Dear readers,

I dare you to ask your EFL learners “What comes with great power?” Chances are they will know the missing bit to one of the most famous quotes from the world of comics and superheroes. Do read on if you need to dust off your superhero knowledge!

With recent superhero movies taking over where comics started, a new canon has been years in the making, a canon which teachers would be wise to consider. When students struggle to find personal value in the ‘classic’ canon – that is important literary works, agreed on by people who are usually far older than the average EFL student in school – it might be time to utilise the canon students already bring to class. Numerous heroes nowadays follow archetypical stories of love, loss and self-sacrifice. And the best bit for teachers and learners alike: The original versions broadcast into the world are widely available in English. This is authentic language material waiting to be used, created already with a young audience in mind. Let me introduce you to two examples:

“With great power comes great responsibility” is the catchphrase from any story about Spiderman, a young man transformed after he was bitten by a radioactive spider. Yes, this transformation serves as an obvious symbol for puberty and its challenges, superpowers or not, but at the same time, it can be so much more. One of the latest instalments, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, passes the torch from well-known white protagonist Peter Parker to Miles, a young black boy, who in turn is trying hard to fill the shoes of his idol. The film’s message is as fresh as it is classic: Having superpowers surely help, yep, but for someone to be of service, to become a hero to their community, there is no alternative to facing the challenges posed to them. (For another example revolving around a heroine look no further than 2019’s Captain Marvel.) Isn’t this a message about responsibility for oneself and for others which we should be teaching to our students?

Another example of a brilliant start down your superhero-fuelled rabbit hole is Black Panther, the 2018 movie which shone a bright light on late actor Chadwick Boseman and fictional Wakanda. After decades of watching heroes the stereotypical white middle-class male could identify with, it is about time to look for diverse role models. Enter Black Panther, a black man who has to convince both his fellow citizens and the world that there is a future of peaceful co-existence for all of them. Stemming from a Peter-Parker generation myself, I cannot possibly put into words what it might mean to a child to see a person who looks like them succeed on the big screen. I do know, however, that we all profit from having a range of role models, and I will gladly suggest that superheroes like Miles or T’Challa (Black Panther’s real name) become role models for my students.

There are several advantages of working with cross-media material: Go back to the original comics and have their pictures trigger a discussion in class. Maybe edit out the speech from the speech bubbles and have your students write their version of the dialogues? Have them track down differences between the movies and the comics and how that influences a story – media literacy, anyone? These movies usually include speeches of manageable length addressing core values of human life: honesty, dedication, courage. And of course, superhero stories being movies, lend themselves nicely to the myriad of teaching sequences you can find when dealing with films. For some inspiration, why not start with these ideas covering Black Panther in the Classroom?

If you have a superhero story you would like to recommend to the EFL world, do share it with us, please. Growing up, your students will need all the super-charged, super-fast and super-reliable help they can get to navigate a challenging period. So let me double-dare you, fellow EFL teacher: Use your great power, and responsibly lead your students along the way towards a new canon: their canon.

Thank you for your time and feel free to get in touch!

Rico, on behalf of the Lit4School team

A picture is worth a thousand words… But does that also ring true in the EFL classroom? Whether it be a funny comic strip in the daily paper or a thought-provoking graphic novel, they all represent authentic parts of modern media that can help fuel that spark of interest in students.

Comic strips gained massive popularity in the early 20th century, adding a bit of humor to everyone’s daily newspaper. A century later, comic strips continue to occupy a permanent spot in most newspapers, with themes ranging from light humor and puns to political commentary. A prime example of this success can be found in Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Waterson, a comic strip series featured in over 2400 newspapers from 1985 to 1995. The story of 6-year-old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes enchanted readers left and right. But of course, fans of comic strips couldn’t be expected to hoard newspaper cutouts to reread their favorite parts, right? And so, the 1930s marked the start of ‘the Golden Age of the Comic Book’. Marvel Comics flooded the market with superheroes we still know and love today, shaping the comics industry as we know it. Comic books can also be collections of periodical comic strips, as is the case with Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman. Making its debut in 1997, Zits comics narrate the everyday life of 15-year-old Jeremy; a teenager living in Ohio. But suburban life and high school come with their own set of problems, along with a healthy dose of Mom, Dad, you’re embarrassing me! 

Following the raging success of comic books, the 1970s made way for a new sub-genre of comics: the graphic novel. Also described as a “visual novel”, the graphic novel doesn’t have a clear definition per se. In general, this genre includes a standalone story accompanied by or consisting completely of illustrations. Young readers can find a lot of joy and beauty in graphic novels. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy offers beautiful illustrations along with a heartwarming story about an unusual friendship. Though not quite as wholesome, Diary of a Wimpy Kid tells the story of a preteen’s desperate yet humorous attempts to become “popular” at his school. A wonderful example of a graphic novel with no need for words at all is The Arrival, a multifaceted story about migration, multicultural societies, and hope.

What are your favorite comics? Take the day to bask in the nostalgia, have a laugh and share them with us!

Sarah

Freedom of the press is probably one of the highest public goods we have. It grants us access to a diverse variety of information and thus the opportunity to form a critical and comprehensive opinion and to engage freely with more controversial topics. I think that’s a good reason to talk about press freedom.

