The importance of English literature lessons in schools

When it comes to schools in the UK, English is a mandatory subject across all the nation. Given that every child will have to take part in English language and literature, it is important to show your child the benefits of it and give them the chance to understand how it helps with their education and development. There are many benefits such as helping to improve communication, growth in vocabulary and children being able to experiment with their creativity. There are also many bigger benefits that this independent school in Surrey shares with us. Here is some advice on the importance of English literature lessons in schools.

It helps improve on communication skills. Whilst most communication is done with our mouths, it is important that children also learn how to communicate through reading and writing as they are also extremely useful communication tools. The younger generation have been raised in an age where most of the talking is done through technology and online. Even writing a birthday card or a Christmas card requires a lot of time and effort to get perfect. This means that it is important for children to work on their communication skills as early as possible. English literature is a great way for children to build on skills that can be used for life.

It helps children to work on their creativity and experiment. It is recommended to read to children from as early of an age as possible, which is why English literature is beneficial when it comes to creativity. Stories are a way to bring family and friends together as they listen to a fictional tale being told, so this is a great way to build a bond with the young ones. These stories then inspire children to be inquisitive with their own actions and day-to-day life, as well as be more creative. What children write about after listening to these stories can even dictate what their future hobbies and passions could consist of.

English literature provides students with a large range of transferable skills. There are many things that literature students have that other students may not. It teaches a lot about how to write well written and in-depth essays, how to put sentence and grammar together in the best structure, and how these skills can then be transferred onto different subjects as well. Not only will children pick up on these vital skills, but they can also pick up on others such as critical thinking, in depth analysis, learning how to provide feedback, problem solving and a whole lot more. These can easily be transferred onto other subjects in education and even the workforce later on in life.

It helps to broaden horizons. English literature is a particularly broad subject and covers a lot more areas than perceived. Students learn about different cultures, races, classes and read through protest literature, prison testimonies and slave narratives. Teachers focus on modules that are about particular periods and genres but also focus on particular parts in history that created change such as terrorism, race in America and capitalism.

It provides exciting placement and travel opportunities for individuals. Many students who take on English literature further into university, take up placements in international countries doing charity work, tourism and working in creative industries such as the media. Many students also get opportunities to study and work abroad as well.

English literature is a great subject that students will benefit from and appreciate in some form as it will help them work on their own skills, creativity as well as their inquisitiveness. These skills will then take them to different places in life that will lead to success.