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14 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills
Parlindungan Pardede
Christian University of Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia
e-mail: parlpard2010@gmail.com
Abstract
The notion that the main objective of EFL teaching is to help students to
communicate fluently in the target language cause many teachers still believe
that an EFL class should focus on mastering linguistic elements only. However,
recent trend in EFL teaching indicates the necessity of integrating literature
because of its rich potential to provide an authentic model of language use.
Among literary genres, short stories seem to be the most suitable choice for this
due to its potential to help students enhance the four skills—listening, speaking,
reading and writing—more effectively because of the motivational benefit
embedded in the stories. The purpose of this article is to familiarize EFL
instructors with the effectiveness of using short stories in EFL instruction. After
presenting criteria for selecting a short story, discussion is focused on how to
exploit a short story for enhancing students‟ language skills.
Keywords: literature, short story, language skills
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 15
Introduction
In the nineteenth century, the Grammar Translation Method (GTM)
predominated ESL/EFL teaching. During the era, translating literary texts from
the second/foreign language to the students‟ native language was one of the
main learning activities. Therefore, literary works were a notable source of
material in ESL/EFL teaching (Prodromou, 2000). But when GTM was
replaced by the Structuralism Approach in 1960s to the end of 1970s, literature
was no longer used. Structuralism was concerned with correctness of
grammatical form and not with content or interpretation of the written word or
style. In other words, teaching a foreign language was regarded as a matter of
linguistics. Then, when the Direct Method, the Audiolingualism, Community
Language Learning, Suggestopedia, the Silent Way, Total Physical Response,
and the Natural Approach successively dominated ESL/EFL teaching, literature
was not utilized. Later on and with the appearance of the Communicative
Approach in the late 70`s and very early 80`s, literature was also ignored. The
tendency in the EFL classrooms was to teach “usable, practical” contents. Thus,
literary works had no place in the curriculum. During this period most EFL
courses were mainly aimed to enable the students to communicate orally.
Consequently, dialogues dominated the curriculum.
However, since the 1980s the situation changed quite radically when
literature has found its way back into the teaching of EFL. But, different from
the way it was used with the GTM, the current use of literary works in
ESL/EFL classes is to improve communicative competence and providing “a
springboard for the development of critical thinking and aesthetic appreciation”
(Bretz, 1990: 335-338) and create students‟ awareness on the culture and
society of the relevant country. Since then, literature is undergoing an extensive
reconsideration within the language teaching profession. Literary works use in
ESL/EFL classes has attracted more interest among teachers, and more and
more studies on how to use literature in EFL/ESL classes are conducted. The
results of some studies, like those of Lazar (1993), Cook (1994), and Shanahan
(1997), for instances, strongly recommend the integration of literary texts into
the SL/FL curriculum. Many writings on this subject advocate a content-
focused curriculum that includes literature (Kramsch, 1993; Liddicoat & Crozet
2000). Theoretically, using of literature in language teaching is very
advantageous for it offers four benefits: authentic material, cultural enrichment,
language advancement, and personal growth (Collie & Slater, 1991). This is in
line with Erkaya (2005) who notes four benefits of using of short stories to
teach ESL/EFL, i.e. motivational, literary, cultural and higher-order thinking
benefits.
First of all, literary texts can be more beneficial than informational
materials in stimulating the acquisition process as they provide authentic
16 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
contexts for processing new language. Literary texts expose learners to fresh
themes and unexpected language. In this sense, „a literary text is authentic text,
real language in context, to which we can respond directly” (Brumfit and
Carter, 1986, p. 15). This quality appears to make literature suitable and
valuable to language teaching in many contexts and cultures. In addition, since
literary texts contain language intended for native speakers, literature stands as
a model for language learners to become familiar with different forms and
conventions (Collie and Slater, 1991, p. 4; Ur, 1996, p. 201).
Second, containing real examples of grammatical structures and
vocabulary items, the literary texts raise learners' awareness of the range of the
target language and advance their competence in all language skills (Povey,
1967). Literary texts are not written for the specific purpose of teaching.
