49 / 124
47
T49
Teaching Vocabulary and Grammar Using Authentic Literary Texts
and Other Reading Selections
For many years the foreign language profession viewed the
teaching of language and the teaching of literature as two very
separate and distinct activities. At all educational levels the
reading of literary texts was often seen as a task that only very
advanced students could undertake. As a result, the early years
of instruction were generally devoted to learning the language
so that students could study literature in upper-level courses.
Authentic Texts Defined
In the 1970s this separation of language and literature teaching
was challenged as researchers in language acquisition advocated
for the use of authentic texts and materials in the language
classroom. Widdowson pointed out that the language presented
to students does not need to be simplified for easy access.
He further stated that, “Nowadays there are recommendations
that the language presented should be authentic.” Wallace later
defined authentic language as that found in “…real-life texts,
not written for pedagogic purposes.” Soon thereafter, authentic
materials gradually made their way into textbooks in the form of
advertisements, brochures, menus, schedules, and other items
utilized in daily life. However, literature was still not viewed as
suitable material for language learning.
Contemporary View of Literary Texts
Recently, a report from the Modern Language Association called
for an end to the separation of language courses and literature
courses and recommended a curriculum “in which language,
culture, and literature are taught as a continuous whole.” This
contemporary view of the role of literature reinforces the notion
that literary texts can be used to teach language beginning at
the earliest levels. In addition to providing language models
for students, literary selections also provide authentic cultural
information, help critical thinking skills, and emphasize
historical and literary traditions.
Reading Strategies and Activities to Promote
Comprehension
It is now generally accepted that literary and other authentic
texts should not be simplified or modified in order to help
students comprehend them. Rather, students should be
provided with reading strategies and activities prior to reading
the selection. In turn, these strategies and activities will help
students comprehend the authentic material.
Emily Spinelli
Executive Director, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
Professor Emerita of Spanish, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Pre-reading, During-reading, and Post-reading
Activities
Generally the strategies, explanations, and activities related to
a reading selection fall into three categories called pre-reading,
during-reading, and post-reading activities, depending on when
they are used in relation to reading the selection. Pre-reading
strategies provide students with reading techniques such as
reading for gist, understanding the genre of the text, or forming
hypotheses about the theme or topic of the text. Pre-reading
activities can involve a presentation or review of vocabulary or
grammar structures used within the literary selection. Vocabulary
activities typically focus on cognate recognition, word families,
prefixes and suffixes and other information designed to assist
students with comprehending individual words. Grammar
activities generally focus on recognition of parts of speech, verb
forms and tenses, and word order. Other pre-reading activities
focus on cultural information that have students compare or
contrast cultural products, practices or perspectives found in
the text with those found in their own cultures. During-reading
activities generally help students focus on the pre-reading
strategies and other information taught or reviewed in the
pre-reading phase. Finally, the post-reading activities focus on
comprehension and ask students to demonstrate what they
learned while reading.
By helping students comprehend authentic texts through the
use of pre-reading strategies and activities, we expand their
language capabilities while strengthening their cross-cultural
and literacy skills.
Bibliography
Bernardo, Sacha Anthony. “The Use of Authentic Materials in the
Teaching of Reading.”
The Reading Matrix
6 (2006): 60–69.
Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for
a Changed World.
New York: Modern Language Association,
2006.
Wallace, Catherine.
Reading
. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1992.
Widdowson, Henry G.
Aspects of Language Teaching
. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1990.
Background and Research