Stael Ruffinelli de Ortiz

Carolina Ortiz Ruffinelli

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch28  

ABSTRACT

Through children’s literature, teachers can help young learners connect English with content and, by doing so, increase the learners’ comprehension and enhance their language learning. Teachers can introduce learners to the enchanting world of children’s literature by using best practices to teach chapter books such as Freckle Juice by Judy Blume and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. When young readers actively engage with exploring these enticing and compelling books, the text comes alive and makes sense. By involving their own lives within the reading process, readers enjoy the experience and focus more directly on meaning, which is the primary purpose of reading. In this chapter, you will learn to use chapter books to help young readers relate to literature and, by doing so, use English for communicating with others. 

Keywords: children’s literature, chapter books, stages of the reading process, meaning making, reading comprehension, best practices

How to cite this chapter: 

Ruffinelli, S. & Ortíz, C. (2023). Teaching English to Young Learners Through Authentic Literature. In V. Canese & S. Spezzini (Eds.), Teaching English in Global Contexts, Language, Learners and Learning (pp. 336-349). Editorial Facultad de Filosofía, UNA. https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch28

INTRODUCTION

Authentic literature should be at the core of a school’s curriculum for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). For EFL learners aged 9 to 12 years, authentic literature can include chapter books written for native English speakers of that same age. However, for these chapter books to be effective with EFL learners, teachers need to include activities at each stage of the reading process (pre-reading, during-reading, post-reading). Through these activities, students improve interpretation strategies and skills, reach greater comprehension, learn new vocabulary and structures, and make progress at developing their command of the English language. 

During our initial experiences teaching EFL, we witnessed many benefits from using authentic literature with young learners. From among various literary genres, we found chapter books to be especially powerful for conveying meaning, catalytic for launching discussions, and instrumental for helping students learn language and content. To share this promising potential of authentic literature, we began promoting the use of chapter books in local language institutes and bilingual schools. 

One of our outreach experiences consisted of working with fourth, fifth and sixth grade teachers at a private school in Asuncion and helping them incorporate chapter books in their English language arts classes. At this school, most students have Spanish as a home language and, starting in pre-kindergarten, are schooled mainly in English. By fourth grade, these students usually have an A2-B1 English level (i.e., low intermediate) in the Common European Framework of Reference. With input from the teachers and students at this school, we helped create a literature curriculum with activities for the three stages of the reading process. We now describe activities implemented for each of these stages and provide student work samples for Freckle Juice by Judy Blume and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.  

background

Scholars concur that authentic literature exposes language learners to meaningful contexts (Van, 2009). Proponents argue that authentic literature allows children to see and appreciate their world from new perspectives (Short et al., 1995). Such literature fits with the whole language approach to teach reading based on the philosophical understanding that, even for instructional purposes, language should not be simplified (Goodman et al., 1991). Literature written for native speakers is preferable to simplifications that alter materials for language learners (Widdowson, 1978). 

Authentic literature includes the genre of chapter books for children ages 9 to 12 years. Chapter books introduce EFL learners to new lexical expressions, grammar structures, and pragmatic uses, and this can enhance language awareness (Bobkina & Dominguez, 2014). These books also expose learners to unexpected real language, new sentence formations and functions, other types of language structures, and several ways to connect ideas at varied difficulty levels (Collie & Slater, 1987). By becoming involved in the culture and context of a chapter book, young readers expand their potential and engage emotionally and intellectually. They find pleasure in reading by constructing meaning that relates this book to their own experiences.

major dimensions

To use authentic literature when teaching English learners, take the following into consideration. 

Integrate Chapter Books in Language Arts Classes

Integrate chapter books in English Language Arts classes to help EFL learners develop language skills and build understanding in meaningful and creative ways. For learners aged 9 to 12 years, chapter books can guide them in discovering new cultures and values, assuming ownership for the learning process, becoming independent learners, and facing unexpected situations. These books are also instrumental at enhancing deeper understanding of context, fostering learners’ communicative skills and accuracy, and transferring language skills to other school subjects. 

