2. Receptive Skills: Reading
Difference between reading and listening texts
Listening Reading
A listening text can seem “unstructured” A reading text is usually more obviously
organized.
Unfamiliar regional/national accents can
cause problems.
For some students the written script is
unfamiliar.
Meaning is conveyed by the stress on key
words and the intonation of the voice.
In a reading text the fact that English word
are not always spelled like they sound can
cause difficulty.
If the students can also see the speaker,
gesture and expression will also aid
understanding.
Students have to listen in ‘real time’ and are
expected to participate immediately.
Students can take their time, check back o
details, puzzle out meaning.
All students have listening skills in their own Not all students may be skilled in reading
3. What makes a reading text easy or
difficult?
Generally, reading texts are easier if:
•They contain ‘simple’ language- structures and vocabulary
familiar to the students.
•They are short
•They contain short, simple sentences
•They are clearly organized- e.g. there is a straightforward
storyline or a clearly signposted argument.
•They are factual
•They are in standard English- with no specialized
vocabulary.
•The topic is concrete and familiar
•There is support in the way of layout, titles, pictures, graphs
4. What are the different ways of
Reading?
Skimming:
To go or move quickly and lightly over or on a
surface or through the air to get the general gist of
the text that we are reading. We want to know
what’s in the text but only on a rather superficial
level.
5. Scanning:
We scan the article until we find what we’re looking
for. For example, we want to see what’s on tv on 8 pm.
Instead of starting from the beginning we quickly
more to the 8 pm section and then start reading the
details of the programmes.
6. Intensive Reading:
Reading for detail.
Maybe the article we skim read at first is
interesting and we want to read it in detail then.
Or we may do the crossword- paying close
attention to the clues in order to solve the
puzzle.
7. Extensive Reading:
This is the way we usually read when we are
reading for pleasure- perhaps a novel or a
biography.
8. •Focus on their general or global understanding before
their grasp of detail.
•Encourage the students to use what they already
know- their knowledge of the world and of English.
•Help them to predict what they are going to read by
activating any knowledge they may have of the topic
or the text type.
•Elicit the sort of language they might expect to meet.
9. •Remind the students of the reading skills they employ
in their own language.
•Encourage them to use any visual clues available-
layout, pictures etc.
•Help the students understand the structure of the text
by focusing, for example on the key sentences and the
way sentences are linked.
•Encourage the students to deduce the meaning of
unknown vocabulary by guessing the meaning of the
word from clues in the context.
•Help the students use a dictionary efficiently to find
the meaning of unknown words and expressions.
10. •Give plenty of support, especially with lower
students or those who are not confident about
reading.
•Encourage the students to work together and help
one another.
•Motivate your students by choosing texts that are
interesting and that provide a real incentive for them
to understand and to contribute their own ideas and
opinions.
11.
12. Before Reading:
Arouse interest and help prediction.
• Encourage the students to think about and discuss
what they are going to read.
• The aim is not to focus on grammatical accuracy but
rather to interest and motivate the students to read.
• Activate any knowledge they have about the topic
and to help them predict what they are going to read.
• Use any clues afforded by the text layout and
format.
• Teach any key words which you want to teach
14. Second Reading:
1.Set a task to focus on more detailed
understanding.
2.The students read the text for the second time.
3.Feedback: encourage the students to work
together before eliciting their responses.
15. •You will probably want to encourage a personal
response to the text from your students.
•In this way reading can be naturally integrated with
speaking practice.
17. Accuracy involves the correct use of vocabulary,
grammar and pronunciation.
•In Controlled and guided activities, the focus is
usually on accuracy and the teacher makes it clear
from feedback that accuracy is important.
•Ongoing correction is often appropriate during
accuracy activities.
18. •In freer activities the teacher is hoping for the correct
use of language but is also keen to encourage the
students’ attempts to use the language they have in
order to communicate.
•In feedback the teacher will probably comment on
correct use of language but also on how successfully
the students communicated.
19. Fluency can be thought of as ‘the
ability to keep going when speaking
spontaneously.’
20. In feedback the teacher can comment favorably on any
strategies the students used to increase their fluency.
For example:
•The use of natural sounding ‘incomplete sentences.’
•When did you do? On Tuesday. (Not I went on Tuesday.)
•The use of common expressions like I see what you mean.
Never mind etc
•The use of fillers and hesitation devices: Well, let me think
etc.
•The use of communication strategies, such as asking for
clarification; I don’t understand, Do you mean…?
•The ability to paraphrase– ‘put it other way’ or explain.
•The use of useful expressions such as that reminds me, by
the way etc.
21. What types of speaking activities can
we use in a classroom?
1. Controlled Activities:
For example: Repetition practice or set sentences
prompted by picture or word cues- to improve the
accurate use of words, structures, and pronunciation,
and to foster confidence.
22. Guided activities:
For example: Model dialogues which the students can
change to talk about themselves and to communicate
their own needs and ideas, tasks which the students
carry out using language which has been taught
beforehand.
23. Creative or freer communication:
These activities are usually designed to give either
creative practice opportunities for predicted language
items, or general fluency practice, where the specific
language focus is less relevant.
These activities both increase the students’
motivation, since the students talk for themselves, and
help bridge the gap between the rather artificial world
of the classroom, with its controlled language practice,
and the real world outside.
24. How can you encourage the students to
speak?
1. Encourage student interaction: you should aim to create a
comfortable atmosphere where students are not afraid to
speak and enjoy communicating with you and their fellow
students.
2. Give plenty of controlled and guided practice: students
should get a chance to learn new vocabulary and grammar
structures, expressions and model sentences before using
them ‘for real.’
3. Making speaking activities communicative: encourage
purposeful and meaningful interaction between students.
4. Plan speaking activities carefully.
