Approaches to Reading and Literary Texts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language - Then and Now

Literacy is about more than reading and writing - it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Being literate is a key aspect in life, hence why throughout student’s lives, reading is so important and so valued. A variety of famous literature are part of history, and many other famous novels take place in historic time periods, such as the Ancient Greek Era, The Great War, and The Great Depression. One truly known example of a masterpiece in literature is the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In the tenth grade english curriculum, literature is one of the main focuses (considering the “OSSLT”). The curriculum includes a variety of well-known novels students read in the course. Inquiry and research into

The use of literature in teaching English as a second language has begun to receive consideration specially in EFL for last many years. It has been considered as the highly beneficial by many EFL teachers. The need and aspirations of this research paper is to give the importance of literature and teacher in teaching English language skills. The main idea of my research is how literature can be a tool or technique for the teachers to use in the class room. Mainly this study focuses on how the different form of literature helps in teaching all four skills in language i.e. LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing). Teaching English through literature has evolved around the basic importance of its growth as

Literature is at the heart of the Australia English Curriculum and is integral to the teaching of language and literacy. Discuss how the children’s literature can be used to develop an understanding of the components of the language?

Dana Gioia, author of the article "why Literature Matters", writes about the decline of reading in the U.S. and how it affects our society. The consequences of people not reading are expressed through his specific factual evidence and his prediction of what is going to happen if the American people continue to ignore this issue.

Dana Gioia, an author of “Why Literature Matters,” addresses an issue in society of the decrease in reading during the past quarter century. This issue may seem little now, but will eventually have a negative effect on America as a whole and the business industry of America. Although reading may not be the activity for all, it is crucial to continue reading and learning to benefit the future people of American and the people after instead of the growing decline which affects society.

In the article “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” (1999), Francine Prose asserts that high school English teachers are teaching classic novels so insultingly that their students actually end up loathing reading altogether. Prose supports her assertion by asking what it even means to be educated, informing the reader that the same boring novels are still being taught in classrooms twenty years later, and explaining how teaching methods have plummeted to the point where every teacher has their students relate experiences back to themselves. The author’s purpose is to question whether English classes are even needed anymore in order to not only understand but to enjoy classic literature. The author writes in a contemptuous tone towards parents

In this paper, Gioia argues that there has been a major decline in reading among young adults. Additionally he argues that this issue affects not only literature and the arts, but all aspects of life. He creates this argument through the use of relevant facts and examples.

Against the downturn in American literary compassion which encompasses the reading industry in a negative fashion, in his article "Why literature matters", Dana Gioia has depicted reading as a core asset in any intellect-based society or civic spheres. By lending his American readers' ears on the claims voiced by prominent figures, the author aims to show young readers how their growing dislike toward literature will ensure future occupational hardships and poor social engagement.

Millions of literary works have been created and published throughout time. Some of these have been considered arguably the best literature ever created, and some believe it is important to teach them. As the United States does not have a defined national school curriculum as other nations have implemented, major controversy remains on whether all high school students should be required to read specific texts in their schools. The common knowledge of specific texts can unite students from around the nation, but this implementation may not necessarily hold truth within a large, diverse nation.

In the duration of this course, I was more informed on how English literature was started. I became more educated on how the styles and tones the authors utilize have an affect on the readers. Although I had already read many of the stories we studied, I became more enlightened on the background history of the authors of those stories. Becoming more cultivated on the authors enabled me to view their accounts in ways that I wouldn’t have usually considered.

The article “Current Issues and Best Practices in Literary Instruction” by Griffo, Madda, Pearson and Raphael looks at the changes in educational issues over time. The authors look the Common core state standards (CCSS) on literary and compare what it used to be done before and what needs to be done now following the CCSS. The literary emphasis used to be on phonics vs. whole language approach, but after the CCSS it was establish the need to more challenging texts and close reading. At the same time the use of technology has been increasing and books can be found in various formats. The authors also state that the meaning of being literary is changing and the way instruction is provided is changing at the same rate. The CCSS focus is to get

Indeed, the best works of literature are those which are of relevance to our lives today. Through their relevance, these novels continue to persist and endure on. Through their relevance, we can better comprehend the messages, the themes, and the ideas that are imbued in them. Rather than literature being contradictory and in conflict with the truth and unpleasant reality of daily life, it becomes a weapon through which we can be educated about the existential crises facing our world today. In fact, the statement above could not be more far and distant from the reality of literature today. It is fatally flawed. Literature, whilst at the surface, seems whimsical and amusing is, at its very core, a medium through which we are enlightened

Numerous nations have a concrete national school syllabus. However, some do not, such as the United States. Consequently, students enrolled in an English class, within the United States, read a miscellany of texts, which differentiate from school to school. Due to the fact that some nations have a stipulated national school curriculum, those nations enforce that all students read the same texts. This ultimately poses the question whether all students of high school English should be required to read definite texts or books. There should not be specific texts that all students of high school English must read, due to the fact it hinders cultural insight, and literary canon books are beginning to abate.

He added that creative writing motivates learners to consider literature in the second language. (p. 103). A survey conducted among 50 leading ELT professionals by Maley (2009) to explain the purpose behind the incorporation of creative writing with aesthetic reading in language teaching environments. The questionnaire survey’s results that took place in 2006, suggested four areas which are positively influenced through the use of creative writing in EFL teaching and they are listed as follow:

This research aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening)and language areas(i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) in our times. Reasons for using literary text in a foreign language classroom, suitable situations for teaching literature and main criteria for selecting suitable literary texts in foreign language classes are stressed so as to be familiar with the underlying reasons, situations and criteria for language teachers' using and selecting a literary text. Furthermore, literature and the teaching of language skill, the use