Benyonne Schwortz, bschwortz@gmail.com
Bayside High School, http://www.baysidehighschool.org

Modern Writers of Nepal

namaste. नमस्त

As part of a curriculum project for the NEH Institute 2008 on Literatures, Religions, and Arts of the Himalayan Region at The College of the Holy Cross, the background materials, maps, history of Nepal, religions, family values, languages, scripts, literary history, bibliographies, featured Nepali writers, and lesson plans are to help teachers of English Language Arts, especially Asian Literature and history, to greater knowledge before implementing the lesson plans. The lesson plans follow the New York State and New York City Department of Educaton standards. The culminating evaluation would be a Regents-type "critical lens" essay. Teachers should read a good sampling of contemporary Nepali literature (see bibliographies) to determine the appropriateness of each selection. This is a group project: each group (like groups) will read the same stories (longer works can be considered, but the lessons would require more days). Individuals in each group will keep a "literature log" of observations and thoughts on what they have read. Each individual will report to the group in plenary of his/her findings. This process is called "jigsaw". A recorder is responsible for writing down what each member of the group observed, and a reporter will tell the class as a whole what the group has discovered.

The next day students will get into unlike groups and discuss their individial stories. Another recorder is responsible for writing down what each member of the unlike group observed, and another reporter will again tell the class as a whole what the group has discovered about similarities and differences in the literature read. The culminating evaluation of this excercise is an essay. Each student must choose his/her individual story and compare and contrast to one he/she has not read, but only "heard" about in unlike groups. Students will use the "critical lens" question as the basis for this essay. The essay, jigsaw findings, and the literature log will be turned in to the teacher for evaluaton and grading.

Teachers should spend some time on the history, religion, and politics of Nepal in order for students to understand the modern literature before the actual reading of that literature.