The Teaching of English Literary Works in High Schools in China

冯笑?朱娅妮

【Abstract】 English literary works， especially British and American literary works， are important materials for English learners to study authentic English and western culture. However， English literary works are not widely taught in high schools in China. In this paper， questionnaire survey is adopted to study high school students attitudes towards English literary works first. Then， based on teaching practices in Nanjing No.9 High School， this paper demonstrates how English literary works should be taught in class.

【Key words】English literary works; English learner; high schools in China

【作者簡介】冯笑（1999-），女，江苏扬州人，南京师范大学，本科生，在读;朱娅妮（1997-），女，安徽宣城人，南京师范大学，本科生，在读。

1. Teaching status of English literary works in high schools in China

Under the huge pressure from the university entrance examination， the course of British and American literature is often not offered at high schools in China. Though students have been learning English for many years， they know little about western countries and their culture.

We conducted a questionnaire survey on 90 students from Nanjing No.9 High School. The result is listed in the following table：

As is shown in the table， English literary works are rarely taught in class （18%） while most students wish to learn English literature in class （80%）. English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School （2017） issued by the Ministry of Education of China stipulates that cultural awareness is one of the four core competences of English. British and American literature exactly serves this purpose by exposing students to authentic English and introducing western culture to them.

2. Ways to teach English literary works in class

2.1 Choosing appropriate materials

Teachers can choose excerpts from classic novels， plays or poems in British and American literature. Firstly， the teaching materials should be based on students English level. Secondly， given the limited time in class， teachers should select a proper length. Thirdly， the selected materials should have a certain purpose or meaning and reflect a certain aspect of the western society and culture.

2.2 Designing activities

A detailed lesson plan is required before each class， which consists of pre-reading， reading and post-reading.

In pre-reading， teachers can introduce relevant background information on the author， history， language styles， and stylistic knowledge. This helps improve students cultural awareness.

In reading， students should be given enough time to read materials by themselves. They can appreciate the authentic English or analyze the text from their own point of view. Teachers should not assign tasks at this stage. Otherwise， the pleasure of reading will be deprived.

In post-reading， various follow-up activities are designed according to the genre and content of reading materials. In the case of a poem， students can read it aloud or try to write a poem of their own. In the end， teachers can ask some comprehension questions and organize group discussions for students.

3. Conclusion

This paper shows that most students in Nanjing No.9 High School have a keen interest in learning English literary works in class. Teachers can choose appropriate reading materials and design various in-class activities. The teaching of English literary works should be promoted in more high schools in China in the future.

References：

[1]郝萌.英美文學作品阅读在高中英语阅读教学中的应用研究[D].山东师范大学，2019.