Although we are used to the freedom of the press in Germany, it wasn’t that long ago that it was implemented. While other Western countries like Great Britain, Sweden, France, and Belgium acted much more progressively after the end of the totalitarian period, Germany, still divided into smaller states, restricted press freedom. After the March Revolution in Germany in 1848, more liberal press laws were introduced. However, when the German empire was founded 23 years later, regulations were implemented again. So it was only with the founding of the Weimar Republic that a censor-free press law was adopted just to be abolished again in the Third Reich, of course. The GDR never allowed any journalistic freedom unlike the Federal Republic of Germany at the time. In the end, you might say that Germany as a whole has enjoyed these high-held privileges since the reunification.

World Press Freedom Day promotes the belief that freedom of the press and freedom of expression provides a basis for mutual understanding and sustainable peace. “It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended, and closed down, while journalists, editors, and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.”(unesco.org) And we don’t have to travel to the other side of the earth to experience the oppression of journalism. In Turkey, for example, journalists are imprisoned for publishing dissident opinions. Many have to leave their country to be safe. Can Dündar is one of them and wrote about his life and experiences before and in prison. Lebenslang für die Wahrheit is just one of the books he wrote about the political circumstances in Turkey. And even though it might not be school literature, Dündar and his story are definitely worth integrating into German/English/Politics/etc. classes when discussing the press and its rights.

In dystopian literature, the freedom of the press and expression are amongst the first rights that are taken away because control over the distribution of information equals control over the distribution of knowledge equals control over society. At least, that’s the causal structure described in many dystopian texts from Huxley, to Orwell and Atwood. Of course, most of these are quite extreme examples, which, however, makes them so great for engaging with the subject critically. George Orwell even wrote a preface to Animal Farm that describes the process of the book’s publication which was difficult because he so harshly criticizes the Russian regime.

I think history and literature show that press freedom should not be taken for granted. Today is the perfect day for a little impetus for thought, be it with a dystopian novel, newspaper articles, or some TV. It’s important to talk about the freedom of the press and actively appreciate the opportunity of a differentiated discourse!

Stay positive and tolerant and have a great day!

Sarah-Sophia

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Tom Schulman, screenwriter of Dead Poets Society (1989)

Every one of us knows at least one teacher, who shaped our future by motivating and encouraging us. Indeed, we celebrate World Teacher’s Day on October 5th to acknowledge the sustainable endeavours of teachers in education all around the globe. However, since there are various national teaching days but no national day that recognises the efforts of teachers in Germany, we thought to take the opportunity of a US-American tradition to celebrate your impact in schools during the pandemic. Teacher Appreciation Week is an annual opportunity to honour hard-working, dedicated and enthusiastic teachers and their commitment to leave no one behind. The current situation has been a tough one for all of us – especially for teachers, who had a great effort in ensuring that #LearningNeverStops.

On behalf of the Lit4School-team: Happy Teachers Appreciation Week to all of you, and thank you for your impact!

Kind regards and stay safe,

Simon

Happy Birthday, John Boyne!

One of Ireland’s most successful contemporary authors turns 50!

John Boyne is a brilliant writer who never judges what is wrong or right. But what he does is to invite readers to follow his characters through their everyday lives – wherever, whenever the setting is – and let the reader judge themselves. When the characters get confronted with unbelievable, terrible occasions, John Boyne tells in an unexcited and sensitive manner what is going on. He avoids being loud and flashy, avoids pointing at mistakes and faults his protagonists might do. And because the texts’ moods are very calm, the reader is shaken up and shocked when he or she reveals the dark side of the presumed banalities John Boyne presents in his stories.

Surely, most readers will connect John Boyne to “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”, which explores nationalism and the cruelty of concentration camps through children’s eyes. Another novel named “Stay Where You Are and Then Leave” tells the story of Alfie, whose father serves in World War I and writes letters to his son. Suddenly, the letters stop, and Alfie tries to find out where his father is. It is a novel about war and traumas, the shellshock, and the deep love between father and son. Finally, the book was rightly awarded the Gustav-Heinemann-Friedenspreis in 2015.

But John Boyne is not tired of telling new stories about other subjects, apart from war. His latest novel, “My Brother’s Name is Jessica” for young readers, was published in 2019 and tells how protagonist Sam Waver experiences the transitioning of his older brother into a woman.

Happy Birthday, John Boyne! We are looking forward to more brilliantly told stories, sharply analysed social criticism and brave protagonists.

Melanie

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” – Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

Winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, this novelist has long been recognized for her incredible contribution to the discussion around racial inequality. In honor of Harper Lee’s birthday, I’d like to highlight her famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird which we feature on this platform! Her first and only publication until 2015, To Kill a Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize and continues to captivate its readers with its insight and warmth. Set in the American South, the story is told from the perspective of six-year-old girl ‘Scout’. When Tim Robinson, an African American resident, is falsely accused of raping a white woman, Scout’s father Atticus agrees to defend Mr Robison in court – but the community turns against him and his client. Most definitely still relevant 60 years post-publication, this thought-provoking novel is a must-read for teachers and students alike!

