Compelling Stories for English Language Learners: Creativity, Interculturality and Critical Literacy

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Description

This book is a comprehensive and thorough introduction to childrens and young adult literature in English language education. Reading is promoted as central to language education in order to experience perspectives from around the world, and the book demonstrates the many opportunities for teaching with compelling story, encouraging an active and engaged community of second language readers through challenging picturebooks, motivating graphic novels, dynamic plays, enchanting verse novels and compelling young adult fiction. Using many examples of literary texts that are well suited to the primary or secondary classroom, the book focuses on the advantages of deep reading and the vital importance of in-depth learning. In-depth learning is an approach that involves the students as motivated participants, working collaboratively and with empathy while preparing for and confronting the challenges of the 21st century. Illustrating the approach with a Deep Reading Framework based in research and theory, Janice Bland guides the reader to discover and learn how to make use of literary texts in a way that challenges students to become involved in interculturality, creativity and critical literacy. Throughout the book the emphasis is on an approach that puts the reader and language learner in the centre not a study of literature but a study of how readers learn through compelling story.

Reviews

Bland herself tells a compelling story to English language teachers: her book reminds us that what we can do and what we can get learners to do with storyworlds can be so much more stimulating than is generally allowed for by the tunnel vision of mainstream ELT. This is at the same time a book that explores the power of stories as a force for positive change and a book full of practical ideas for teaching and encouraging learning. * Childrens Literature in English Language Education Journal *
Moving smoothly amongst concepts, a comprehensive range of genres and issues, and practical applications, this clearly written and well-researched book will prove invaluable to teachers in language classrooms. Compelling Stories eloquently demonstrates why and how the learning of English through deep reading nourishes a love of both literature and language. * John Stephens, Emeritus Professor, Macquarie University, Australia *
Written with passion and informed by expertise in English language education, this book brings together insights about the affordances of specific genres and formats with practical tips about engaging compelling literary narratives in the classroom. Eminently readable and theoretically informed, it shows how stories make the difference that matters. * Marek Oziewicz, Henry Professor of Children's and Young Adult Literature, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, USA *
This book is full of theoretical insights, practical ideas for teaching, and suggestions for exciting and varied resources. It is a must-read for all teachers of English as an Additional Language. * Mike Fleming, Emeritus Professor, Durham University, UK *

Author Bio

Janice Bland is Professor of English Education at Nord University, Norway. She is editor-in-chief of the diamond open-access journal, Children's Literature in English Language Education.