Using Short Stories to Enhance English Language Acquisition beyond the textbook

This paper explores the pedagogical benefits of utilizing short stories in English language teaching. Short stories, characterized by their concise nature and rich content, offer unique opportunities for language acquisition, cultural understanding, and critical thinking. The paper delves into the concept and characteristics of short stories, highlighting their suitability for learners of different ages and levels. The paper presents criteria for selecting appropriate short stories, considering factors such as length, difficulty, theme, and cultural value. It also outlines a teaching model incorporating pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading activities to guide teachers in effectively utilizing short stories in their classrooms. The study emphasizes the motivational aspects of short stories, their potential to enhance language skills, and their role in fostering cultural awareness and critical thinking. By incorporating short stories into their teaching practices, educators can create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for their students. Therefore, this study aims to examine the validity of utilizing English short stories as English educational materials, focusing on previous research, and to explore teaching methods for integrating short stories into actual high school English instruction. To achieve this, it investigates applicable teaching methodologies based on the stages of reading instruction for short stories and develops a lesson plan using The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.