Reading is one of the four skills considered to be essential in order to acquire a language. However we should ask ourselves how often is this skill used in classrooms? We as future teacher need to be aware of the importance of bringing literature into the classroom and the ways in which students can enrich their lives. If teachers can and have the ability to make their students open their minds to new worlds, they will discover that literature can be enjoyable too.
Thus, the following question comes out: How and why to include reading into the classroom? Children are eager to share their personal experiences with others. When they enter school and become students, it seems that this institution, based on the class lessons, does not consider children’s personality and natural curiosity they brought from home. This is reason why, it is fundamental to know that books bring new stories and experiences into everybody’s lives. Literature should be included into EFL classroom and presented to students.
As Jacqueline Kennedy said “There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.” Throughout this research, three different strategies will be presented regarding to how to introduce literature into the classroom in order to motivate students to read more and enjoy it.
The first strategy is based on the idea of a classroom turning into a community of readers. The purpose of this idea is using the four skills in order to respond to literature in the classroom, and enriching students’ personal experiences by communicating their ideas to their classmates. According to Tompkins (2001), literature allows students to learn about the world and be transported into new lands to experience different lives than their own. Based on this idea, he proposes literature-rich classrooms as a strategy, in which the classroom becomes a place where students can read, talk, write and discuss about literature, creating a community of reading. This idea would be particularly interesting in an EFL classroom, considering that teachers need to teach a new language. In the complexity of teaching new words and concepts, this strategy would allow teachers to interact with the students in such ways that they would feel part of the learning process. Using this strategy in the classroom will allow students to choose what to read, helping them to become more independent and responsible learners.
Thus, the following question comes out: How and why to include reading into the classroom? Children are eager to share their personal experiences with others. When they enter school and become students, it seems that this institution, based on the class lessons, does not consider children’s personality and natural curiosity they brought from home. This is reason why, it is fundamental to know that books bring new stories and experiences into everybody’s lives. Literature should be included into EFL classroom and presented to students.
As Jacqueline Kennedy said “There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.” Throughout this research, three different strategies will be presented regarding to how to introduce literature into the classroom in order to motivate students to read more and enjoy it.
The first strategy is based on the idea of a classroom turning into a community of readers. The purpose of this idea is using the four skills in order to respond to literature in the classroom, and enriching students’ personal experiences by communicating their ideas to their classmates. According to Tompkins (2001), literature allows students to learn about the world and be transported into new lands to experience different lives than their own. Based on this idea, he proposes literature-rich classrooms as a strategy, in which the classroom becomes a place where students can read, talk, write and discuss about literature, creating a community of reading. This idea would be particularly interesting in an EFL classroom, considering that teachers need to teach a new language. In the complexity of teaching new words and concepts, this strategy would allow teachers to interact with the students in such ways that they would feel part of the learning process. Using this strategy in the classroom will allow students to choose what to read, helping them to become more independent and responsible learners. 
Reading allows students to learn in a different way and at the same time, develop social-cognitive skills. The second strategy is based on promoting discussion groups in the classroom founded on readings will permit these students to develop communicational and interactional skills. According to Evans (2006) students enjoy more participating on these groups because they get engage into the discussion which promotes more reading into the classroom. Following the same idea, Tompkins (2001) states that as people read, they create imaginary places which contains feelings and thought that are part of the readers own world. This is called an aesthetic experience, according to the Cambridge Advanced Dictionary is a concept related to beauty and enjoyment of an activity. In this case, the purpose of these discussion groups is to give students the opportunity to talk, reflect and discuss about topics or stories presented through literature, and that they can relate to their own experiences. Evans introduces that there are a variety of models to form these discussion groups; but there are some elements in common: reading, discussion of ideas and opinions, and considering students’ feeling that appear through the reading.
In order to promote reading motivation in the students, they need to take an active role in classroom activities. Consequently, teachers should consider the idea of including students’ perspectives and expectations into their planning. Students know what kind of stories they like or not. Even more, they have some prior knowledge about literature that can be used in the lessons. This is why it seems appropriate to introduce Tompkins (2001) types of reading activities in the classroom, for instance, reading aloud, shared, guided and independent reading.
The third and final strategy is based on the idea of introducing folk into the classroom. According to Young
(2003) bringing folk into the classroom will allow students to appreciate more their own culture. Since the purpose of folk is to teach social behaviors and manners to the readers, the students are going to enrich their lives by using these types of stories to learn a new language. The use of this strategy will bring common sense into the classroom but also creativity; students can learn from reading these stories but also by bringing their own into the classroom. The creation of this type of stories by the students dealing with their personal lives and their closest surroundings can enrich a classroom.The purpose of everything a teacher does should include personal interests and likes. This is the reason why if students learn how to enjoy reading it will create the mood in which students will use this skill in more than just a language class. To include it into the classroom is necessary to find special ways of doing it and also, the teachers’ disposition to innovate in the lessons. The purpose of this essay was to show that there are many ways of presenting literature into the classroom but also, to support the idea that students should read. Students need to learn how to develop their own skills using the teacher’s guidance, but also knowing that they have enough resources and abilities to do it on their own.
In conclusion, reading is an essential skill when teaching students not only a new language, but in the general sense of the word. It helps them to expand their knowledge, develop their personality and express their thought and ideas. Group discussion and the analysis of different literature genres can show the diversity of choices that students have at the moment of choosing a story that will meet their needs and that will capture their attention, which is the exact point where literature becomes the teacher’s ally. Classrooms need to become communities in which students can learn from the interaction among their peers and the teacher and reading provides the perfect opportunity to achieve this.
References:
“Aesthetic” Cambridge Advanced Dictionary. 13 July 2009. Cambridge University Press 2009.
Evans, Karen. Literature Discussion Groups in the Intermediate Grades. Delaware: International Reading Association, 2006.
Tompkins Teaching Reading with Literature. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 2001.
Young, Terrell. Happily Ever After: sharing folk literature with elementary and middle school students. Delaware: International Reading Association, 2003.
