[etni] literature and four pointers

From: "R. Borenstein" <rachcb1@xxxxxxxxx>
To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 09:42:21 +0200
Good morning,
Just finished reading my morning Etni digest and the latest literature
discussion. I spent the first semester preparing my 5 pointers for the
literature exam in 12th grade and my 4 point 11th graders for Module C.
 Post winter bagrut,  I've moved on - 12th grade is preparing for G and my
11th graders are back to literature.
For my 12th graders, I refer to HOTS to find the skills they can use to
understand the text. I'm not a HOTS fan, but for 5 pointers, I can use them
to my advantage.
BUT, teaching my 4 pointers Thank You Ma'm and Lemon Brown is not going to
help these EFL students down the line. The stories are interesting, there's
a lot to analyze, they love listening to me doing the accents, yet, my
students don't understand the dialect, which has to be "translated" into
day-to-day English.  It's takes an inordinate amount of time and I have so
many other skills I could teach with that same time. We will not switch to
the log to choose other pieces, and I won't discuss how much time I spent
with them in 10th grade teaching The Split Cherry Tree, only to have it
removed.  Poems like Count That Day Lost are much better for them - short,
with clear ideas, straightforward English that can easily demonstrate cause
and effect, compare and contrast, etc.
An additional problem is for the students who are bordering on 3 points and
my Ethiopian students who have been in the country for under 4 years who
can't understand the same HOTS in Hebrew literature. I've written to Judy
to ask that someone take them into consideration. Had the old D still been
an option, they would have a greater chance of getting through 4 points.
The literature program has put up a huge barrier for many students which
will have a long term effect on their higher education and being accepted
to academic institutions. I'd rather they learn how to handle a new text
and learn how to do simple writing, which they'll use in the real world. If
they want to study Robert Frost and Langston Hughes and the Harlem
Renaissance in the future, let them do it of their own free will.
Rachelle


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[etni] literature and four pointers

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