English Literature

For us Chinese students, even though Mandarin is our mother tongue, it is not easy to accomplish something in literature. Not to mention the fact that we are not native English speakers, it is difficult and challenging to reach the level of "literature" above the basic standards. In addition to the literature pieces from the textbook, students need to read more spontaneously, which may help them feel more passionate about reading.

The GCSE literature class is a first language class which focuses on the study of literary works from the Anglo-world. Students learn how to study and analyse poems, novels, and plays. The course is demanding in terms of English proficiency. Classroom activities focus on all key language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

The aims of the course include (but are not limited to): 

● Understanding and responding to literary texts in different forms and from different periods and cultures

● Experiencing literature's contribution to aesthetic, imaginative and intellectual growth.

● Exploring the contribution of literature to an understanding of areas of human concern.   

Additionally, through the study of seminal literary works, the course aims to foster in the students a love of reading and to expand their knowledge of English language literature.

Research has shown that reading fiction has the proven capacity to make readers more open-minded, empathetic, and compassionate. These are invaluable attributes not only for forming well-rounded adults, but also for developing the necessary cultural and intellectual awareness for studying in a foreign environment. The study of this course expands the students' understanding of western history and culture, which in turn aids their future studies abroad.  

This year, students have read literary works from authors and poets as varied as Margaret Atwood, Wilfred Owen, and Alfred Tennyson. The authors on the reading list originate from English speaking countries all around the globe, from Singapore to the UK to Canada. Over the coming year, students will continue to study historic works from authors including Shakespeare and HG Wells.

This activity is usually called a gallery walk. Students are initially asked to create a mind map in which they put their ideas about a particular subject on paper.

On this occasion, students were assigned different characters from our class novel and asked to find and analyze at least three quotations in the text that link to those characters. Students were instructed that the quotations should be revealing of the characters in the story and link with the overall themes of the novel.