Incorporating literature into English lessons is a powerful way to engage students with relevant language and modern themes. Using award-winning novels like the 2024 Booker Prize winner for conversational English tutors offers a unique opportunity to introduce students to rich vocabulary, cultural references, and thought-provoking topics. Literature can bring life to your lessons, creating more meaningful conversations and providing real-world applications for language skills. In this blog, we’ll explore the value of using literature in teaching English, ways to incorporate award-winning books effectively, and highlight our latest lesson based on the Booker Prize winner.
Why Use Award-Winning Literature in English Teaching?
Cultural Relevance and Real-World Context
Contemporary literature provides students a window into relevant cultural topics, offering exposure to issues that resonate with today’s world. Booker Prize-winning novels often explore universal themes—identity, resilience, or society—which foster engagement and curiosity.
By discussing a celebrated novel, students connect language learning with real-world issues, fostering cultural awareness and offering them vocabulary and expressions used in real-life conversations.
Building Vocabulary and Language Skills

Award-winning novels are crafted with rich language and nuanced expressions, introducing students to vocabulary they might not encounter in traditional learning materials.
Tutors can build lessons around literary vocabulary and relevant idioms, helping students expand their language toolkit naturally and practice expressions used in daily conversations.
Making Conversational English Lessons Engaging
Using literature as a conversation starter makes lessons feel less structured and more exploratory. Discussing award-winning novels allows students to analyze characters, share perspectives, and engage in meaningful discussions.

Debating themes like social media ethics or the balance between ambition and personal life allows students to practice conversational skills in a natural, context-rich setting.
How to Integrate Award-Winning Literature into English Lessons
Highlight Key Themes and Characters

Discuss the novel’s central themes, encouraging students to relate these ideas to their experiences. For instance, if the novel explores resilience, ask students how they perceive this quality.
Engaging students in character analysis can help build vocabulary around emotions, traits, and motivations, expanding their descriptive language skills.
Introduce Key Vocabulary and Expressions
Provide a curated list of expressions and phrases related to the novel’s themes, such as “overcoming obstacles” or “chasing dreams.” Explain these terms and encourage students to use them in sentences or conversations.

Teaching phrases that relate to contemporary themes helps students build language skills in a relevant, relatable way.

Incorporate Role-Play and Discussions
Role-playing activities based on characters or scenarios in the novel make the lesson interactive and engaging. Ask students to reenact scenes or put themselves in a character’s shoes to express opinions or solve conflicts.
Organize a debate around one of the novel’s central questions, allowing students to practice argumentative language while engaging with the literature.
New on A Global Mind: Booker Prize 2024 Lesson
Our latest lesson, based on the 2024 Booker Prize-winning novel, is crafted to help tutors engage students with literature-based discussions. This lesson includes:
- Vocabulary Exercises: A selection of literary vocabulary, idioms, and phrases that bring depth to conversational skills.
- Grammar Practice with Reported Speech: Using quotes from the novel, students can practice reported speech in a natural and relevant way.
- Discussion Prompts: Engaging questions that dive into the novel’s themes, allowing for reflective conversation and vocabulary expansion.
- Real-World Case Studies: An analysis exercise where students examine similar real-life themes, fostering conversational skills and critical thinking.
Why Tutors Should Subscribe to A Global Mind
With language learning evolving quickly, tutors need fresh, relevant resources to keep students engaged. Subscribing to A Global Mind gives you access to a constantly updated library of literature-based lessons that are ready to teach and designed for maximum impact:
- Access to Contemporary, Award-Winning Literature: Get immediate access to new literature-based lessons, such as those inspired by the latest Booker Prize winners, keeping you and your students up-to-date with cultural conversations.
- Save Time with Ready-to-Teach Lessons: Each lesson includes pre-prepared vocabulary, discussion prompts, and activities that eliminate hours of lesson planning.
- Provide Unique, High-Quality Content: Move beyond textbook English by using lessons that reflect real-world language, broadening students’ understanding of conversational English.
- Stand Out in the Competitive Teaching Market: With high-quality, engaging content, you’ll attract and retain students looking for a fresh approach to English learning.
Explore and Subscribe Today
There’s no better way to bring contemporary, relevant literature into your English classroom. If you’re ready to engage students with award-winning material that’s both inspiring and informative, check out our Booker Prize 2024 lesson and more on A Global Mind. Subscribing gives you instant access to expertly crafted resources that transform teaching into a meaningful experience.
Bring literature alive in your classroom! Subscribe to A Global Mind and start exploring the best in contemporary English resources.
