The New Senior Secondary

Curriculum for Sierra Leone

Subject syllabus for Popular Literature Appreciation
Subject stream: Languages and Literature

This subject syllabus is based on the National Curriculum

Framework for Senior Secondary Education. It was prepared
by national curriculum specialists and subject experts.
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

Curriculum elements for Popular Literature Appreciation – an everyday subject

Subject Description
The Popular Literature Appreciation syllabus explores a range of popular literary texts, both fictional and non-fictional, that are outside the domain of
classical literature. It draws on the historical, cultural, political and social perspectives that provide the foundation for appreciating and understanding the
three genres of literature through samples of popular prose, plays and poems.

General Learning Outcomes

Pupils are expected to be able to:
a. Demonstrate understanding of the distinguishing features and functions of the three genres of literature: prose, drama and poetry.
b. Respond to literary texts and apply to their own life experiences.
c. Apply literary appreciation skills in their reading of popular literary texts.
d. Interpret and analyse texts from historical, cultural, political and social standpoints.
e. Evaluate the messages of literary texts they encounter in their daily reading routines.
f. Perform self-reliant interpretation and analysis of popular literature.
g. Develop self-awareness and an understanding of society and other people.

Subject Content Outline by Themes and Topics

Pupils will appreciate:
• Definition and benefits/ relevance of literature,
• Elements of literature,
• Forms and features of prose, drama and poetry,
• Functions of prose, drama and poetry,
• Basic literary terms and their usage

Genres of literature
Fiction and Non-fiction
• Appreciation of short stories, essays, speeches, biography, autobiography, etc.
• Interpreting and analysing the meaning of titles, themes, characterization, plot elements, point of view, figurative language, etc.

1
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

Popular Drama
• Appreciation of screen drama/ films, short plays etc.
• Analysing titles, plot structure, character presentation
• Writing about filmed versions of plays

Appreciating Poems and Song Lyrics

• Interpreting and analysing titles, imagery, figurative language, poetic elements, poetic techniques

Structure of the Syllabus Over the Three Year Senior Secondary School Cycle
SSS 1 SSS 2 SSS 3
Genres of literature Popular Drama Appreciating Poetry and Song Lyrics

Fiction and Non-Fiction

2
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

Teaching Syllabus
Topic/ Expected learning outcomes Recommended Suggested resources Assessment of learning outcomes
Theme/ Unit teaching
methods
Genres of Pupils will be expected to: • Direct and An Introduction to Literature: Pupils will be assessed both formally
literature • Define and explain the pupil centered Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Barnet, and informally upon completing tasks
benefits of literature. instruction S., Burto, W., & Cain, W. E. relating to the learning outcomes as
• State and explain the • Group (2008). Fifteenth Edition, follows:
elements of literature. activities Pearson/Longman. • During lesson, pupils are randomly
• Explain the forms and • Think-Pair- asked to define literature. At the
features of prose, drama Share The Literary Analysis: The Basics. end of the lesson, pupils highlight
and poetry. • Questioning Kush, C. (2016). Routledge, New the benefits of literature in their
• State and explain the • Class work/ York. books and are randomly selected
functions of prose, drama Assignment to explain their answers to the
and poetry. whole class.
• Recognize the • Pupils are required to list the
distinguishing features of elements of literature (plot,
prose, drama and poetry. character, theme, setting) in their
• Identify and explain key books, and then explain their
literary terms. answers to their elbow partners.
• Pupils respond to short answer
and essay questions on the forms,
features and functions of prose,
drama and poetry. In addition, they
should be able to provide answers
that explain the differences
between each of the three genres.
• Pupils respond to multiple-choice
questions demanding them to
identify key literary terms in context
e.g., irony, symbolism, point of
view, imagery, etc. Also, they are