Sarah

World Earth Day has always held a special place in my heart growing up. As a kid, I used to attend the annual World Earth Day festival, hoping to snag a cute wolf T-shirt or get a butterfly painted on my face. But of course, World Earth Day isn’t about us, but everything around us that we so often ignore or take for granted. The first World Earth Day in 1970 marked the start of an awareness of climate change and its consequences. Pollution in the air was no longer seen as a natural consequence of industrialization, but a dangerous sign of the deteriorating environment. Now, World Earth Day aims to raise awareness of the urgent need for change. The official Earth Day Website offers digital events all about the environment from April 20th through 22nd. This includes panel discussions, presentations and more. Don’t forget that today, teachers also have the opportunity to register for a free school ticket for one of the Earth Day performances! Of course, there is an abundance of literature that can help spark the discussion about climate change in the EFL classroom, regardless of age and language level.

• How to Bee by Bren MacDibble is set in a world where have bees have gone extinct. As a result, children must take on the job of hand pollinating plants. And even though 9-year-old Peony is technically too young for the job, she’s convinced she would make a great bee.
• In Watership Down by Richard Adams, a group of rabbits is forced to flee from their home due to man-made destruction. Their home is collateral damage in a construction project, leading to a search for safety and new beginnings.
• Dear Future Generations: Sorry by Prince Ea offers a reflection on the current climate change and environmental destruction. The speaker’s apology to “future generations” is accompanied by practical advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint and build ethical consumer habits. This would be a great conversation starter about the practicality of the speaker’s advice and the students’ own ideas.
• The dystopian novel A Friend of the Earth by TC Boyle details the life of 75-year-old Tyrone. Set in 2025, climate change has lead to mass extinctions. His memories date back 40 years, describing his activism against deforestation that he took part in with love interest Andrea.

In honor of World Earth Day, give your pets or plants an extra hug today! If you have suggestions for literature about climate change and striving for change, let us know!

Sarah

“Would you like an adventure now or shall we have tea first?” – Lewis Carroll

Although this is a day originating in the UK and is mostly celebrated by the British, I think Tea Day is worth being implemented in every tea lover’s calendar. Especially in the current situation of social distancing and isolation, it is important to take the one or the other hour and make it special. Having a spectacular tea time might just be the thing to do! Of course, a cosy fifteen minutes tea break could also do the trick, in the end, it’s all especially about the joy of the moment.

The British also developed many different kinds of “tea times” and celebrations. There is, for example, high tea which is set at a dinner table between 5 and 6 pm. Also, there is low tea which takes place a little earlier in the afternoon and instead of sitting around a dinner table, comfy armchairs and low coffee tables are used, hence the name. Moreover, there seem to be endless options of food to serve with your tea: from tiny cucumber sandwiches and scones to actual meals, there is an inexhaustible number of suggestions and recipes. So, it’s definitely fun to browse through the internet reading about the different etiquettes and customs.

In Germany, we do have similar rituals; they are, however, mostly located in the north. I, myself, love a long afternoon tea and use my very own fancy tea set consisting of little cups, saucers, a sugar and a cream pot, and the teapot. While in the UK, black tea is mostly drunk with milk, in the north of Germany, cream is used. And it’s tradition to pour it in, preferably with a special cream spoon, counterclockwise – to slow down time, which I find incredibly cute! Of course, tea is also an often-used prop in literature and other media. Apart from the mad hatters in Wonderland, which probably first come to mind, the hobbits also love their tea. In the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin and his friends have a fabulous time at their tea parties. Since the beloved beverage experienced a great boom in the Romantic and Victorian era, it is only natural that the Bennet sisters have the one or the other cup, and in The Importance of Being Earnest, they have long conversations about tea and cake and even about cucumber sandwiches. In A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent needs his tea even when exploring space, just like the beloved Enterprise captain Jean-Luke Picard, and even if the answer to everything is 42, tea might sometimes be an even better one.

“If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, tea will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.” – William Ewart Gladstone

So, whatever tea you fancy the most and however you like to drink it, take a cup and some time to do nothing but enjoy! And then have some more.

Sarah-Sophia

Es gibt Gedenktage, die in Deutschland kaum jemand kennt. Der Gedenktag an den Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto, der am 19. April 1943 begann, ist vermutlich solch einer. Wenn die Geschichte des Warschauer Ghettos heutzutage und hierzulande ins Bewusstsein tritt, dann wohl meist im Zusammenhang mit dem ikonisch gewordenen Kniefall Willy Brandts im Dezember 1970. 

Erinnerungen an die Shoah sind selten Erinnerungen an jüdischen Widerstand. Dass es ihn gab, beweisen unter anderen die Ereignisse zwischen April und Mai 1943 im Ghetto der Stadt Warschau. 27 Tage leisteten bewaffnete jüdische Untergrundkämpfer*innen erbitterten Widerstand gegen die Deportation der zu diesem Zeitpunkt wohl 70.000 Insassen des Ghettos in die Arbeits- und Vernichtungslager im Osten. Auch wenn der Aufstand nach einem Monat niedergeschlagen und das Ghetto dem Erdboden gleichgemacht wurde, nahezu alle Beteiligten und Bewohner*innen des Ghettos unmittelbar ermordet oder deportiert wurden, macht er Hoffnung, weil er zeigt, wozu Mut und Solidarität Menschen befähigen können. 

