LITERATURE COMPONENT FOR FORM

4
Short Story

The Fruitcake Special By Frank Brennan (Form 4 Short Story)

REMIE LEE REN-YI

M2009200823

CONTENT
(1) The Author , Frank Brennan
(2) Title, The Fruitcake Special
(3) Introducing the Short Story’s Elements
(4) Lesson Plans’ Storyboard and Work Sheet
(5) Reflection
(6) Discourse Analysis
(7) Glossary
(8) Galleria
(9) Reference

THE AUTHOR: Frank Brennan

• Frank Brennan hails from the North West

of England and is a graduate of the
University of Wales.
• He has published original short
stories and plays and written
literature guide books for
secondary students.
• Currently, he is working on a new
collection of short stories.
TITLE: THE FRUITCAKE SPECIAL

• The fruitcake plays an important

role in the story
• This story revolves around this
special fruitcake and how in an
instant it can change :

-The lives of people

-Their emotion
-Their reaction to others

Introducing the Short Story’s Elements

(A) Setting
(B) Literary Devices
(C) Moral Values
The fruitcake plays an important role in the story
This story revolves around this special fruitcake and how in an instant it can
change :
-The lives of people
-Their emotion
-Their reaction to others

SETTING
Amos Cosmetic factory in New Jersey, USA
• Anna works in Amos Cosmetics Factory, USA. She is a chemist and
she designs perfume for the company

French restaurant
• It is an expensive place for food and drinks. David Amos brought her
here for their dinner date. Both David and the waiter try to win Anna’s
love and fight over her.

Home
• Lives with her mother who is worried she is still single.

Aunt Mimi’s apartment

• Aunt Mimi lives in a nice little apartment on the other side of town. She
wants to help Anna find a suitable husband.
Literary Devices in the Story

Point of View
- This story is written from the first person point of view. The narrator is also
the main character. The pronoun “I” is used. We see the events from Anna’s
perspective. We can experience her thoughts and feelings.

Tone
-The story is narrated in a humorous way.

Diction (the choice of words used in the story)

-Lighthearted/ humorous - …he smiled until I thought his face would break
into two

-Casual – use of slang e.g. momma, guy

-Use of clichés (overused expressions) e.g. I’m crazy about you; You are so
beautiful

-Simple vocabulary; short dialogues; lots of exclamation marks (!); unfinished

sentences (…); use of italics (darling) to show emphasis and unexpected
surprise

-American slang– boss

Simile
The story has several interesting and funny similes e.g. He looked like a dog
who had just found a bone; mouths wide open like a couple of fish, etc.

Stereotypes
– e.g. pretty young models; rich and handsome employer;
Slapstick comedy
e.g. ridiculous behavior of singing waiter; silly fights

Imagery
The fruitcake ingredient makes the sophisticated perfume smell like a glorious
mix of all natural, delicious, inviting and warm smells (like fresh bread and
flowers and sunshine all mixed together).

Moral Values

Here are some moral values:

(1) We must not be blinded by physical attraction

(2) Appreciate ourselves for what we are
(3) Do not be deceived by flattery intention
(4) We must be able to differentiate between physical attraction/sincere love
(5) We should respect the opinion of our elders
(6) Hard work is the key to success
(7) We must not compromise on our dignity
LESSON 1

It’s All in the Title

Aim
To make predictions on the setting based on its title

Time
30 minutes

Steps
(1) Distribute one worksheet L(1) to each student. Before students begin
reading the story; ask them to complete questions 1 & 2. Ask students
to predict what the story is about based on the title.
(2) After reading the story, ask students to complete questions 3 & 4.
(3) Discuss students’ predictions. Ask students to brainstorm on the
suitability of the setting.
(4) Finally, have students suggest a new title for the story and justify their
choice.

Notes
Bring a real fruitcake to arouse students’ interest.
This activity is also suitable for groups.

LESSON 1 WORK SHEET L(1)

Think about the title of the story “The Fruitcake Special” and complete
the table below.

BEFORE READING THE STORY:

(1) Based on the title, what do you think this story might be about?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

(2) Based on the title, what types of characters do you expect to be in the
story?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

AFTER READING THE STORY:

(3) Do you think the setting is suitable? Give reasons for your answer.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

(4) If you could change the setting of the story, what would it be? Why?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

LESSON 2
Introducing the Setting

Aim
To analyze the setting of the story

Time
30 minutes

Steps
(1) Distribute one worksheet L(2) to each student.

