On School-based Curriculum Development Of English Literatures As An Optional Course In Senior High School

In April 2003, the Ministry of Education issued English Curriculum Criteria for Senior High School (draft). It puts forward that English teaching should give attention to students'emotion, which focuses on"humanity". The significance of English literatures is also emphasized in the curriculum and it stipulates English literatures as school-based courses, which suggests that English literatures might be an important part of basic education in the future and it is a trend to offer school-based courses of English literatures in secondary schools. Unfortunately, several years has passed, few schools experiments English literatures as school-based courses. As to the reasons, the teachers don't know what to teach and how to teach.Based on the questions mentioned above, the thesis investigates the situation of English literatures as school-based courses. However, the result is disappointing that school-based courses of English literatures are neglected by most schools. To know whether it is feasible to offer English literatures as school-based courses in the high schools, the thesis investigates the attitudes of teachers as well as students towards it. And the result shows it is feasible and then the thesis makes an instruction design mainly from the following aspects: the curriculum goals, the teaching models, material selection, teaching methods, teaching procedures and the testing. The thesis also takes School-based Course of British and American Literatures as a case study. It offers the development procedures, the syllabuses, the contents, the teaching strategies, a lesson plan as well as the teaching effectiveness evaluation. At last, based on interviewing the teachers and students, the thesis analyses the successes and flaws of this course so as to provide some guidance to other curriculum explorers.