As a middle school and high school student, I hated reading. I did not understand that I had to find a “deeper meaning” to what I was reading. This made me dread reading and essay writing. I would read the assigned books but did not know how to approach the writing. I would feel discouraged and it made me question my own writing skills. Looking back at my own experience, I now question what would be a great and entertaining way to approach literary assignments for my future students.
In teaching literature to these grade levels, I believe that it is important to begin with an explanation of what these “deeper meanings” are so the students can approach their reading, understanding, and writing with confidence. Deeper meanings could be factors such as "appearances versus reality" and "the power of wealth and social stratification" as mentioned in the video. Having this knowledge prior to reading enables one to know what types of factors to pay attention to as they read along.
I chose this particular video because it is a quick Absorb Activity for students, meaning that they can just listen and watch. Horton (2012) explains that through the use of Absorb Activities, the students are “actively perceiving, consolidating, and judging the information” (p. 67). This video is a great resource before tackling novels such as Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, or To Kill a Mockingbird. Knowing how to understand deeper meanings of literature beforehand will greatly prepare students not only in their readings but also in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As mentioned above, this video and similar videos could be used in e-learning courses as introductions to orient the learner and preparing them for the next task or assignment.
References:
Horton, W. K. (2012). E-learning by design (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
(2013, May 31). Retrieved January 27, 2019, from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mining-literature-for-deeper-meanings-amy-e-harter
