Extensive Reading PDF

Masaryk University
Pedagogical Faculty
PEDAGOGICAL DEPARTMENT
English Language and Literature Department
The Benefits of Extensive Reading in EFL
Supervisor:
Author:
Mgr. Nadda Vojtkov
Mria Kredtusov
Prohlauji, e jsem diplomovou prci zpracovala samostatn a pouila jen prameny

uveden v seznamu literatury.
Souhlasm, aby prce byla uloena na Masarykov univerzit v Brn v knihovn
Pedagogick fakulty a zpstupnna ke studijnm elm.
Mria Kredtusov
I would like to thank my supervisor, Mgr. Nadda Vojtkov for her help in connection
with my work.
Mria Kredtusov
Contents:
Introduction
I. Theoretical part
1.
What is extensive reading?
1.1
The Benefits of Extensive reading
1.2
The basic principles of Extensive Reading by Julian
Bamford and Richard R. Day

1.3
Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading
2.
Establishing an Extensive Reading programme
in the Second Language Classroom

2.1
Teachers preparation
2.2
Curriculum
10
2.3
Funds
10
2.4
Choosing books
11
2.4.1
The number of books
12
2.4.2
What books to choose?
12
2.4.3
Graded readers
13
2.4.4
What exactly happens when we are reading graded readers?
14
2.4.5
Graded readers or authentic material
15
2.4.6
Check-out system
16
2.4.7
Classifying the books
17
2.5
Teachers role
19
2.5.1
Introducing the ER to students
19
2.5.2
Helping students to choose books
19
2.5.3
Encouraging students to read
20
2.5.4
In-class activities
21
2.5.5
Monitoring students reading
21
2.5.6
Rewards
22
II. Practical part
23
1.
A long-term project
23
2.
Research
58
4
2.1
Subjects
58
2.2
Evaluation
58
2.3
Motivation
59
2.4
Monitoring
59
2.5
Results
60
2.6
Comments
62
III. Conclusion
63
Appendices
64
Bibliography
Introduction
The best way to improve your knowledge of a

foreign language is to go and live among its speakers.
The next best way is to read extensively in it
(Nuttall, 168).
Reading is one of the skills that a learner of foreign language should acquire. In the
language classroom it is most often taught by careful reading (or translation) of shorter,
more difficult foreign language texts. The goal of reading is usually complete and
detailed understanding. But reading is also considered by many people as a very
pleasurable free time activity that broadens ones knowledge and vocabulary. However, if
you ask pre-intermediate learners of English whether they like reading in a foreign
language their answer will tend to be mostly negative. Students who are learning to read
in English usually dislike it and the time they spend reading is very limited. Stanley,
Graham. Extensive Reading. BBC /British Council teaching English Reading. 7 May
2007. <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/read/extensive.shtml>.
Suppose you are a student of an EFL class where reading is being taught. What you
will probably encounter is a standard procedure of reading for comprehension consisting
of pre-, during- and after-reading stages with the reading focused on teaching of a
particular language area or reading skills. Vaezi, Shahin. Theories of Reading 2. BBC
/British Council teaching English Reading. 7 May 2007.
<http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/read/reading_tips.shtml>.
This procedure that may be called intensive reading has proved to be beneficial for
learning language but it is far remote from the experience one encounters when reading
literature for pleasure. As Alderson and Urquhart claim:
Such a pedagogic practice--of focusing on the language of a text--may be justified as a language
lesson, but it may very well be counterproductive as a reading lesson. Often what is known as
"intensive reading" (as traditionally opposed to "extensive reading") is actually not reading at all:
the lesson consists of a series of language points, using texts as points of departure. Reading
texts, in other words, are sources of language exercises, rather than reading exercises
(Alderson and Urquhart qtd. in Susser 1).
If one is asked to fulfil a task after reading and has to bear this task in mind while
reading, the purpose of reading is diverted from its principal aim i.e. to read for pleasure
and information. Considering these propositions the students answers to the question
whether they like reading in English do not appear that surprising. After all, students did
not have the real possibility to establish the attitude towards reading as an engaging and
pleasurable activity. Their idea of reading is associated with tasks that have to be
fulfilled, they view it as one of the exercises they do during class.
The aim of this thesis is to present an alternative approach to intensive reading, an
approach that will not focus on exact translation of the text but that stresses the pleasure
of reading - Extensive reading. Extensive reading involves students in reading large
quantities of books at the level appropriate for them; only one to two words per page
should be unknown to a reader. The primary goal of Extensive reading is reading in order
to gain information and to enjoy texts. A variety of books that cover various topics are
provided and students choose titles according to their interests. Students who find a book
difficult or not interesting might stop reading and choose another book instead. Their
reading is based on choice and purpose that are the basic elements of real-life reading
(Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities 1). No exercises, no questions at the end of the
chapter, and no looking up every word in a dictionary are required. It is the kind of
reading highly literate people do all the time (Krashen, Power of Reading 1).
ER programmes have become very popular in many countries over the last decades.
The success that lies behind this approach is that students do not feel the pressure of
requirements and are aware of their own choice. It is strictly forbidden to give students
grades or any rewards after reading, the reading should be solely voluntary.
Presently, there have been many complaints about our students lack of independent
reading at the primary, secondary and even university level. Students seem not to have
developed the habit of reading. Steven Krashen, who calls this situation a literacy
crisis, sees the cure in doing one activity, an activity that is all too often rare in the
lives of many people: reading (Krashen, Power of Reading 1). As Bamford suggests
EFL teachers should pay attention to developing a habit, indeed love, of reading in their
students (Bamford, Extensive Reading: What Is It? 1). If students are not given the
opportunity to experience reading in English as a pleasurable and useful activity and on
the other hand are exposed to texts that are above their level and that they have to
translate word by word, they will hardly create a positive attitude towards reading.
Extensive Reading programme offers a solution how this change may be done. The
reading material is deliberately chosen to be easy for student and therefore larger
amounts of text are read. Students have the possibility to enjoy reading what strengthens
their confidence in reading and increases their motivation to read further. And this is in
fact the only way how they can become fluent readers by reading.
I. THEORETICAL PART
1. What is extensive reading?
We learn to read by reading
(Nuttall 168).
Extensive reading is a language teaching procedure where learners are supposed to read
large quantities of material or long texts for global understanding, the principal goal
being obtaining pleasure from the text (Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities 1). The
reading is individualized, what means that students choose books they want to read, they
read it independently of the teacher and they are not required to do any tasks after
reading. Moreover, they are encouraged to stop reading whenever they consider the
material not interesting or too difficult. Extensive reading can be introduced to any kind
of EFL class whatever the content, intensity, age of students or their language level, the
only condition is that students already have a basic knowledge of foreign language and
are literate in it (Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities 1).
Extensive reading belongs to Free Voluntary Reading approaches that share the common
idea of independent, voluntary reading. Other examples of FVR are Sustained Silent
Reading or Self-Selected Reading (Krashen, Power of Reading 2).
1.1 The Benefits of Extensive reading
Extensive reading is a topic that has been widely discussed over last decades and its benefits
have been generally approved by many researches. Bamford states that students who read
more will not only become better and more confident readers, but they will also improve
their reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities and their vocabularies will get
richer (Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities 1). Bamford praises the motivation aspect
of Extensive reading, seeing its primal benefit in developing positive attitudes toward the
foreign language and increased motivation to study this language (Bamford, Extensive
Reading Activities 1).
1.2 The basic principles of Extensive Reading by Julian Bamford and Richard R. Day
It will be useful to familiarize the reader with the basic principles of extensive reading
approach as they are presented in Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language by
Julian and Richard R. Day.
1. The reading material is easy.

