Four short stories to use in the ELT classroom

FOUR SHORT STORIES TO USE IN THE ELT CLASSROOM was written for students learning English around the world. The author is from the UK and has lived in Brazil for more than 20 years. The stories were inspired by the author's own experiences and observations in both countries. Two of the stories have already been published in a book written by the author called Exercícios para falar melhor em inglês (Speaking Activities), published by Disal in Brazil.

Each story indicates the language level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The length of each story varies from 800 to 2,000 words. In order for students to fully understand the context, there are reading comprehension exercises to do for each story, as well as opportunities for them to use the vocabulary to talk about their own lives.

The first story is about an English man called Josh. He tells us about his time growing up in London, his school life and what he does in his early twenties. After reading it, students will be able to talk about their own school experiences, how the education system works in their countries, their family and typical food from their region.

In the second story, a Brazilian manicurist is the narrator. She tells us about a client of hers called Maria, who has an interesting job. In the middle of the story, there are 2 questions for students to talk about in pairs to check for reading comprehension and an exercise to encourage them to predict what will happen.

The third short story is about a Brazilian woman who works in São Paulo. At the beginning, we learn about her daily routine and then something unusual that happens to her on a particular day. Students will have the opportunity to get to know about Brazilian life, as well as acquire more vocabulary to describe their own daily experiences.

The last story takes place in the UK and tells us about Abigail, who meets up with an old acquaintance. Together they unravel a mystery that involves an object buried in a garden. Students will have the chance to retell the story remembering what they read and also predict the ending.

The writer hopes that students of English from around the world will enjoy reading these short stories and consequently build up their vocabulary. She also hopes that they will inspire English teachers to encourage their students to read more and discuss or write about what they have understood.