will enhance language skills , and we will also develop mutual understanding and empathy . When they play their role in a conversation , for instance , or in an exchange of written or oral messages , our students will discover different typologies of people and they will have to step into their characters ’ shoes . Speaking skills are stimulated if we involve our students in question-answer activities , debates , and role play . These types of activities usually motivate the students and help them build self-confidence . They have the chance to share ideas , and this increases their sense of belonging to the group .
After short pre-reading activities , which introduce essential vocabulary items , we can give our students a wide range of challenges . A good idea would be to use literary texts to introduce grammar lessons . Literature makes language learning more enjoyable , and it motivates students to master the language simply because they want to learn more details about certain topics , places , people , cultures etc . The fact that we emphasise the close connection between reading and language learning will make our students aware of the importance of literature in their daily lives .
On the other hand , reading literary fragments or entire books stimulates learners to visualise characters , settings , moods , and situations . This develops their imagination and creativity . They practically recreate a whole universe in their minds . Consequently , we can take one step forward and use the literary texts as starting points for various creative tasks such as writing poems or stories , writing newsletters , creating new characters , changing the plot , recreating the ending , changing the setting of the story , the epoch , retelling the story from a different point of view etc .
In addition to this , we should not neglect the fact that many of our students find books captivating simply because they learn many valuable things from the books or fragments they read , as literary texts contain cultural and historical details , real-life language in everyday contexts , idioms etc . They depict places , people with their habits and feelings , traditions , and various social contexts . Thus , our students learn about the past , relate to certain characters , compare current events to events of the past , analyse relationships , actions and decisions whilst becoming aware of the complexity of literary texts and the evolution of human society throughout the centuries . More importantly , literature helps learners in their intellectual and personal growth since they begin to know and value other cultures , societies , and ideologies .
Sample activities :
Activity 1 : The beginning of Oscar Wilde ’ s The Canterville Ghost may be used to introduce Passive Voice . The students are invited to identify the passive examples in the fragment . We can review the grammar topic and do all the practice our students need using different grammar books and online sources , and then we can challenge them to read the short story . We can organise interactive activities and use true / false exercises , questions and answers , debates etc . to discuss the content and different aspects of the story . At the end , we can assign one of the following tasks or both ( Activities 2 & 3 ):
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