Teaching Language through Literature: Designing Appropriate Classroom Activities

Abstract

The present study aims to emphasize the effectiveness of using literature in EFL classes through a case study on the project “Readers’ Development Program” of the British Council, Bangladesh executed in the Department of English at ASA University Bangladesh(ASAUB). The concept of teaching language through literature is implemented through various classroom activities from the simplified version of classic texts in English. It reviews the arguments for using literature in the language classroom. It is found that literary texts provide wide scope to explore multi-dimensional use of the language. Literary pieces especially stories are more attractive and fascinating than other teaching materials and allow group discussions and individual explorations. They offer real language use, which creates a feeling for the language in the students. In this study, tasks were designed for the students based on literary texts which provided ample opportunities for developing and practicing speaking, listening, reading and writing. Activities like role plays, group discussions and presentations reduced the level of anxiety in the students and they got involved into the language with enthusiasm and interest. It is suggested that selecting the texts properly and designing different set of activities according to the needs of the learners can facilitate language teaching and learning.