Envisioning Literature

by Langer, Judith A.

• ISBN13: 9780807751299
• ISBN10: 0807751294
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-12-05
• Publisher: Teachers College Pr

Summary

This updated text argues that literature fosters ways of thinking that go far beyond understanding the conventions of genre and text. It involves literate thinking that takes students beyond improved performance on high-stakes tests and prepares them for their future in the 21st century. This revision of Judith Langer's classic bestseller builds on more than 15 years of research and development projects in elementary, middle, and high schools, in inner-city as well as suburban and rural communities. Filled with classroom examples from across the grades and the voices of students and teachers, this book continues to be a practical and influential resource for the English Language Arts classroom.

Author Biography

Judith A. Langer is and internationally known scholar in literacy learning and Distinguished Professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She is the author of Getting to Excellent: How to Create Better Schools.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Literary Thought and Literate Mind	p. 1
Why Teach Literature?	p. 2
The Literate Mind	p. 2
A Classroom Example	p. 3
Literature in Life	p. 5
Literature in Schools	p. 6
What Is Literary Understanding?	p. 6
Building Envisionments	p. 10
Interacting with Texts	p. 11
Stances During Envisionment Building	p. 16
A Classroom Example	p. 22
The Nature of Literary Experience	p. 26
Orientations Toward Meaning	p. 26
Some Classroom Examples	p. 35
Life and Thought	p. 39
Shifting Orientations in Literature	p. 41
The Classroom as a Social Setting for Envisionment Building	p. 48
What Literary Discussions Look Like	p. 50
Two Classroom Experiences	p. 55
The Creation of Communities	p. 63
A Practical Pedagogy	p. 66
Principles of Practice	p. 67
A Class in Action	p. 72
The Envisionment-Building Classroom	p. 87
Strategies for Teaching	p. 89
Collaborative Support in School	p. 91
Examples of Collaborative Support Across the Grades	p. 94
Teaching Options: The Lesson as Activity	p. 99
Does Anything Go?	p. 106
Ongoing Assessment: Evolving Goals	p. 107
Literature for Students the System Has Failed	p. 112
The Reading Room	p. 113
A 9th-Grade English Class: Students with Special Needs	p. 118
Lovell Middle School: A Poor Urban Community	p. 121
Junior High 306: Bilingual and ESL Classes	p. 125
Building Envisionments	p. 131
Learning Literary Concepts and Vocabulary	p. 132
Literary Knowledge in the Envisionment-Building Classroom	p. 132
Teachable Moments	p. 135
Literature Across the Curriculum	p. 144
Introducing Literary Thinking in Subject-Area Classrooms	p. 145
Integrating Literature Across the Curriculum: A Team Approach	p. 150
Literature and Writing	p. 152
Closing Thoughts: Literature in School and Life	p. 155
Afterword: Teachers' Reflections	p. 159
References	p. 167
Index	p. 173
About the Author	p. 180
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