Cat in the Rain: The suitability of an authentic literary work for the intermediate English classroom

Bc. Hana Tichá

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Cílem diplomové práce je posoudit vhodnost autentického literárního textu – povídky Cat in the Rain od Ernesta Hemingwaye – pro výuku angličtiny na středně pokročilé úrovni znalosti jazyka. Vhodností má autorka na mysli to, že textu je možno na této jazykové úrovni dobře porozumět a že ho lze využít k různým pedagogickým účelům. Autorce jde také o to poukázat na důležitost souvislého autentického jazykového celku ve výuce cizího jazyka.

Abstract:

The purpose of this thesis is to assess the readability and exploitability of Cat in the Rain – a short story written by Ernest Hemingway – and to support the hypothesis that it deserves attention in the intermediate English classroom because it is a text with lexical and structural difficulty that will challenge intermediate students without overwhelming them, and that it is an effective vehicle for the achievement of certain language and content goals at this level of proficiency. It also demonstrates the importance of including full authentic texts in ELT.

Keywords

text, authenticity, literature, ELT, intermediate, classroom, suitability, exploitability, top-down, bottom-up, reading, meaning, vocabulary, grammar, lexico-grammar, cohesion, chunking, collocation, schemata

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 6. 5. 2013

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 13. 6. 2013
• Supervisor: M.A. James Edward Thomas
• Reader: Mgr. Linda Nepivodová

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Teacher Training for Secondary Schools / Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in English Language and Literature