Transcript READING FOR
DEVELOPING READING COMPREHENSION Programa Inglés Abre Puertas Jornada Regional 2008 READING FOR... Information Pleasure Linguistic Objective SKILL : READING COMPREHENSION Sub-Skills that need to be developed Identify and extract specific relevant information Deduce meaning from context (the reader guesses meaning of unknown words or expressions) Recognize functions and markers (instructive, descriptive, narrative function; connectives, time/space /discourse markers) Summarize (Gist) Develop reference skills SKILL: READING COMPREHENSION Sub skills that need to be developed: Predicting (interaction with the text) Skimming (getting the general picture; main points, not details) Scanning (look for one or two facts or details) TYPES OF READING ACTIVITIES Comprehension questions that DO NOT generate understanding. Example: Yesterday I saw the palgish flester gollining begrunt the bruck. He seemed very chanderbil, so I did not jorter him, I just deapled to him quistly. Perhaps later he will besand cander, and I will be able to rangel him. SKILL: READING COMPREHENSION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What was the flester doing, and where? What sort of a flester was he? Why did the writer decide not to jorter him? How did the author deaple him? What did he hope would happen later? Comments: Could you answer the questions? Did you understand the text? (Vocabulary, Grammar) Questions that do generate comprehension It is important to remember that we should aim at questions that do not have one obvious answer. It means the reader needs to think and look for information that supports his/her answer. DEVELOPING READING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE I. HOW CAN WE HELP? Compensating for the difficulties Desing activities according to the different stages I. STAGES OF THE READING PROCESS PRE READING STAGE * Connect learners’ reality or experiences with topic of text. * Give key words needed . * Assign a predicting task. Use title, illustrations and text organization. I. STAGES OF THE READING PROCESS READING STAGE First reading to verify predictions. Second and subsequent readings to perform tasks requested. Design tasks appropriate to the type of reading text. Assign time. Establish a system of assessment. POST READING STAGE * Prepare comprehension activities such as: completing sentences, paraphrasing, completing a grid or graph, summarizing, etc. * Do linguistic reinforcement: choose one lexical or one grammar feature and design activities around it. * Design follow-up activities relating the topic with their experiences or other disciplines. II. ADOPTING A TEACHING VERSUS A TESTING APPROACH Grade the texts from modified or adapted to authentic ones. Grade the tasks. How? * Adjust the level of difficulty. * Adjust the extension of the text. * Adjust the amount of support offered. * Select topics related to the students’ interests or connected with other disciplines. III. INTEGRATING THE SKILLS Design activities which integrate the other skills. For example, oral and written work may precede or follow reading. Design post reading activities which involve speaking or writing to consolidate what has been read. TYPES OF READING ACTIVITIES Reading tasks rather than questions PRE - READING Pre questions Predictions Finding cognates SKILL: READING COMPREHENSION WHILE - READING Underline / circle. Matching. Filling the blanks. Ordering and sequencing. Finding similar words/sentences. Finding information errors. SKILL: READING COMPREHENSION POST – READING Preface (before) Continue (after) Give a title Summarize SKILL: READING COMPREHENSION Representation of contents: 1. Colouring Drawing Marking on a map Diagrams Graphics Charts – grids Forms 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Make sure your students get a lot of successful reading experience. (grading and timing) 2. Make sure that most of the vocabulary is familiar. (key words) 3. Give interesting tasks before reading. (purpose) RECOMMENDATIONS 4. Make sure that the tasks encourage intelligent reading for the main meaning. (not trivia) 5. Allow and encourage students to manage without understanding every word. (deduction) 6. Provide a wide variety of texts, practice in different kinds of reading. 7. Start with modified texts and as soon as possible include authentic materials. READING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: What it is, and what is not What it is… Two processes of reading: “Top Down” and “Bottom up”. Reading is a process of GIVING MEANING TO TEXT. Different strategies are needed to read in a foreign language. Vocabulary development is the key to read. What it is… Teaching reading skills in a foreign language is not the same as testing it. Different types of reading skills should be provided for different purposes to read in a foreign language. Different types of reading tasks should be provided for different purposes to read in a foreign language. Teachers should also encourage the idea of reading for pleasure in a foreign language. What is not… Reading is NOT the same as speaking, and it should NEVER be confused with pronunciation, because: Reading aloud slows the reading process down to an unnatural and ineffective speed. What is not… Reading aloud focuses on sound at the expense of meaning. Reading aloud focuses exactly on the skills which are least useful. Reading aloud is an unnatural activity (it usually only happens in classrooms). What is not… Reading aloud has long-term negative effects. (Reading aloud is important when children are learning to read for the first time).