Using literature an introduction
literary texts can be studied in their original forms or in simplified or abridged versions. An increasing number of stories in English are written specifically for learners of other languages. The types of literary texts that can be studied inside and outside the ELT classroom include: 1. Short stories 2. Poems 3. Novels 4. Plays 5. Song Lyrics
Why use literature in the ELT classroom? Literary texts provide opportunities for multi-sensorial classroom experiences and can appeal to learners with different learning styles, can be supplemented by audio-texts. music CDs, film clips, podcasts, all of which enhance even further the richness of the sensory input that students receive
Literary texts offer a rich source of linguistic input and can help learners to practice the four skills speaking, listening, reading and writing in addition to exemplifying grammatical structures and presenting new vocabulary.
Literature can help learners to develop their understanding of other cultures, awareness of difference, to develop tolerance and understanding. At the same time literary texts can and in the deal with universal themes such as love, war and loss that are not always covered sanitized world of course books.
Literature lessons can lead to public displays of student output through posters of student creations e.g, poems, stories or through performances of plays. So for a variety of linguistic, cultural and personal growth reasons, literary texts can be more motivating than the ones classrooms,
What are some of the challenges to be faced when using literature in the classroom?
Literary texts can present teachers and learners with a number of difficulties including:
text selection texts need to be chosen that have relevance and interest to learners. linguistic difficulty texts need to be appropriate to the level of the students comprehension.
length shorter texts may be easier to use within the class time available, but longer texts provide more contextual details, and development of character and plot.
Cultural difficulty texts should not be so culturally dense that outsiders feel excluded from understanding essential meaning.
Cultural appropriacy learners should not be offended by textual content.