Learners read material that contains few or no unfamiliar items of vocabulary and
grammar. (There should be no more than one or two unknown vocabulary items per page
for beginners and no more than four or five for intermediate learners). Students would
not succeed in reading extensively if they have to struggle with difficult material.
2. A variety of material on a wide range of topics is available.

There should be a variety of materials available in the library for students to choose what
they really like. This contains graded readers, magazines written for language learners at
different ability levels and childrens literature. For high-intermediate learners young
adult literature can offer a bridge to ungraded reading materials. Advanced learners are
supposed to read books, magazines and newspapers written for native speakers of
English. The variety encourages a flexible approach towards reading as the learners are
reading for different purposes (for information or pleasure).
3. Learners choose what they want to read.

Self-selection puts students in a different role from that in a traditional classroom, where
the teacher chooses or the textbook supplies reading material. This is what students really
enjoy about extensive reading. They are also encouraged to stop reading anything that is
not interesting or that they find too difficult.
4. Learners read as much as possible.

The language learning benefits of extensive reading come from quantity of reading. For
the benefits of extensive reading to take effect, a book a week is an appropriate goal.
This is a realistic target as books written for beginning language learners are very short.
10
5. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower.

Because of the fact that material is easily understandable for students their reading is
fluent. Students are discouraged from using dictionaries as this interrupts reading and
makes fluency impossible. Instead, learners are encouraged to ignore or guess the
meaning of a few unknown items they may encounter from context.
6. The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general

understanding.
In spite of intensive reading which requires detailed understanding, extensive reading
encourages reading for pleasure and information. The aim of reading is not a hundred
percent comprehension; to meet the purpose of reading sufficient understanding is
satisfactory.
7. Reading is individual and silent.

Learners read at their own pace. Sometimes silent reading periods may be reserved from
class time when students read their self-selected books in the classroom. However, most
of the reading is homework. Students read out of the classroom, in their own time, when
and where they choose.
8. Reading is its own reward.

Extensive reading is not usually followed by comprehension questions. The goal of
reading is readers own experience and joy of reading. However teachers may ask
students to complete follow-up activities after reading. These are designed to reflect
students experience of reading rather than comprehension.
9. The teacher orients and guides the students.

Before starting an extensive reading programme students have to be familiarized what it
is, why they are doing it, what benefits it will bring them and how are they going to
proceed. The teacher keeps track of what and how much students read, he/she is
interested in their reactions to what was read in order to guide them in getting the most
out of their reading.
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10. The teacher is a role model of a reader.

Teacher gives students a model of what is to be a reader e.g. during the silent reading periods
teacher should read as well. He/she should also be familiar with all the books students
are reading in order to recommend reading to individual students and share their
reading experiences. If teacher and students talk about what was read they create an
informal reading community, experiencing together the value and pleasure to be found in
written word
(Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities 12-3).
1.3 Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading
Extensive reading as a term naming an approach to teaching a foreign language reading

was introduced by Harold Palmer and Michael West after piloting a project of ER in
India. The term was chosen to distinguish extensive reading from intensive reading.
Intensive reading refers to careful reading (or translation) of shorter, more difficult
foreign language texts with the goal of complete and detailed understanding (Bamford
and Welsh 1). On the other hand Extensive Reading is based on reading easy material
that contains mostly one to two unknown words per page for general understanding.
Students choose their own materials and can stop reading if the material is not interesting
for them. There are no tests after reading; students personal reaction to reading is the
goal. ER imitates reading in the first language in the way that its key elements are
purpose and pleasure (Bamford and Welsh 1). Bamford states that Intensive reading can
be associated with teaching of reading in terms of its component skills i.e. distinguishing
the main idea of a text, reading for gist etc. Extensive reading, in contrast, is generally
associated with reading large amounts of text with the aim of getting the overall
meaning of the text rather than the meaning of individual words or sentences. (Bamford
and Welch 1)
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The following chart offers basic characteristics of each approach:
Intensive Reading
Analysis of the
Extensive Reading
LINGUISTIC FOCUS
Fluency, skill forming
Usually difficult
DIFFICULTY
Very easy
Little
AMOUNT
A book a week
teacher selects
SELECTION
Learner selects
language
All learners read

All learners study the
same material
WHAT MATERIAL
different things
(something interesting to
them)
In class
WHERE
Checked by specific
questions
COMPREHENSION
Mostly at home
Checked by reports /
summaries
Table 1. (Welsh qtd. in Waring, Getting An ER Program Going 3)
Bamford and Day further claim that skill-based and other traditional foreign language
reading instructional approaches appear to have their properties the wrong way round.
Only after finding reading pleasurable and useful students are eager to read the amounts
of texts that will make them fluent readers. Only then they develop the urge to learn new
skills which would help them to become better readers (Bamford and Day 1).
However, ER is not necessarily the entire answer to teach reading. There are students
who need special help with certain reading skills, or those who need these skills to
achieve particular goals e.g. academic reading proficiency. Here the intensive reading is
appropriate. What is supposed is to find balance between these two approaches in EFL
teaching. Intensive reading helps with faster vocabulary acquisition and awareness of
certain language structures. In addition, ER practices the skill of reading. As Bamford
and Day rightly state teachers concern with developing the ability to read should be
combined with developing the habit to read as well (Bamford and Welch 1).
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2. Establishing an Extensive Reading programme in the Second Language

