The Student Team Literature model is intended to command a demanding curriculum that is driven by literacy. In many schools students are placed in classes where they are given a double dose of language arts and computer based reading. If you are interested in following the Student Team Leadership Model, you must develop a curriculum that includes award winning novels and plays, such as Huckleberry Fin and A Christmas Carol. Because of the challenging nature of an STL curriculum, students may need extra help in balancing the accelerated learning class and their regular reading and language arts course.
The Student Team Literature program is an adaptation of the Student Team Reading program. You will find that the STL program will allow you to create more curricular variety in instructional processes and practices. In facilitating these practices, your goal should be to encourage your students to think on a higher level and improve comprehension of literary works. By following the program, you will be endorsing the philosophy that all students are capable of learning challenging materials if the learning takes place in an educationally supportive environment.
You must incorporate partner reading and discussion into your lesson plan. In partner reading activities, students first read silently and then out loud with a partner. Oral reading practice can be used to help your students build fluency, comprehension and ease in decoding. Through the use of partner guides, students will be exposed to challenging high-level questions that will encourage them to think about and discuss the material analytically. After students have completed the assigned reading, request that they summarize the story in their own words. You may also give the students prompts that will require them to respond with a written essay to what they have read.
Your role as an STL educator will include daily, direct instruction on vocabulary followed by discussion with your entire class about the essential points of the literature selections. You will also need to read passages aloud to help students improve listening comprehension. You may find that some students will be extra help because of the amount of work assigned. You must work to build time into your schedule to assist the students individually or within the assigned groups.