b. in the form of a drawing
CHAPTER 5 Teaching reading
This chapter first examines the variety of roles played by reading in the learning and use of a language.
Next a number of sample exercises show how the underlying microskil
les of reading in the learning and use of language
ur definition of "reading in a foreign language" probably depends on your
minently among the typical activities. As part of each lesson, the teacher probably assigned a number of s or pages of text for you to prepare for the next class meeting
eting the teacher would call on the students one by one to read the assigned text aloud in the
nglish (the students' native language). The reading and nslation might be followed by a discussion of some of the features of the text: noteworthy grammatica c
On the other hand, if your teacher was using the Audiolingual Method, it is very likely that reading was minimized in favor of listening to and speaking the language. Reading materials in beginning Audiolingua c
allowed to see these in printed form and read them after they have been practiced orally. The second type includes short conversations and narratives which are constructed to parallel closely, but not to duplicate, the oral drill materials. Thus, in reading the second type of materials, students learn to process partially unfamiliar texts.
The Audiolingual Method was rarely extended beyond the elementary level of language learning, and techniques for teaching more advanced reading skills were never fully developed
their language study beyond the elementary level might find themselves in courses using pre-Audiolingual techniques for the teaching of reading. That is, reading lessons might consist of the read aloud-translate-discuss procedure employed in the Grammar Translation Method. Or they might involve the kind of literary analysis commonly found in literature courses taught through the medium of the students' native language.
In recent years, language teaching methodologists have gained a greater appreciation of the nature of the reading skill. They have come to understand that in fact it is not a single monolithic skill. Rather it is a behavior which is made up of a large number of component skills, sometimes referred to as microskills.
These range from such foundational skills as the ability to recognize the letters of the alphabet and to match spoken words and sentences with their written representation, to quite sophisticated skills such as skimming a piece of writing to gain a general idea of its content, or evaluating a text for its general tone or bias. When language learners read in their second language, some of the microskills which th
th
Methodologists have also come to be re
also for daily living. You read not just novels, essays, and poetry, but also newspapers, instruction manuals, and the labels on the products you buy in the supermarket. Thinking of this variety of reading tasks, you can see that different tasks require different approaches. For maximum efficiency, students must be taught to vary their approach to suit the purpose of their reading.
S
Before looking at specific techniques and materials which you can use for teaching different types of reading tasks, you need a long-range overview of how reading proficiency may be developed, beginning with the lowest level of reading proficiency and proceeding to the most advanced. The part of this progression where your own students appear to fit will of course he the most interesting to you. However, you will be better able to help your students if you can see the whole sequence of development of reading proficiency.
It is helpful to view each of the three main phases of the sequence in terms of reading proficiency level, skills
Skills and features of English to learn
Associate spoken forms with their written representation Use reading for everyday tasks
Basic literacy materials
Proficiency level
Pick out main ideas
Pick out main ideas
Understand logical relationships between parts of a text Extract information relevant to a specific purpose
terials
Journal articles and professional publications Technical reports
and features of the language to he learned, and materials which are appropriate for that phase.
Early stages of reading Proficiency level
Low beginners
Recognize letters and punctuation marks
Materials to use
Exercises which follow up on listening and speaking activities Everyday and general interest reading materials
Transition to longer texts
High beginners and intermediate students Skills and features of English to learn
Use background knowledge to interpret text Discover author's purpose or theme
Understand sequence of events Guess at meanings of unfamiliar words Materials to use
Texts dictated to the teacher by the students Narratives of local folktales, history, national events Shorter selections from narrative and expressive writing Reading academic and professional texts
Proficiency level
High intermediate and advanced students Skills and features of English to learn
Discover author's purpose Survey, skim, scan a text Evaluate a text
Materials to use
Extracts from school textbooks Reference ma
Give careful thought to the appropriateness of the activities and materials which you use for teaching reading to your students. For example, while your students may be beginners, they will not need to spend a lot of time in basic literacy activities in English if they already have literacy skills in another language. By the same token, if you are teaching a class of students whose language proficiency is quite high, you would not want to devote a lot of time to academic reading tasks if your students never do this kind of reading in
nglish for their other courses (science, mathematics, social studies, and the like).
he following sections will present several broad categories of reading tasks. Examples will show how some
Ba Th
of , you may have forgotten how it was to learn to read. It just seems natural to pick up a newspaper and scan the headlines, to read street signs as you walk along, to look at a piece of paper mo
It i rea un con
even be able to recognize whether two symbols are the same or different from each other. If you try to learn the writing system, you may at first be able to recognize only a few well known words. It may take quite a lon
Yo
(th ed rudimentary
reading and writing skills in some language, or if they are fully literate in their own language but need to lea
lea me or different. (From several letters, pick out those
which are the same. From several letters, pick out one which is not the same.) They should he able to follow left
he new language which is taught during the earliest stages of literacy training should consist of vocabulary,
s within a given period of time, both of hich are useful life skills.
E T
of these tasks may be incorporated into language lessons and how bridges may be built between classroom reading exercises and the day to day experiences of the students.
sic literacy and reinforcement of listening and speaking
e starting point for all reading activities in any language are the basic literacy skills. As an educated user a language
ney and tell at a glance whether it is a one dollar bill or a five.
s only when you find yourself in a country where the local language is unfamiliar to you that you begin to lize how important the basic literacy skills are. If that language uses a writing system which is also familiar to you, you can more fully appreciate the position of learners who need literacy training. When fronted with an unfamiliar writing system (e.g., Arabic, or the system used for writing Thai) you may not g time to sort out the connections between the spelling of words and their pronunciation.
ur students will need literacy training in English if they have no reading and writing skills in any language e most serious need), if they have a few years of formal education and have develop
rn the writing system of English. There are several approaches to the teaching of basic literacy. If your dents need literacy training, you should consult the Peace Corps Literacy Handbook (Manual M-21 ilable from Information Collection and Exchange) for detailed guidance. However, here are a few gestions for literacy training for those students who are already literate in a language which uses a ting system different from the Roman alphabet which is used for English.
arners who are not experienced in reading the Roman alphabet require a considerable amount of pre-ding instruction. They need extensive practice in listening skills, since the auditory channel will at first be major medium for new learning. Skill in visual perception also needs to be developed. In particular, rners need to he able to categorize letters as sa
-to-right and top-to-bottom progression. All of these skills are practiced in the exercise in Figure 5.1.
