‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’

Abstract

Experts in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field have been making efforts to enhance English education in Korea by implementing communicative language teaching (CLT) approaches in English classrooms. However, even though English classes in elementary schools are interactive and communicative, the curriculum in middle and high school does not match what actually goes in the classroom. That is, English instruction in middle and high schools mostly focuses on grammar and reading short passages and answering questions within a limited time. This is due to the strong needs for students to get high scores on exams, resulting in a strong wash back effect in the classroom. To overcome this problem, alternative approaches such as Extensive Reading (ER) programs have been gaining popularity in Korea. ER is considered to be one of the most holistic approaches to learning a second language since students are able to receive a lot of meaningful input in authentic contexts. According to Nation (2008), reading helps learners to acquire new vocabulary, meet the context naturally, induce the rules of grammar and discover the joy of reading. Furthermore, the use of literature with the language learner is beneficial because it is provides insights and information about culture, which is helpful for developing receptive skills and communicative competence. Students are also encouraged to talk about their opinions and feelings after reading the literature, which can help simulate imagination, develop critical thinking skills and increase their emotional awareness (Lazar, 1993). Therefore, the ultimate goal of this textbook is to improve the students’ intrinsic motivation to learn English and the four language skills in English. This textbook is designed for a mixed gender group of middle school students in seventh and eighth grades. Their language proficiency level is high-intermediate (according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines). According to Day and Bamford (2002), the reading materials for ER should be interesting and learners should have access to a variety of resources. For the sample chapter of this portfolio, I chose Mark Twain’s ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, which is one of the most popular books in the world for teenagers. This books deals with the pursuit of freedom and the development of morality for youth; in addition, the book is filled with humor and adventure, which keeps young readers’ interest and motivation.