Experiencing English Literature Class the Annie Way

We are profiling our dedicated community of teachers and their classrooms to give readers a glimpse into the lives of our international students on our global campuses. Next up in our series is the lovely and lively Ms. Mary (Annie) Wall from our Barstow Ningbo campus.

Extroverted, adorable, and a Chinese culture lover, Ms. Wall teaches 11^th grade English and 12^th grade College Writing, and her classes are always fun and full of creativity. If you are curious about how she teaches her classes, read on as we take you to her classroom to experience it. Today Ms. Wall has announced that class will be a review of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Class warm-up soon becomes a wonderful opportunity for self-reflection. To encourage thoughts, ideas, and text-to-self connections, Ms. Wall poses the following two questions to her students, and asks them to write out relevant ideas or give solutions, according to their own personal journeys.

Self-reflection questions for Ms. Wall’s students

During this opening segment of the class, Ms. Wall puts on some soothing English music – light and pleasant sounds to help students relax and think deeper and more seriously. One by one, Ms. Wall checks their notebooks and offers encouragement and advice as they write.

Ms. Wall helps students find writing examples in To Kill a Mockingbird

When everyone finishes, they share their thoughts and ideas in a group discussion. Because it is common for Ms. Wall’s class to be full of laughter, it is not surprising that one student takes the humorous route. She explains that her mom is addicted to chocolate. Her solution? To finish all her mom’s chocolate before her mom can eat it herself. Her answer is definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Ms. Wall’s student reading To Kill a Mockingbird

After this thoughtful warm-up exercise, the review session begins. To date, the students have completed 11 chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, and today’s review involves a breakout group project. Students divide up into groups of 2-3 people, and each group receives a piece of colored paper containing Chapter 11 summary paragraphs presented in a random order. Each group is tasked with cutting out paragraph pieces and pasting them onto another piece of paper in the correct order according to their understanding of this chapter.

Ms. Wall’s students working on their breakout group projects

Example of a student’s breakout group project

Of course Ms. Wall has selected new music for this phase of the class – livelier and more active tunes to keep the students engaged in the exercise. When finished, the students display their achievements on the blackboard in the back of the classroom.

Final display of all the breakout group projects by Ms. Wall’s English Literature students

Before joining Ms. Wall’s English class, her students thought chapter reviews were boring and lengthy. But they feel differently now. Who knew literature review class could include team projects and cheerful music? Ms. Wall says she uses five means to enrich her class and make it easier for students to master the knowledge:

Real-life Connections: Depending on the subject of the text, she encourages her students to write about what they see and know in their daily life, and to give their own opinions or solutions.

Plot Reenactment: By having classmates join together to act out scenes from the text, she strengthens their ability to listen, speak, read, and write all parts; through performing, the students not only experience the plot firsthand, but they have the opportunity to express themselves and increase their self-recognition.

Group Growth: Almost every class includes a group discussion period where students brainstorm ideas, share opinions, and seek common ground while reserving differences and respecting one other.

Essential Notetaking: In a Ms. Wall class, every student must maintain a notebook. Each page must include a title and a word, classified according to chapter content or word type, which can be memorized in the review.

Intentional Music: Soft music changes the mood of students and encourages them to write thoughtfully while more rhythmic and cheerful music encourages project work; in all cases playing English songs during the entire class only enhances students’ speech and language skills.

Often parents of our international students wonder what a real American classroom looks and feels like, and what kind of life experiences a more American style of education can bring to their children. We hope this offered a glimpse into an education model where our teachers pay special attention to the feelings of the students, and focus on cultivating the learning habits of each student independently. By using diverse methods to increase enthusiasm and learning, our teachers make the classroom learning environment more enjoyable and encourage all students to be the very best they can be!

Ms. Wall’s expectations for all her students

Want to join our inspiring community of educators teaching on our global campuses? Check out our KL career opportunities today!