TEACHING READING SKILLS

2 Competing Models of Language Processing Related to the nature of reading

  1. The Bottom-up Approach to Reading (phonics approach/ data-driven treatment)

An illustration of how the process is supposed to work (Cambourne, 1979):

Print Every letter  Phonemes & graphemes  Blending  Pronunciation  Meaning

discriminatedmatched

  1. The Top-down Approach to Reading (psycholinguistic approach/ concept-driven treatment)

An illustration of how the process is supposed to work (Cambourne, 1979):

Past experience, language  Selective aspects of  Meaning  Sound, pronunciation if

intuitions & expectationsprintnecessary

2 Concepts used in reading activities that help students increase reading speeds

  1. Skimming The teacher asks a general question about a text e.g. Is this extract about teachers, parents, doctors? or Why are these people at a meeting? The Ss would attempt to find the answer quickly, without reading every word of the extract, by ‘speed-reading’ through some parts of the text. When readers skim a text they’re looking for key topics, main ideas, overall theme, basic structure of the text etc.
  1. Scanning A common activity is searching for info in a leaflet or travel brochure or diary entry and a typical task would be What time does the Boston train leave? or Where is Honolulu? or What did Sue do on Wednesday? Ss move their eyes quickly over the page, looking for key words or clues from certain sections of the text where the answers are likely to be found in.

Methodological Framework for Teaching the Reading Skill

STEP ONE: PRE-READING

  1. Vocabulary
  2. Background Information
  3. Interest
  4. Motivation
  1. Interest
  2. Purpose
  3. Specific Task
STEP TWO: WHILE-READING
STEP THREE: POST-READING

Post-reading activities can be divided into two basic categories:

  1. those in which Ss recall info from or react to the text
  2. and communicative fluency in the four language skills.

Types of Reading Activities: Comprehension Questions

Exercise 1

READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

Yesterday I saw the palgish flester gollining begrunt the bruck. He seemed very chanderbil, so I did not jorter him, just deapled to him quistly. Perhaps later he will besand cander, and I will be able to rangel to him.

  1. What was the flester doing and where?
  2. What sort of a flester was he?
  3. Why did the writer decide not to jorter him?
  4. How did she deaple?
  5. What did she hope would happen later?

Ur, P., 1998, A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, page 143.

Exercise 2

READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

Yesterday I saw the new patient hurrying along the corridor. He seemed very upset, so I did not follow him, just called to him gently. Perhaps later he will feel better, and I will be able to talk to him.

  1. What is the problem described here?
  2. Is this event taking place indoors or outside?
  3. Did the writer try to get near the patient?
  4. What do you think she said when she called to him?
  5. What might the job of the writer be?
  6. Why do you think she wants to talk to the patient?

Ur, P., 1998, A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, page 144.

Alternative Reading Activities

  1. Pre-question
  1. Do-it-yourself questions
  1. Provide a title
  1. Summarise
  1. Continue
  1. Preface
  1. Gapped text
  1. Mistakes in the text
  1. Comparison
  1. Responding
  1. Re-presentation of content