Short stories are amazing. They\u2019re immersive. They tell you so much about the cultural ideas behind a language. They help learners expand their vocabulary in context, making it much more likely to be retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But far beyond the immediately obvious advantages, they also offer a priceless hidden benefit \u2014 the chance for students to escape their daily lives. Many of my students have to deal with incredibly complex geopolitical circumstances, or very demanding jobs (often both) and literature gives them, they tell me, \u2018breathing space\u2019 in their week. If yours are the same, you could be giving them more help than you ever realise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guest blog post was written by Kayte Fawcett.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The short answer is \u2014 everyone. Stories can be suitable for children or adults, beginners, or very experienced students. The secret is choosing an appropriate level of story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guest blog post, I\u2019m going to focus on the age group and level I most commonly teach \u2014 adult students who want to move from Advanced to Proficiency level. My students are used to using a highly sophisticated level of vocabulary in their first language and are very well-read. They want to achieve the same level in the language they\u2019re currently learning, so they can still feel like themselves when they use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short stories can be more suitable than novels for this kind of work for one simple reason \u2014 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students can feel the great satisfaction of \u2018completing\u2019 something relatively quickly, rather than being overwhelmed by the amount of text they have to read. Each suggested task for working with the text is also fairly bite-sized for this reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Poems also work well timewise, but sometimes the non-typical nature of their grammar can be a barrier to understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, short stories are tools that are suitable for any kind of lesson. With a bit of adaption, they can be used for groups or one-to-one lessons, in a classroom setting, or online. (A hybrid approach is also an exciting possibility.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the major considerations when choosing material is that it\u2019s out of copyright. This means it can be used freely, without fear of legal consequences. For this reason, I love working with the stories of Virginia Woolf, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charlotte Gilman Perkins, although this list is by no means exhaustive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, nowadays it can be quick and simple to create your own texts incorporating the words you want to teach, using AI. This certainly has its place, but I believe there\u2019s nothing like learning from masters of the language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following example activities are based on A Haunted House<\/em> by Virginia Woolf. The focus here is on vocabulary teaching, but, of course, short stories can also be wonderful tools for teaching grammar and pronunciation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Help your students enter the world of the story while activating existing, possibly passive, vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before even showing them the text, invite them to reflect on some of the themes or topics it tackles. For example, when using A Haunted House<\/em>, I might encourage them to recount unusual or unexpected feelings they\u2019ve experienced in particular buildings. Do they believe that the good\/bad feelings of former owners persist in a place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Very short ghost stories could aid the process. Have they ever felt anything like the examples? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now introduce students to the text itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Encourage them to make predictions about it. Ask them to describe the cover (if applicable). Then ask them what they think about the title, and if they\u2019ve come across the writer before. Have they read any of his\/her works? (In their first language or English.) What type of stories is he\/she famous for? Do they know anything about the writer\u2019s life? Hopefully, your students are now curious and keen to read the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask students to read the story in whichever way is best for them. (Out loud, in silence, accompanied by an audio, whichever way they prefer.) You know your students best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this stage, focus on the gist. Ask your students to summarise the story, then use questions to check their comprehension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make links to previous learning: have they read any similar stories before? You can then make the question more focused: have they previously read any stories where inanimate objects are given human-like qualities (the literary technique of pathetic fallacy), like the house in Woolf\u2019s story?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s their overall impression of A Haunted House<\/em>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following stages work with any type of word. For the purposes of this article, I\u2019m going to focus on adverbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s useful if each lesson has a strong focus. Trying to look at every word in a story at once can quickly become huge and messy. If you want to move on to, say, adjectives, it\u2019s best to go through the process again later, either with the same story or a different one. Some stories are particularly good examples of different types of language. For example, Sherlock Holmes stories contain lots of verbs. Edgar Allan Poe\u2019s tales are excellent for adjectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That doesn\u2019t mean you should ignore questions on other types of words if students ask, but it does mean keeping it manageable, so students don\u2019t feel overwhelmed. (Which, of course, can very easily happen when someone\u2019s trying to learn a language containing more than one million words.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in this instance, you could start by asking what the purpose of an adverb is, then brainstorming a list of examples and their meanings in collaboration with the students. Using a dictionary can be helpful here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s use the example of the word \u2018happily\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Happily – in a happy way<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the students: which verbs does it commonly collocate with? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Play happily<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smile happily<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you write\/say a sentence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The children played happily in the garden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She smiled happily at the dog.