The first section contains five chapters, all focusing on the issue of how ‘literature’, in its broadest sense, can be embedded in the ELT primary classroom.

Although the first two chapters, by Harris and Mahon, and Margaret Falvey, deal with different topics (writing, in the first instance, and rhymes and riddles in the second), they have been placed first in order to provide the reader with a sound theoretical applied linguistic and educational foundation to the use of literature in the language classroom which helps to underpin the chapters that follow.

In Chapter 1, Harris and Mahon discuss the need...

In this chapter, modern approaches to the teaching and development of writing in the English primary class are discussed and exemplified.

Before reading this chapter, ask yourself the following questions and try to answer them:

1. What is the purpose of teaching writing in the primary English classroom?

2. What type of writing should we teach?

3. Should grammatical accuracy be the main objective of teaching writing?

Writing is the creation of meaning in visual language. At best it is a fulfilling, exciting and motivating activity; at worst, it can be boring, anxiety-ridden and futile. Education systems across the world...

This chapter is about the role of poetry and rhyme in the language learning process at primary level.

The term poetry is often understood in the restricted sense of the classical canon of literature; this is not the case here. The chapter discusses how rhymes, riddles, jingles and songs as well as poems can be used to arouse primary pupils’ interest and make the language learning process an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The emphasis throughout is on using poetry and rhyme to foster the meaningful use of language, i.e. on helping pupils to become Language-Users, rather than on providing pupils...

In this chapter the importance of developing the imaginative powers of children will be discussed. Much is written about the need for our schools to produce children who can think creatively, but little is said about how this is to be achieved. One way to do this is to use powerful books in the classroom. Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak will be studied and suggestions made to utilize the potential of such a text.

Think about the following questions before reading the chapter:

1. Why should creativity be encouraged in Hong Kong school children?

2. How can...

Story-telling occurs in all cultures and in all languages. In this chapter, reasons will be given, with examples, for the use of story-telling in the English as a second language classroom.

Before reading this chapter think about the following questions:

1. Why do children like hearing stories time and time again?

2. How can story-telling be used in the second language classroom?

3. How can story-telling create ‘constant and immediate’ motivation in the second language primary classroom?

‘Once upon a time’ is one of the most evocative phrases that a child can hear. It means that someone is going to...

This chapter discusses a special series entitled ‘Children’s Literature in the English Primary Classroom’ recently produced for classroom use by the Educational Television. What makes this series different from the regular English ETV programmes is that every programme is devoted to reading and telling stories to children presented in a range of techniques. All the stories are authentic storybooks written for English speaking children which have been selected as being suitable for those learning English as a second or foreign language. The overall aim is to motivate pupils to leam English through reading and telling stories.

The objectives of this...

Whilst the first five chapters focused on the primary classroom and the role of ‘literature’ or literary techniques in language work with primary pupils, this section focuses on the secondary school language/literature/language arts classroom. In Chapter 6, Murphy discusses the need for less boring, more interesting texts in the secondary classroom, echoing a theme raised earlier by Laine and Harris and Leung in Chapters 4 and 5.

In Chapter 7, Tibbetts treats the topic of poetry in the classroom. Readers should read Tibbetts in association with Peter Falvey’s chapter in the third and final section. In Chapter 7, Tibbetts shows...

In this chapter, the nature of ‘literary’ or ‘representational’ language, as opposed to ‘literal’ or ‘referential’ language, will first be examined (see Chow et al., 1995). It will then be argued that there is a need for a greater use of more literary texts by Hong Kong English teachers because there is a shortage of such texts in the textbooks currently used in schools today. It will then be shown how one textbook-type text can be changed into a more literary text relatively easily, and it will be suggested that if Hong Kong teachers try to do this themselves their...

This chapter will examine the reasons for using poetry writing in the language classroom. Examples of poems produced by students will be given and guidelines on choice of poems and topics for poems will be outlined. Finally the chapter will deal with ways in which poetry writing can be integrated into the Hong Kong English Syllabus.

Consider the following questions before reading this chapter:

1. Is it possible to get Hong Kong students to write poetry in English?

2. If it is, how do we go about it?

3. How does poetry writing fit into the TOC?

Poetry writing, for...

The introductory section of this chapter attempts to answer three important questions about the use of songs in the classroom. In the next section, I then illustrate tasks that can be generated from songs for language learning, taking ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone?’ as an example (see page 115). Section three examines these tasks more closely to justify the use of songs as a teaching resource. Section four suggests more tasks that can be done with songs in class. The last section lists a number of songs on different themes for use in the secondary language classroom.

Before reading...

In this chapter, the role of theatre and its links to activities in the language classroom are discussed and illustrated.

Before reading this chapter, consider the following questions:

1. Have you ever used drama techniques in your language classroom?

2. If not, can you think of at least three reasons why you have not?

3. Can you now think of three reasons to counter the reasons you have given in response to questions 2?

Drama activities in the language classroom originate from drama activities devised for use in drama schools and with theatre companies. A list of the types of...

Some teachers feel that stories in the language classroom are a luxury they cannot afford. Their concern is with language improvement in order to get students through examinations. The aim of this chapter is to show that stories can be used to fulfil the goals of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education and Use of English syllabuses and yet still ‘make words new’.

Consider the following questions before reading the rest of this chapter:

1. Are stories in the language classroom a luxury that we, as teachers, cannot afford?

2. If we were to use stories, can you think of...

In this chapter it is initially suggested that particular reading and response skills are required when approaching a play text and that these can be developed by espousing a range of techniques employed in professional theatre practice. There follows a descriptive account of a drama text lesson in which two short extracts are examined in performance by students working interactively in pairs. Guidance sheets encourage the students to find answers to specific questions about character, motivation and interpretation and the performed extracts are then subjected to cross-examination of the students in role. In subsequent sections a range of additional theatrical...

In this chapter we focus on ways in which English language majors attending pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes can become aware of the benefits of introducing poetry writing into the language classroom. For the purpose of this discussion, the creation and writing of poetry (referred to as ‘poetry writing’) will be distinguished from the use of poems written by others in the literature and language classroom.

Consider the following questions before reading the chapter:

1. What issues of credibility do teachers face in the language classroom?

2. What are the benefits of teachers or tutors demonstrating that they too...