Transcript Slide 1

An Introduction to
Extensive Reading
Richard R. Day, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Second
Language Studies
University of Hawaii
Purpose
To explain in depth the ten principles that
serve as the foundation for an extensive
reading approach
Extensive Reading
• Extensive reading involves students in
reading large quantities of material in the
new language. The goal often goes beyond
learning to read; ER can improve students'
overall language proficiency and their
attitudes toward English and motivation for
learning. It can be used with any language
course and program, regardless of the focus
or methodology.
Extensive Reading
• Extensive reading involves students
reading a lot of easy, interesting books
that they select themselves.
• There are no comprehension questions.
• Students often do activities based on
the books they have read.
The Goals of ER
• To improve students' overall
language proficiency,
• their attitudes toward English, and
• motivation for learning.
Ten Principles of ER
1. The reading material is
easy.
Books must be well within the
learners' reading ability in English. They
must be easy. For beginners, more than
two or three unknown words per page
might make the text too difficult for
overall understanding.
Intermediate learners might use the
rule of hand—no more than five difficult
words per page.
EFL teachers are lucky
because a great variety of
high-quality language learner
literature (graded readers) is
published for learners of all
ability levels.
2. There must be a wide
variety of reading material on
a large range of topics.
The success of extensive
reading depends on students
reading. To encourage
students to read, we need to
have a lot of different books on
many different topics or
subjects.
3. Learners choose what they want
to read.
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What to read
How to read
Where to read
When to read
When to stop reading
Similar to reading in their first
language
4. Learners read as much as
possible.
We know that the most
important element in
learning to read is the
amount of time spent
actually reading.
5. Reading is individual and
silent.
Silent, individual extensive
reading is “real reading.” It
allows students to discover that
reading is a personal
interaction with the book.
6. The purpose of reading is
usually related to pleasure,
information and general
understanding.
• There are no comprehension
questions.
• Students don’t write book reports.
• They don’t translate the book to their
first language.
7. Reading speed is usually
faster rather than slower.
Reading rate, enjoyment and
comprehension are closely linked
with one another.
Students need to stop using their
dictionaries when they come
across words they don’t
understand. Looking up words in
dictionaries slows down readers.
8. Reading is its own reward.
Three (Important) Rules of
ER
1. Enjoy
2. Enjoy
3. Enjoy
9. The teacher orients and
guides students.
Extensive reading is very
different from usual classroom
practices. Students
accustomed to wading through
difficult texts in English might
drown when suddenly plunged
into a sea of simple and
stimulating material.
Introducing Extensive Reading
• Explain the benefits of reading
extensively to your students.
• Tell them that a general, less than
100%, understanding of what they
read is appropriate for most reading
purposes.
• Emphasize that there will be no test
after reading a book.
• Introduce the library of reading
materials and explain how it is divided
into difficulty levels.
Guiding students
• Keep track of what and how much each
student reads, and your students’
reactions to what was read.
• Encourage them to read as widely as
possible and, as their language ability,
reading ability and confidence increase, to
expand their reading comfort zone.
10. The teacher is a role
model of a reader.
• Is reading caught or taught?
• Students do not just (or even) learn
the subject matter we teach them;
they learn their teachers.
• We are selling reading.
Putting ER into the Curriculum
• A stand-alone course
• An addition to an existing course
• An extra-curricular activity (e.g., an
after school club)
• During the homeroom period
An addition to an existing course
• ER is extra; the course remains the
same.
• Most reading is done outside class
• Do some reading in class.
• Give credit for ER.
• Do ER activities in class to monitor
students’ reading and to enhance
incidental language learning.
Tracking Student Reading
• ER journals: Students report weekly
what they have read.
Name:
Date
Title
Started
Jan. 3 Jojo’s Story
Level Date
Ended
2
Jan. 7
Tracking Student Reading
• ER journals
• Individual conferences
• Activities that help teachers determine if
students have read what they report
reading
Evaluating ER
• Use reading targets
• Give credit for reading
• Monitor reading by doing ER
activities
• Individual interviews