Classroom
We want our students to be able to read better: fast and with full
understanding. To do this they need to read more. And there seem to
be two ways of getting them to read more: requiring them to do so
and tempting them to do so
(Nuttall, 168).
When establishing an ER programme teachers need interest, enthusiasm but also

adequate planning and cooperation with their colleagues, students and parents. It is not
an easy task but it is certainly worth the effort.
2.1 Teachers preparation
Because of its complexity, Extensive Reading programme involves thorough planning

and well-timed preparation. It is therefore advisable for the teacher to prepare
himself/herself for the work of teaching Extensive reading and coordinating a reading
programme in following ways:
a) teacher should familiarize himself/herself with the rationale of Extensive reading and
its organization. A book Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom by
Richard R. Day and Julian Bamford or an Internet page <www.extensivereading.net> are
good starting points.
b) teacher should borrow and read graded readers in order to know what they are like.
He/she should get himself acquainted with levels offered by different publishers and
make a list of titles that he/she would like to buy. This can be done by reviewing
catalogues of language teaching material or by browsing through them on the Internet
(Hill 2).
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2.2 Curriculum
Hill suggests that firstly, it is probably better to think in terms of starting a reading club
outside the reading timetable which charges membership fee or lending fee (Hill 2). This
way teacher gains experience in using graded readers and gathers evidence that his/her
students enjoy ER and benefit from it. It is also possible to run a three-month extensive
reading programme as a part of EFL classes during which students read extensively as
presented in the practical part. Once the programme is successful and the teacher wants
to make it a part of his/her schools curriculum he/she has to create a detailed design of
the programme that will be presented to his/her authorities. It is crucial that colleagues,
parents and students understand the programme, its aims, goals and objectives. If a
teacher is planning to establish an ER programme that will cover more years Hill
suggests to project methodology that will help colleagues to establish ER in their classes
and to continue in it even without the founders presence (Hill 2).
2.3 Funds
Funding the ER library should be thoughtfully planned before starting an ER

programme. There are more possibilities how to finance an ER library (Nuttall 172; Hill
3; Conley 1):
a) a teacher can ask his/her headmaster to allocate some money for the program. He/she
should be prepared to present budget and the organization of the programme (lending
books, time devoted to ER etc.)
b) a teacher can ask each student to contribute money for one book. This is a good start
but more titles have to be added later.
c) a teacher can also appeal to local donors (individuals, firms, organizations)
d) a teacher can gain money from grants
e) a teacher can also contribute books from his/her personal library or ask his/her
colleagues to lend books
f) a teacher can involve students and their parents, so that students will pay a fee for
borrowing a book, or attending the extra reading class
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2.4 Organizing a library

2.4 Choosing books
When deciding about the type of books teachers are going to buy the most important
factor is whether the books will be interesting for their students. It is therefore advisable
to make a small in class research about the students preferences. Teachers can also guide
students in finding their own material for reading in the local library or on the Internet. It
is also interesting to use student-written texts as additions to the library.
Conley does not recommend the use of short stories and non-fiction for ER as the
reading should be smooth and quick (Conley 1). Non-fiction requires a close attention
that can result in a stop-and-start style of reading (David qtd. in Conley 1). Conley
further states that a book of short stories is usually read at more sittings what results in
fewer pages read at once (Conley 1). He sees the main advantage of fiction in speeding
the reader along as the plot develops (Conley 1).
Christine Nuttall (Nuttall 172-3) suggests four basic criteria for choosing ER materials:
a) Appealing
The books must appeal to readers; the topics should be interesting and suitable for the
students. During the programme presented in practical part it was proved that it is better
if books are attractive in appearance, well printed and with good coloured illustrations.
The books should look like the books we buy from choice: i.e. they should not smell of
the schoolroom (Nuttall 171). Pupils in our programme did not like the older school
library books some of which were bought in second hand bookshop. On the other hand,
when new books from British Council were brought to class few of them were left, some
of the pupils borrowing more than one book. If older books are used it is advisable to
erase notes that may be left in books. (Nuttal 171)
b) Easy
Reading material should be easy in order to be read extensively. The first book students
read should be well below their competence and they should find their comfort reading
zone after they start reading.
16
c) Short
With lower intermediate students the books should be fairly short so that the students do
not feel intimidated by the length of the book and do not feel strained or get bored.
d) Varied
Students should be offered a variety of genres and topics to suit their needs
2.4.1 The number of books
Students should have plenty of attractive material to choose from. Conley suggests that it
is ideal to have at least four times as many books of a suitable level as there are students
(Conley 1). However, books that are a level above should be also present for student to
move to the next level. Hill recommends that there should be approximately 15 titles per
one level for the student to be able to proceed to the next level (Hill 3). Of course
teachers will need to buy multiple copies of each title so that there will be always enough
books to read. The limited number of titles at one level also indicates to students when
should they move up to the next level (Hill 3). The advantage of having a limited number
of titles is that most of the students will soon read similar titles and they can then share
their experiences together and a variety of group activities can be done in class (Hill 4).
2.4.2 What books to choose?
The best reading material is material that is easy. Therefore for lower-intermediate
students graded readers, magazines written for language learners and childrens literature
are advisable. Teachers need to be careful when choosing childrens literature, some of
the titles may contain fairly difficult authentic vocabulary. For high-intermediate learners
young adult literature can offer a bridge to ungraded reading materials. Advanced
learners will be able to read books, magazines and newspapers written for native
speakers of English. The publishers also offer schemes that implement Graded readers
within European Framework of Reference and teachers can conveniently check the level
of their students.
17
2.4.4 Reading target
How much reading will be set to your students depends prevailingly on the level of
your students, for lower-intermediate levels a book weekly is a reasonable goal. More
intermediate students or high school students may be asked to read more. Waring advises
to set a weekly target and an overall target for semester
(Waring, Graded or Extensive 3). He says that reading targets give students something to
work toward. If teachers do not set page targets for each semester there might be not
much reading done at the end of semester (Waring, Graded or Extensive 3). However, it
has to be remarked that appropriate reading materials, teachers encouragement and peer
example are the best incentives for reading extensively (Bamford, Extensive Reading
Activities 12).
We were happy to observe that in our research students kept bringing their books to
school and were reading before their lessons started. Students were also let to read their
books when they had finished their class work earlier than their peers or after having
written a test earlier. Once the students found that books were easy and interesting they
were eager to read a lot. We could see the satisfaction that they had after finishing a
whole book, especially of those who had not read books in English before and probably
did not know that they can manage to read a whole book. Some of the students offered to
read books they found at home.
2.4.3 Graded readers
Graded readers are ideal source of material for lower-intermediate independent

readers. The typical features of graded readers are simplified sentence structure and the
use of head words which are chosen by the publisher as the words that are most
frequently used by native speakers. If students find their appropriate level they can make
progress in reading quite smoothly without teachers instruction and thus develop their
reading fluency. Nowadays there is a wide variety of EFL readers available from
18
different publishers and their quality is high enough to call them language learner
literature (Bamford, Extensive Reading: What Is It? 3).
Readers may be of course supplemented by childrens books for native speakers, lowlevel vocabulary magazines and comics but the teacher has to be cautious to choose only
authentic material that is comprehensible for his/her readers so that the overall pleasure
aspect is maintained. If the reading material is too difficult for readers and they have to
look up too much unknown words in a dictionary, extensive reading turns into intensive
reading.
2.4.4 What exactly happens when we are reading graded readers?
The main purpose of graded reading is to provide material that is easy enough to
enable the reader to read extensively and to develop sufficient fluency in reading. Graded
reading develops reading speed, comprehension, fluency and it enables the reader to
move from working with words to working with ideas
(Waring, Graded or Extensive 1). This means that a learner will move from reading each
single word of a sentence and starts to decode language in chunks or short phrases or
ideas.
According to Waring, when a learner is beginning to read in the second language

he looks at each letter of each word, decodes the word and keeps it in his working
memory while the next words are processed. By the time he reaches the end of the line
the words from the beginning may easily be forgotten and very little meaning of the text
might be retained.
e.g. The / old / lady / took / her / dog / to / the / park.
(Waring, Graded or Extensive 1)
19
As the reader reads more, he decodes words faster and easily remembers the earlier
words. He can therefore read more words within the limited space of his memory i.e.
process the chunks of text or ideas.
e.g. The old lady / took her dog / to the park.