(2) Students sit in groups and discuss the setting of the story.

(3) Students fill in the worksheet L(2) with notes on the relevant aspects of
setting.
(4) Discuss students’ predictions and come to a common conclusion.

Notes
Teacher can pre teach the four elements in the worksheet.

LESSON 2 WORK SHEET L(2)

Discuss the following elements based on the story you have read. Complete
the spaces provided with details from the story.

LESSON 3

Meeting New Meaning of Literary Devices

Aim

To find what exactly the literary devices in this short story are and provide
evidences

Time
40 minutes

Steps
(1) (1)Distribute one worksheet L(3) to each student.

(2)Ask each student to identify 3 literary devices in this short story and then
find the meaning of it using dictionary.
(3) Get students into groups to compile their literary devices and meanings.
Ask students to provide evidences for every literary devices found.

Notes
Bring dictionaries to arouse students’ interest. Get the students into groups to
look for evidences of the literary devices

LESSON 3 WORK SHEET L(3)

In the space provided below, identify the literary devices in the short
story and then write down the meaning found from the dictionary and
evidences

Literary Devices Meaning and Evidences

LESSON 4

Making Prediction of Literary Devices through Pictures

Aim
To make prediction about the literary devices involved by looking at the
pictures from the short story.

Time
40 minutes

Steps
(1) Provide one worksheet L(4) for each student.

(2) In pairs, ask them to discuss what they think the story’ s literary devices
is about based on the pictures.
(3) Ask students to list out the predicted literary devices based on each
picture.
(4) Read the story together in class and see if your predictions are right

Notes
Call good readers to take turns to read the story.

LESSON 4 WORK SHEET L(4)

The pictures below are taken from the short story, “The Fruitcake
Special”. Based on the picture, what do you think the story’s literary
devices are about? Are your predictions correct?
LESSON 5

Who Am I?

Aim
To select the most suitable meaning for each literary element in a short story

Time
50 minutes

Steps
(1) Distribute one worksheet L(5) to each student. Ask each student to
match the description to the correct literary element and fill in the third
column with the correct number.
(2) Get students to exchange their worksheets and correct answers based
on the answer key.
(3) Get students into groups to suggest examples of each literary element
based on the story where relevant e.g. similes -.mouths wide open like
a couple of fish.
(4) Finally, get groups to present their examples.

Notes
Teacher can assist by giving the first example for each element first.
LESSON 5 WORK SHEET
L(5)

Match the description in the first column to the correct literary element
in the second column. Write the correct number in the third column.
LESSON 6

Moral Value Search

Aim
To identify two moral values and give evidence from the story to support the
answer.

Time
50 minutes

Steps
(1) Distribute one worksheet L(6) to each student pair.

(2) Ask each pair to identify two moral values and provide supporting
evidence from the story.
(3) Get pairs to get into groups to compile their work on mahjong paper.

(4) Get groups to present their work. Provide feedback.

Notes
Some other moral values may be added depending on students’ suggestions.
LESSON 6 WORK SHEET L(6)

In the space provided below, suggest two moral values you have learnt
from “The Fruitcake Special”. Give evidence from the story to support
your answer
LESSON 7

The Secret Recipe

Aim
To encourage creativity in students.

Time
1 hour

Steps

(1) Distribute worksheet L(7) to all students. Get students to discuss in

groups the secret recipe of our life based on the short story’s moral
values.
(2) Get students to recap the story and ponder what the special ingredient
are then jot and draw on mahjong paper
(3) Let groups to compile their creative work on mahjong paper. Get
groups to present their work. Provide feedback.

Notes
Allow for student creativity.
LESSON 7 WORK SHEET L(7)

Think and draw creatively of some special ingredient that are suppose
to be in LIFE based on the short story.

The Secret Recipe of LIFE

The Secret Recipe of LIFE

(This is an just an example. Students may do it creatively)
Reflection

Lesson carried out: Lesson 7

Lesson and recording was carried out : 29th September 2010 (Wednesday)
Venue: Multi Media Room1, S.M SAN MIN (SUWA), Teluk Intan, Perak
Target Students: Senior 1P (Equivalent to Form 4)

This reflection involves more than just describing what I do or what I

have done. As individuals cum teachers, each with our own background and
experience, we bring certain beliefs, assumptions, knowledge, attitudes and
values to teaching. My reflection in this lesson carried out means exploring
the implications of all these complex factors with the intention of
understanding and improving our practice, methods and approaches in
teaching the literature component.