3
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

made to explain the literary terms

in writing or with their peers

Fiction and Pupils will be expected to: Short Stories: • Pupils are given a short story or
Non-Fiction • Explain the purpose/ Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe essay and asked to discuss their
meaning of the title of a understanding of the purpose or
short story or essay. Falang by Philip Foday Y. Thulla in meaning of its title.
• Recognize and explain the Contemporary Fireside Stories. • Pupils read a short story, essay or
theme of a short story/ publisher: Sierra Leone Writers speech to determine its key idea or
essay/ speech Series theme. They write or discuss what
• Recognize and explain the they think the main idea or theme
role of characters in short The Thing Around Your Neck by of the text is.
stories. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • Pupils talk about the role of
• Identify and explain the plot characters and the plot elements in
elements of a story. Everyday Use by Alice Walker a selected short story.
• Relate the short story, • Pupils are given the chance to
essay, biography, or Autobiographies: write an essay or discuss to
autobiography to their The Story of My Life, Helen Keller express their ideas about the text
personal lives or and its bearing to their lives and
experiences. The Autobiography of Benjamin experiences.
• Recognize the message or Franklin, Benjamin Franklin • Pupils talk about the author’s point
idea conveyed in a short of view and purpose in groups.
story, essay, speech, or Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, • Pupils respond to essay questions
travelogue. Harriet Jacobs on the socio-cultural or historical
• Identify the author’s factors informing the contents of
purpose and point of view Biographies: texts.
in a short story, essay, Unbowed - Wangari Maathai • Pupils respond to multiple-choice
speech, biography or questions on the use of imagery
autobiography. There was a Country - Chinua and figurative language such as
Achebe
• Recognize the socio- simile, metaphor, personification,
cultural and historical hyperbole, allusion, etc.
Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson
contexts of short stories or
Mandela
essays

4
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

• Recognize the use of Speeches:

figurative language and Nobel Acceptance Speech, Albert
imagery in short stories, Camus
essays, speeches,
autobiographies, or I Have a Dream, Martin Luther
biographies. King Jr

Essays:
Letter from Birmingham Jail,
Martin Luther King Jr

Shooting an Elephant, George

Orwell

A Valediction of the Rights of

Women, Mary Wollstonecraft

Popular Pupils will be expected to: • Direct and Script of screen plays/films • Pupils answer essay questions or
Drama • Recognize and explain the pupil centered talk about the plot structure of a
plot structure of a short instruction One Act plays/ short plays short play or screen drama/ film
play or screen drama/ film. • Dramatization (exposition, rising action, climax,
• Explain the purpose/ • Role play Short plays by African playwrights falling action, and resolution).
meaning of the title of a • Simulations • Pupils respond to short answer
short play or screen drama • Group questions on the purpose and
/film. activities/ meaning of the title of a short play
• Recognize and explain the Think-Pair- or screen drama/film.
theme of a short play or Share • Pupils respond to short answer
screen drama/ film. • Demonstration questions and identify words that
• Recognize and explain the • Questioning represent the main ideas portrayed
role of characters in a short • Class work/ by the short play or screen drama/
play or screen drama/ film. Assignment film.
• Relate the story of the
short play or screen drama/

5
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

film to their personal lives • Pupils role-play characters and

or experiences. explain their roles in the short play
• Recognize the socio- or screen drama/ film.
cultural and historical • Pupils dramatize an episode of the
contexts of the short play short play or screen drama/film
or screen drama/ film and explain how it relates to their
personal lives or experience.
• Pupils respond to a range of
questions and write an essay in
which they explain their
understanding of the socio-cultural
or political context of the short play
of screen drama/ film.

Appreciating Pupils will be expected to: • Direct and A collection of both local and • Write an essay in which pupils
Poetry and • Recognize and explain the pupil centered international song lyrics. justify the title of the poem.
Song Lyrics purpose /meaning of a instruction • Write an essay in which they
poem or song lyrics. • Conversation Collection of lyrical and narrative discuss the significance of imagery
• Recognize the use of • Visualization poems such as: in the poem.
imagery in poems and • Illustration To the Nile, John Keats • Pupils explain the use of figurative
song lyrics. • Warmers language (e.g., simile, metaphor,
• Identify and explain the use • Recitation Telephone Conversation, Wole hyperbole, idiom, personification,
of figurative language. • Demonstration Soyinka pun, etc.) in poems and song
• Explain the message of • Group lyrics.
poems and song lyrics. activities
Love Cycle, Chinua Achebe • Write an essay in which they relate
• Relate the emotions the message of a narrative/lyrical
conveyed by a lyrical poem Caliban, Syl Cheney-Coker, poem or song lyric to their personal
or song lyric to their lives or experiences.
personal lives or • Respond to an essay question in
experiences. which they relate the emotions
• Identify and explain poetic conveyed in a lyrical poem or song
elements as used in both lyric to their own lives.
poems and song lyrics.

6
Building Young Futures
MBSSE’s Senior Secondary School Curriculum

• Recognize and explain the • Pupils write an essay in which they

techniques used by a poet discuss the use of poetic elements
or songwriter. in both poems and song lyrics.
• Compare the elements of a • An assignment is given to pupils to
lyrical poem to a song lyric. write an essay on the techniques
used by the poet.