Instead, they deal with “things which mattered to the author when he wrote
them” (Maley, 1989, p. 12). So, compared to the language samples in the
textbooks, the language is far richer and more varied. Many genuine features of
the written language such as “the formation and function of sentences, the
variety of possible structures, and the different ways of connecting ideas” are
presented at many levels of difficulty (Collie and Slater, 1994, p. 5). By
assigning learners to explore the literary language, they have been at the same
time been encouraged to think about the norms of the language use
(Widdowson, 1975, cited in Lazar, 1993, p. 18). Learners are encouraged to
familiarize themselves with different language uses, forms or conventions. Such
exposure is essential for the learners especially for their language development.
Thus, they can appreciate the richness and variety of the language and become
more sensitive to the features of it.
Third, using literature in language teaching has the advantage of
providing cultural information about the target language. Literary texts increase
foreign language learners' insight into the country and the people whose
language is being learnt (Collie and Slater, 1991), which fosters learners' ability
to interpret discourse in different social and cultural target language contexts
(Savvidou, 2004). By reading literary works, learners learn to see a world
through another‟s eyes, observing human values and a different kind of living,
and discovering that others living in very different societies. They will
understand and become broadly aware of the social, political, historical, cultural
events happening in a certain society. Through literature, learners can deepen
their cultural understanding.
Finally, since literature enables students to understand and appreciate
other cultures, societies and ideologies different from their own, it encourages
personal growth and intellectual development (Carter and Long, 1991, pp. 2-4).
In accordance with these ideas, Littlewood (2000) emphasizes the importance
of the use of literature in EFL classes by arguing that:
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 17
A major problem of language teaching in the classroom is the creation
of an authentic situation for language. All language classrooms,
especially those outside the community of native speakers, are isolated
from the context of events and situations which produce natural
language. Literature can overcome this problem because, in literary
works, language creates its own context. The actual situation of the
reader becomes immaterial as he or she looks on the events created by
language. These events create, in turn, a context of situation for the
language of the book and enable it to transcend the artificial classroom
situation (p. 179).
Based on these ideas, it is obvious that literary works undoubtedly
enable students to understand the language better by providing them with real
world experiences, relationships between society and people where the target
language is spoken, even if they are fictions.
Why Short Stories?
Despite its benefits for students, some objections are always raised against
the use of literature in public schools due to overcrowded classes, overloaded
syllabus and limited time—some problems commonly met in elementary to
high public schools in almost all developing countries. First, the deviated and
figurative language of poetry necessitates very long time to grasp. Second, the
length of novel will make it difficult for such classes to finish. Finally, drama
can be used in classes, but it will be difficult to act out a play in crowded
classes within limited course hours. Considering these objections, it is obvious
that among literary forms, short-story, which is defined by Poe (as cited in
Abrams, 1970, p. 158) “as a narrative that can be read at one sitting of from
one-half hour to two hours, and that is limited to „a certain unique or single
effect,‟ to which every detail is subordinate”, seems to be the most suitable one
to use in public schools. Since it is short, and aims at giving a „single effect‟,
there is usually one plot, a few characters; there is no detailed description of
setting. So, it is easy for the students to follow the story line of the work.
The idea that short stories are the most suitable literary genre to use in
English teaching due to its shortness is supported by Hirvela and Boyle‟s
(1988) study on adult Hong Kong Chinese students' attitudes towards four
genres of literary texts (short story, novel, poetry and drama) indicated short
stories as the genre that is less feared and the second most enjoyed (43%; the
novel is the most enjoyed with 44%), since short stories are easy to finish and
definite to understand. The idea is also in line with Collie and Slater (1991, p.
196) when they list four advantages of using short stories for language teachers.
First, short stories are practical as their length is long enough to cover entirely
in one or two class sessions. Second, short stories are not complicated for
18 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
students to work with on their own. Third, short stories have a variety of
choice for different interests and tastes. Finally, short stories can be used with
all levels (beginner to advance), all ages (young learners to adults) and all
classes (morning, afternoon, or evening classes).
The idea that short stories are very suitable to use in English teaching is
supported by Pardede‟s (2010) research findings on the interest, perceptions,
and the perceived needs of the students of the English teachers training of
Christian University of Indonesia towards the incorporation of short story in
language skills classes. The research revealed that a majority of the respondents
basically found short stories interesting to use both as materials for self-
enjoyment and of as components language skill classes. Most of them also
agreed or strongly agreed that the incorporation of short stories in language
skills classes will help learners achieve better mastery of language skills. They
even believed that English teacher candidates should master the skills of
employing short stories to teach language skills. In addition, the statistical
analysis revealed that the students‟ interest and perceptions were positively and
significantly correlated, and both variables significantly affected each other.