In a sense from my observation, I reflect constantly as I teach,

responding to ongoing situations in the classroom as they arise. I ask myself
what learning means to me and what qualifies as a successful learning
situation. Before the lesson was carried out, I ask myself some questions
about teaching. What are my goals and aspirations as a teacher? What are
my beliefs about teaching, and how I categorize my role in the classroom?

I thought to myself, since I will be teaching them the Fruitcake Special,

why not I bring along some fruitcakes to the class. The students will surely
recognize know what actually fruitcake is and how it taste like. To me, this is
more like an intentional choice that helps to teach my students more
effectively and lead to enhanced student learning.

Moreover, I think about specific designs, course materials, lesson

plans, assessment instruments and student evaluations of my teaching before
I conduct the lesson plan. In this case, I have prepared a short video clip on
how to make a fruitcake cake. My intention is to arouse the students’
interest. . As a result, they like it and enjoy the whole learning session
 I tried to have students respond to question individually before
discussing the question in small groups. This leverages a classroom response
system’s ability to allow all students a chance to think about a question
independently of their peers.

Not only that, for some questions, I have students think of their
answers before showing them the answer choices. Since generating an
answer is often more challenging, this can help make them understand better
before hand.

Students responded effectively throughout a class session. Although

questions at the beginning and end of class sessions can serve particular and
useful functions, questions asked every ten to fifteen minutes help focus
students’ attention throughout the class.

I found out that students often appreciate hearing their instructor’s

perspective on the answer choices they selected; even when they know those
choices are incorrect. After reviewing the questions with students, I have them
share their reasons for their answers. Not only does this shift students’ focus
away from getting questions right or wrong and toward thinking critically, but it
also provides useful insights into students’ thinking.

Finally, I reviewed the results of a carried out lesson plan immediately

after administering it. The result was satisfactory. Students were able to
accomplish what that have been instructed; they understood my instruction
easily and was able to absorb and assimilate what I have taught them during
the lesson plan.

As a conclusion, immediately after class, I took a few notes about how

particular questions played out during class. A little reflection right after class
really help me in refining and improving my way of teaching and learning at
the same time. As such, I discover that this lesson plan carried out is very
useful in helping students lean more effectively and more enjoyably.
Discourse Analysis

The context specified here is a Chinese high school English classroom

of non-English major. As the fundamental aim of high school English
education is to foster communication skills and better understanding, it is of
great interest to analyze their high school English classroom discourse in
order to improve teaching and to make learners proficient users of English.

The data are collected from San Min Independent Private High
School’s English classroom of non-English major in Chinese. As many
classroom-oriented researchers have pointed out, it is only through a better
understanding of classroom interaction processes that teachers can render
their teaching more profitable for learners (Jamila Boulima, 1999:15).

As a former English teacher of this high school, the lesson plan 7 of

The Fruitcake Special is of great interest to me in that I want to know what
really goes on in our own classrooms and what I can do to improve their
English via this Form 4 Literature Component. The class which was observed
and recorded from on that day were of intermediate to good English
performing range students with thirty students in Senior 1 Purple (Equivalent
to Form 4). The students were about 16 years old and the majority of the
students have studied English for 9 years although there is considerable
difference in level because they came from different places with different level
of English teaching. The English teacher, Mr William Soo, a Master Holder, in
this class had almost 10 years of teaching experience.

This study is significant in that it reveals the characteristics of

classroom interaction that is most favorable for promoting learners’ English
and has insightful implications for English teaching and learning. The aim of
the present study is to develop teacher’s reflective thinking about what goes
on in their own classrooms and to provide information for improving teaching
and learning in high school English classrooms. The data were collected on
29th September 2010 in San Min Independent High School, Diamond Bay,
Perak, English class.
Nunan (Nunan, 1989:76) said “ there is no substitute for direct
observation as a way of finding out about language classrooms”, therefore in
this study ,I came into the classroom personally to observe. The observation
was conducted in a double periods (40 minutes for each period) was
observed and recorded. The analysis of classroom discourse is a very
important form which classroom process research has taken. The present
discourse analysis focuses on a Chinese Independent High School English
classroom discourse. After class, I had a reflection and discussion with the
English teacher and feedback from the students, knowing more about their
ideas and feeling about their teacher and class.

