approaches to reading
INTENSIVE READING: reading texts closely to understand as much detail as possible; going back to reading pieces of text
EXTENSIVE READING: reading longer pieces of texts just for pleasure, without being as detailed as in the case of intensive reading
---everyday life reading
skimming: fast reading; to get the general idea (gist) of the passage
scanning: to locate/search for a specific piece of information (without reading the whole text again)
for classroom use
how can we exploit a reading task with the students?
3 stages:
- pre-text (e.g. task to guess the topic from the picture)
- the text itself: this is where skimming and scanning take place; tasks to focus on meaning; using dictionaries in case of unknown words, learning new grammar structures
- post-text: follow-on task, e.g. task is debating over the topic, bringing up alternatives to the problem
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great influence on improving other language areas, too!
teachers can help by:
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picking up items of vocabulary and grammar from the text, often without realising it
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allowing sections of classroom time
providing a library for readers
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training learners how to select appropriate reading material
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Readers: books of stories published specifically for learners to get extended exposureto English
Why might reading round the class technique not be effective?
some Ss read faster
sy. makes mistakes
inappropriate pronounciation --> embarrassment
nervous student ---> missing the story
hard to follow
slow, tedious turn-off
But: alternatives!
you read (full text or some parts)
small goup reading with discussion
reading silently, then acting out
reporting back
Activities
jumping in at the middle and predicting what happened before
key section as a dictation
drawing the picture of the scene
interviews
map the story
keeping a character's diary
trying to be a director
reading to oneself is a receptive skill
Difficulties when reading a foreign lg
feeling that understanding every single word is essential
limited vocab
very slow
necessity of dictionary
understanding individual words, but the whole text eludes Ss completely
slow --> interest is lost soon
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