This article proposes a model for sensitizing students to the richness of literary texts based on Lee and VanPatten's (1995) structured input/output approach to teaching foreign languages (FL). It begins by discussing the difficulties and challenges of intermediate-level FL courses, noting that the concept of "bridge courses" may be faulty because it ignores the students who do not pursue language study beyond the intermediate level. The model, using structured input and output activities, focuses on a communicative approach to teaching literary texts that can enhance the language learning experience for students with different levels of language proficiency and varied reasons for studying FL. The article provides examples of this approach by presenting several input and output activities for teaching a poem and a narrative text. It concludes by affirming the importance of incorporating student-centered communicative strategies when teaching literary texts and challenging the profession to develop these kinds of activities for the benefit of both novice and experienced teachers. (Contains 23 references.) (SM)