reading the world now- reading activites for english language learners
DESCRIPTION
This is presentation was given at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí's 2013 ELT conference on a new series from Compass Publishing called Reading the World Now. The presenter at the event was Rebecca Elliott, we'd like to acknowledge her kind support and guidance in the development of this presentation. Lots of great reading comprehension extension activities herein! We welcome your feedback on facebook.com/compasspublishing, on twitter @CompassELT, on our hompeage www.compasspub.com, or through email [email protected]. Thanks for the views!!!TRANSCRIPT
READING THE
WORLD Now
Today’s Topics• How do we teach reading comprehension ?• What is reading comprehension?• What are the steps to reading comprehension?• What do good readers do?• And…. We will take a look at Reading the World Now
How Do We Teach Reading Comprehension?
Before …
- Assume the after a student can decode, comprehension needs to be tested
- Comprehension improves through the teaching of specific comprehension skills
Now …
- Students must be taught how to flexibly apply many strategies to truly understand the text.
Really, What Is Reading Comprehension?
Reading Comprehension
Language
Fluency
Metacognition
Knowledge
How Do Students Develop Reading Skills?
Process-Oriented
Modeling
Guided Practice
Independent
What Do Good Readers Do?
• Use background knowledge to make predictions.• Identify key areas in the text that they are reading.• Be aware of, and familiar with, text structures.• Monitor their own comprehension and adjust their reading
strategies if needed.• Use a variety of reading strategies effectively.• Paraphrase, explain, and summarize information.• Come to their own conclusions.
What Are the Steps to Reading Effectively?
Activate Prior Knowledge and
Vocabulary
Use Reading Skills
Check Reading Comprehension
Check Vocabulary
Comprehension
Extension Activities
Activating Prior KnowledgeActivating prior knowledge is ESSENTIAL for second language learners.
• Describe a picture (using specific language structures or vocabulary).
• Give students 1 minute to brainstorm all the words they can think of related to a unit title.
ARE YOU A LONER OR A PEOPLE PERSON?• Discuss pre-reading questions (from the book or have students
generate their own ideas).CAMERAS CLICKING THROUGH THE AGES• Have students work in groups to predict what they think they will
be reading about (general or specific). • For advanced learners, assign a pre-reading research assignment.
Activating Vocabulary
Students need to know 90%-95% of the words in a text to be able to understand what they are reading.
• Think about the unit topic.• Look at the layout (design and text) for clues about the
reading.• Put words in categories (everyday words, academic words,
new words, etc.).• Make logical guesses about the meaning of any unknown
words.
Pre-Reading and Vocabulary
Pre-Reading Questions: Activates student schema related to
topic and content Perfect warm-up questions for small
groups
Vocabulary Preview: List of target vocabulary Basic recognition check/ definition matching
READING THE WORLD Now
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Reading Skills
Now we are ready to read! How can we get our students to read for meaning?
• Skimming - Reading for getting a general understanding of something (Newspaper)
• Scanning – Reading to get a specific piece of information
(Conference Schedule)
• Intensive Reading – Reading shorter texts for very accurate details (Reading Comprehension Book)
• Extensive Reading – Reading for pleasure, usually longer texts (Graded Readers)
Reading: An original passage containing the target words in context Side notes with key information for added comprehension & learning
Reading
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Reading Comprehension Activities
How do you approach reading comprehension in your classroom?
• Summarize students’ understanding of materials.• Ensure knowledge (main idea, details, facts vs. ideas,
inference, author’s purpose).• Assess students’ understanding of a text through summarizing
and note-taking activities.• Give students the opportunity to think about and process
what they have read.• Let students express ideas using their own words.
Reading Comprehension: Comprehension questions
including true/false/inference, main idea, fact/detail, purpose, summarizing/note-taking
Supports the understanding of the passages
READING THE WORLD Now
Reading ComprehensionActivities
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Why Is Vocabulary Important?• Reading comprehension depends on the meaning students
give to words.• The more words students know, the more they can read and
understand.• In order to be able to remember new words, students must
practice and apply.
How many times do we need to see and practice new vocabulary and language structures to be able to remember them?
On average, 15 times!
Vocabulary Review: Reinforcement of target vocabulary
through focus on context & practice/usage activities
Further practice of the key words
READING THE WORLD Now
Vocabulary Review
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Vocab screenshot
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Vocabulary review activities help to reinforce the key
terms
Use our application to take a quiz available
for each chapter
Compete with friends and students around the world to get the
highest score!
Free Supplement from the smart learning experts at
Compass Media!
Why Are Follow-Up Activities Important?
• They integrate the skills learned throughout the unit through a variety of activities.
• They reinforce vocabulary and grammar in context.• They allow students to reflect on what they have learned.• They allow students to apply other strategies to reflect on
what they have learned.
Language Focus and Meaning: Extension activities focused on
variations in target vocabulary word forms, grammar practice
READING THE WORLD Now
Language and Discussion
Discussion Topics: Discussion questions for wrap-up
and review
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Features: Three book advanced reading comprehension series
Each book contains 12 Chapters and 24 Units 6 pages per unit
Thematically organized paired readings covering a broad range of fields of students’ interest
Comprehension activities focused on recalling facts and details from passage along with making inferences of implied information and writers’ purposes
Vocabulary development activities specifically targeting mid-frequency and academic words
Language reinforcement and extension activities developed around word-form and grammar-based practice
Audio recordings of reading passages included on MP3 CD A free App is available for each book for review, quizzes, and fun!
READING THE
WORLD Now
www.compasspub.com/RWN
Reading Comprehension
It is important to:• Preview the topic and vocabulary.• Read in different ways to achieve different goals.• Use a variety of reading comprehension activities.• Review the vocabulary within context.• Give extension opportunities.
WHAT IS ONE NEW THING YOU WILL TRY IN YOUR READING CLASSES?
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Thank you!
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@CompassELT
Learn. Read. Lead.