Why Use Literature?
Literature offers a unique window onto language, culture, and human experience. In an EFL setting it serves several functions at once:
- Authentic language input: novels, poems and short stories provide exposure to natural syntax, idioms, and varied registers.
- Cultural insight: Stories convey values, customs, and social norms that textbooks often omit.
- Critical thinking: Interpreting themes and characters encourages deeper cognitive processing of language.
- Motivation: Engaging narratives spark curiosity and emotional involvement, which improve retention.
Choosing Appropriate Texts
When selecting literature, balance three key criteria:
- Language level: Aim for texts that are slightly above the learners current proficiency (i+1). Use graded versions or adaptations when necessary.
- Cultural relevance: Choose works that reflect themes learners can relate to, or that introduce useful cultural knowledge for the target language community.
- Length and structure: Short stories, poems, and excerpts are easier to manage in class than full novels. Look for clear narrative arcs and dialogue.
Example: For intermediate adult learners, The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry offers simple past tense, rich idioms and a universal theme of love and sacrifice.
Pedagogical Approaches
1. PreReading Activities
Activate prior knowledge and introduce vocabulary. Common tasks include:
- Brainstorming key themes.
- Predicting plot from the title or cover.
- Wordmap exercises for highfrequency lexis.
2. WhileReading Strategies
These keep learners engaged and provide language scaffolding:
- Jigsaw reading: Divide the text into sections, assign each to a small group, then have groups teach each other.
- Reading for gist followed by reading for detail. Use timed first passes and then focused questions.
- Graphic organizers such as story maps, character charts, or causeandeffect diagrams.
3. PostReading Tasks
Encourage production and reflection:
- Debates on moral dilemmas presented in the story.
- Creative rewrites (e.g., changing the ending, writing from another characters perspective).
- Roleplay dialogues to practice pronunciation and intonation.
Integrating the Four Language Skills
Effective literature lessons deliberately weave listening, speaking, reading, and writing:
- Listening: Audio recordings of the text, dramatized readings, or students listening to each others oral summaries.
- Speaking: Paired discussions, presentations, and dramatizations of key scenes.
- Reading: Silent reading, choral reading for fluency, and close reading for analytical language work.
- Writing: Summaries, reflective journals, analytical essays, and creative extensions.
Assessment Ideas
Assessment should reflect both language development and literary understanding.
Formative
- Exit tickets with one new word and a personal response to the text.
- Peerfeedback rubrics for oral presentations.
- Quickwrite prompts after each reading segment.
Summative
- Analytical essay using a prescribed structure (introduction, thesis, textual evidence, conclusion).
- Projectbased assessment: create a multimedia presentation that connects the literary work to the learners own culture.
- Oral exam where students discuss themes, characters, and personal opinions.
Addressing Common Challenges
1. Language Anxiety Provide ample pretask support, visual aids, and allow use of dictionaries. Encourage a riskfriendly atmosphere.
2. Cultural Distance Use comparative activities that ask learners to link the text to their own cultural experiences.
3. Lengthy Texts Break texts into manageable chunks, and use excerpts that highlight the lessons linguistic focus.
4. Limited Classroom Time Adopt a literature circle model where each group works on a different text and shares findings, maximizing exposure.
Sample Lesson Outline (90minutes)
- Warmup (10min): Show a picture related to the storys setting; elicit predictions.
- Vocabulary preteach (15min): Introduce 810 key lexical items using flashcards and sentence creation.
- First reading gist (10min): Students read silently and then answer three general comprehension questions.
- Jigsaw activity (20min): Groups read assigned sections, summarize, and prepare a short oral report.
- Wholeclass discussion (15min): Compare group reports, discuss themes, and note textual evidence.
- Writing task (15min): Students write a brief What would you have done? response, using at least three new words.
- Wrapup (5min): Quick feedback, homework assignment (read the next excerpt).
Resources for Teachers
- Graded readers series (Oxford, Cambridge, Penguin) provide levelappropriate texts.
- Online audio libraries (LibriVox, British Council) free recordings of classic literature.
- Teachingliterature blogs and forums (e.g., ELTLitShare, TES) lesson ideas and downloadable worksheets.
- Technology tools: Newsela for adapting authentic articles, Padlet for collaborative analysis, Quizlet for vocabulary reinforcement.
Conclusion
Integrating literature into the EFL classroom is not merely an enrichment activity; it is a powerful catalyst for language growth, cultural competence, and critical thinking. By selecting suitable texts, employing balanced skillfocused tasks, and offering supportive assessment, teachers can transform a simple reading exercise into a rich, multidimensional learning experience. The key is to keep the focus on meaning, encourage personal connection, and scaffold language use so that every learner can experience the joy of engaging with English literature.
