Summary How to teach English - Chapter 7-10
Chapter 7 reading
Reasons for reading
- Many students want to be able to read texts in English for their careers, study purposes or
pleasure.
- Reading is useful for language acquisition – the more they read, the better they get at it.
- Reading also has a positive effect on students’ vocab knowledge, their spelling and writing.
- It also provides good models for English writing.
- Good reading texts can introduce interesting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative
responses and provide the springboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons.
Different kinds of reading
Extensive reading: reading which students do often (but not exclusively) away from the classroom.
Where possible it should involve reading for pleasure. They can choose what they would like to read.
Intensive reading: refers to the detailed focus on the construction of reading texts which takes place
usually (but not always) in classrooms. The exact choice of genres and topics may be determined by
the specific purposes that students are studying for. It is usually accompanied by study activities.
Reading levels
Ideally we would like students to read authentic texts. Text which are not written especially for
language learners, but which are intended for any competent user of the language. On lower levels
this isn’t always possible. A balance has to be struck between real English on the one hand and the
students’ capabilities and interests on the other. If texts are adapted or written especially for a level, it
has to be much like real English as possible.
When students are reading with the support of their teacher and other students, they are usually able
to deal with higher-level material than if they are reading on their own. Lower levels students (in
extensive reading) are encouraged to use simplified of graded readers (comprehensible input).
Reading skills
Scan: search quickly through an article (do not read every word and line)
Skim: casting with eyes over surface (look quickly to get a feel for topic and what its conclusions are)
Reading for detailed comprehension: looking for detailed information.
Reading principles
1. Encourage students to read as often and much as possible. Not just intensively, but
extensively as well. Maybe even more.
2. Students need to be engaged in what they’re reading and the tasks and activities they are
asked to do while reading the texts.
3. Encourage students to respond to the content of a text and explore their feelings about it. Not
just concentrate on the construction. The message of the text is just as important as the way
language is used/the number of paragraphs it contains et cetera. When students can respond
to the message and show their feelings about it we provoke personal engagement with it and
the language.
4. Prediction is a mayor in reading. Clues from book cover, headline, web-page banner –
expectations are set up and the active process of reading is ready to begin.
5. Match the task to the topic when using intensive reading texts. After the decision on which
text, choose good reading tasks (right kind of questions, appropriate activities before, during
and after reading and useful study exploitation.
, 6. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full. Integrate the reading text into interesting
lesson sequences, using the topic for discussion and further tasks, using the language for
study and then activation and using a range of activities to bring the text to life.
What is a reading sequence?
First this, than that, than that. Putting the principle to practice: not just read the text but a series of
questions/assignments you can do with the task. It’s not just a text – what can you do with the text?
Example 1: Text about sunscreen: put the most vulnerable body parts in the right order – which of
these people would you like to meet – role play an interview.
Example 2: Text about an internet campaign: 4 stages: 1. Look quickly at the text and predict what you
will read, 2. Think of questions. 3. Words with right meaning. 4. Roleplay and discussion
Web quest: 4 stages: 1. Introduction/background information. 2. Task section per student. 3. Is process
stage: which weblinks are used. 4. Evaluation stage: what did you hear?
More reading suggestions
- Jigsaw reading: students given different texts – come together and make a whole story.
- Reading puzzles: text chopped in different parts – find which one is first, second, …
- Using newspapers: all kinds of exercises: which article is linked to which headline
- Following instructions: students read a recipe and follow the instructions
- Poetry: chopping up a poem – read out loud – assemble it. (two more)
- Play extracts: extract from a play or film: read and think about where to put stress/intonation
- Prediction words/pictures: give them and they have to make a story with it.
- Different responses: read a text and make a diagram/think of how the main character looks/…
Encouraging students to read extensively
1. Library: students need to have access to a collection.
2. Choice: have to be able to choose.
3. Feedback: opportunity to give feedback on what they’ve read.
4. Time: students need to get time to read.
Chapter 8 writing
- Writing gives students more thinking time than a spontaneous conversation, which allows
them to have more thinking time about the language (language processing).
- Writing-for-learning is a practice tool to help students practice and work with language. The
aim is not writing but learning the language or enabling another activity. Writing-for-writing is
meant to learn students writing and is focusing on appropriate language, construction, layout,
style and effectiveness.
- The kind of writing will depend on age, level, learning styles and interests.
Genre:
- Is a type of writing which members of a discourse community (any groups that shares ways of
communicating such as writing) would recognise immediately.
- Genre analysis: show students several texts within a genre to teach students how that
particular genre is made. In that way they can produce a text themselves.
- This is called guided writing. When the level of students improves, we have to make sure we
also see their own creativity rather than only an imitation.