(Waring, Graded or Extensive 1)
At this level reader can make more effective use of background information about the
topic to fill in non-comprehended parts of the text. Furthermore it has been proved that
we tend to remember ideas much better than actual words. Warring uses the example
with recalling words of a text that was read lately. A reader is able to retell an article
from mornings newspaper in ones own words far more easily than trying to recall the
exact words in which the article was written (Waring, Graded or Extensive 1).
2.4.5 Graded readers or authentic material
We have described the benefits of Graded Readers for an ER programme, however

some authors claim (Widdowson qtd. in Bamford, Extensive Reading 57) that graded
readers lack authenticity, are simple in their use of sentence structure and also the
vocabulary is limited and therefore do not provide the real life reading experience. We
sympathise with teachers that claim that however good the simplification, something is
always lost (Nuttall 32). Therefore if you are able to find unabridged material at right
level it is vital to add it into your ER library. However, it is difficult to find enough titles
for elementary level and you will almost certainly have to use simplified materials at the
beginning. When choosing authentic materials for your students, always bear in mind
whether they will be able to read them independently.
When questioning authenticity of simplified materials it is worth presenting the

ideas of Janet Swaffar. Swaffar argues that authentic material does not need to be
material written deliberately for native speakers. What is important about the authenticity
of material is whether it was written to communicate meaning.
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For purposes of the foreign language classroom, an authentic text . . . is one whose primary intent
is to communicate meaning. In other words, such a text can be one which is written for native
speakers of a language to be read by other native speakers . . . or it may be a text intended for a
language learner group. The relevant consideration here is not for whom it is written but that
there has been an authentic communicative objective in mind.
(Swaffar gtd. in Bamford, Extensive Reading: What Is It? 3)
Swaffar admits that the artificiality may appear in texts written for language learners
especially when writers or editors are concerned less with communication than with e.g.
the usage of particular words or a need to reduce a complicated story to a few pages of
text. (Swaffar gtd. in Bamford, Extensive Reading: What Is It? 3)
We do not deny the importance of reading authentic materials; they should be well
suited for advanced level but to proceed to these levels readers have to be exposed to
large quantities of materials written in English and they will not continue reading if this
was a continuous struggle with unknown words.
2.4.6 Check-out system
There are several ways of organizing the Extensive reading library mostly depending
on the organization of a particular school. Books can be kept in a school library, shelved
in the classroom, or brought to class. It is probably best to set up an ER library in your
classroom. Besides convenience and flexibility books are always at hand to be borrowed
by students. The checkout system depends on the number of books you have. If there are
few books, a checkout notebook or sheet placed on a desk is sufficient.
April
April
April
April
15
22
Akiyo Nagai
G5345
G2453
G3232
Bert Nuefelt
Y1785
Y2121
Y2778
Shu Wei
P2352
P2099
G6435
Name
21
Carlos
Sanchez
543
547
444
Table 2. A simple checkout sheet for a single class.
(Waring, Getting a ER Program Going 3)
If there are a lot of books it is useful to paste a pocket in the back of each book to put a
library card in. When the book is borrowed the card is taken from the book and the date
of borrowing and name are marked on it. Other alternative is to set up a personal reading
card for each student on which the student can list the books borrowed, the date
borrowed and date returned.
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Name
Akiyo Nagai
Title
Alice in
Wonderland
The green eye
Number
032012
Book
Date
Date
numb
borro
retu
er
wed
rned
April
April
13
16
G5345
Y1785
April
16
Table 3. A checkout sheet for a single learner.
(Waring, Getting a ER Program Going 3)
2.4.7 Classifying the books
To help students find an appropriate book easily the level of each book should be
marked visibly by the use of differently coloured strips on the spine of each book. Books
should be grouped on shelves according to reading level and they may as well be put into
separate boxes according to their level so that they will not get mixed. In larger extensive
reading libraries books can be further shelved by subject or genre within each reading
level.
Several major publishers offer their own schemes of grading readers. However
these schemes often differ and therefore it is advisable that you create your own scheme
according to the number of head words present in each title. The sample system created
adapted from Hill is offered below.
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Table 4. Books categorized by level

Level
Number of headwords
1 red
300
2 blue
600
3 yellow
700-1200
4 pink
1300-1700
5 orange
1800-2300
6 green
3000
(Hill qtd. in Conley 1)
The Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading has up to 9 levels, therefore if you wish
to create more precise categorisation the suggested number of 15 books per level will
have to be changed according to the number of levels you decide on. The more precise
the division the less books are needed to reach the next level.
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2.5 Teachers role
2.5.1 Introducing the ER to students
After having prepared themselves for teaching Extensive reading, teachers task is to
introduce ER programme to their students and to familiarize them with its aims and
benefits. It is challenging to introduce the programme by asking students about their
attitudes and past experiences of reading. It may be also useful to contact institutions that
did these programs and ask them for handouts or posters with comments from students
who absolved this programme. Videotapes of interviews with students talking about the
program can be especially powerful source of motivation for your students.
Students should also know how to read extensively teacher has to note that dictionaries
should be avoided as reading fluency and a general, less than 100 percent understanding
of what is read is appropriate for most reading purposes. Teacher should also emphasise
to his/her students that there will be no test after reading. He/she will be only interested
in students personal experiences of what they read e.g. whether they found the material
enjoyable or interesting and why.
After the explanation of the organization of the library and the check-out system students
should find books that are of a suitable reading level for them. Teacher may assist in
selecting appropriate reading material that will be interesting as well as easy.
2.5.2 Helping students to choose books
Students should find the first books they read really easy and finish them quickly. They
should move quickly (after reading a minimum of ten and maximum of fifteen books) to
the level that is comfortable for them and continue reading at this level. The starting level
can be found by using a placement test developed by EPER (The Edinburgh Project on
Extensive Reading) or by the use of a cloze test. Teachers can also copy pages from
different readers and have students simply read them. The activity Find Your Level is
useful in helping students to find the reading level at which they can read comfortably
and fluently and it is described in the practical part.
25
2.5.3 Encouraging students to read
The foundation is teacher attitude and example
(Bamford 207)
As already mentioned in the introduction, example is the best motivation, therefore

