How to teach reading

Brainstorming

A brainstorming is the pre-writing process. This step is skipped most often by the non-writing student, although it is the most important! Use the sense of smell for generation of ideas. The sense of smell is strongly attached to memory recall. Place a common but unique smelling substance in a jar. Ask your student to smell it and then jot down ideas that are associated with that scent. Use pictures for generation of ideas. Ask the student to create a story based on a photograph.  Use a tape recorder Allow student to dictate story to tape recorder, then transcribe. This is especially good for ESL students. J Diagram the ideas Use balloon diagrams (graphic organizers, concept mapping) to show relationships of ideas to others (see below. Make lists of ideas using interviews looking for opinions and ideas.  Furthermore, we can use this technique in order to organize using the results. Most essays have the following paragraph structure like an introduction paragraph stating main idea, supporting paragraphs giving details that support main idea, and conclusion paragraph that rephrases the main idea.

 

Integrating Reading Strategies

Instruction in reading strategies is not an add-on, but rather an integral part of the use of reading activities in the language classroom. Instructors can help their students become effective readers by teaching them how to use strategies before, during, and after reading.

·         Before reading: Plan for the reading task

o   Set a purpose or decide in advance what to read for

o   Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed

o   Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning) or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases).

·         During and after reading: Monitor comprehension

o   Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses

o   Decide what is and is not important to understand

o   Reread to check comprehension

o   Ask for help

·         After reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use

o   Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area

o   Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks

o   Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task

o   Modify strategies if necessary

Reading Aloud in the Classroom

Students do not learn to read by reading aloud. A person who reads aloud and comprehends the meaning of the text is coordinating word recognition with comprehension and speaking and pronunciation ability in highly complex ways. Students whose language skills are limited are not able to process at this level, and end up having to drop one or more of the elements. Usually the dropped element is comprehension, and reading aloud becomes word calling: simply pronouncing a series of words without regard for the meaning they carry individually and together. Word calling is not productive for the student who is doing it, and it is boring for other students to listen to.

·         There are two ways to use reading aloud productively in the language classroom. Read aloud to your students as they follow along silently. You have the ability to use inflection and tone to help them hear what the text is saying. Following along as you read will help students move from word-by-word reading to reading in phrases and thought units, as they do in their first language.

·         Use the "read and look up" technique. With this technique, a student reads a phrase or sentence silently as many times as necessary, then looks up (away from the text) and tells you what the phrase or sentence says. This encourages students to read for ideas, rather than for word recognition.