The writing process:
Chapter 7 reading
Reasons for reading
- Many students want to be able to read texts in English for their careers, study purposes or
pleasure.
- Reading is useful for language acquisition – the more they read, the better they get at it.
- Reading also has a positive effect on students’ vocab knowledge, their spelling and writing.
- It also provides good models for English writing.
- Good reading texts can introduce interesting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative
responses and provide the springboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons.
Different kinds of reading
Extensive reading: reading which students do often (but not exclusively) away from the classroom.
Where possible it should involve reading for pleasure. They can choose what they would like to read.
Intensive reading: refers to the detailed focus on the construction of reading texts which takes place
usually (but not always) in classrooms. The exact choice of genres and topics may be determined by
the specific purposes that students are studying for. It is usually accompanied by study activities.
Reading levels
Ideally we would like students to read authentic texts. Text which are not written especially for
language learners, but which are intended for any competent user of the language. On lower levels
this isn’t always possible. A balance has to be struck between real English on the one hand and the
students’ capabilities and interests on the other. If texts are adapted or written especially for a level, it
has to be much like real English as possible.
When students are reading with the support of their teacher and other students, they are usually able
to deal with higher-level material than if they are reading on their own. Lower levels students (in
extensive reading) are encouraged to use simplified of graded readers (comprehensible input).
Reading skills
Scan: search quickly through an article (do not read every word and line)
Skim: casting with eyes over surface (look quickly to get a feel for topic and what its conclusions are)
Reading for detailed comprehension: looking for detailed information.
Reading principles
1. Encourage students to read as often and much as possible. Not just intensively, but
extensively as well. Maybe even more.
2. Students need to be engaged in what they’re reading and the tasks and activities they are
asked to do while reading the texts.
3. Encourage students to respond to the content of a text and explore their feelings about it. Not
just concentrate on the construction. The message of the text is just as important as the way
language is used/the number of paragraphs it contains et cetera. When students can respond
to the message and show their feelings about it we provoke personal engagement with it and
the language.
4. Prediction is a mayor in reading. Clues from book cover, headline, web-page banner –
expectations are set up and the active process of reading is ready to begin.
5. Match the task to the topic when using intensive reading texts. After the decision on which
text, choose good reading tasks (right kind of questions, appropriate activities before, during
and after reading and useful study exploitation.
, 6. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full. Integrate the reading text into interesting
lesson sequences, using the topic for discussion and further tasks, using the language for
study and then activation and using a range of activities to bring the text to life.
What is a reading sequence?
First this, than that, than that. Putting the principle to practice: not just read the text but a series of
questions/assignments you can do with the task. It’s not just a text – what can you do with the text?
Example 1: Text about sunscreen: put the most vulnerable body parts in the right order – which of
these people would you like to meet – role play an interview.
Example 2: Text about an internet campaign: 4 stages: 1. Look quickly at the text and predict what you
will read, 2. Think of questions. 3. Words with right meaning. 4. Roleplay and discussion
Web quest: 4 stages: 1. Introduction/background information. 2. Task section per student. 3. Is process
stage: which weblinks are used. 4. Evaluation stage: what did you hear?
More reading suggestions
- Jigsaw reading: students given different texts – come together and make a whole story.
- Reading puzzles: text chopped in different parts – find which one is first, second, …
- Using newspapers: all kinds of exercises: which article is linked to which headline
- Following instructions: students read a recipe and follow the instructions
- Poetry: chopping up a poem – read out loud – assemble it. (two more)
- Play extracts: extract from a play or film: read and think about where to put stress/intonation
- Prediction words/pictures: give them and they have to make a story with it.
- Different responses: read a text and make a diagram/think of how the main character looks/…
Encouraging students to read extensively
1. Library: students need to have access to a collection.
2. Choice: have to be able to choose.
3. Feedback: opportunity to give feedback on what they’ve read.
4. Time: students need to get time to read.
Chapter 8 writing
- Writing gives students more thinking time than a spontaneous conversation, which allows
them to have more thinking time about the language (language processing).
- Writing-for-learning is a practice tool to help students practice and work with language. The
aim is not writing but learning the language or enabling another activity. Writing-for-writing is
meant to learn students writing and is focusing on appropriate language, construction, layout,
style and effectiveness.
- The kind of writing will depend on age, level, learning styles and interests.
Genre:
- Is a type of writing which members of a discourse community (any groups that shares ways of
communicating such as writing) would recognise immediately.
- Genre analysis: show students several texts within a genre to teach students how that
particular genre is made. In that way they can produce a text themselves.
- This is called guided writing. When the level of students improves, we have to make sure we
also see their own creativity rather than only an imitation.
The writing process:
