Using the Syllabus as a Teaching Strategy
Submitted by Jean Trounstine (profile)

Strategy: Close Reading

Our syllabi demonstrate the kinds of texts we use and show suggested time periods for CLTL classes and our expectations; they can also include clues as to how we might get started with our students.

I always begin with the same poem at the top of my syllabus. I use this poem, which seems simple at first read, but is much more complex upon the second and third reading, to take the women through a close reading during the first class and help them understand what is expected. The question I ask, after I give a brief introduction of the program and we all introduce ourselves, is "What do you need to know in order to understand this poem by Barbara Helfgott Hyett from In Evidence?

At the University Theatre in Harvard Square,
I went to see The True Glory and I was still in uniform.
When they showed the films of Dachau,
the woman who sat beside me said, "That's a lie."
I was rugged in those days. I just couldn't take it.
I said, 'Lady I've been there. I still smell the stench.'
And I said it loud and all the people heard."

The poem prompts students to read and re-read, to mention things they want to understand, such as Dauchau, Harvard Square, or The True Glory, pictures they have in their heads of black and white documentary footage of bodies, words that need interpretation such as "rugged." They have to think about the meaning of words as they tussle with who the speaker is and why he (or she, they question at first) is still in uniform. They come up with images of the theatre where this scene takes place and the woman who says, "That's a lie." We help them put meaning around their images through our questions and coaxing.

As we work on this poem together, we also begin, as a group, to deepen our reactions to the speaker: the man's voice (I do not tell them until the end of our discussion) is, in fact, the voice of a soldier who liberated the camps during the Holocaust. As each participant adds something to the discussion, we also learn that we are smarter together than alone and that our individual sense of the world is enriched by others' perspectives. The poem is read a second time after the discussion and everyone always remarks how much more she now understands.

After that discussion, students remark that they feel more confident. This hands-on demonstration also shows them they can be successful with text.

The group proceeds through the syllabus, as I read aloud. The rest of my comments to the students are spelled out below:

This is a poem, indeed a powerful poem that asks us to respond. It is a piece of literature and one that raises questions. It expects us to know about the Holocaust and to be aware of Dachau. Perhaps it leaves us glad that the poem exists, that someone speaks the truth.

In Changing Lives Through Literature, we will be discussing many pieces of literature that ask you to respond, to think, to question and to feel. You are expected to engage yourselves in the texts and to be prepared to offer up what you see in the readings. Reading closely is the first step. As you progress, you will become involved with the characters and have strong opinions about the books. They may disturb you or make you laugh. But all in all, literature is a way for us to examine our own lives and to feel less alone in our journey.

After going through these more philosophical understandings about the course, the actual requirements are clearly stated so that no one can miss his or her responsibilities. It is important to take students step by step up to this point so there is more willingness and less fear when they arrive at what they are required to do. Because the tone is warm and accepting, it is easier to move into the more demanding aspects of their participation:

"You are required to attend all 7 sessions and the graduation session, to read all the materials, and to contribute to the class conversations. You must call your PO if there is a problem and make up work missed. Missing a class may cause you to be dropped from the program."

I always allow the demands to settle in gently. We all know that yes, there is something required, more responsibility to all this than some may have bargained for, and for others, they realize this is where they will have to push themselves. Attendance. Showing Up. Being Present. But now they see why: they recognize that something will actually happen to them in this class.

I see heads nodding when I turn to ask them if they have trouble when they first begin a book. We all share tips, suggestions, and reveal our own ways of getting into texts. And for this, I tell them, the next part of the syllabus can help them along.

"Read a little each night so you finish the book in your two weeks. Books are handed out in class and are yours to keep. I recommend that you make notes on the book before coming to class each time. These notes should include, in particular, your observations about the characters. What kind of people are they? Why do they do what they do? Do they change during the story?"

After we go through this together, I go over the particular texts with each class - in a general way - reminding them that we are in a college and that this is a college reading list, and they like that; it makes them feel special and proud, right away. For example, our fourteen weeks may look like this:

SYLLABUS (Readings due on the date listed)

Tuesday September 26:
Joyce Carol Oates: Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?

Tuesday, October 10:
Sandra Cisneros: House on Mango Street

Tuesday, October 24:
Anne Tyler: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

Tuesday, November 7:
Harper Lee: To Kill A Mockingbird

Tuesday, November 21:
Toni Morrison The Bluest Eye (for an alternate lesson plan, see The Bluest Eye II)

Tuesday, December 5:
Barbara Kingsolver: The Bean Trees

Tuesday, December 19: Zora Neale Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Graduation at the Lynn court to be announced. Transportation will be provided from Lowell.

Once we go through the Syllabus, there is a notable relaxation in the class. It's as if they have been shaken loose. My next move is to read a story aloud to them, and, inevitably, because I've paved the way for their comfort, conversation erupts in the best sense of the word.