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What else can you find out about the word?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related phrases – happily ever after<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Common contexts – fairytales<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Other possible meanings – willingly<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Synonyms – merrily (although informally it has a sarcastic usage, and suggests that someone doesn\u2019t think about the results of their actions)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Near-synonyms – chirpily (in a happy way, but also in an energetic way)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [I\u2019ve chosen these examples because my students often still don’t use adverbs. Instead, they only tend to use adjectives, for example, ‘happy’. In fact, many of them rarely use adverbs at all. I\u2019ve used ‘happily’ as it has interesting other usages, typical phrases, and near-synonyms, which Advanced learners would appreciate.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at a further example, the word \u2018curiously\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curiously – in a way which shows you\u2019re interested in the world around you<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Which verbs does it commonly collocate with? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask curiously<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eye curiously<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you write\/say a sentence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you writing?\u201d she asked curiously.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She eyed the newcomer curiously.<\/em><\/p>\nA Haunted House, by Virginia Woolf<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n What else can you find out about the word?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other possible meanings – in a strange way, in a way that\u2019s unusual <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Related phrases – curiously enough, used to introduce an odd fact<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Common contexts – describing education or mysteries<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Synonyms – strangely (second meaning), has related phrase of \u2018strangely enough\u2019, used to introduce a surprising but true fact<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Near-synonyms – interestedly (similar to first meaning, though usually used about a specific person or thing)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Further notes – both \u2018curiously enough\u2019 and \u2018strangely enough\u2019 can be used sarcastically, to introduce a fact that the speaker doesn\u2019t consider odd or surprising.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStrangely enough, when I asked him to help me move house, he said he was busy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nA Haunted House, by Virginia Woolf<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Ask students to find adverbs in the story, and write the word and the sentence in which it appears. If the word is new, they should write the definition and create three more example sentences. You can demonstrate writing several example sentences of your own before they begin. I use a set of slides with prepared example sentences for all the adverbs in A Haunted House<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students should write a story (or poem) of their own, using as many of the adverbs from A Haunted House<\/em> as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s my example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Words: quietly, softly, coolly, gladly, straightly, proudly, slightly, gently, wildly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I crept quietly into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you awake?\u201d I asked softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d he answered coolly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I got the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll gladly go back to Australia then,\u201d I announced, looking him straightly between the eyes. (Or as straightly as I could \u2013 his were still half-open.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proudly, I scooped up my worn-out suitcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way out, I found that I was crying slightly, tears coursed gently down my cheeks as I looked back one final time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then my heart raced wildly as I sprinted down the stairs, into my new future.<\/p>\nA Haunted House, by Virginia Woolf<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A group situation is perfect for sharing stories and poems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you teach one-to-one, you could (with your students\u2019 permission, of course) create a blog post of compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask your students to write sentences using the adverbs from A Haunted House<\/em>, then use an AI picture generator to illustrate them. (I use Canva.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n An interesting exercise is to try generating pictures with and without the adverb. For example, I entered the prompt: \u2018Children running wildly through classroom, in the style of Victorian book illustration.\u2019 I then entered the same prompt, without \u2018wildly\u2019. As you can see in the video, I got quite different results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So this is a great exercise for highlighting the impact of adding adverbs to sentences. (Which might inspire your students to use them more often.)<\/p>\n\n\n\nTable of contents<\/h2>
Who benefits from studying stories?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why short stories?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What kind of stories are suitable?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 1 \u2014 reflecting on themes of short stories<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Share interesting details about the story. For example, when introducing A Haunted House<\/em>, I show photos of the property Virginia Woolf based it on, and read a quote from her husband explaining how the story was \u2018inspired by real events\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStage 2 \u2014 reading the story<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 3 \u2014 focusing on grammar and vocabulary<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Example 1<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Example 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Stage 4 \u2014 activating the knowledge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stage 5 \u2014 writing a story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Stage 6 \u2014 writing using visual aids<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n