Using literary texts ln the esl classroom

Abstract

Learning English as a second language is a discovery process, and the teacher figur es an important character on this journey, for it is the instructor's task to make the learning process interesting, free from frustrations and inhibitions, and, above alI, meaningful. Us ing Iiterature is an effective way of capturing the learners' attention. Besides achieving the learning objectives, literary texts can make the teac hin g/learn ing process a fun and attractive experience for both teachers and s tudents. Among the various ways of using Iiterature in an ESL classroom, short s tories and song lyrics are presented as suitable approaches for teaching young/adult lea rners from the intermediate leveI onwards.