Build Learners’ Schema

Because the culture of EFL learners differs from the culture of authentic literature, build your learners’ schema so that they can access textual knowledge. Their comprehension depends on having schema about the text’s vocabulary, meaning, context, and culture. Knowledge about “relevant schemes is obviously essential if we are to read any kind of text with comprehension” (Smith, 2012, p. 22). Without relevant schema, EFL learners might become frustrated and discouraged at their inability to follow the story. Therefore, before introducing a literary text, build your learners’ schema by explicitly making connections between their prior knowledge about contexts and topics related to the targeted reading and the new vocabulary and concepts. 

Select Topics That Interest Students and Introduce the Author

When selecting authentic texts, make sure the topic and complexity fit your students’ interests and maturity level. Before having students read a chapter book, familiarize them with the author and help them make connections between their lives and the author’s life. Later, while reading, students may discover other connections between themselves and the author (e.g., personality).

Make Connections With Other School Subjects

Have students create fun projects that connect authentic literature with one or more of their other school subjects (e.g., social studies). Through these projects, students make connections between this chapter book and a school subject by exploring the settings, events, characters, subplots, main ideas, and other literary elements. These connections are often instrumental in making students want to learn more about a specific school subject (Routman, 1994). Such projects usually culminate with students displaying what they have learned. Through various art forms, these project displays can provide creative spaces to promote collaboration among students.

Guide Students With Reflecting

Reflecting on the reading process is key to enhance reading comprehension. Guide your students in reflecting on strategies that have led to their success in reading. Students need to see themselves in a friendly environment that promotes the sharing of ideas—agreements as well as disagreements (Copeland, 2005). Reflections by teachers and students can lead to discussions at higher levels of thinking. To become critical thinkers, students must reflect rather than simply believe what they see, read, or hear. They need to remain curious, ask critical questions, and seek alternative points of view. However, before guiding your students with reflecting, you need to reflect on your own beliefs about the reading process. Your beliefs will impact how you teach the reading of authentic literature and how your students will learn. 

Ask Essential Questions

To spark interesting discussions, ask essential questions that require students to analyze, evaluate, infer, and predict. This engages them in higher levels of thinking (McTighe & Wiggins, 2013). Essential questions can be classified into the five groups shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Classification of Essential Questions

When asking essential questions like those in Table 1, keep in mind that “(t)eaching the students to use the text as evidence and support for their arguments is critically important. Many students find the text itself to be a form of a safety net during their dialogue” (Copeland, 2005, p. 97). In other words, by holding their book and looking up passages, students are more confident at sharing and talking rather than relying on their memory when not being able to see the text.

Essential questions do not elicit simple or correct answers; rather, they are open ended, universal, and thought provoking. 

• Open-ended questions evoke reasons rather than opinions or beliefs. 

• Universal questions are central to greater understanding, address fundamental issues, and synthesize interdisciplinary concepts. 

• Thought-provoking questions are unique, require problem solving, and generate questions. 

These different types of essential questions are intellectually engaging and “encourage thinking on many levels, value students’ background knowledge and experiences and allow readers to go beyond the text in making meaning” (Routman, 1994, pp. 117-118).

pedagogical applications

In this section, we provide examples of student work for each of the three stages in the reading process (pre-, during, post-). These work samples were produced by EFL learners aged 9 to 12 years. Although these samples correspond to activities from James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and Freckle Juice by Judy Blume, consider adjusting these for other chapter books. 

Pre-Reading

Ask students open-ended questions before they read a chapter book. Effective open-ended questions are often “prediction questions, with readers describing what they think will happen in the story or predicting an answer before they read. Then they confirm, adjust, or disprove their predictions before reading on” (Routman, 1994, p. 117). To further help students make connections, use some of the strategies listed below.

• • Students look at a book’s cover and find prediction clues, such as shown below for Freckle Juice by Judy Blume and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Finding Prediction Clues on the Book Covers

• Students answer questions about the book cover: What do you see on the cover? What do you think the story is about? Where do you think it takes place? Why do you think so? 

• Students do a KWL chart (Figure 2) by writing what they know about the book’s general topic in the first column and what they want to know from the book in the second column. After reading the book, students write what they learned in the third column. 

Figure 2

Using KWL Charts

• Students match key vocabulary with meanings (e.g., whisper, dirty neck, recipe, fifty cents, giggle, poke, can’t stand someone) and perhaps draw pictures of these meanings. Students can also do matching for words with opposites (e.g., whisper/shout, dirty/clean).

• Students predict how these words might be connected to each other in the book’s story.

