"A Story is a Doorway" -' by Richard Peck
A story is a doorway
That opens on a wider place.
A story is a mirror
To reflect the reader's face.
A story is a question
You hadn't thought to ponder,
A story is a pathway,
Inviting your to wander.
A story is a window,
A story is a key,
A story is a lighthouse,
Beaming out to sea.
A story's a beginning,
A story is an end,
And in the story's middle,
You just might find a friend.
Introduction
We are teaching English or studying the teaching of English, but why do we want to teach English, as opposed to other foreign languages? It is useful for us to consider this basic question occasionally.
The Importance of English
English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers–there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers–but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life).
However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. American popular culture — primarily movies and music — carries the English language throughout the world.
English as a First or Second Language
In some countries, English is the sole or dominant language. It has that role in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. All of these countries are former British colonies. In other countries, English is widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used in Hong Kong, Singapore,
Nigeria, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In such countries, it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages.
Using literature in the ESL classrooms
The benefits of using literature in the ESL classroom have long been proven and recognized by ESL teachers and researchers in three core areas. First, reading literature is beneficial to language development (Johnson & Louis, 1987; Morgan, 1998; Myonghee, 2004; Sage, 1987). Literary texts are also rich resources of accurate diction, diverse sentence patterns, and passionate narratives (Ghosn, 2002). Second, reading literature enhances ESL students' knowledge of culture and society, which is too complicated to be captured by any single piece of expository writing (Edmondson, 1995/6). Third, reading literature fosters critical thinking by offering readers multiple perspectives, especially in books dealing with issues such as immigration, cultural differences, social upheavals, et cetera. It is an exciting medium to explore and yet safe enough to draw back and consider the alternatives.
Young Adult Literature is a promising candidate to be used in the ESL classroom. It is often written in simple, modern English (Monseau, 2000); covers a wide variety of topics that are relevant to ESL students' lives (Stover, 2001); and contains short enough chapters to accommodate ESL students' reading habits and ability levels (Cummins, 1994). Regardless of these attractive aspects, researchers have been asking the question of how to exploit its unique values and features so that ESL students can learn more than the plot of the story.
Young Adult Literature and Finding Young Adult Literature Books
Young Adult books are commonly used in secondary schools. They speak to young adults at a very personal level by putting real-life situations into a simpler context. They deal with situations and circumstances that are pertinent to young adults, such as coming of age, relationships, growth and development, and self-discovery. They are typically written in the first person, using contemporary language, and following linear storylines. Every year a large number of Young Adult books are written by authors from all walks of life. This not only makes them easily available, but also gives readers a large selection. More importantly, some Young Adult books are considerably relevant to ESL students since they were written by authors who share similar experiences or have dealt with.
Using Young Adult Literature Books to Develop Literacy
Well-written and targeted at young readers, Young Adult books are rich resources of accurate diction, diverse sentence patterns, and passionate narratives. Furthermore, these elements are organically connected to each other so improvement in one area triggers growth overall. According to Cummins (2003), discrete language skills, such as vocabulary and grammar, can be developed in isolation but cannot lead to academic proficiency unless learners were actively engaged in situations where those individual skills were integrated by an authentic media. Young Adult books are considered just such a medium by researchers (Myonghee, 2004; Reid, 2002).
Learning some concrete phrases is only the first step. To achieve proficiency, students must be familiar with the overall characteristics of a story. Writing skills are highly appreciated by ESL students, who often need to retell a story or recount their experiences in daily dialogue and in writing.
Using Young Adult Literature Books to Introduce British Culture and Society
Young Adult books are a good collection of stories and events, contemporary as well as historical. To ensure a strong adolescent readership, narrations are often built upon the perspective of one main character, usually a young adult who is experiencing the pains of growing up. This makes reading Young Adult books a drastically different experience from that of reading explanatory articles, the most commonly seen type of literature in ESL reading. A good Young Adult book not only informs ESL students the situation and development of an event; it also connects readers to the event to gain an insight, rather than an overview, of British culture and society, especially on aspects closely related to young people.
By connecting religion, superstition and folktales together, we lead our students to explore hidden facets of American culture.
Young Adult books written in the first person perspective breaks social, cultural, gender and other such barriers. They offer ESL students a kaleidoscopic view to see the issue from multiple points of view that they may not otherwise have had access to in their own lives. It is entertaining and eye-opening to see how other people think, interpret, and act on a variety of things, especially those things that ESL students are familiar with.
The simple yet beautiful language used in Young Adult books, in addition to the cultural content, is one of the most conspicuous features utilized by ESL teachers. In fact, ways to engage the advanced levels of ESL students to read these books are certainly more than what have been discussed above. Teachers in English education have done a considerable number of studies and many of their findings can be applied in the ESL classroom. At the same time, a teacher must have extensive knowledge of the Young Adult books, or at least be familiar with different topics and genres. Also, the teacher should be supportive, encouraging, sensitive, and dedicated, because their students face a tremendous challenge when reading through a book written in a foreign language.