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1. Design for Drama: Short Plays from American Literature

   Format(s): Text

   Design for Drama features a number of plays that are adapted from well-known American short stories and poems. Download the PDF or E-book.

2. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories

   Format(s): Text

   This collection of short stories by O. Henry gives the reader a wonderful selection of characters from the United States of 100 years ago.

3. The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories

   Format(s): Text

   This book is a collection of stories adapted from Stephen Crane classics. Listen online or download the MP3. Or, download the MOBI or EPUB files for your e-reader.

4. Raggedy Ann Stories

   Format(s): Text

   Raggedy Ann Stories contains 13 short stories about the classic rag doll and her friends. Download the MP3 or listen online. Or download the MOBI or EPUB files for your e-reader.

5. The Autobiography of Mark Twain

   Format(s): Text

   The Autobiography of Mark Twain is an adaptation of Twain’s autobiography. Part of the Ladder series, this title has approximately three thousand headwords and is appropriate for upper intermediate to advanced learners.

6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

   Format(s): Text

   An adaptation of the timeless novel by Mark Twain. Part of the Ladder Series, this volume has approximately 2000 headwords and is appropriate for intermediate to advanced learners.

7. Lesson Plan: Reading, Writing, and Performing Poetry

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan contains poetry-related activities that aim to help students read and interpret English poetry, and write their own poems. The activities are introduced in each of the following parts: talking about poetry, understanding poetic devices, interpreting poems, using poetry for language acquisition, writing original poems, performing poetry, and organizing poetry slams.

8. Poetry for the People

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article starts with the view that most poets believe that poetry should be understandable and accessible to everyone. The article then introduces the poetry and ideas of Ted Kooser, a famous poet born in Iowa. Following the stories of Ted Kooser, the article introduces what a poet laureate is, how long they serve, how they are chosen, how much pay they get, what they do, and six poet laureates of the past two decades. The history of the Library of Congress is introduced at the end.

9. Beyond Film: Exploring the Content of Movies

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article looks at the use of movies in the language-learning classroom. The author promotes the use of the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its content, which involves poverty, racial inequality and mental illness, and to the availability of websites related to its use in English classrooms. The author highlights six scenes for understanding the movie, pre-viewing, while viewing, and post-viewing activities, as well as suggestions for Internet follow-up. An example WebQuest is included.

10. Using Letters to Tell Stories in the EFL Classroom

    In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    This article discusses how letter writing can be used as authentic language use. An activity for beginners involves an exchange of letters of introduction between the instructor and students. This serves a socially meaningful interactional purpose. The second activity is the construction of an story, one in which the plot is expressed in a series of letters. The writer suggests using letter exchanges for this creative writing project after using books such as The Color Purple. Letter writing is one way to enable and empower students to tell their own stories.

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