• Students predict what might happen based on intriguing sentences (that you selected from the book and wrote on the board). After reading the book, students confirm predictions.

During-Reading

Help students enhance their understanding of each chapter by implementing activities. 

• Students give opinions (e.g., agree or disagree) about aspects related to the book’s topic and about key sentences that they select from the book. 

• Students look at their pre-reading predictions and determine how closely their predictions match the book’s story. 

• Students answer open-ended questions, create their own open-ended questions, and ask their classmates to answer the questions they created. 

• Students use evidence from the book to describe their favorite character (Figure 3—first image) and favorite part of the story (Figure 3—second image).

Figure 3

Describing Favorite Character (first image) and Favorite Part (second image)

• Students draw their favorite part of the story and describe it. 

• Students tell each other about a chapter, share their favorite part, and explain why.

• Students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two characters.

• Students write a friendly letter to one of the characters. In Freckle Juice, for example, they can tell Nicky what happened to Sharon and give the secret recipe for freckle juice. Before writing, they brainstorm their ideas (Figure 4—first image). As another option, they can write a note giving advice to one of the characters (Figure 4—second image).

Figure 4

Brainstorming a Letter (first image) and Writing a Note (second image)

• 1. Students collaborate with each other when matching sentences with pictures and, also, when sequencing these pictures (Figure 5—first image) and when looking at some images from the book and predicting the next chapter (Figure 5—second image).

Figure 5

Matching and Sequencing (first image) and Predicting (second image)

Post-Reading 

After your students finish reading the chapter book, guide them toward reaching a better understanding about the important parts in this book.

• Students respond to open-ended questions by using higher order thinking and a wide range of responses. Possible post-reading questions are as follows (Routman, 1994):

1. How is this author’s work unique and different from the works of other authors? 

2. What types of clues did the author include in the story that helped you predict what would happen? Describe these clues. 

3. Did you recognize these clues when you first read them? If so, did you think they were important? Why or why not? 

4. If the story were to take place in a different place and at a different time, what parts of it would need to be changed? 

5. What would be a different way for this story to end? To make the rest of your story fit with your new ending, what else would need to be changed? 

• Students answer questions individually (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Responding Individually to Questions

• Students answer questions in groups of three, with each student filling in their own response box (Figure 7).

Figure 7

Responding in Groups

• Students create comic strips, which, as a medium of expression, are powerful for communicating ideas and emotions (Figure 8).

Figure 8

Creating Comic Strips to Illustrate Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach”

• Students participate in a Knowledge Building Circle. Here, they sit in a circle and respond to open-ended questions and probing thoughts provided by the teacher or other students (e.g., I wonder why Andrew wanted freckles). Students encourage each other to become involved and celebrate when all classmates are actively participating. Their discussion might last up to 20 minutes. 

• In their Knowledge Building Circles, students listen to each other’s comments and join the discussion by following classroom rules (e.g., raising hand and waiting turn) or by simply looking at each other. When acknowledged, they respond politely and share their own ideas usually by selecting and using the most appropriate turn-taking phrase or interjection from their prompt card (Figure 9).

Figure 9

Using Prompt Card in Knowledge Building Circles

In this chapter, you explored using children’s literature in EFL classes. You learned several activities for using chapter books with EFL learners aged 9 to 12 years. You also learned that intriguing chapter books make a big difference in how your learners engage with literature, learn new vocabulary and grammar, and build understanding and confidence in meaningful and creative ways. 

Here are key concepts when using authentic literature to teach English:

• • Build background knowledge before having students start to read a chapter book.

  • Present key vocabulary to enhance reading comprehension.

  • Include activities for each reading stage: pre-reading, during-reading, post-reading. 

  • Use essential questions for leading discussions that can engage students in higher thinking and deeper understanding. 

  • Allow time for students to elaborate thinking and foster autonomous learning. 

Based on your knowledge about using chapter books with EFL learners, answer these questions:

1. 1. What are important considerations before teaching a chapter book?

   2. Why is key vocabulary important when teaching chapter books? 

   3. What are the benefits of using activities with chapter books in all three stages of reading? 

   4. How can students develop deeper understanding when reading chapter books? 

   5. Why is it so important for young readers to reflect on what they have read?

To apply your knowledge about using chapter books to teach English, do the following:

1. 1. Select three of the many chapter books recommended on websites. 