Discourse is defined as “the language in use” (Cook, 1989:6) and

discourse analysis is concerned with the “the analysis of language in use”
(Brown and Yule, 1983:1). Discourse analysis refers to the study of the
relationship between language and the contexts in which it is used. It involves
looking at both language form and language functions and includes the study
of both spoken interaction and written texts.

It identifies linguistic features that characterize different genres as well

as social and cultural factors that aid in our interpretation and understanding
of different texts and types of talk. Discourse analysis helps us in
understanding how real people use real language, as opposed to studying
artificially created sentences.

It is therefore of immediate interest to language teachers because we

need to consider how people use language when we design teaching
materials, or when we engage learners in exercises and activities aimed at
making them proficient users of their target language, or when we evaluate a
piece of commercially published material before deciding to use it (Michael
McCarthy, 2002)
 Classroom discourse analysis is an aspect of classroom process
research, which is one way for teachers to monitor both the quantity and
quality of students’ output. Nunan has pointed that “If we want to enrich our
understanding of language learning and teaching, we need to spend time
looking in classroom” (Nunan, 1989:76). According to researchers of
communicative teaching, “failed communication is a joint responsibility and
not the fault of speaker or listeners.

Similarly, successful communication is an accomplishment jointly

achieved and acknowledged” (Jack C. Richards and Theodore S.Rodgers,
2000: 77); “It is the teachers’ responsibility to organize the classroom as a
setting for communication and communicative activities” (Jack C. Richards
and Theodore S.Rodgers, 2000:78). In recent years, a much greater role has
been attributed to interactive features of classroom behaviors, such as “turn-
taking, questioning and answering, negotiation of meaning, and feedback”
(Chaudron, 1988:10).

The background of this lies in the fact that “second language learning is
a highly interactive process” (Richard and Lockhart, 1996:138) and “the
quality of this interaction is thought to have a considerable influence on
learning” (Ellis, 1985, cited from Richard and Lockhart, 1996:138). In second
language classrooms, “learners often do not have a great number of tools…,
teachers’ questions provide necessary stepping stones to communication”
(Brown, 1994a: 165).

More fundamentally, however, it is because they are a teacher’s best

instruments to regulate the quantity and quality of language used in the
classroom. The problem which is going to be mainly investigated here is
patterns of classroom discourse. Because “two of the most common ways in
which L2 teachers engage in interaction with learners is by way of asking
questions and providing feedback, and these deserve some consideration”
(Holland and Shortall, 1997:104), focusing on them can be expected to show
useful findings which will contribute to deeper insights about the ways to
improve L2 teaching and learning.
 When a student replies the teacher’s question, the other students may
not hear clearly sometimes. So the teacher needs to repeat the students’
words so as to make it clear to all the students. What’s more important is that
the teacher should give “feedback” to the student’s answer, to show whether
the answer is right or whether it is the answer expected by the teacher. For
example:

Example
Teacher: (elicit) What do you think are the moral values in this short story?
Student: (reply) Hardwork.
T: (feedback) Not only hardwork, we have another word for it.
P: (reply) Diligence
T: (feedback) Good, diligence, yes.

An exchange is formed by at least two moves (initiation and response),

and at most by five moves. Look at the following example:

Example
Teacher: Can anyone tell me what this word “ intrigue” means?
Student: Does it mean like or attractive?
Teacher: Yes, in another word, it means fascinate …

In this case, pupil’s words are not only a response to teacher’s

question, but also an initiation. In this English classrooms where the students
have low proficiency, discourse acts such as “loop”, “nomination”, “prompt”,
and “clue” are expected to appear, because when a teacher does not get a
response or gets a wrong answer to an elicitation, I have to start again by
repeating or rephrasing the question, or move on to another student.

Chinese students have been disciplined not to speak in classes without

a teacher’s direction, and most of them are unwilling to speak English in front
of their classmates because they fear making mistakes and causing laugh
from others. These students simply can’t speak freely because of their poor
spoken English, so they only speak when they were asked to in most of
cases.
It is observed that the students sometimes just kept silence or gave a
wrong answer to the teacher’s elicitation so the teacher would start again by
repeating or rephrasing the question, or move on to another student as in the
following examples:

Example
Teacher: “he smiled until I thought his face would break into two” Who can
translate? Xiu Xin, could you please?
Student(Xiu Xin): Sorry teacher, I can’t.
Teacher: Chuan Wen, what about you?
Student(Chuan Wen): “The person smile widely until Anna find it funny that if
the face would break into two.”
Teacher: Very good. Sit down please.

