As a passionate English teacher, I always strive to make my lessons enjoyable and engaging for my students. Over the years, I have taught a diverse range of students with varying ages and levels and have found that good supplementary materials are needed to enhance standard textbook usage. To liven things up, I like to use adventure books, which have been found to be incredibly effective tools for improving my students’ speaking, reading, and comprehension skills. Moreover, adventure books offer a form of entertainment to both children and adults; there are also adult adventure books! This article discusses teaching English through the use of adventure books.
Have you ever read an adventure book? If so, which one did you enjoy?
An adventure book allows you to become the main character, deciding what happens next as you read through the book. Your choices are important because they keep the story going until its conclusion, which can have multiple endings that are either good or unfortunate (but never bad!). It’s fun to make a mistake because you can try again, starting a new adventure each time. Reading these books is an immersive experience similar to playing a game, making it an active adventure rather than a passive experience. Sometimes, these books are called game books.
Initially called “Choose Your Own Adventure,” these types of books have been around since the 1970s and were originally made for children. Fortunately, the adventure book industry has evolved, and there are now numerous colorful and diverse styles and variations available for readers of all ages. With various themes and styles, there’s an adventure book for everyone. From this point forward, let’s refer to them as “adventure books.”
When I was young, I remember a time when I read these books. I was both excited and hesitant. I wanted to achieve the goal on the first try, but I failed more often than not. Still, with the ample time of youth, I tried again and again, often cheating. Once I achieved the goal, I was pleasantly satisfied. As an adult, if I were to read one of these now and learned that I died halfway through, I would probably jump on it and throw it out the window! Nevertheless, I would consider reading an adult book if the opportunity presented itself.
When selecting books for my class, I am always on the lookout for ones that are not only easy to understand but are also fun and suitable for both kids and adults. I also prefer to use books that do not require extensive preparation, such as score sheets and dice. The last requirement I have is that they are short.
Once my daughter came along, I used these same books minus the House of Danger, in the picture below, to help her improve her language skills in both English and Japanese, which proves that they can be a helpful tool for anyone looking to improve upon their language learning ability. If you would like to know more about how I raised my bilingual daughter, you can find the link (here).
I chose Finding The Dragon (Japanese Version) for a number of reasons.
Based on the abilities of each student, I use ‘Finding The Dragon’ in different ways. Let me give you a few examples.
With low-level students, I ask them to read the Japanese passages silently. Once they have reached “the choice”, that is, flipping the page, I ask them what choice they will make and why. Sometimes, I also ask why they did not choose the other options. Of course, they should answer my questions in English. I’d be looking for full sentences with sound reasoning. In addition, I also ask simple questions like ‘What do you see in this picture?’ ‘What is this?’ ‘Are you scared?’, etc.
With mid-level students like my daughter, I ask them to read the Japanese passages silently. I aim to have the students tell me in their own words what they have read in simple sentences. I am not looking for grammar-perfect responses nor word-for-word translations, but a very simple summary that enables them to speak about what they read. Afterward, I then ask them the same questions as above but with a heavy emphasis on full-sentence responses. I use leading questions as much as possible at this point. This does take quite a long time, so sometimes I only do one or two pages at a time; it really depends on class time and ability.
With advanced learners, I ask them to read the passages silently and then summarize what they have read. I teach how to make a summary throughout my lessons in general, but I have used this book in that capacity to begin teaching “how”. Secondly, I ask the student to think ahead before turning the page to speculate what will happen. I look for sentence completion, multiple clauses with conjunctions, grammar perfection, and much more when the student answers my request. In addition, I have asked some advanced-level students to write the translation, and then we had fun comparing the English version versus their written translation, although not with this book in particular.
When I have used this book in class and with my daughter, they have all agreed that it is a good story and easy to use. The advanced learners have all said that translation, summarization, and speculation were very challenging but worthwhile.
In reading and comprehension exercises, I have a rule that is of utmost importance to me: The student should read the passage silently first and internalize it. This is important for comprehending what was read because one cannot read aloud and comprehend at the same time. Once the internalization takes effect, I follow up with different techniques.
I often use leading questions to determine the students’ comprehension. A leading question is one that cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or with one word only. A question that uses ‘why’ cannot be answered in a “yes” or “no” format. For instance, if I asked ‘which choice do you make?’ The answer given could be answered in one word. So instead, I would ask ‘What choice would you make and why or why not?’.
Depending on the teacher’s preference, one can choose to use either the book in the target language or the native language. I chose to use “Finding the Dragon” in Japanese because I wanted a translation from a native language (Japanese) to the target language (English), rather than an English-to-English text. This is for the sake of speed. I often find that standard English books designed for their own native audience has too much jargon and too many idioms making the reading too difficult to be enjoyable for the language learner. While I do have other adventure books written in English, I would focus on different aspects if I were to use those.
Each teacher has their own approach and reasons for their choices.
Regarding my daughter, I wanted her to enjoy her experience with the adventure book and encourage her to read on her own without my presence. I was very lenient with my questions and required answers because she didn’t want “teacher daddy”, just daddy. However, with the leading questions, I was able to elicit the proper responses, and we both had a good time.
And lastly, the wide range of these books is enormous. For teaching purposes, I recommend “short and sweet.” The shorter, the better, with a fun theme.
There are many benefits to be had by using books such as these.
Although there are many benefits to using an adventure book with students and your own children, some difficulties need pointing out. First and foremost, as a teacher, you must match the content with your teaching intent. Assess the word count, length and whether it’s suitable for your students’ abilities and class time. Secondly, consider the theme and whether or not it is suitable.
Try to stay away from books that contain too much jargon and too many phrasal verbs and idioms. As simple as possible is best.
As a parent, I encountered difficulty in creating enthusiasm for ‘Finding the Dragon’ for my daughter until she was much older. I did not want to force her to read, but once we began reading it together and she took the lead, it became a very enjoyable experience. I also learned to go at her pace and not complete the story in one shot. This meant that I had to go through the book over multiple days at times. In the end, she read everything on her own eventually, and all was well!
Reading is an essential skill that opens up vast opportunities for children and language learners alike. Adventure books are an excellent way to ignite their imagination, foster their curiosity, and expand their minds. The beauty of adventure books is that they offer endless possibilities for exploration and decision-making. They grant their readers freedom of choice, and this powerful incentive is the main motivator for them to read and finish the book. The plethora of available options and the numerous teaching techniques that can be used makes adventure books an excellent addition to any home or classroom. They never fail to captivate and engage children’s interest. If you’re looking to expand your repertoire of teaching resources or searching for engaging books for your own child’s free time, you can never go wrong with having one or two adventure books. They are sure to captivate the attention of any child and offer a thrilling experience.
My name is Brett Austin. I have just started my own business as a private online teacher and content creator with my own website. If you want to know more about me and what I do, please visit my website at www.austinworx.com
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