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formulate expressions, and sentence patterns which the learners can put to immediate use. They should be able to identify themselves and he able to give a few personal details such as age, marital status, residence, and occupation. They should learn to follow simple directions and to ask for clarification or help when needed. They can learn about timetables and completing assignment
w
RECOGNITION OF LETTERS
Directions: Circle the letter in the sentence that is the same.
EXAMPLE S C L S O T S D
1. A C G I A E A A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. m o m r v m h n
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3. r r n r m h r t
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. k l h k k o r k
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5. g p g b g q d g
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. b b g q p d b b
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7. e o c e a e e c
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8. w x w v u i w v
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9. a d b a g a p q
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. f t l f h f f k
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Figure 5.1 From ESL/Literacy for Adult Learners by Wayne Haverson with Judith Haynes. Center for Applied Linguistics and Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982. Reprinted by permission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Language lessons of this type have several advantages in addition to their obvious relevance. The language sed is likely to be concrete in reference, and therefore more easily understood by the learners. Further,
ate reading with education itself, and they will not take seriously a acher who does not recognize the importance of reading.
Sa
ou will base the earliest reading lessons very closely on the oral language which you have taught to your ain phases, as follows:
u
lessons can be short and well structured, an important consideration if the learners are not accustomed to a formal classroom situation.
If your students are already literate in another language, you should not delay for long in introducing the writing system of English. Adult learners in particular may feel frustrated if they do not begin learning to read immediately. Many people also equ
te
mple Lesson Plants for Early Stages of Reading Y
students. The general procedure for these early lessons in basic literacy is demonstrated in Figure 5.2.
When teaching your students to read sentences which they have practiced orally, you will proceed through three m
1. After your students have learned a few sentences in oral language practice, teach them to recognize the written form of each sentence as a whole. (See steps 1 and 11 in Figure 5.2.)
2. Next teach your students to recognize the written form of each of the words which make up the 3. Finish by having your stu entences again (steps 8-10 and 18-20, Figure 5.2). Also, if
g learne have your students practice pairs or short
ences (ste will get the feel for continuous
our students have built u hey can recognize at sight' they can
en begin to learn the corre iation. The lesson plan in Figure 5.3
is.
can use the .3 for any short sample of
each the lang Two), then follow up with
cognition of the written form o correspondences between spelling and onunciation by using words wh h the students have already learned to read.
tra care is taken in literacy tra ing to ensure close ties between what the learners master in listening and
king practice and what they in writing. These links are
equally important for literate le . Once you have learned to read you
unconsciously come to depend on the written word as an aid to comprehension and as a means of helping
gs that ar mber addresses and telephone
umbers without writing them do ading stage into the listening and
peaking activities of your lessons.
sentence. (See steps 2-7 and 12 17 in Figure 5.2.) dents read whole s
d the sentences bein
sequences of sent
are part of a conversation,
ps 21 and 22, Figure 5.2). In this way they text.
hen y W th
p a small store of whole words which t pelling and pronunc spondences between s
shows how to do th Remember that you language. Simply t
procedures demonstrated in Figures 5.2 and 5 uage first in oral language activities (see Chapter f sentences and words. Teach the
re
pr ic
Ex in
spea are subsequently asked to recognize or produce arners, and especially for adults
you to remember thin e presented to you orally. (Can you reme
n wn?) You should regularly incorporate a re
s
TEACHER ACTIVITY/RESPONSE 1. This is the question "How are you?" 1. Show sentence card. Learners listen and repeat
three times.
2. This is the word "how." 2. Cut off "how" from sentence card.
3. Please read this word. 3. Show word card "how."
4. This is the word "are." 4. Cut off "are" from sentence card.
5. Please read this word. 5. Show word card "are." Learners respond. Give word card to learner.
6. This is the word "you." 6. Cut off "you" from sentence card.
7. Please read this word. 7. Show word card "you." Learners respond. Give word card to learner.
8. Let's make the question "How are 8. Ask learners to sequence question on you?"
flannel board.
9. After the question there is a question mark.
9. Put question mark after question.
10. Please read the question. 10. Point to question Learners read in chorus and individually.
11. This is the answer "Fine, thank you." 11. Show sentence card. Learners listen and repeat three times.
12. This is the word "fine." 12. Cut off "fine" from sentence card.
13. Please read this word. 13. Show word card "fine." Learners respond. Give word card to learner.
14. This is the word "thank." 14. Cut off "thank" from sentence card.
15. Please read this word. 15. Show word card "thank." Learners respond. Give word card to learner.
16. This is the word "you." 16. Cut off "you" from sentence card.
17. Please read this word. 17. Show word card "you." Learners respond. Give word card to learner.
18. Let's answer the question "How are 18. Ask learners to sequence answer on you?"
flannel board under question.
19. After an answer there is a period. 19. Put period after answer.
20. Please read the answer. 20. Point to answer. Learners read in chorus and individually.
21. Please read the question. 21. Point to question Learners read in chorus and individually.
22. Please read the answer. 22. Point to answer. Learners read in chorus and individually.