Reading

Reading

The good language learner is an effective strategy user. Good reading strategies describe what is involved in the reading comprehension process, what the readers’ active role is like. Good readers practise a wide range of approaches to texts. They change their reading strategies according to the nature of the text they are reading. Reading comprehension means activating readers’ schemata to acquire information from texts actively. We learn to read by reading a lot. The teaching of reading should pursue the following aims:

1.

a.

give practice in predicting text purpose (e.g. key words, title, sub-headings, illustrations)

b.

set a purpose if the text does not lend itself to one (e.g. pre-questions, pre-tasks, and see 1.d.

c.

allow selection of texts if feasible ( N.B. teacher needs to be aware of possible gaps in students' background knowledge)

d.

encourage students to pose questions that need answering (e.g. pre-questions based on a.; student- generated questions; table completion; labelling; diagram completion: predict next event/step/stage after reading segments of text

e.

give practice in recognition and teach understanding of anticipatory signals (e.g. underlining; break text at signal -what comes next?; delete and replace)

2.

a.

make students aware of patterns and give practice in writing texts with these patterns of organisation (e.g. segmenting; annotating: diagram construction or completion; complete text’s missing segments; scrambled texts)

b.

give practice in recognition and teach understanding of lexical signals (e.g. underlining; choosing correct signal; delete and replace)

3.

a.

give practice in recognition of matching relations and check understanding (e. g. marking sections of text ; comprehension questions; table completion)

b.

give practice in recognition of signals and teach understanding (e.g. underlining; choosing correct signal; delete and replace)

c.

give practice in recognition of logical sequence relations and check understanding (e.g. marking sections of text; comprehension questions; paraphrasing relation to ‘spell it out') .

An efficient reader

1.

a.

identifies text purpose

b.

has a reading purpose

c.

recognises gaps between his/her own knowledge and knowledge assumed in text

d.

has expectations which are checked against text

e.

recognises anticipatory signals in text

2.

a.

is familiar with culturally-common macro-patterns in texts

b.

identifies lexical signals of patterning

3.

a.

recognises matching relations and is able to identify the result of comparison, contrast, etc.

b.

 recognises and understands any signals of matching relations (e.g. but, without, for example, similarly, difference, share, illustration)

c.

recognises and understands signals of logical sequence relations (e.g. when, after, so, because, thus, if, reason, lead to, cause)

d.

is able to infer logical sequence relations that are not spelled out

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