teacher should be familiar with all titles that are in ER library so that he/she can talk with
students about their reading and recommend titles according to students needs with
knowledge and enthusiasm. Students will be very pleased to discuss their own
experience with the teacher. This way teacher will also control the quality of chosen
material.
It is advisable to schedule silent reading periods or shared reading in class regularly. By
doing so, teacher demonstrates the importance he/she attaches to reading. If he/she reads
and if students see him/her reading the same books they are reading extensively, it is a
great encouragement to them. Students follow the example of people they respect. If the
teacher is seen to read with concentration, to enjoy reading and to make use of books,
newspapers and so on, the students are more likely to take notice of her when she urges
them to do the same (Nuttal 171). If silent reading seems odd to students, administrators
or parents explain its benefits to them (Nuttal 171).
Using class activities is an invaluable source of motivation for students. Hitosugi and
Day observed that students who have not done their reading felt left out and this
motivated them to read (Hitosugi and Day, ER in Japanese 8). They see performing the
activities in class as a way how to show students that ER is an integral part of their
course. Students presentations of their personal readings are valuable in terms of
strengthening the class as a language-learning community (Hitosugi and Day, ER in
Japanese 8).
Making posters based on students reading and displaying them in class creates a
pleasant atmosphere and gives students the possibility to share their experience. A notice
board where students book reports and achievement are traced should be present in each
class. At the beginning of the course students can make a poster about the benefits of the
ER programme that can be put on the notice board. The overall idea is to incorporate
students in creating the program and thus foster reading community.
26
2.5.4 In-class activities
The most basic activity is a book report in which students are asked about their
personal experiences of what they read e.g. whether they found the material enjoyable or
interesting and why, whether they liked some characters from the book or what did
reading make them think of. They can also be asked whether the reading was easy or
difficult for them. There are also many activities that utilize students reading for
learning language skills such as oral fluency, writing, reading or vocabulary.
Students are not required to demonstrate their understanding by answering
comprehension questions; however teachers may need to ask students to engage in
follow-up activities after reading for a number of reasons:
a) To discover what the students understood or experienced from their reading

b) To keep track of what students read
c) To monitor their attitude towards reading
d) To link reading with other aspects of the curriculum
(Hitosugi and Day, ER in Japanese 1)
2.5.5 Monitoring students reading
There are several ways how teachers may monitor their students reading. Students fill in
Instant Book Records and present their reading during classes. Teacher may use one-toone interview to check sensitively whether students are reading. Another possibility is to
ask students to finish sentences that describe events in the story they read. Nice
variations of book reporting are e.g. choosing an appropriate gift for the character in the
story or comparing the character with the schoolmates. All activities can be found in
Bamford, Extensive Reading Activities for Language Teaching.
27
2.5.6 Rewards
Even if rewards in form of points or grades are not recommended to be used in an ER

programme we found that for younger learners it is very motivating to run a competition
for the best reader that is presented as Reading Marathon in the practical part. Students
are not given grades for reading but everybody who reaches the target number of books
is rewarded. The reader who reads most titles is given a special award. The competition
brings challenge to reading and it is associated more with fun than learning and we
therefore do not consider it harmful.
28
II. PRACTICAL PART
1. A long-term project
Further a long-term project for teaching Extensive reading is provided. The project
was designed for a group of 15 students at a pre-intermediate level. It covers the period
of three months provided that 45 minutes a week are allocated for Extensive reading.
This frequency is sufficient as the main students task was reading that takes place
outside the class as homework. The goal of the programme was to read one book a week
i.e. students should have read twelve books after finishing the programme.
The project suggests how an Extensive reading programme can be designed. The aim
was to start with motivating activities and activities that provide enough input for
students and to proceed to activities that include more active participation and output of
students. The project offers only theoretical background as the activities were not piloted
in class.
The project was designed to follow the rationale of Extensive reading programme
described in theoretical part. The aims of the project are:
1. to inform students what Extensive reading is

2. to teach reading and readers skills
a) how to choose materials from a library (e.g. finding appropriate reading
material, distinguishing different genres, knowing ones preferences, reading blurbs,
predicting what the book is about according to the title)
b) reading skills (e.g. ordering events from a story, predicting how a sentence
will finish)
3. to integrate extensive reading with other skills
a) oral skills (e.g. expressing opinions about reading, presentations, talking
about what was read)
b) writing skills reporting about what was read (Instant Book Reports,
writing short poems)
4. to create positive feelings about reading ( e.g. learning about other students, playing
drama, making posters, teacher reading stories to students)
5. to motivate students to continue reading after the programme finishes (presenting
reading as a pleasurable activity teacher as a role model of reader)
29
A long-term project was chosen because of the nature of Extensive reading it supposes
continuity and thorough planning. It is advised to plan the whole procedure of Extensive
reading programme before starting it.
All activities were adapted from Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language
by Julian Bamford and Richard R. Day because this title contains activities deliberately
designed for ER programme. Activity 3.4 It was Proved That ... was self-created, the
facts being taken from The Power of Reading by Stephen Krashen; activity Remember
when was taken from Top Class Activities by Peter Watcyn-Jones.
30
Lesson 1
Level: Pre-intermediate
Length of lesson: 45 minutes
1.1 Brief introduction of the extensive reading programme
Time: 3 minutes
Interaction: T whole class
Aims: to inform students that they are going to participate in extensive reading
programme
Procedure:
1. Tell students that their class is going to join an extensive reading programme what
means that they are going to read a lot of interesting and easy books in English at home
for a period of three months. Before you explain this in more detail tell them that you are
interested in their opinions on reading in their first language and in English.
2. Proceed to the following activity.
(Bamford 18-20)
1.2 What do you think?
Time:
15 minutes
Interaction: ind. Ss, pairs, T whole class

Aids: one enlarged copy of eight sentences per three students, blu-tac
Assumptions: students have already read some books in their first language and
probably some of them have read books in English
Aims:
- students state their opinions about reading
- students learn more about extensive reading
31
Procedure:
1. Copies of the sentences are attached to the walls of the classroom.
2. Students take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. One is headed
I think ..., the other I dont think ...
3. This is a memory activity. Students will walk to the wall, read one sentence, remember
it and return to their desks. If students agree with the sentence they write it under I
think..., if they disagree they write it under I dont think... They will continue like this
until they copy all the sentences.
4. Students compare their opinions in pairs and find out how many times they agree with
their partner.
5. Have a whole class discussion of the answers.
(Bamford 19)
Sentences for discussion

Reading in my first language is fun.
Reading English is difficult.
I should usually look up new words in my dictionary.
Reading English is boring.
It is easier to read about sports than science.
If I read very fast, it is hard to understand meaning.
Reading out loud is a good idea.
Reading English is fun.
Points to share with students during discussion.
(Bamford 20)
Reading in my first language is fun.

Most students like reading at least certain things in their language: childrens books,
magazines, romances, adventure books or encyclopedia. Explain that Extensive reading
in a foreign language is the same: People choose things they enjoy reading and then it is
fun.
Reading English is difficult.

Explain that with extensive reading students will read a lot of easy materials and that
there will be no more than two new words per page.
32
I should usually look up new words in my dictionary.

A dictionary is a tool. It can be useful but many learners use dictionaries too much. Most
of the time, they should just skip over new words. If the word seems important, they
might want to guess at it. If they try that and they really cannot figure out the word, then
it is OK to look it up.
Reading English is boring.

