The role of literature in teaching language can be tailored to the students' interests, which makes it an effective teaching tool. When children are interested, they tend to have longer attention spans and focus on the lesson. Children will be more patient when they sound out words if they are entertained sufficiently to make the effort. Additionally, teachers can promote interest in literature by introducing the literature topic, finding out what the students know, and generating questions about what the students do not know to promote curiosity and interest. Some literature can also be used for joint assignments that cross into multiple subjects. This encourages co-teaching and may trigger greater interest from a child who enjoys one class, but not the other.
Reading literature helps children expand their vocabulary. Children can use context clues to comprehend unfamiliar words. Questions about the literature can help reinforce their understanding without tedious memorization. Teachers can facilitate vocabulary expansion by encouraging students to identify difficult reading words. This discourages students from skipping over words they cannot read or understand. Many teachers accompany literature with vocabulary expansion exercises that help reinforce new words. For example, children can play matching games, identifying new words with their meanings, or solve crossword puzzles based on the new vocabulary.
Discussions about literature expand students' ability to converse and use new vocabulary. Children can participate in literature groups where they discuss the main points of a story in small groups. Teacher-facilitated discussions can also encourage students to articulate their opinions about the book or make connections. Students can also participate in share and pair discussions, where they discuss a question about the book with one other student.
Literature can be used in conjunction with visual aids to help the reader understand it. Movies, computer interactive games, pictures, and other visual aids can enhance the usefulness of literature, especially when non-native English speakers are using it to learn. Additionally, students can read literature at their own pace, so they have more time to process the words than if someone is speaking them.