   2. Read and analyze books to determine suitability for age, language level, and student interest. 

   3. Choose activities from this chapter to use with students at each of the three reading stages. 

   4. Generate essential questions to help students understand the selected book and to guide class discussions.

To learn more about using authentic literature to teach English, visit these websites:

• • Common European Framework of Reference. https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages 

  • Graphic organizers. https://www.hmhco.com/blog/free-graphic-organizer-templates 

  • K-12 reading lists. https://k-12readinglist.com/reading-lists-for-elementary-school-children/ 

  • Knowledge building circle. https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/learning-strategies/knowledge-building-circle 

  • Reader response strategies. https://coe.arizona.edu/resources-professor-kathy-short 

Several aspects in this chapter are also addressed by other chapters in this book: 

Chapter 7 Embracing Young Learners by M. Gandolfo, B. Damiani, and L. Caperochipe

Chapter 8 Teaching and Engaging Adolescent Learners by V. Ariza-Pinzón

Chapter 10 Building Language Awareness by H. Lalwani

Chapter 12 Explicit and Implicit Learning in Second Language Acquisition by C. Fernández

Chapter 25 Preparing to Teach Through Effective Lesson Planning by H. Lalwani

Chapter 26 Counterbalancing Content and Language Integrated Learning by A. Roca

Chapter 29 Using Theater to Teach English by C. Ortiz and M. Vaky

Chapter 41 Strategies to Teach Reading by E. Kryukova and M. Harrison

Chapter 43 Strategies to Teach Integrated Skills by L. Fuller

Chapter 48 International Frameworks to Assess Language Development by E. Nuñez

We thank teachers and students at Colegio del Sol for their contributions to this chapter. 

Blume, J. (1971). Freckle juice. Random House Children’s Books. 

Bobkina, J., & Dominguez, E. (2014). The use of literature and literary texts in the EFL classroom; Between consensus and controversy. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 3(2), 248-260. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.3n.2p.248  

Dahl, R. (1973). James and the giant peach. Puffin Books. 

Collie, J., & Slater, S. (1987). Literature in the language classroom: A resource book of ideas and activities. Cambridge University Press.

Copeland, M. (2005). Socratic circles: Fostering critical and creative thinking in middle and high schools. Stenhouse Publishers. 

Goodman, Y. M., Hood, W. J., & Goodman, K. S. (1991). Organizing for whole language. Heinemann. 

McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2013). Essential questions: Opening doors to student understanding. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Routman, R. (1994). Invitations: Changing as teachers and learners K-12. Heinemann. 

Short, K. G., Harste, J. C., & Burke, C. (1995). Creating classrooms for authors and inquirers (2nd ed.). Heinemann.

Smith, F. (2004). Understanding reading: A psycholinguistic analysis of reading and learning to read (6th ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Van, T. T. M. (2009). The relevance of literary analysis to teaching literature in the EFL classroom. English Teaching Forum, 47(3), 2-9. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ923454 

Widdowson, H. G. (1998). Context, community, and authentic language. TESOL Quarterly, 32(4), 705-716. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588001 

Stael Ruffinelli de Ortiz holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the Instituto Superior de Lenguas (ISL), Universidad Nacional de Asuncion (Paraguay), and a master’s in education from the University of Alabama (USA). Stael is owner-director of the Stael Ruffinelli de Ortiz English institute where she directs teacher training for the Cert-TESOL, Trinity College London. She has consulted for schools in Paraguay, provided teacher development assistance to the Paraguayan Ministry of Education, and delivered workshops in Argentina, Canada, Greece, Mexico, and the United States. Stael is president of the Centro Paraguayo de Estudios Canadienses and past president of Paraguayan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (also known as PARATESOL), an affiliate of the TESOL International Association.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7570-8054  

Email for correspondence regarding this chapter: sruffinelli@stael.edu.py

Carolina Ortiz Ruffinelli holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the ISL and a master’s in education from the University of Alabama. Carolina has taught for over 20 years in the field of English language teaching. She is the academic director at the Stael Ruffinelli de Ortiz English institute and, also, teaches pedagogy at the ISL. As president and past president of PARATESOL, Carolina promotes professional development in English language teaching across the region. An accomplished actress, she has acted in various casts and directed plays and musicals.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6808-4767 

Cover Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash