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Effective Use of Children's Literature For Esl - Efl Young Learners
Effective Use of Children's Literature For Esl - Efl Young Learners
Hsiang-Ni Lee
National Taitung University
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Until the early 1980s, the common belief about reading was that it was
a mechanical process of decoding words in order to retrieve meaning from
the text. Consequently, grade-appropriate basal readers along with
workbooks and worksheets had dominated many reading classrooms
(Moore, 2002). Viewing language learning as a whole-to-part process,
however, Whole Language advocates argue that children become skilled and
motivated readers when they are immersed in a print-rich environment in
which authentic reading materials are accessible. Such belief has led to the
literature-based reading approach as well as more publications of quality
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literacy (Lelend, et al., 1999). The ultimate hope is that young learners will
be able to act upon instances of social injustice in today’s less-than-perfect
world.
Cultural Authenticity
The issue of cultural authenticity has become a growing concern and
thus requires careful examination (Trousdale, 1990). One prime example, as
Mendoza and Reese (2001) points out, is the troublesome storylines and
illustrations in the famous award-winning picture book Brother Eagle, Sister
Sky, written by a European author about Native American history. To assist
young learners’ construction of proper world knowledge, Bishop (1992)
suggests the following guidelines: 1) look for books written by “insiders”; 2)
50 Ni Lee, Hsiang
Effective Use of Children’s Literature for ESL/EFL Young Learners
Proper Materials
Young students may not be fully aware of the wide range of quality
children’s literature available on the market. Thus, it is crucial that language
teachers carefully select texts which deal with different themes and match
students’ current reading level.
Diverse Themes
Teachers and students can together explore children’s literature dealing
with a variety of subjects. To do so, teachers can consider conducting a
focused study on a subject that students find interesting or relevant to their
daily lives. For instance, picture books like Daddy’s Roommate (Willhoite,
1990), King & King (Haan & Nijland, 2002), and King & King & Family
(Haan & Nijland, 2004) can be helpful materials for students who wish to
investigate the issue of same-sex marriage. Likewise, students may gain
insight into hate crimes by studying Whitewash (Shange, 1997), Smoky
Night (Bunting, 1999), The Other Side (Woodson, 2001) and Mississippi
Morning (Vander Zee, 2004). Another more efficient alternative is to engage
the whole class in focused studies as individual groups. While presenting
findings about different topics, students not only advance their knowledge of
content areas but also quickly become familiar with the diversity of current
publications.
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Reading Levels
Two concerns should be taken into consideration in determining the
appropriateness of reading levels. First, language teachers need to be
cautious about the insufficient and sometimes conflicting grade-level
information supplied by publishers and bookstores. For example, the online
bookstore Amazon rates one book, Tea with Milk (Say, 1999), as suitable for
readers from age 4 to 8. In the same section, however, School Library
Journal categorizes the reading level as Kindergarten-6th grade. The varying
and inadequate grade-level information is misleading and especially
troublesome for EFL teachers who do not always have the privilege of
previewing a book prior to putting it in order. Consequently, it is advised
that publishers 1) design clear rationales for distinguishing reading levels
and specify the types of knowledge students can expect to learn, e.g. rhymes,
colors, vocabulary or narrative writing. Such information should be made
public; 2) consider providing more sample pages online; 3) regularly
distribute samples of material to schools and teachers; and 4) start electronic
forums for teachers of the same interest to share selection and use of
children’s literature in their classrooms.
Additionally, teachers should critically examine students’ learning
needs when choosing reading materials. For a class in which students have a
great diversity of English reading behaviors and difficulties, teachers can
consider using the following steps in the form of a course project:
CONCLUSION
Various research findings have revealed that children’s literature is a
great tool for ESL/EFL young children’s overall language and literacy
competence. In particular, picture books dealing with different cultures or
social issues can promote intercultural understanding and social justice.
Children’s literature, nonetheless, is only beneficial when it includes
egalitarian perspectives on gender, presents authentic portrayals of socio-
cultural communities and is introduced properly using a literature-based
curriculum. To make best use of such genre, language teachers need to
critically reflect on their own instructional approach and examine the
linguistic appropriateness of reading materials available in the market. This
article finally calls for future investigation into the helpfulness of electronic
picture books on ESL/EFL students’ literacy development as opposed to
traditional paper books.
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THE AUTHOR
Hsiang-Ni Lee has a Master's degree in TESOL and a Ph.D. in Language
Education. Based upon her own observations of the difficulties Taiwanese
students are facing, she has focused her attention on researching and coming
up with alternative instructional approaches and materials for EFL reading.
Currently, Hsiang-Ni Lee is interested in children’s literature, family
literacy, literature-based reading instruction and material development. In
the future, she also wishes to explore the multiple possibilities of utilizing
technology in language education.
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