Choosing the Text
The use of short-story in English teaching should be aimed to encourage
the students to use what they have previously learnt. By doing this, the learning
process will be student-centered. However, the teacher plays a great role.
She/he must choose a suitable text to use in class, and should help her/his
students understand the story with various activities.
In using short stories to teach English, story selection is indeed one of the
most important roles of the teacher. Since the lengths of short-stories quite vary,
choose a story short enough to handle within course hours. The shortness of the
text is important for the students because they will see that they can read,
understand and finish something in English, and it will give the students a
feeling of achievement and self-confidence. Besides the length of the text, Hill
(1994, p. 15) points out three other basic criteria of choosing the text: (1) the
needs and abilities of the students; (2) the linguistic and stylistic level of the
text; (3) the amount of background information required for a true appreciation
of the material.
The importance of considering these criteria could be perceived by
realizing that the vocabulary and sentence structure of the short-story to be
studied must be suitable to the level of the students. The short-stories with
archaic, slang, foreign words, and allusions, having sentences imitating the
speech of a particular locality or ignorant people or foreigners should be
avoided if the text is intended for students below intermediate level. Similarly,
very long sentences are difficult for students to understand. As students will not
understand these sentences and words, they will get bored and not read the
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 19
work. Therefore, before giving the short-story, the teacher should decide the
readability of the text.
In order to meet that readability criterion, using graded or simplified
stories is possibly the most practical way. According to Ur (1996), “… the use
of „authentic‟ text with less proficient learners is often frustrating and counter-
productive” (p. 150). Therefore, the use of simplified text with less proficient
readers is highly suggested for the sake of suiting the texts with the level of
students.
In addition to the previous criteria, Spack (1985) suggests the aspect of
interest to be considered. According to him, it is important for the teacher to
choose stories that would interest students that he/she most likes to read and
teach, and that have been made into film to provide visual interpretation.
McKay (2001, p. 322) and Rivers (1968, p. 230) point out that students read
and enjoy a text if the subject-matter of the text is relevant to their life
experience and interests.
Short Stories and Language Skills Development
Short stories allow teachers to teach the four skills to all levels of
language proficiency. Murdoch (2002) indicates that “short stories can, if
selected and exploited appropriately, provide quality text content which will
greatly enhance ELT courses for learners at intermediate levels of proficiency”
(p. 9). According to him, short stories could be very beneficial materials in ELT
reinforcement by using them in learning activities such as, discussion, writing
and acting out dialogues.
In the following sections, while showing how to exploit a short story to
develop language skills, a series of activities is presented as a sample so that
teachers get concrete ideas about how to use short stories in their EFL
classrooms. A student-centered approach is presented in this sample. This
approach allows more exploration of the short story, offers the students more
opportunities to formulate their own ideas or feelings about the issue(s) as well
as to improve their basic skills in the language learning process. To cater
various learning styles, it is necessary to devise various kinds of tasks and
activities. All of them are carried out in English to immerse students in an
English-speaking environment.
A. Reading
Short stories are very useful in the trials to improve students' vocabulary
and reading. The results of Lao and Krashen‟s (2000) study which compared
the reading achievement between a group of students that read literary texts and
a second group that read non-literary texts at a university in Hong Kong
revealed that the group who read literary texts made better improvement in
vocabulary and reading. Using A Long Walk Home (see the appendix), three
20 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
activities can be conducted to help students to acquire more vocabulary. These
activities are related to form, meaning, and use respectively.
1. Complete the word form chart below. The first word has been done for you.
Remember that some words do not have all forms.
Verb
Adverb
Participle
Noun
Adjective
grow
-
growing
growth
-
remote
hardly
opportunity
immerse
There can be as many words as the teacher thinks necessary. However
there should not too many words included in a short story so as not to make
students lose interest in the activity. This activity helps students to learn
more vocabulary, and it also teaches them how to use a dictionary.
2. Write the letter of the definition/synonym in column B that most closely
matches each word/phrase in column A.
