So you’re teaching a World Literature class, and you’ve no idea where to start! Totally relatable! In this post, I’ll share three World Literature activities you can use in any high school class.
(Really overwhelmed planning your World Literature class? Grab this complete year-long World Literature Curriculum and Bundle!)
World Literature Activities #1: World Literature Passport
Undoubtedly, one of the goals of your World Literature class will be to expose students to new and diverse voices. Why not track them all with a World Literature Passport?
Like a real passport, this World Literature Passport includes pages for students to track their location. But instead of tracking where students travel to geographically, students will track where they go in their reading.
For example, if your class studies Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, students write it down in their World Literature Passport. They’ll also color in South Africa on the map. They’ve “traveled” to that destination.
(Not sure what World Literature novels to include on your syllabus? Check out these World Literature novel recommendations!)
The passport is a great way for students to see how much they’ve read during your class. It also helps them visualize just how global your class syllabus is.
If you’re trying to encourage your students to read more, this might just be one way to motivate them to read more–and more widely.
Grab a no-prep World Literature Passport here!
World Literature Activities #2: The Danger of a Single Story TED Talk
Choosing what texts to read in your World Literature class is going to be tough. There are just so many to choose from!
Choosing one book from an entire continent can also leave your curriculum feeling reductionist. We don’t want our students to think that everyone in the Middle East is identical to Marjane Satrapi in Persepolis. We don’t want them to think that every country in Africa is identical to South Africa in the 80s.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” addresses this problem. In her talk, Adichie discusses how easy it is to put an entire people in a box based on the stories we read. Discussing this talk can prevent students from stereotyping cultures and people based on what they may read in your class.
I think this TED Talk is perfect for an introduction to any World Literature class and text. In fact, you can get my Why Study World Literature? Lesson: “The Danger of a Single Story” here to introduce your own class!
World Literature Activities #3: World Genocide Project
Almost all World Literature Classes will include a holocaust unit. Some states even have a law requiring students to learn about the holocaust at some point in their high school careers.
Even if you skip the holocaust in your World Literature class, you’ll most likely talk about some historical genocide or tragedy. When you do, you can make that event even more relevant to your students through a World Genocide Project.
In a World Genocide Project, students will choose one historical genocide to research. Then, they’ll turn that research into a presentation for the class.
I think a lot of students are under the impression that the holocaust was the only large-scale genocide in history. This project will help them to see that not only is that not true, but the next genocide is right around the corner–or even occurring today.
I think this project really helps students understand that preventing another holocaust isn’t something future generations need to worry about but that it could happen at any time. Even during their lifetimes.
Learn more about implementing a World Genocide Project in this post.
Conclusion
You should structure your World Literature class in the way that best serves you and your students. However, there are some common units, issues, and lessons that most World Literature classes will need to address.
I hope these World Literature Activities help you fill in some of those gaps!
And, if you need an entire World Literature class, you can get everything you need right here!
