Managing and running an Extensive Reading program

Rob WaringNotre Dame Seishin University

kayama, Japan

1. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

Intensive Reading / Extensive Reading
Analysis of the language / LINGUISTIC FOCUS / Fluency, skill forming
Usually difficult / DIFFICULTY / Very easy
Little / AMOUNT / A book a week
teacher selects / SELECTION / Learner selects
All learners study the same material / WHAT MATERIAL / All learners read different things (something interesting to them)
In class / WHERE / Mostly at home
Checked by specific questions / COMPREHENSION / Checked by reports / summaries

Intensive Reading and coursebooks help because they:-

  • allow students to meet new language, vocabulary or learning strategies.
  • allow a teacher to check that students understand.
  • allow a teacher to ‘teach’ something.

But Intensive reading does NOT:

  • allow students to read anything they choose, as all students read the same material.
  • allow students to go their own pace – everyone goes at the same speed.
  • allow students to read at their own ability level.
  • build reading speed as the reading is slow and difficult.
  • provide massive language input as the texts are short and difficult.
  • introduce the thousands and thousands of collocations and colligations students need.

Common sense tells us………

  • We need textbooks / work books and classes to teach new language.
  • Textbooks do not, and cannot, teach everything.
  • Textbooks do not recycle language. Textbooks are about introducing NEW language.
  • Students who only meet new things each lesson will soon forget previously learnt things unless they meet that language again soon and often.
  • Teachers must fight against the forgetting curve by recycling the vocabulary and grammar patterns many many times. Thus, ‘the most important vocabulary to learn is yesterday’s vocabulary’.
  • Textbooks teach us about vocabulary and grammar, they do not teach us to use it. Language learnt in textbooks is discrete and abstract. It is not available for use.
  • Students must meet lots and lots of language - MASSIVE amounts of controlled language through reading (or listening to) LOTS of EASY language.

The Book Flood (Mangubhai, 2001)

Experimental Group
  • 8 schools in rural Fiji
  • normal English programme
  • 500 children’s books per school
Pre-Test
  • reading comprehension
Post-Test
  • reading comprehension
  • listening comprehension
  • writing
  • grammar
Results
  • twice the progress in reading
  • much better scores on listening
  • much better scores on grammar
  • better scores on writing
/ Control Group
  • 4 schools in rural Fiji
  • normal English programme
  • no extra books
Pre- Test
  • reading comprehension
Post-Test
  • reading comprehension
  • listening comprehension
  • writing
  • grammar
Results
  • half the progress in reading
  • much worse scores on listening
  • much worse scores on grammar
  • worse scores on writing

Why do ER programs fail?

  • inappropriate materials – too difficult, not interesting
  • too much forced reading too early
  • it’s seen as an option rather than an essential part of the English curriculum
  • students are not involved in the programs

Before you do ER – TEACH PHONICS!!!

  • Teach them through phonics – from sound to letters
  • Use flashcards to identify words.
  • Story telling with phonicsbooks.
  • Be careful of asking them to read along. It can inhibit learning once they become self-conscious. They also focus on the words not the meanings

2. PLANNING

What will the program look like?

It will …….

  • be an integral part of the school’s curriculum
  • raise the learners’ reading ability and general English levels
  • have knock-on effects on their writing skills, spelling, grammar and speaking
  • motivate the learners to read, and learn from their reading
  • have goals that set out how much reading should be done and by when
  • have a reading library from which learners can select their own texts
  • have systems in place for cataloging, labeling, checking out, recording and returning the reading materials
  • have a variety of materials to read, not only graded readers and other simplified materials
  • show teachers, parents and the administration that you take ER seriously
  • have targets of both learner and program attainment that clearly show the success of the program
  • be bigger and more resilient than one teacher and have sufficient support so that it will continue indefinitely

Other considerations

  • “think big, act small” (Hill, 1997)
  • the program should have vision
  • it should have the will to survive potential threats to its existence:-
  • increases in lost or mislaid materials,
  • insufficient resources to maintain a library,
  • teaching and financial resources being moved to other projects,
  • a general lessening in enthusiasm after the highs of the ‘big start’

Therefore, the program should

  • be well planned
  • should have built-in flexibility
  • beadaptable for future changes.
  • find ways that the program will fit within the school’s curriculum
  • have balance
  • ensure that everyone is involved