A
B
a. to spare
1. appear; make an appearance;
b. immersed
2. lateness
c. to show up
3. free for other use
d. tardiness
4. engaged wholly or deeply; absorbed
e. …
5. …
In this activity, the words/phrases in column A come from the story
students are reading. The definitions and/or synonyms provided in column B
must match the meaning of the words/phrases in the context of the story to
help students to understand how a different word/phrase can be used in the
same context.
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 21
3. Choose the word/phrase from column A in the previous activity that best fits
each of the following sentences. You may need to add -s to a plural word or
to a third person singular of a verb in the present tense, -ed to the past tense
of regular verbs, -ing for present participle, etc.
a) She finally ________ after we waited for her for two hours.
b) Johan was so ______ in his that he did not realize morning had broken.
c) After finishing this homework, I have quite much _______ time.
d) Mr. Moore looked angry when I entered the meeting room. But he finally
excused my _______ after I finished explaining why I was late.
In activity 3, students practice using the words they already understand
the meanings of. Since “Bill” does not include a list of unknown words/phrases
in bold and the words/phrases do not have explanation and/or synonyms on the
footnote, teachers should add both. To motivate students do such activity,
teacher may explain: “The list of words helps you go on reading without
troubling yourself stopping for too long to look them up in a dictionary or
thesaurus.”
High-intermediate and advanced students also profit from literary texts.
What they read gives them the opportunity to come up with their own insights
and helps them speak the language in a more imaginative way. They become
more creative since they are faced with their own point of view, that/those of
the main character(s) of the story and those of their peers. According to Oster
(1989), this process leads to critical thinking, by confirming, “Focusing on
point of view in literature enlarges students' vision and fosters critical thinking
by dramatizing the various ways a situation can be seen” (p. 85). This could
happen because when students read, they interact with the text. By interacting
with the text, they interpret what they read. By interpreting what they read, they
can work toward speaking English more creatively.
B. Writing
Short story can be a powerful and motivating source for writing in
ESL/EFL, both as a model and as subject matter. Short story as a model occurs
when students‟ writing becomes closely similar to the original work or clearly
imitates its content, theme, organization, and /or style. However, when student
writing exhibits original thinking like interpretation or analysis, or when it
emerges from, or is creatively stimulated by, the reading, literature serves as
subject matter. In accordance with this, Oster (1989, p. 85) affirms that
literature helps students to write more creatively.
22 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
Teachers can create a variety of writing activities to help students to
develop their writing skills. They can ask students to write dialogues or more
complex writing activities if students have reached a high level of language
proficiency. For example, if teachers bring to class A Long Walk Home, they
can assign the following writing activities:
1. Write a dialogue between Jackson and his father that morning (paragraph
one).
2. Paraphrase the last two paragraphs of the short story.
3. Write a book report or summarize the story in five to seven sentences,
including the main character, setting, conflict, climax, and resolution.
4. Write one sentence on the theme of the story.
5. Write a paragraph to explain what you think Jackson has learned from that
experience.
6. Write a review on the story.
7. Write an essay on what you like or dislike in the story.
Activities 1 and 2 are suitable for middle intermediate levels; activities 3
and 4 for upper intermediate levels; and activities 5, 6 and 7 for advanced
levels.
C. Speaking and Listening
Short story can also be a powerful and motivating source for teaching
both speaking and listening. Oral reading, dramatization, improvisation, role-
playing, reenactment, and discussion are some effective learning activities
which center on a short story EFL classes can use for enhancing these two
skills. Asking students to read story aloud can develop their speaking as well as
listening skills. Moreover, it also leads to improving pronunciation.
The followings are some activities teachers can assign to develop students
speaking skills by using short stories.
1. The students read the story aloud as a chain activity. The first student reads
the first sentence. The second student takes the second sentence, the third
student, third sentence, and so forth. Such activity will enhance students‟
pronunciation and fluency in an interesting way. It is suitable for elementary
class.
2. In an upper intermediate class, the students retell the story as a chain
activity in small groups. Each student will have a lot of opportunities to
practice the relevant connectors or other discourse markers in a meaningful
context. (They certainly should have been given a list of the connectors and
discourse markers beforehand.)
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 23
3. In an advanced class, the students are grouped into two groups. Using A
Long Walk Home, the first group is assigned to prepare arguments that the
father‟s decision to punish himself is appropriate. Another group should
prepare arguments that the decision is not appropriate.
