HORROR SHORT STORIES NAS AULAS DE LÍNGUA INGLESA: TRANSPOSIÇÃO DIDÁTICA EM ANÁLISE

Abstract

This study focuses on the teaching of horror short stories in English classes, motivated by the need of changing the dichotomization of language and literature as well as awaken the interest in reading literary texts, and developing writing skills of nineth year pupils. Therefore, the main aim is to analyse a didactic transposition through the horror short story study. The specific aims are: (a) to build up a didactic model based on Poe`s literature and non-canonical authors; (b) to analyse language capacities of pupils by means of their first horror short story productions, and the configuration of the didactic sequence; (c) to analyse the results of teaching through the didactic sequence based on a comparative framework, which approaches first and final pupils` written productions of horror short stories. This investigation is based on sociodiscursive interactionism (BRONCKART, 1999), on textual genre approach which is anchored in the language didactics (BRONCKART; PLAZAOLA, 1998; DOLZ; PASQUIER; BRONCKART, 1993) and teaching work perspective (AMIGUES, 2004). In the same way, conceptions like didactic model and didactic sequence (DOLZ, NOVERRAZ, SCHNEUWLY, 2004; CRISTOVÃO, 2007), besides the study of short story emergence (GOTLIB, 2006; MARLER, 2010) substantiate our research. The results of the didactic model show that there is an effect of reallocation between Poe`s short stories and non-canonical authors. Concerning language capacities, pupils` writings indicated difficulties with discursive capacities in terms of narrative sequence and, with linguistic-discursive capacities in past tense, noun phrases, anaphoras and horror short story vocabulary. These results guided the construction of the didactic sequence that was divided in six modules and twenty one linked up activities. According to our comparative framework, the practice with the didactic sequence showed that pupils improved in the referred capacities, as well as in significance and action capacties. Therefore, the teaching through the didactic sequence provided language capacities development, which are indispensable in order to read and write horror short stories. Furthermore, the didactic sequence was an essential tool for political and social development and to refine and cultivate pupils` literary taste.