This depends on students interests. They should choose books they are interested in.
It is easier to read about geography than computers.

This again depends on students interests and background knowledge. Most of us find it
easier to read things when we already know a bit about the subject.
If I read very fast, it is hard to understand meaning.

The opposite is often true. To really understand, one needs to read fairly quickly (for
example 200 words a minute). That means reading easy books.
Reading out loud is a good idea.

Reading out loud is not very useful if one person is reading while the rest of the students
look out of the window, go to sleep, or wait for the reader to make a mistake. However,
reading to students, or using recordings can be useful and enjoyable.
Reading English is fun.

This should be the goal of a language teacher, to develop both ability and attitude that
make reading fun. Extensive reading programme is a way how to make it happen.
Evaluation: This activity was chosen in order to make students realize how important
reading in their first language is and to compare it with reading in the foreign language.
The positive aspects in L1 were emphasized in L2 as well and several principles of
Extensive reading procedure were introduced.
33
1.3 Introducing the Extensive reading programme - rationale, procedures (library,

reading marathon, Instant Book Reports not too broadly at this stage)
Time: 12 minutes
Aids: a poster for running marathon, a book from library that has been labeled for level,
copies of filled in Instant Book Reports (one copy per student)
Assumptions: students are literate in English, students know the benefits of Extensive
reading (previous activity)
Aims: to inform students about the rationale and organization of Extensive reading
programme
Procedure:
1. Explain to students that in the following three months they are going to read
interesting and easy books in English. 45 minutes a week will be allocated for doing
different activities connected with reading (e.g. they will listen to a serial, learn
predicting the context, create posters, play drama and have fun)
2. Explain the organization and the check-out system of the library. Tell students that
books will be labeled for levels with coloured stickers that are on the spine of each book,
show them example.
3. Explain that a competition called reading marathon will be a part of Extensive reading
programme. Explain the rules.
4. Tell student and another activities will accompany the Extensive reading programme
(e.g. Top ten chart, Rate it chart)
5. Show students a copy of filled in Instant Book Report; tell them that they are going to
fill in this report after reading each book. Give out the master copies of Instant Book
Report.
6. Write three rules of Extensive reading on the board and have students write them into
their notebooks:
1)
Enjoy!
2)
Enjoy!
3)
Enjoy!
34
Evaluation: It is important that before starting the Extensive reading programme

students are
familiarized what it is, why they are doing it, what benefits it will bring them and how
are they going to proceed.
(Bamford 31)
1.4 Find your level
Time: (10 minutes)

Interaction: ind. Ss, T whole class
Assumptions: students are literate in English
Aims: to help students find reading level that is convenient for them
Preparation: For each of the reading levels of your library find a book that starts in a
clear and interesting fashion, with language fairly representative of that level. Copy the
first page of each selected book and paste all these first pages on one large sheet of
paper, with reading levels clearly marked (Box 1c). Include also the title, author and
publisher of each extract so that students can borrow the book itself if they wish. Make a
copy of this Find Your Level sheet for each student.
Procedure:
1. Tell students that this activity will help them make a quick, rough estimate of a
comfortable level at which to begin reading.
2. Distribute the Find Your Level sheets. Instruct students to read each passage, circling
or underlining any words, phrases, or sections they cannot understand or follow clearly.
3. After students finish, point out that they should start at a level with no more than two
difficulties per page. They should be able to read comfortably, with enjoyment.
Evaluation: This activity was chosen to help students find the reading level to start with.
It is crucial that the first book students read is within their comfort zone.
35
1.5 Homework - Reading and you Questionnaire
(Bamford 10-12)
Time: 5 minutes
probably some of them have also read books in English
Aims: to present students how to fill in a questionnaire
Aids: copies of a questionnaire (one copy per student) (see Appendix)
Procedure:
1. Distribute the questionnaire in class and go over any questions that might be difficult.
Give examples of possible answers. Assure students that there are no right or wrong
answers. Ask students to answer the questions for homework. Ask students to write the
answers on computer on a separate paper and bring it together with answers to the next
lesson.
Goals of the lesson

- students are informed about the rationale and organization of ER
- students know what library level they should start reading
- students can express their opinions about reading
36
Lesson 2
2.1 Reading and You Questionnaire + Getting acquainted
(Bamford15-16)
Time: 25 minutes
Interaction: whole class, groups
probably some of them have also read books in English, students know each other
Aims: to help students examine their general reading habits and attitudes, as well as their
feelings about reading in the new language; to give teacher insight into students reading
preferences and their attitudes toward reading in the foreign language for enjoyment and
learning
Procedure:
1. Collect the sheets with students answers to the questionnaire.
2. Give each student one sheet with his peers answers. Students try to identify the author
of the answer sheet. They mingle and ask Yes/No questions e.g. Are your first memories
of reading your mum reading to you before going to sleep?
3. When students find the author of the text they give him/her the answer sheet.
4. Students work in groups and share their answers. They can discuss whatever items
seem interesting to them, in no particular order. Ask students to take notes on their peers
answers if the answers seem particularly important, unusual or interesting. Explain that
they will create a reader ID for each member of the group. Explain to the class that ID is
something that helps others to identify the person.
5. Tell each group to decide on one interesting fact about each group members reading
experiences. This fact will be that students Reader ID.
6. Call on the groups in turn. Ask a member of each group to introduce the other
members to the rest of the class by name and Reader ID. Model an introduction: This is
Jane. She likes love stories. Note down the information about each student so that you
can end the class by reviewing each students name and Reader ID.
7. In the next lesson, ask for volunteers to recall another students name and Reader ID.
You may have to be the first volunteer.
37
Evaluation: This activity enables students to state their opinions about reading. It is a
chance for the teacher to see how the students feel about reading. Student are made to
remember the positive memories they have on reading from childhood and the ideas that
are raised during the discussion may offer a nice bridge to introducing Extensive reading
programme.
2.2 I Read a Good Book the Other Day
(Bamford 60-61)
Time: 10 minutes
Aims:
- to provide tips on good book
- to model reading for knowledge and pleasure
- to model oral presentation skills
- to provide listening practice
- to keep the extensive programme in the forefront of students minds
- to model book reporting
Preparation: Keep a written log of the books you have read from the Extensive reading
library. Note any points that particularly interested or impressed you. Bring one of these
books to class. Fill in a copy of Instant Book Report according to your reading and make
a copy for each student.
Procedure:
1. Offer a quick book recommendation. Present a preview of the plot or content and say
what particularly impressed you or why you enjoyed the book. While you are talking
hold the book up for all to see.
2. Present an Instant Book Report that you filled in according to your reading so that
students get the idea of how to fill the form themselves. Ask them to fill in such report
after each reading and hand it in to you. Copy sufficient amount of unfilled Instant Book
Reports and place them in class for students to take away any time.
3. Invite anyone who would like to read the book to come up and get it after class.
38
Comments: Use a few spare minutes at the end of each following lesson by offering a
new book recommendation. When students are used to this procedure (after three
lessons), invite them to offer their own book recommendations.
Evaluation: This activity gives the teacher opportunity to present several books from the
ER library what is especially useful at the beginning of the programme. Later in the
course it enables students to state their opinions about books they read and to practice
oral reporting skills.
(Bamford 55)
2.3 Radio Serial
Time: 10 minutes
Aids: an appropriate graded reader
Aims: to give students opportunities to experience extensive listening which motivates
extensive reading
Procedure:
1. Read the first chapter of graded reader to the class.
2. Set aside some class time each week for the next few weeks to read successive
installments of the book, so that it becomes a serial story.
Goals of the lesson
- students know they can read for knowledge and pleasure