Wie kann man Schülerinnen und Schülern die Annäherung und die Auseinandersetzung mit diesem Thema ermöglichen? Lit4School meint naheliegender Weise: Indem Kinder über und von dieser Zeit lesen! Zwei Kinder- bzw. Jugendbücher stehen hier für viele andere. Das eine erschien 2015 und heißt Flügel aus Papier; das andere heißt Die toten Engel und ist einige Jahrzehnte älter, es erschien 1963. 

Zuerst zu dem Buch für die Jüngeren. Der Held und Ich-Erzähler in Marcin Szczygielskis Flügel aus Papier heißt Rafal, er wohnt bei seinem Großvater; dass sie im Ghetto leben, erschließt sich Leser*innen nur, wenn sie historische Vorkenntnisse mitbringen, der Erzähler erzählt nur, was er weiß, und sein Horizont ist der eines Kindes im Grundschulalter. Selbst schlimmste Ereignisse wie die Deportation seiner Eltern erfasst er nicht, aber seine Unwissenheit lässt ihn leben. Er glaubt seine Eltern auf einer Reise, für ihn geht das Leben weiter und er kann feststellen: Das ist also kein Grund zu Traurigkeit, sondern zur Freude. Da aber auch Rafal merkt, wie schrecklich seine Umgebung ist, entflieht er der Wirklichkeit, indem er auf den Flügeln aus Papier immer wieder in eine bessere Welt, eine zukünftige, schwebt. Wer glaubt ihm also nicht, wenn er sagt: Die Bibliothek ist mein Lieblingsort im ganzen Bezirk? – Ein aktueller Eintrag zu diesem Kinderbuch bei Lit4School ist in Arbeit!

Die toten Engel von Winfried Bruckner konfrontiert im Gegensatz dazu die Leser*innen sofort mit der harten Wirklichkeit. Friedhofsnachschub, so werden die neu im Ghetto Ankommenden genannt. Schwach, ausgehungert, krank, schleppen sie sich ins überfüllte Warschauer Ghetto. Erzählt wird von Menschen, die trotz der Grausamkeiten ihrer Umgebung ihre Menschlichkeit nicht verlieren: Eine Kinderbande um den Anführer Lolek schmuggelt Essen über die Mauer des Ghettos, verliert sich aber auch in den Geschichten eines Mädchens namens Wanda; Doktor Lersek hilft unbeirrt den Schwächsten und versucht, eine Typhusisolierstation einzurichten; schließlich bildet der bewaffnete Widerstand einen letzten Ausweg. 

Beide Romane erzählen nicht Wirkliches, sondern Mögliches. Es sind fiktionale Texte, aber solche, die auf eine konkrete historische Situation Bezug nehmen: auf die Geschichte des Warschauer Ghettos. Eine Beschäftigung mit diesen Büchern ist also eine besondere Form der Auseinandersetzung mit Geschichte. Lehrer*innen, die sich mit der Geschichte des Aufstandes und des Warschauer Ghettos näherhin in historischer Perspektive beschäftigen wollen, sei das frei verfügbare Bulletin des Fritz-Bauer-Instituts zum 70. Jahrestag des Warschauer Gettoaufstands ans Herz gelegt. 

— Frieder Stange und Anne Seeger

“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages […]”

This introductory quote taken from the General Prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (c. 1400) marks the beginning of a competitive storytelling competition of 30 pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. April 17th is quite an extraordinary day that, for once, doesn’t mark a birthday but peculiarly the first reading Chaucer performed of his Canterbury Tales at court in 1397. Being his greatest work, even though he died before he could finish it, it is special because he wrote and performed it in English. As the common language spoken at court was French, using the Vernacular, the language of the peasants, was unusual. The Canterbury Tales are still widely read and loved because of its wit and social criticism, and on top, it is possible to read and to understand without any special training.

Of course, there is a considerable number of easy-reading editions and video summaries that also provide an excellent insight into these famous satiric short tales. Geoffrey Chaucer ingeniously found the right tone and speech repertoire for each of his pilgrims according to their class and characteristics creating humorously exaggerated personalities. If someone would ask me about my favourite literary work was, I couldn’t possibly choose a single text but The Canterbury Tales definitely make the shortlist and an amusing pastime.

If you too want to get your mind out of the present for a little while and peek through a window into the past, look into the one or the other story!

HAPPY CHAUCER-READING!

Sarah-Sophia

Zum fünfzigsten Mal wird 2021 der Internationale RomaDay begangen, der die vielfältige Kultur der Roma und Sinti sichtbar machen und für antiziganistische Diskriminierung sensibilisieren soll. Auch im Literaturunterricht können und sollen Sinti und Roma sichtbarer werden: wir empfehlen dafür die Lyrik-Anthologie Die Morgendämmerung der Worte, die 2018 in der bibliophilen Anderen Bibliothek erschienen ist und Gedichte von Sinti- und Roma-Autor*innen aus der ganzen Welt vereinigt. Auf Lit4School gibt es daraus zwei neue Einträge: zu Marianne Rosenbergs “Zwischen den Welten” und zu dem aus dem Romanes übersetzten Gedicht “Geboren in Auschwitz, gestorben in Auschwitz“, das den Porajmos thematisiert, den NS-Genozid an den Sinti und Roma. Empfehlenswert als vorbereitende und informierende Lektüre für Deutschlehrkräfte und Literaturwissenschaftler*innen ist außerdem die Geschichte der Literatur über “Zigeuner” von Klaus-Michael Bogdal Europa erfindet die Zigeuner, die 2011 im Suhrkamp-Verlag erschienen ist.