4. An extending activity useful to develop students‟ speaking skill and to make
students more involved in the story is role-play. This can be carried out by
asking students to play the role of several characters, i.e. by instructing
them the followings:
a. Imagine you are Jackson. Tell your partner (acting as his father) why
you were late coming from the garage. Make sure you are convincing.
b. Suppose you are the receptionist of the garage in which Jackson took the
car. Tell Jackson‟ father about the car.
To develop listening skill using a short story, teachers can do the
followings:
1. Read the story out loud so students have the opportunity to listen to a native
speaker of English (if at all possible); or
2. Play the story if a recording is available.
The activity can be carried out for fun or for students to find answers to
questions given and explained to them before the listening activity starts. For
students to understand the story when they listen to it for the first time, the
questions can be based on literary structures, such as:
1. Who is the main character of A Long Walk Home?
2. Where/when does the story take place?
3. What is the problem (conflict) in the story?
4. How is the conflict resolved?
Conclusion
Since the objective of EFL teaching is to help students to communicate
fluently in the target language, teachers should provide an authentic model of
language use. To do it, she/he should focus not only on linguistic but also on
literary and cultural elements. Since short stories offer these elements, they are
highly beneficial to use in ESL/EFL teaching programs. However, the selection
of short stories should be done in reference to the course objective, the learners‟
profile, and the story content in order to make the best of it. Since every
teaching situation is unique, the use of one single piece of literature varies from
classroom to classroom and from teacher to teacher. Like what the discussion in
24 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
this paper shows, short stories can be used to provide different activities for
reading, listening, writing and speaking classes. Short story creates a
meaningful context to teach different language focuses and to improve the
students' interpretative strategies. Last but not least, the same story may also
serve for some other language focuses or skills such as vocabulary
development.
References
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Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 25
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26 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARI 2011: 14-27
Appendix
A Long Walk Home
(by: Jason Bocarro)
I grew up in the south of Spain in a little community called Estepona. I
was 16 when one morning my father told me I could drive him into a remote
village called Mijas, about 18 miles away, on the condition that I take the car in
to be serviced at a nearby garage. Having just learned to drive and hardly ever
having the opportunity to use the car, I readily accepted. I drove Dad into Mijas
and promised to pick him up at 4 p.m., then drove to a nearby garage and
dropped off the car. Because I had a few hours to spare, I decided to catch a
couple of movies at a theatre near the garage. However, I became so immersed
in the films that I completely lost track of time. When the last movie had
finished, I looked down at my watch. It was six o'clock. I was two hours late.
I knew Dad would be angry if he found out I'd been watching movies.
He'd never let me drive again. I decided to tell him that the car needed some
repairs and that they had taken longer that had been expected. I drove up to the
place where we had planned to meet and saw Dad waiting patiently on the
corner. I apologized for being late and told him that I'd come as quickly as I
could, but the car had needed some major repairs. I'll never forget the look he
gave me.
"I'm disappointed that you feel you have to lie to me, Jackson."
"What do you mean? I'm telling the truth."
Dad looked at me again. "When you did not show up, I called the garage
to ask if there were any problems, and they told me that you had not yet picked
up the car. So you see, I know there were no problems with the car." A rush of
guilt ran through me as I feebly confessed to my trip to the movie theater and
the real reason for my tardiness. Dad listened intently as a sadness passed
through him.
"I am angry, not with you but with myself. You see, I realize that I have
failed as a father if after all these years you feel that you have to lie to me. I
have failed because I have brought up a son who cannot even tell the truth to his
Pardede, Using Short Stories to Teach Language Skills 27
own father, I'm going to walk home now and contemplate where I have gone
wrong all these years".
"But Dad, its 18 miles to home. It's dark. You can't walk home."
My protests, my apologies and the rest of my utterances were useless. I
had let my father down, and I was about to learn one of the most painful lessons
of my life. Dad began walking along the dusty roads. I quickly jumped in the
car and followed behind, hoping he would relent. I pleaded all the way, telling
him how sorry I was, but he simply ignored me, continuing on silently,
thoughtfully and painfully. For 18 miles I drove behind him, averaging about
five miles per hour.
Seeing my father in so much physical and emotional pain was the most
distressing and painful experience that I have ever faced. However, it was also
the most successful lesson. I have never lied to him since.
