Ten Audience Analysis Exercises - EFL Classroom 2.0

Ten Oscar Competition Activities (Plus Five)
This List of Ten is a bit different. In my thinking of the hoopla over the Oscars, I began
wondering what would happen if instead of movies, we were talking about works of
literature. So I've come up with an Oscar-type competition for the readings that a class
has completed over the course of a school term. Some of the items in the competition can
be separated by gender, as the Oscars are separated. I've listed them as different
categories below, but you could collapse the categories. You could consider, for example,
all characters rather than best male and best female. Likewise, while there are questions
below for different genre, all the questions could be collapsed into a single question on
the most outstanding piece of literature (rather than the best poem, the best play, and so
on). There are two different ways to use these suggestions. Either way, it probably works
best as an end-of-the-term activity.
Option One: You might have an actual contest. Students could assemble in small groups
to go through their readings for the semester or the year, searching for nominations. You
might ask students to write objective support for their nominations and to include the
equivalent of "film clips"--passages that show the strength of their nominations. The
questions in the assignments below could guide groups of students gathering the
nominations for a particular category. Once all the nominations are in place, you might
have some time for campaigning, and eventually your students could vote. This
assignment could work across classes if different sections have done the same readings.
Option Two: Choose one of the questions below and use it as an exam prompt or a final
paper. To help students, you might name five candidates for them to choose among. By
listing choices, you can help students avoid freezing and wasting time trying to think of
appropriate candidates, letting them focusing on making a choice and providing
supporting details. Note: since the items are a bit redundant, I've rounded this list up to 15
items. The extra five give me the chance to explain related options (such as best play,
poem, novel and short story) while still including everything that I wanted to have on the
list.
1. Outstanding Male Character. Who was the most outstanding male character in
the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a main character in
any work that we've read. Think carefully about how the character you choose is
explained, described, and developed. Be sure that you have clear criteria for what
makes a male character "outstanding." Write a paper that explains your selection,
supports your choice, and includes comparisons to other candidates that you
considered. Your paper should show readers why the male character you've
chosen really does stand out.
2. Outstanding Female Character. Who was the most outstanding female
character in the literature that we've read this term? Your choice should be a main
character in any work that we've read. Think carefully about how the character