— Silke Horstkotte

Zwischen dem 6./7. April und Anfang Juli 1994 wurden in Ruanda schätzungsweise 1,1 Millionen Menschen ermordet, 100 Tage lang jeden Tag mehr als 10.000. Die genauen Fakten des Ruanda-Genozids sind in Deutschland wenig bekannt; eine genaue Beschäftigung im Schulunterricht lohnt auch deshalb, weil die Vorgeschichte, Planung und Durchführung ein Lehrstück über Völkermorde im 20. Jahrhundert sind. Zudem liegen literarische und filmische Verarbeitungen in deutscher und englischer Sprache vor, die im Unterricht behandelt werden können.

Zunächst die Fakten: Ruanda ist ein kleines Land im gebirgigen Osten Afrikas mit rund 13 Millionen Einwohnern und damit der höchsten Bevölkerungsdichte Afrikas. 90 Prozent der Menschen leben auf dem Land und arbeiten in der Landwirtschaft, die zumeist Subsistenzwirtschaft ist. Wie fast alle Länder Afrikas war auch Ruanda europäische Kolonie: bis zum Ersten Weltkrieg von Deutschland, dann von Belgien. Die Kolonialherren etablierten eine ethnische Differenzierung, sie machten Angehörige der vor allem in der Viehwirtschaft tätigen Bevölkerungsminderheit der Tutsi zur Oberschicht, bevorteilten sie gegenüber der vor allem im Ackerbau tätigen Bevölkerungsmehrheit der Hutu. Im Zuge einer Bevölkerungszählung ließ Belgien die ethnische Zugehörigkeit in den Pass eintragen: Aus einer vormals sozialen Hierarchie zwischen wohlhabenderen Viehbauern und ärmeren Ackerbauern war eine, sogar bürokratisch fixierte, ethnische, rassische geworden. Zu Beginn der 1960er Jahre erlangte Ruanda, wie zahlreiche andere afrikanische Staaten auch, seine Unabhängigkeit. In der Folge kam es zum Aufbau einer Mehrheitsherrschaft der Hutu und zu ersten größeren Massakern an Angehörigen der Bevölkerungsgruppe der Tutsi. 

Wir überspringen 30 Jahre, die von relativer Sicherheit und einem wirtschaftlichen und demographischen Aufschwung geprägt waren, und befinden uns nun am Anfang der 1990er – das Ende des Kalten Krieges geht auch Ruanda nicht unbemerkt vorüber. Demokratisierungsbemühungen, unterstützt vor allem von europäischen Staaten, scheinen die Machtposition des Hutu-Präsidenten Juvénal Habyarimana und seiner Anhänger zu schwächen, sodass diese zu einer brutalen Durchsetzung identitätspolitischer Anliegen greifen. Die rassistischen Gräben zwischen Hutu und Tutsi werden gezielt reaktiviert, breite Schichten der Bevölkerung machen sie sich zunutze: die Bauern aus Landknappheit, die Jugend in den Städten aus Perspektivlosigkeit – die Elite aus dem Willen zur Macht(erhaltung). Damit diese Vorteilsperspektiven zum Tragen kommen, es zur Enthemmung der Gewalt kommt, muss etwas mit den Menschen geschehen – und es geschieht. Zunächst wird der öffentliche Diskurs verändert, werden die Grenzen des Denk- und Sagbaren immer weiter verschoben, Stereotypen der Diffamierung der Tutsi in Öffentlichkeit und Medien stetig wiederholt, gesteigert und radikalisiert. In Ruanda ist dafür zu Beginn der 1990er Jahre das Radio Medium Nummer eins. Und indem die radikalsten rassistischen Meinungen, schließlich gar die Aufforderungen und Aufrufe zum Mord aus dem Radio kommen, aus dem bisher hauptsächlich staatstragende Mittteilungen tönten, sind sie gewissermaßen staatlich legitimiert, ist den Tätern letztlich Straffreiheit zugesichert: „In der agrarischen Gesellschaft war das Wort aus dem Äther die Wahrheit.“ (Lennart Laberenz)

Als am 6. April 1994 das Flugzeug des Präsidenten abgeschossen wird – die Verantwortlichen sind bis heute nicht ermittelt –, ist dies das Signal für den Beginn des Schreckens. Das Militär verteilt Granaten, junge Hutu-Männer bewaffnen sich mit Macheten, die zuvor gezielt aus China importiert wurden. Und immer sind die Stimmen der Moderator*innen aus dem Radio zu hören, die berichten, wo sich Tutsi versammelt haben – vielfach in Kirchen, auf Sportplätzen, in der Hoffnung, die Masse werde ihnen Schutz bieten –, aufrufen zum Mord, und dann wieder die Hits der 90er spielen. Rund 100 Tage lang ist die Gewalt Alltag, vor allem jugendliche männliche Hutu morden, brennen und vergewaltigen. In einem Interview berichtet ein Täter Jahre danach: „Wir haben die Tutsi nicht mehr als Menschen, nicht einmal mehr als Geschöpfe Gottes betrachtet.“ 

Hier endet der Versuch einer Annäherung an die Fakten. Das, was danach geschah und immer noch geschieht: Flucht, juristische Aufarbeitung, neue Gewalt, Krieg, erfordert, um annähernd sinnvoll und geordnet dargestellt werden zu können, weiteres Studium. Wir empfehlen interessierten Lehrkräften insbesondere das Kapitel “Rwanda’s Bones” von Sarah Guyer in dem Band The Future of Memory.

