The first literature lesson in grade 10 that can make or break learners' interests

Kakamega Primary KJSEA candidates during rehearsals on October 24, 2025. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

A senior Geography teacher in one school in the Eastern region would introduce new Form Five classes to the subject in a brilliant way. He would take them on a short excursion to a spot where the Nyambene hills and the rolling Isiolo plains were visible in one direction and the peaks of Mount Kenya, in the other.

He would tell his learners to join the snowy peaks of Mount Kenya and the Mediterranean Sea, far beyond the visible but gentle curvature of the earth in Isiolo plains, with an imaginary line. "All climatic zones of Africa lie along that line," he would famously declare.

There would be a gasp of wonder as his learners took a panoramic view of the continent. Needless to say, Geography always led with the number of straight “A” grades in the defunct Kenya Advance Certificate of Education.

Fast forward to 2026. The inaugural literature class in grade 10 will be in senior school soon. These are chaps born around 2012 and literature teachers must be exceptionally creative when introducing the subject. They don’t know who Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro are.

Despite the temptation that often carries some literature teachers away, any reference to classics, such as Animal Farm, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Around The World In Eighty days, will simply alienate them and make both the teacher and the subject look historical. Similarly, iconic artists such as Shaggy and Eminem and renowned televangelists such as Joel Olstein and Reinhardt Bonke are likely to sound like Greek to them.

Their worldview is effectively informed by events that happened from around 2020 to date. These include the Covid 19 audiovisual productions, the Shakahola tragedy and works of latter-day and, frequently, local comedians. They are also familiar with Kapuka music, a vibrant Kenyan hip-hop genre that infuses Kiswahili and sheng lyrics and acts of street confidence tricksters.

With such a caveat, how then does one hook them to the subject? Let's be clear, English and not Literature is compulsory in the grade 10 curriculum. Unlike in the 8-4-4 setting where both subjects were offered as one, things have changed. In fact it will be weighty for many learners to take literature classes. One thing for sure is that we have learners who are mesmerized by literature from what they have learnt in junior secondary. Teachers must capture and reinforce their interest on the first lesson.

Using short and interesting stories, teachers can easily capture their interests. Just as would the use of lively short films and comedies. By doing so, the literary appreciation of plot, themes, styles and character traits can be introduced easily before delving into long set books and novels.

During these introductory lessons, the teacher must allow learners to be participatory and own the lessons. They can ask rhetorical questions about plot and setting from some popular short films such as Mr Bean and The Gods must be crazy series and Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book cartoon adaptation and local TV productions to hook them to literary analysis.

When teaching oral traditions like storytelling and songs, it is important for teachers to incorporate the use of audiovisual gadgets like radio and internet. There is no issue here since these chaps have since been introduced to google and the basics of surfing the internet.

Further, teachers can use their discretion and allow the learners to listen and dance to contemporary genres such as local Hip Hop Bongo flavour, Rhumba and so on. Thereafter, they can bring in other traditional forms of oral traditions such as narratives, poems and other types of songs such as lullabies,work, dirges and others.

Literature plays a crucial role in learners' educational and life and growth. Teachers must hook learners to it and allow them to experience and appreciate its diversity. This is why the first literature lesson in grade 10 matters a lot.