Literature Out Loud

Language Arts

“My mind is bigger.” ~ student from Chalco, Mexico

The Literature Out Loud (LOL) Workshop is designed after the Paper Picker Press (PPP), developed by Cultural Agents Initiative at Harvard University (www.culturalagents.org). It aims to foster students’ love of reading and infuse them with a better understanding and enjoyment of the English language through high quality literature. In addition, the program strives to awaken their capacity to interpret text and to enable them to connect literature with their own life experiences and the world around them.

During the workshops students learn to see reading and writing as two parts of the same process, and have the opportunity to speak and “publish” their own writings for their classmates to view and discuss.

Learning Objectives

• Engage with English literature through artistic activities
• Read, re-write and respond to English literature texts in new ways
• Foster one’s self-motivation and love of reading through play
• Illuminate English language structures, grammar and vocabulary
• Enhance one’s creativity and critical thinking skills

Activities

• Book-making
• Reading aloud
• Questioning the text
• Re-writing and re-thinking stories
• Writing musical scores
• Drawing character portraits
• Group art and idea exchanges
• Forum Theatre

Learning Outcomes

• Strengthened imagination for creatively engaging with literary texts
• Greater knowledge of various art forms and their uses in interpreting literature
• Increased enjoyment of reading and understanding English language texts
• Capacity to understand the relevancy of literature in one’s own life
• Enhanced English speaking fluency and increased vocabulary

What Students Get

• Self-made (hand-made) book/journal
• List of reading activities and future strategies for reading
• List of recommended literature (novels, short stories, poetry, songs)

Workshop Details