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"Tales of Beatrix Potter in the English Classroom:

Can the use of translated literature be a success?"

by Dimitra Philippopoulou,

MA Literary Translation & Comparative Literature

The students thought of a small dialogue between the two characters from the book and, after some preparation, they dramatized it and presented it in class.

For more information, relevant links, resources, images and videos, visit my blog, Twelve Lays of Teaching, at blogs.sch.gr/dimiph

THANK YOU!!!!!

Introduction

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

  • To embark on a year-long collaborative project of philanagnosia, I wished to introduce Beatrix Potter to my students. Her work is not published in Greek though, so I had to translate parts of it myself.
  • We only managed to work on three, very popular, Tales by the end of the school year: the Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Tale of Benjamin Bunny and the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
  • Using translated children's literature in the classroom works great for young learners of EFL, especially when the literature is very culturally-informed and when students need to be motivated, as everyone seems to love stories!
  • The text in the original language (English) was also read.

In this tale, a desperate farm duck goes out in the wood in an effort to make a nest and produce ducklings. There, she has an encounter with a "foxy gentleman" and manages to escape only in the last moment...

In this book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter, we followed the naughty Peter Rabbit as he was chased about the garden of Mr. McGregor.

Students of 3rd grade were asked to find a suitable title for the book cover, before we began.

Conclusion

Using translated literature in the classroom proved a success.

The 3rd grade students I implemented this project with last year had a nothing but promising profile. By the end of the school year they all loved English and Beatrix Potter, they were able to find meaning in the subject, they looked forward to learning new things and watched the rest of the school, who at first looked down on them, now look in amazement.

This project would not have taken place had it not been for my teacher friend Petroula Kourtesi, who I thank immensley.

More activities:

  • The students were taught garden vocabulary through flashcards and / or real props. We also started the big poster of Mr. McGregor's garden.
  • They worked on the concept of chronological order, as they put the illustrations in order.

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

In this Tale, a sequel to Peter Rabbit, we saw Peter and his cousin Benjamin go back to Mr. McGregor's garden to retrieve the clothes he had lost there during his previous adventure.

New language (clothing): Peter's blue jacket and brown shoes, Benjamin's clogs and Mr. McGregor's Scottish hat (tam-o'-shanter).

Finally, they made an Easter mobile out of colourings of Jemima and the 4 little ducklings she eventually had!

Who was Beatrix Potter?

Our poster of plants in the garden was finished.

The author of some of the most beloved children's books of all time (1866-1943) was also a great artist, a naturalist and conservationist, and a successful businesswoman, whose legacy can be seen today in the Lake District. The year 2016 marked 150 years from her birth, and we decided to celebrate this anniversary by getting acquainted with her work.

We obtained natural traditional seeds and planted them.

We started our own, real Mr. McGregor's garden at the back of the school.

Beatrix Potter, 1913.

Smithsonian Natural History Museum—KRT/Newscom

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