The teaching of English in the United Arab Emirates is based upon the communicative approach and aims to enable EFL students to employ language skills for communication purposes, as appropriate. Personal experience and the author’s colleagues’ observations, however, reveal that a number of EFL university students fail to achieve adequate communicative competence, which, in turn, does not qualify them to exploit the foreign language of English as required by their curricula as well as by today’s world. Central to university education in the United Arab Emirates is critical thinking. It seems reasonable, then, to assume that EFL university students are well-equipped to tackle a reading text and to handle a writing task, demonstrating through such activities an adequate repertoire of critical thinking skills. Personal experience and the author’s colleagues’ observations, however, indicate that this does not apply to a number of EFL university students studying in the country. Seeking an effective remedy, the author argues that utilising literature in the EFL classroom would be beneficial in terms of many essential aspects. Based on a three-year research project conducted at a private university in Dubai involving a number of EFL students, the book concludes with some suggestions with regards to what criteria to adopt when utilising literary texts. The current book, as such, is expected to be of use and interest to: applied linguists (as the study proposes an approach to integrating the teaching of language, literature, communication and critical thinking, with the ultimate goal of promoting communicative competence and enhancing critical thinking on the part of EFL learners); curricula designers (since the study introduces a course for the enhancement of communicative competence and critical thinking); and EFL instructors (because the study offers instructional material which can be adopted or adapted when teaching EFL university students).

Innovation has replaced stereotypical and old methods as an attempt to make English language teaching and learning appealing, effective, and simple. However, teaching a second language through literature may be a paramount tool to consolidate not only students’ lexical and grammatical competences, but also for the development of their cultural awareness and broadening of their knowledge through interaction and collaboration that foster collective learning. Despite past difficulties, literature’s position in relation to language teaching can be revendicated and revalued. Using Literature to Teach English as a Second Language is an essential research publication that exposes the current state of this methodological approach and observes its reverberations, usefulness, strengths, and weaknesses when used in a classroom where English is taught as a second language. In this way, this book will provide updated tools to explore teaching and learning through the most creative and enriching manifestations of one language – literature. Featuring a range of topics such as diversity, language learning, and plurilingualism, this book is ideal for academicians, curriculum designers, administrators, education professionals, researchers, and students.

Emerging from a critical analysis of the glocal power of English and how it relates to academic literacy and culturally responsive pedagogy, this book presents translanguaging strategies for using ESL students' mother tongue as a resource for academic literacy acquisition and college success. Parmegiani offers a strong counterpoint to the "English-only" movement in the United States. Grounded in a case study of a learning community linking Spanish and English academic writing courses, he demonstrates that a mother tongue-based pedagogical intervention and the strategic use of minority home languages can promote English language acquisition and academic success.

The book provides a review of scientific research on the learning outcomes of students with limited or no proficiency in English in U.S. schools. Research on students in kindergarten to grade 12 is reviewed. The primary chapters of the book focus on these students' acquisition of oral language skills in English, their development of literacy (reading & writing) skills in English, instructional issues in teaching literacy, and achievement in academic domains (i.e., mathematics, science, and reading). The reviews and analyses of the research are relatively technical with a focus on research quality, design characteristics, and statistical analyses. The book provides a set of summary tables that give details about each study, including full references, characteristics of the students in the research, assessment tools and procedures, and results. A concluding chapter summarizes the major issues discussed and makes recommendations about particular areas that need further research.

Strategies, tools, tips, and examples that teachers can use to help English language learners at all levels flourish in mainstream classrooms.

This highly regarded work brings together prominent authorities on vocabulary teaching and learning to provide a comprehensive yet concise guide to effective instruction. The book showcases practical ways to teach specific vocabulary words and word-learning strategies and create engaging, word-rich classrooms. Instructional activities and games for diverse learners are brought to life with detailed examples. Drawing on the most rigorous research available, the editors and contributors distill what PreK-8 teachers need to know and do to support all students' ongoing vocabulary growth and enjoyment of reading. New to This Edition*Reflects the latest research and instructional practices.*New section (five chapters) on pressing current issues in the field: assessment, authentic reading experiences, English language learners, uses of multimedia tools, and the vocabularies of narrative and informational texts.*Contributor panel expanded with additional leading researchers.