Choosing books

  • The aim of Extensive Reading is to build reading speed and fluency and to mirror real life reading
  • The books should be EASY so they can read fluently. ‘Easy’ means they can read a) without a dictionary, b) at a good reading speed and c) understand almost everything

Read quickly and

Enjoyably with

Adequate comprehension so they

Don’t need a dictionary

  • Choose a wide range to match the interests of your class. Fiction and non-fiction, Funny and amusing texts are great.
  • Spend only 80% of your budget so you can adjust the library after student have used it for a while
  • Be careful buying books which are too young, or too difficult – they won’t read them, or if they do, they’ll soon get discouraged
  • For MOST Korean students native books are too difficult. BE CAREFUL.

3. SETTING UP

  • You will need funding (and follow-up funding)
  • Eventually you will need 3-4 books per learner but 1-2 is ok as a start
  • Encourage learners to help build the ER stock
  • Use the school library to keep the books
  • Book management systems should be simple and transparent
  • Make a grading scheme so that materials can be graded by difficulty (and age appropriacy)
  • Use a 6 to 8 level scheme (colours) going from the easiest materials to the more difficult.
  • Each book can then be numbered and coded by its level and book number (e.g. G4070 G = Green level, 4 = biographies, and 070 is the book number).
  • There is probably no need to put them in author or book number order.
  • Organize the book borrowing record system.

Example book borrowing sheets

Name / April 1 / April 8 / April 15 / April 22
Lee Yoon-Hee / G5345 / G2453 / G3232
Bert Nuefelt / Y1785 / Y2121 / Y2778
Shu Wei / P2352 / P2099 / G6435
Carlos Sanchez / 543 / 547 / 444

Figure 1. A simple checkout sheet for a single class.

Name
Kim Hyonjung / Number … 032012
Title / Book number / Date borrowed / Date returned
Alice in Wonderland / G5345 / April 13 / April 16
The green eye / Y1785 / April 16

Figure 2. A checkout sheet for a single learner.

Funding

  • School, district or prefecture budget
  • Students donate books after buying them
  • Parents can be asked for donations
  • Ask publishers for sample copies
  • Readathons and fund raising events at the school festival
  • Spend only 80% of your budget so you can adjust the library after some time
  • Make sure the library gets funds every year / semester. Some books will get lost / damaged

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4. INTRODUCING AN ER PROGRAM

In class procedure

  1. (If the kids are old enough) Explain to the students the need for ER (Not doing this well is the leading cause of failure of ER programs).
  2. Let them look at some graded readers.
  3. They choose one that are interested in and find their comfortable reading level.
  • 98% of the language is known
  • high levels of comprehension
  • 60-80 words per minute

Too difficult --> go down a level. Too easy?--> go up a level. They should not need a dictionary.

  1. Check out the book.
  2. Read silently. Teacher monitors their reading.
  3. They can take it home to finish it.
  4. Write a short report on the book (10 minutes at most).
  5. In the next class and tell their friends about a) the story b) what they thought of it.
  6. They return the book to a ‘drop box’. Students help to check the books off the sheet. Then the books are returned to the library / stock.
  7. They choose another book. The cycle continues.

Students can be graded on ….

  • the number of books read
  • the quality of the reports
  • their improvement in reading ability.

The learners also need to know:-

  • the goals of the ER program;
  • when they have to return books;
  • how much they need to read either by number of books or page targets (a book a week at their level)
  • how many books they can borrow;
  • how their reading will be evaluated (if at all);
  • when they have access to the library;
  • whether they have to do follow up exercises or write reports etc.;

Finally, you will need to know how to assess the learners and their reading and find ways to determine how the program is meeting its goals.

Get Students involved– they need to feel connected to the library

  • students choose the books, amount of reading
  • they manage the book borrowing systems
  • they design book displays, make posters (or use those from publishers), keep progress charts
  • make class presentations about the books they have read

Rating materials

  • Students’ reports should write a score for the book on book reports / book management sheets
  • put in the inside of the book cover
  • they talk about their books and include a recommendation
  • students vote for the best books
  • send back books they don’t like

More Information

101 ideas for ER

Lists of Books you can buy

The Korean English Extensive reading Association (KEERA)

Join the discussions, ask questions

Examples of ER programs

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