Teaching Reading
Traditionally, the purpose of learning to read in a
language has been to have access to the literature written in that language. In
language instruction, reading materials have traditionally been chosen from
literary texts that represent "higher" forms of culture.
This approach assumes that students learn to read a
language by studying its vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, not by
actually reading it. In this approach, lower level learners read only sentences
and paragraphs generated by textbook writers and instructors. The reading of
authentic materials is limited to the works of great authors and reserved for
upper level students who have developed the language skills needed to read
them.
The communicative approach to language teaching has
given instructors a different understanding of the role of reading in the
language classroom and the types of texts that can be used in instruction. When
the goal of instruction is communicative competence, everyday materials such as
train schedules, newspaper articles, and travel and tourism Web sites become
appropriate classroom materials, because reading them is one way communicative
competence is developed. Instruction in reading and reading practice thus
become essential parts of language teaching at every level.
Reading Purpose and Reading Comprehension
Reading is an activity with a purpose. A person may
read in order to gain information or verify existing knowledge, or in order to
critique a writer's ideas or writing style. A person may also read for
enjoyment, or to enhance knowledge of the language being read. The purpose(s)
for reading guide the reader's selection of texts.
The purpose for reading also determines the
appropriate approach to reading comprehension. A person who needs to know
whether she can afford to eat at a particular restaurant needs to comprehend
the pricing information provided on the menu, but does not need to recognize
the name of every appetizer listed. A person reading poetry for enjoyment needs
to recognize the words the poet uses and the ways they are put together, but
does not need to identify main idea and supporting details. However, a person
using a scientific article to support an opinion needs to know the vocabulary
that is used, understand the facts and cause-effect sequences that are
presented, and recognize ideas that are presented as hypotheses and givens.
Reading research shows that good readers
Read extensively
Integrate information in the text with existing
knowledge
Have a flexible reading style, depending on what
they are reading
Are motivated
Rely on different skills interacting: perceptual
processing, phonemic processing, recall
Read for a purpose; reading serves a function
Reading as a Process
Reading is an interactive process that goes on between
the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters,
words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning. The reader uses
knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what that meaning is.
Reader knowledge, skills, and strategies include
Linguistic competence: the ability to recognize the
elements of the writing system; knowledge of vocabulary; knowledge of how words
are structured into sentences
Discourse competence: knowledge of discourse markers
and how they connect parts of the text to one another
Sociolinguistic competence: knowledge about
different types of texts and their usual structure and content
Strategic competence: the ability to use top-down
strategies (see Strategies for Developing Reading Skills for descriptions), as
well as knowledge of the language (a bottom-up strategy)
The purpose(s) for reading and the type of text
determine the specific knowledge, skills, and strategies that readers need to
apply to achieve comprehension. Reading comprehension is thus much more than
decoding. Reading comprehension results when the reader knows which skills and
strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understands how to apply
them to accomplish the reading purpose.
Example of teaching Reading
Reading Plan
Unit: General
Information Topic: Food M.3 Reading download
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