9 September 2010

In Focus: English Language Literature

A literature quiz for school years 8-10 at grammar schools in Saxony

The state ministry of culture for the federal state of Saxony and the Stiftung Lesen (Reading Foundation) invite teachers from grammar schools in Saxony to venture on an exciting excursion. Teachers can explore the world of modern English language child and youth literature with their school classes (levels 8 and 9) and win great prizes in the literature quiz.

Harry Potter has proven that children love reading novels – even in the language they were originally written in, as long as the plot keeps them interested. And good foreign language literature leads to an enhanced vocabulary, as well as improving the “language instinct”. This does not focus on learning grammar or vocabulary, but on the suspense of the plot and the story.

Three suspenseful novels, ‘There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom’, ‘Floodland’ and ‘The Beach’ are highlighted in the instruction material for the literature quiz. Worksheets and quiz questions motivate the students to deal with the plots and characters of the novels.

This project is run by Stiftung Lesen (Germany)