Wie kann man sich dem schwierigen Thema Ruanda im Deutsch- oder Englischunterricht nähern? Wir empfehlen für den Deutschunterricht zwei literarische Texte von Autoren aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum, zwei Schweizern: Lukas Bärfuss und Milo Rau. Lukas Bärfuss erzählt in seinem Roman Hundert Tage eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen einem Schweizer Entwicklungshelfer und einer Hutu-Frau und fragt nach der tragischen Rolle der Entwicklungshilfe, danach, ob Ordnung nicht nur die Bedingung von Frieden, sondern zugleich auch Bedingung eines solchen Massenmords sei. Milo Rau thematisiert mit seinem Theaterprojekt Hate Radio die Rolle des Radios als Propagandawerkzeug. Er bringt den Sender RTLM auf die Bühne und stellt dort eine mögliche Sendestunde aus 1000 Stunden realem Sendematerial zusammen. Für den Englischunterricht eignet sich auch der Film Hotel Rwanda über den Hotelbesitzer Paul Rusesabagina (gespielt von Don Cheadle), der über 1200 Menschen vor den Mördern versteckte – ein ruandischer Oskar Schindler. Das ursprünglich französische Graphic Novel Deogratias liegt in englischer Übersetzung und mit einer Einleitung vor, es erzählt aus der Perspektive des Jungen Deogratias, der als Kindersoldat am Genozid mitwirkte, von den Traumata Ruandas nach dem Genozid.

— Frieder Stange

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. […] Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.” – Maya Angelou, Still I Rise (1978)

These empowering lines originate from the pen of award-winning author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Born on April 4, 1928, Marguerite Annie Johnson experienced sexual assault as a child and became involved in the sex industry as a young woman. Angelou suffered from racial injustices of the Jim Crow Laws in the American South and fought together with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in the Civil Rights Movement. Her autobiographies and poems have been internationally recognised and been used for educational purposes ever since. On Lit4School we feature four of her poems: “Still I Rise“, “Caged Bird“, “Phenomenal Woman“ and “Amazing Peace“ as well as her inspiring autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). Her works often feature encouraging speakers and passages demanding for protest and resistance against injustice, racial or gender stereotyping and discrimination, while also exploring female identity, family and loss. Angelou’s inspiring writing is suitable for interdisciplinary teaching projects on racism and segregation and should also be related to current cases of police violence against people of colour in the US or the Black Lives Matter protest movement.

Happy Easter, kind regards and stay safe everyone!

Simon

“When we read, our minds grow wings; when we write, our fingers sing.” – Margarita Engle

There’s nothing better to escape reality than a good book, for adults and children alike. Books let us lose ourselves in worlds different from our own and are vital for children’s imaginations. This year’s motto for International Children’s Book Day is “The Music of Words”. So, in honour of today, here are some of my favourite picks for young readers! The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne transports its readers into a world full of history and magic, putting a spin on some of history’s major events. If you’re looking for something more “science-y”, The Magic School Bus is the one for you! This series unravels the magic of the human body and the world around us, magical anthropomorphic school bus and all! But just as books let us learn about ourselves, they can also bridge the gap between us and cultures unfamiliar to us. Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard gives insight into Native American culture and the meaning traditional food can hold, complete with a recipe and heartwarming illustrations. The eco-critical picture books Clean Up!, The Boy Who Grew a Forest and Greta and The Giants remind us that no one is too small to make a differernce. Books can teach a multitude of things, but at times the most important part is the reading experience itself. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse features beautiful illustrations along with a story all about friendship that will make you fall in love with reading all over again. But watch out, or you’ll turn out like The Incredible Book Eating Boy! 

Check out our previous post for some books that are ideal for story-telling and reading aloud in the classroom!

What are some of your favourite nostalgic children’s books? Let us know!

Sarah

Der Internationale Transgender Day of Visibility findet jedes Jahr am 31. März statt und soll Aufmerksamkeit wecken für trans Personen, ihre Rechte und die Diskriminierung, die sie häufig erfahren. Der Transgender Day of Visibility wurde zum ersten Mal 2009 in den USA begangen und findet seit 2014 weltweit statt. In Deutschland beteiligen sich Initiativen und Vereine in zahlreichen Städten mit Aktionen, u.a. in Berlin, Freiburg, Halle, München, Stuttgart. In diesem Jahr weisen die Teilnehmer*innen besonders auf die sich international verschlechternde Rechtslage für trans Menschen hin und fordern für Deutschland die Abschaffung des veralteten Transsexuellengesetzes. So bezeichnet etwa die SPDqueer-Vizechefin Sarah Ungar den aktuellen Zustand in Deutschland als “enttäuschend, menschenverachtend und stigmatisierend. Eine progressive und mutige Entscheidung zugunsten eines menschenwürdigen Selbstbestimmungsrechts ist bisher in der Bundespolitik leider ausgeblieben.” (Quelle) Gefordert werden unter anderem die Abschaffung des Begutachterzwangs und ein vereinfachtes Verfahren zur Namens- und Personenstandsänderung.