- students are aware or the importance of ER
- students are motivated to read extensively
Evaluation: This is a very important activity in terms of motivation. A teacher as a

model reader has invaluable effect on students enthusiasm to read. Moreover, it creates
positive atmosphere in class and develops listening skills. The Radio Serial extends over
seven lessons.
39
Lesson 3
(Bamford 16)
Warmer Readers ID
Time: 5 minutes
Interaction: S whole class
Aim: to personalize teaching, to practice oral presentation
Procedure:
1. Ask for volunteers who remember some of the students IDs from previous lesson and
have them present it.
Evaluation: This activity creates a nice atmosphere at the beginning of the lesson.
(Bamford 21-22)
3.1 Identify the Books
Time: 15 minutes
Interaction: individuals, T whole class
Preparation: Select ten books that you plan to introduce to your students. On a sheet of
paper, copy the blurbs from nine of ten books. Number the blurbs. Photocopy the list for
each student.
Aims: to introduce new books to students, to teach reading blurbs
Procedure:
1. Tell students that many books have blurbs (short descriptions of the content) on back
covers. Explain that the purpose of a blurb is to tell readers what the book is about and to
interest people in reading the book. Tell students that they will read some blurbs and will
try to guess the names of the books the blurbs describe.
2. Arrange the ten new books around the room. Be sure only the front cover of each book
can be seen. Distribute the list of nine blurbs to each student. Ask students to examine
the books on display. Tell them to look carefully at each book the title, cover design,
pictures and so on but not to pick up the book or look at the back cover. Students
should match each blurb on their list with a book on display and write the book title on
40
their sheets below the blurb describing that book. Also tell students that one of the books
on display has no blurb on their lists.
3. After all the students have finished the task, pick up the books one by one and read the
blurbs aloud.
Evaluation: This activity is enjoyable and it helps student to find books they are
interested in.
41
3.2 It was proved that...
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: pairs, T whole class
Aids: slips of cut sentences (one sentence per pair), one marker per pair
Aims: students learn about the benefits of reading
Procedure:
1. Write It was proved that... on the board.
2. Give out the cut sentences into pairs.
3. Tell students that they are going to unscramble the sentences about the facts that have
been found about reading and write them on the board.
4. After all the sentences are on board have a class discussion asking the students why
they think reading helps to improve the mentioned areas.
Cut sentences
Students/ who/ read/ a lot
become /better/ readers.
write/ better.
are/ better/ at/ listening.
are/ better/ at/ speaking.
have/ greater/ vocabulary.
have/ better/ spelling.
are/ better/ at/ grammar.
know/ more.
have/ better/ scores/ at/ tests.
read/ faster.
read/ better.
(Evidence taken from Krashen The Power of Reading)
Evaluation: This activity was designed to make students aware of the benefits Extensive
teaching brings them.
42

Time: 5 minutes
3.4. Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
Goals of the lesson

- students know how to read blurbs
- students can select important information about their partners and present it
- students are aware of the benefits of ER
43
Lesson 4

Time: 5 minutes
(Bamford 47)
4.2 Genre corners
Time: 25 minutes
Interaction: groups
Aids: three CD players, a number of CD recordings of graded readers of different genres
Aims:
- to interest students in reading
- to provide extensive listening practice
- to cater to individual learner preferences
- to make students distinguish genres
Preparation: Assemble three or four CD players, a number of CD recordings of graded

readers covering a range of genres (e.g., romance, thriller, science fiction and comedy),
and copies of the graded readers.
Procedure:
1. Place a player and a small supply of CDs and their graded readers in each corner of the
classroom. Devote each corner to a genre.
2. After explaining how the classroom is setup, invite students to choose which kind of
book they would like to listen to and gather in that corner to listen.
4.3 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
Goals of the lesson

- students can distinguish different genres and know their preferences
44
Lesson 5

Time: 5 minutes
(Bamford 107)
5.2 Minds Eye
Time: 15 minutes
Aids: a CD with soft music, CD player
Assumptions: students have read a book from Extensive reading library
Aims: to give students some preparation time before telling a story, so they can speak
more fluently
Preparation: Familiarize yourself with the Minds Eye Script so that you will be ready
to read it out for the students.
Procedure:
1. Have students think of a book they read recently. Tell them that, in a moment, they are
going to close their eyes and think about the story. You will tell them what to do. When
students are ready and comfortable, start reading the Minds Eye Script, which guides the
students in visualizing the story. While reading the script, play soft background music
during the pauses while students think and imagine.
2. When students have opened their eyes at the end, tell each to work with their partner.
Students will tell their stories to their partner. They will end by telling the name of the
book and whether they enjoyed and recommend it.
45
(Bamford 107-108)
Minds Eye Script
(Read the following in a slow relaxing tone.)

Think of a story youve read recently.
(Pause)
Close your eyes. In your mind, think about the story. Imagine the main characters. Who
are they? What are their names? What do they look like? Try to get a picture in your
mind.
(Pause)
Notice their faces. Notice the clothes they are wearing.
(Pause)
What are they saying? What do they sound like? Imagine their voices.
(Pause)
Where are they? In your mind, get a picture of that place.
(Pause)
Think about the action. What are they doing? Watch the story as if it were a movie. What
are they doing? Listen to what they say. How do they feel? How do they feel about each
other?
(Pause)
How do you feel about them?
(Pause)
In your mind, watch the story. Listen to the story. Feel the story.
(Pause for about 30 seconds.)
Now imagine that the story was a video. Rewind the video. Go back to the beginning.
Watch it again. This time, as you watch, think about how you will describe the story in
English.
(Pause for about a minute.)
Now take a deep breath. Slowly open your eyes.
Evaluation: This is the first time students talk about their reading in broader terms. The
idea behind this activity was to help students create a mental picture of the story that they
read and thus facilitate oral presentation.
46
(Bamford 103-104)
5.3 Draw a picture
Time: 15 minutes
Interaction: ind. Ss, pairs
Aim: to develop oral fluency
Assumptions: students have read a book from Extensive reading library
Preparation: Make a copy of the Talk about a Book handout for each student. Each
student will also need blank sheet of paper for drawing. Be ready to model the activity by
drawing a simple picture based on a book you have read.
Procedure:
1. In class, distribute a blank sheet of paper and a Talk about a Book handout to each
student. Tell students to think again about the book they have read from previous activity
and to draw a picture about the book. It should be a picture from their imagination, not a
copy of an actual illustration. Simple pictures are fine. Demonstrate by drawing a picture
on the board.
2. Tell students they have only five minutes to draw and that they cannot use erasers.
3. When time is up, have students, working in pairs, show their picture and talk about
their books using the handout as a guide.
Evaluation: Again, drawing a picture gives prompt to talk about reading. This time
students may want to change their partners and by retelling the story enforce their oral
presentation.
(Bamford 104)
Talk about a Book

