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Using Literature for Children and Adolescents for Intermediate Language Acquisition
Author(s) -
CHEN MEILING,
SQUIRES DAVID
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
tesol journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.468
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1949-3533
pISSN - 1056-7941
DOI - 10.5054/tj.2011.259957
Subject(s) - reading (process) , psychology , perspective (graphical) , linguistics , bridge (graph theory) , foreign language , second language acquisition , language acquisition , function (biology) , pedagogy , mathematics education , computer science , medicine , philosophy , artificial intelligence , evolutionary biology , biology
This article suggests that literature written for children and adolescents is appropriate for use with intermediate‐level students of English as a second or foreign language of all ages (including adults). Following a description of this literature, three instructional applications are reviewed: extensive free reading based on language acquisition theory, close reading while attending to form and function using stylistic analyses along with a language awareness perspective, and reading a story to develop essential cultural understanding of the target language. These applications are framed by a discussion of related research. Literature for children and adolescents offers a light linguistic and content load. With interesting characters, themes, insights, and styles, these texts may capture adult interest and act as a bridge to more complex texts.