Designing an EFL Reading Program to Promote Literacy Skills, Critical Thinking, and Creativity

Abstract

This article details the design and implementation of a reading program in a university EFL setting as a strategy to encourage creativity, critical thinking, collaborative learning, and reading for enjoyment (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Richards & Renandya, 2002). This student-centered project challenged ELLs to address issues such as bullying, racism, relationships, culture, and human rights through reading texts and activities, spanning a range of language levels from beginners to high-intermediate. The program includes a combination of intensive and extensive reading, lower- and higher-order thinking skills, and creative language production in the form of reading group discussions, poster sessions, and character role-plays. Included are sample lesson plans, reading materials, and activities, which can easily be modified for other language-learning contexts.