Example
Teacher: What does “O Sole Mio” mean in the short story?
Students: (silence)
Teacher: Bao Shuang?
Student(Bao Shuang): Pardon?
Student(Cheah Yen): My love one?
Student(Chun Wey): Wo de wei yi(in Chinese) (Code Switching take places)
Teacher: Yes. That’s right. It means “My Sun, my one and only”

In the example above, when students kept silent, I nominated a girl

student. Failing to get correct answer from her, I went on to another student,
then the second bound initiation was formed, followed by Response and
Feedback.

Example
Teacher: Good. Could you give me example of clichés used in this short
story?
Students: (silence)
Teacher: For example, what are the overused expressions in this short story?
Who can answer this question? (in Chinese) Qian Yang, could you please?
Student(Qian Yang): Teacher, it would be “I’m crazy about you; You are so
beautiful”
Teacher: Very good.

Conclusion

In sum, the lesson plan carried out showed that the English teaching
and learning in the S1P classroom observed aimed to apply new teaching
methods and concepts and teachers made a great effort in motivating the
students in participating in classroom activities and communication as the
Lesson 7 carried out where it is a project work having them to work
collaboratively and cooperatively together. Communication in English did exist
although there are some students who coded switched from Chinese
Language from time to time.

The study result is significant in improving their English teaching and

learning and promoting students’ English proficiency in Form 4 Literature
Short Story Component, The Fruitcake Special. Based on the study above,
the following strategies are suggested for the college English teachers to refer
to for the purpose of sustaining student engagement and communicative
interaction in classrooms:

1) Involving more “negotiated interaction” in classroom discourse

This means that teacher and students lack skill in keeping the
classroom discourse in a sustained and smooth flow. Negotiated interaction is
a solution to this problem.

Negotiated interaction involves skills in “helping one another to

communicate, for example, by jointly expressing messages, filling in lapses in
the conversation, indicating gaps in understanding, and repairing
communication breakdown” (Boulima, 1999:4). In non-negotiated interaction,
the moves “initiation”, “response” and “feedback” usually succeed one
another, and have a clear-cut function. “Initiation” opens the exchange,
“response” constitutes a reply to the preceding “initiation”, and “feedback”
evaluates the preceding “response” and closes the exchange.
In “negotiated interaction”, however, these moves do not necessarily
succeed one another, and their functions seem to overlap. Negotiated
interaction can be initiated for two main purposes: to resolve interactive
problems or to sustain the conversation. Obviously, negotiated interaction will
be useful and helpful in sustaining classroom discourse and make it more
tactful.

2) Maximize opportunities for students’ participation

This discourse analysis tells me that usually it is the teacher who is
dominating the classroom. The teacher should bear in mind that it is students
who are learning language; therefore maximizing opportunities for students’
participation to let them dominate the classroom is very necessary and
important.

Such target can be reached by such activities as role-play, story telling,

and making presentations etc. In a word, enlarging students’ portion in
classroom and letting the learners dominate their own classroom, with the
teachers only playing the role of a guide and an organizer is a challenging but
beneficial aim, which is also the direction to which teachers in English
classrooms are working.

As an English teacher, we should also keep in mind that classroom

discourse is a cooperative event in which the teacher and the students
cooperate and negotiate with each other in achieving certain instructional
goals in the classroom. Language classroom teachers can consider
classroom discourses being composed of pedagogic and natural discourse at
two poles of an instructional discourse continuum rather than as alternatives.
Hence, we can encourage natural discourse in the language classroom by
motivating more equal participation in the negotiation of meaning through
various tasks and thus shifting the focus from on the interactive process itself
to on promoting students’ virtual language proficiency.

Glossary
Galleria
References

Amy B. M. Tsui. (2000). English Conversation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign

Language Education Press.
Brown, H.D. (1994a). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to
Language Pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Coulthard, M. (1992). Advances in spoken discourse analysis. London:
Routledge
Ellis, R. (1994). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Holland, R and Shortall, T. (1997). Classroom Research and Research
Methods. Birmingham: The Center for English Language Studies.
Michael McCarthy. (2002). Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers.
Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Sinclair, J. and Coulthard,M.. (1975). Towards an Analysis of Discourse.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.