Our experience is not limited to ESL and grammar. I also spent years studying and teaching college level contemporary literature, English literature, Shakespeare, and my own personal favorite—19th century American literature to high school students.  It is probably one of the most dreaded areas in the English classroom. “Why are we reading a bunch of words written by a bunch of dead guys?”

The question of how this is relevant often crosses the student’s mind, and he or she is not invested in understanding the work, itself.  In order to really succeed, the student must want to learn. The work needs to be able to entertain the student. If that is possible, they won’t ask “why are we reading this?” They’ll want to read it because it is something they enjoy. And if they can learn to enjoy it, they will learn to excel in it.