need to give students to
make the text intelligible?
Other factors to consider

when selecting literary
texts
EXPLOITABILITY
1. What kinds of tasks and activities can you devise to
exploit the text?
2. Are there resources available to help you exploit the text,
for example a film of a particular novel the students are
studying, recordings of a play or poem, library materials
giving information about the life of an author, etc.?
FIT WITH SYLLABUS
1. How do the texts link with the rest of the syllabus?
Thematically? In terms of vocabulary, grammar or
discourse?
2. Can you devise tasks and activities for exploiting the text
which link with the methodology you have used
elsewhere in the syllabus? This often helps to put
students at their ease. For example, if your students are
used to using Multiple Choice or True/False questions
when doing reading comprehension, then you could use
similar tasks when exploiting a literary text.
B. Evaluating learning
materials
When teachers select literary
materials according to the criteria of
literary text choice, they have to
evaluate and classify these materials
according to types of students, and the
relevance of these materials, depending
on the general needs and objectives of
the course. In this case, teacher should
make evaluation sheet of every material
that
will
be
conducted.
Lazar
distinguishes two kinds of evaluation
sheets, the Quick evaluation and
detailed evaluation
Quick Evaluation Sheet

Title of Book (Material)
Author (s)
:
/
Publisher /year:
/
Level/Class
:
e.g.:
Aim(s) to Use the Book
Types of Text :
e.g.:
2nd Year
:
Extracts,
Poems
Skills and Language :
Reading a Poem
Strengths / Weaknesses
:
e.g. : Short
Poems
Ambiguous
Suitability:
:
Suitable
Reasons :
-Language
Detailed Evaluation Sheet
Titleof theBook/ Material / Author/ Publisher

Layout:Attractive / Interesting / Illustrations / Visuals
Aims and Organization
Aims of Material
Approaches to be Enhanced
Book organization: Themes, Periods, Genres
Use of all or Part of Material
MaterialsandActivities
Kind of textused: Poems, Short Stories .
Relevance ofTexts
Availability of: Tasks/ Activities /
Vocabulary/Exercises
-Availability of Historical / Literary Background
Accessibility of the Material
Adaptation of Material
Accompanying Resources
Guidance to use the Materials
Availability ofRecorded Material
Possibility of Using the Book by StudentsWorking
on Their Own
Suitability for class
Will be Used with Students
CONCLUSION
As the English teachers, we have an
important role in teaching literature. What
we have to do is :
1.We should determine the objective of
teaching literature based on the students
need or expectation.
2.The teachers should select the materials
relevant to the aim and the objective of
our teaching.
3.The teachers should evaluate materials
before giving to the students.

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A.

interesting for the students, Teacher should

Indicators to consider text or material in

type of course you are teaching,

the course, and

Criteria for selecting

THE STUDENTS' LINGUISTIC PROFICIENCY

feel demotivated by the difficulties of the language?

THE STUDENTS' LITERARY BACKGROUND

This is concerned about their linguistic competence

Other factors to consider

Quick Evaluation Sheet

Detailed Evaluation Sheet

Titleof theBook/ Material / Author/ Publisher

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