Lit4School empfiehlt zum Thema Trans das Memoir Ich bin Linus von Linus Giese, das aus der Innenperspektive schildert, “wie ich der Mann wurde, der ich schon immer war” – so der Untertitel des Buchs. Auch auf Englisch haben wir Empfehlungen zu Trans Rights.

— Silke Horstkotte

Heute vor 150 Jahren, am 27. März 1871, wurde der Schriftsteller Heinrich Mann geboren. Ein Blick auf und in sein umfangreiches Werk lässt Erstaunliches zu Tage treten. In einer Zeit als deutschtümlich, kaiserlich und militaristisch Kernmerkmale der Geisteshaltung vieler deutscher Intellektueller waren, wendet er sich Frankreich zu, nimmt gesellschaftliche Missstände kritisch in den Blick und ruft zum Pazifismus auf. Es entstehen zahlreiche Romane, einige Dramen und unzählige essayistische, historische, aber auch dezidiert zeitbezogene Arbeiten: Zu seinen bekannten Romanen gehören Professor Unrat oder Das Ende eines Tyrannen, die sogenannte Kaiserreich-Trilogie mit dem Roman Der Untertan als Höhepunkt, außerdem Die Jugend des Königs Henri Quatre und Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre. Neben den belletristischen Texten schreibt Heinrich Mann Zeit seines Lebens Essays, die berühmtesten erscheinen unter dem Titel Geist und Tat. Franzosen 1780–1930. Nirgendwo ist seine immer unangestrengt wirkende glasklare Simplizität, geschult am französischen Vorbild, so offensichtlich. Auch diese Tatsache ist es, die Thomas Mann 1950 anlässlich des Todes seines Bruders würdigt. In Bezug auf Heinrich Manns Memoirenbuch Ein Zeitalter wird besichtigt schreibt er etwas, das diesen Blogbeitrag gewissermaßen einfordert: „Ja, ich bin überzeugt, daß die deutschen Schullesebücher des 21. Jahrhunderts Proben aus diesem Buch als Muster führen werden.“ – Er sollte Recht behalten. Heinrich Mann schaffte es in den Schulkanon, wenn auch mit einem anderen Werk, dem Roman Der Untertan. Nahezu mit preußischer Pünktlichkeit erscheint zum 150. Geburtstag Heinrich Manns eine Neuauflage dieser beißenden Satire auf das Kaiserreich am Vorabend des Ersten Weltkriegs (vollendet im Sommer 1914). Der Held, den diese Persiflage eines Bildungsromans begleitet, heißt Diederich Heßling. Diederich Heßling war ein weiches Kind, so beginnt es, aber aus dem weichen – also formbaren – Jungen wird ein autoritätsgläubiger Ehrgeizling, dessen Ziel, eins zu werden mit dem Kaiserreich, ihn zum Prototypen eines nach unten Tretenden und nach oben Buckelnden macht. Nichts scheint unausweichlicher als der Erste Weltkrieg und nichts unmöglicher, als ihn aufzuhalten. Parallelen zu unserer Welt, zu unseren Problemen zu finden, dürfte nicht schwerfallen: zu anschaulich, zu scharf werden die Mechanismen der wilhelminischen Gesellschaft gezeichnet, zu oft meint man, Konstellationen aus dem eigenen Alltag wiederzuerkennen, zu oft beobachtet man auch heute noch die „Sucht, zu befehlen und zu gehorchen“ (Kurt Tucholsky). – Gründe genug, Der Untertan wieder zur Schullektüre des 21. Jahrhunderts zu machen!

Nachschrift: Anlässlich des 150. Geburtstags strahlt 3sat am 27. März, 20.15 Uhr den Spielfilm Der Untertan (DDR 1951) aus. Eine bestechende Literaturverfilmung! (Und zugleich Brennglas deutsch-deutscher Geisteshaltung nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg.) 

— Frieder Stange

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” – Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII, Line 139

Have you ever thought to stage a scene or a whole play with your pupils? In contrast to narrative and poetic texts, dramatic ones are meant for performance in front of an audience. As a literary genre with both, textual (script) and representational spheres (performance), plays offer multiple possibilities and reasons for communicative and creative teaching activities in the language classroom. Indeed, one can and should analyse both the script (e.g. according to the setting, characters, themes and plot) and actual performance of a play (e.g. according to visual and auditory signs, spoken text, mime, gesture and external appearance of the actors) with beginners and advanced learners of English on their level.

However, plays are meant to be acted out. Therefore, building the dramatic competence should also incorporate the representational side of the genre: While performing a sketch, a scene or a whole play, your pupils will memorise chunks of language, they will practice their verbal and nonverbal skills, creativity and social interaction. Staging a play or musical can be a great bonding experience for the whole class. Younger learners will enjoy shorter forms such as role-plays, pantomime, freeze frames or reading a dialogue. The Reader’s Theatre offers scripts and short plays for learners of English on an intermediate level – this spontaneous form of theatre does not require costumes or memorisation. Two collections of comic strip versions of classical plays by Shakespeare offer stepping stones for younger learners.

Choosing the ‘right’ play for your students can be taught. To overcome historically grown national, ethnic and gender restrictions, we as teachers should open up the canon in selecting contemporary and transcultural forms of drama from the Anglophone world – apart from the classics by William Shakespeare. As we do feature quite a variety of dramatic texts from the British Isles and beyond, this is our selection of our favourite plays and musicals for you:

Sarah’s picks:

• Annie by Rob Marshall (film/musical): Premiered in 1976, the musical Annie has captured many hearts and been adapted into three separate film adaptations. The film features the same songs, telling the story of orphan Annie, who longs to be part of a family. When she gets taken in by a billionaire for the holidays, she gets a glimpse of what she’s been missing.

• The Mountaintop by Katori Hall: This drama offers a fictional depiction of the night before Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968. Set in King’s hotel room, it navigates themes surrounding death, philosophy, American history and the Civil Rights Movement. The short length and fixed setting make it a classic read-it-in-one-go type of play for older students.

• Another option for a play related to American history would be Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry, a comedy-drama about friendship and stereotypes in a time of segregation.

• YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright: This drama provides a twist to a classic tale. What happens to Romeo and Juliet’s epic love story if you add smartphones to the mix?

Sarah-Sophia’s Picks:

• Translations by Brian Friel: A short play about the language, communication, history and cultural imperialism in Ireland. It juxtaposes both languages and cultures (no worries, it’s still written in English) and emphasises the importance of language regarding fruitful communication. Translations provides an insight into the issues between Ireland and England and is a valuable addition to diversity in the English classroom.

• I, Shakespeare by Tim Crouch: Crouch rewrote four of Shakespeare’s most famous plays for a younger audience: Twelfth Night (I, Malvolio), Macbeth (I, Banquo), The Tempest (I, Caliban) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (I, Peaseblossom). While the language of these plays is kept as Shakespearean as possible, the plays are shorter and easier to understand and follow. On top, the plays are told from the perspective of different characters as mentioned above in Brackets.

• Lyle the Crocodile: This is a lovely children’s book by Bernard Waber but Kevin Kling and Richard Gray turned it into a musical of 36 pages. The webside playsfornewaudiences.org has a wide range of plays for younger students. They also display the most important information quite nicely in stating the number of pages, how many actors are needed, how long performance takes, and provide an age recommendation.

Simon’s Picks:

• Monster by Walter Dean Myers: This award-winning, young adult drama novel follows a 16-year old African American boy who awaits his murder trial. But did he really commit the murder or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? A current issue, which might fuel your classroom discussion on justice an injustice in the United States.

• Stolen by Jane Harrison: This award-winning play follows five children from the Lost Generation on their quest for identity and belonging. The stories are told separately and allow for teaching shortcuts. A very similar short novel (Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Lessing) and a poem (My People by Oodgeroo Noonuccal), both exploring similar topic clusters, can be found on Lit4School as well.

• Top Girls by Caryl Churchill: An empowering play about what it means to be a tough businesswoman in modern society. But must one ‘pass as a man’ to be successful as a woman? This drama allows you to problematise unequal opportunities in the labour market such as the pay gap, gender stereotypes and sexism.

• Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock & Education is Our Right by Drew Hayden Taylor: These two, short, one-act plays investigate the past, future and present of Canadian First Nations from a teenage perspective.

Initiated by the International Theatre Institute in 1961, World Theatre Day reminds us to celebrate the rich and cultural diverse tradition of theatrical performances. Theatre connects people, encourages dialogue and fosters creativity. In the recent year, however, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted theatrical life and forced theatres to close. Live performances have been cancelled ever since and been replaced by social distance and online performances. As long as stages remain empty, dark and dusty, actresses and actors need to be supported. Acting for Others, Theatre Support Fund, Actors’ Benevolent Fund and other funds have provided support and assistance for theatre workers in the UK. Also, many theatres offer tickets for live streams and online performances: London’s Old Vic Theatre will stage and stream Dr Seuss’s The Lorax from 14. – 17. April 2021. On Tuesday, the 22. April, teachers all around the world have the opportunity to register for a free school ticket for one of the performances on World Earth Day.

If you come across a brilliant new drama that you think teachers should know about, make sure to suggest it so we can feature it on Lit4School.

Enjoy your Easter holidays, kind regards and stay safe everyone!

Sarah, Sarah-Sophia, Rico and Simon

This past year has taught us to value many things we once took for granted. Consequently, it’s only fitting for this year’s World Water Day motto to be “Valuing Water”. Discussions about the value of water can be held with students regardless of age. On the UN Water’s website, you can find resources and information all about the World Water Day, including past themes, an interactive toolkit and guiding questions you can discuss with students. What does water mean to them? How does water or the lack thereof affect their lives? For younger students, the illustrated books Saving Tally and Somebody Swallowed Stanley are a wonderful introduction to environmental pollution, as the stories follow animals trying to navigate their way through an ocean filled with plastic. Older students could benefit from watching The True Cost. This documentary dives into the production of fast fashion and the damage it does to humans and the environment. Did you know that it takes roughly 2700 litres to produce a cotton T-shirt? Perhaps this day can help us value the many ways water sustains us and be extra thankful for that hot shower or dishwasher.

Have a wonderful day and stay safe!

Sarah