(see Appendix)
5.4 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
Goals of the lesson

- students are able to retell the story
- students are able to talk about what they have read
47
Lesson 6
6. 1 I Read a Good Book the Other Day

Time: 5 minutes
(Bamford 127)
6.2 Predicting content from title
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: ind. Ss, groups
Aims: to give practical experience in predicting.
Preparation: Select five books from the extensive reading library that seem interesting
but that most or all of the students have not read. Prepare a handout, listing the five book
titles under the heading Book Title. Make a copy of the handout for each student.
Procedure:
1. Distribute the handout to the class. Tell students to work individually for about five
minutes, predicting what each book is about from looking at the titles only. Ask students
to write down these ideas under the About What? heading on the handout. They should
then circle Yes or No to indicate they are or are not interested in reading the book based
on what they have predicted. Finally, for books they marked Yes, have students give
two or three reasons why they think the book might interest them.
2. When time is up, have students form small groups to work for another five minutes
comparing notes on their story predictions and reactions. Ask them to find out who in the
group predicted the same or similar content. Have them find out what might have led
others to predict something different.
Format for Predicting Content from Titles
Book title
About What?
(Bamford 128)
Interested?
1._________
Yes/No
2._________
Yes/No
3._________
Yes/No
4._________
Yes/No
5._________
Yes/No
48
If Yes, explain
Evaluation: Predicting titles is a readers skill that makes it easier for students to choose
the book that is appropriate for them and gives provisional idea of what the book is
about.
6.3 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
(Bamford 123-124)
6.4 Homework What next?
Procedure:
1. Tell several students (a third of the class) to cut a sheet of paper into six strips. On one
strip, the student writes, in large letters, the title of the book he or she has read. On each
of the other five strips, the student briefly writes a different key event that happens in the
book. They cannot include the ending of the story as one of the key events. The student
should not number, order or use connecting words to indicate the sequence of events.
The strips are shuffled so they are in random order.
Goals of the lesson

- students can predict what the book is about according to its title
49
Lesson 7
(Bamford 123-124)
7.1 What Next?
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: groups
Aims: to help students make inferences, to practice listening and speaking
Procedure:
1. Introduce cues and encourage students to use them:
Maybe this comes first because..., I think this comes afterward because...,
This must be last because...
2. Divide students into small groups, with one student who has done the homework in
each group. Each group looks at the strip of paper with the title of the book. Students
should make sure they are in a group that is working with a book they have not already
read. Each group has five minutes to arrange the events in the order they appear in the
book.
3. When a group is finished, or when time is called, the student who did the homework
tells the group members how hot (close) or cold (far) they were in inferring the order
of events. The student then explains how the events connect but does not reveal how the
book ends.
Evaluation: This activity offers students to realize that each story is organized in a
logical and meaningful way.
50
(Bamford 200-201)
7.2 I Know What Comes Next!
Time: 20 minutes
Aims: to encourage students to improve their reading by anticipating what will come
next through an understanding of collocations and discourse markers
Preparation: Students need books they are reading or have read recently.
Procedure:
1. Explain to students that when we read, most of us are able to anticipate what comes
next. It is the same as when we look at the title of a book and have a reasonable idea of
what the book is going to be about and what kind of language we can expect. This way
we often have a reasonable idea of how a sentence is going to end.
2. Tell the students that you are going to carry out a little test: How good are they at
anticipating? Explain that you are going to dictate part of a sentence to the students. You
will then tell them how many words they must use to finish the sentence. Ask students to
write down the words they think will follow. For example:
I love Jutta but ... (four words).
[she doesnt love me]
3. Have students mark their own answers, giving themselves one point for each correct
word. Students will get no points if the first word is wrong, even if the other three are
correct. However, they will get one point if their first word is correct, even if their other
words are incorrect.
4. More sentences to complete:

a)
My sister used to live in the south of Scotland, but ten years ago... (five words).
[she moved to the north]
b)
I didnt want to go swimming because the water wasnt ... (two words).
[warm enough]
c)
Two children are talking.

Boy: Do you like my new bike?
Girl: Its great! Where did you get it?
51
Boy: My uncle ... (seven words) [gave it to me for my birthday]
5. Congratulate the student who has earned most points. Instruct your students, as
homework, to look in their books for sentences they think have endings that classmates
might be able to anticipate. Tell students it is up to them to decide how many words their
classmates must guess. In addition to the same point system as the one used in the game,
say that if at least one student guesses the full correct answer, the student who selected
the sentence receives double the number of points. (For example, if the selectors
sentence has four words to guess, he receives eight points).
6. If students found it difficult to find good sentences in their books, ask them to make up
their own sentences.
Evaluation: Students like this activity and they unconsciously practice the word order
rules. Predicting how a sentence will finish is a useful reading skill that makes reading
easier and that helps readers speed their reading and grasp the meaning more quickly.

Time: 5 minutes
7.4 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
Goals of the lesson

- students can order events from a story
- students can predict how a sentence will finish
52
Lesson 8
8.1 I Know What Comes Next!

Time: 25 minutes
(Bamford 113-114)
8.2 Where the Drama?
Time: 10 minutes
Aims:
- to help students understand the dramatic and musical qualities of a reading (stress,
rhythm, intonation and pitch)
- to allow students to realize the emotional power of text
Preparation: Select a short passage from a book you have read. Choose something that
has will excite your students. Rehearse reading it aloud. Make a copy of the passage for
each student.
Procedure:
1. Introduce your dramatic reading to your class. You might want to give some
background to your passage. Then read you passage aloud with appropriate drama. After
your reading, ask your students to discuss in groups why they think it is dramatic. Then
distribute the copies of your passage to the class and read it again.
2. For homework, have students select brief passages (about one minute of oral-reading
time) from the books they are reading. Each student should choose a passage that seems
interesting and dramatic and practice reading it aloud. Students should bring their books
to class so that they can read out from them.

Time: 5 minutes
8.4 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
53
Goals of the lesson

- students understand the dramatic and musical qualities of a reading (stress, rhythm,
intonation and pitch)
- students realize the emotional power of text
54
Lesson 9
(Bamford 113-114)
9.1 Where the Drama?
Time: 20 minutes
Interaction: groups
Aims:
- to help students understand the dramatic and musical qualities of a reading (stress,
rhythm, intonation and pitch)
- to allow students to realize the emotional power of text
Procedure:
1. Divide students into small groups and have them read their passages to one another.
Ask them to talk about where the drama is in each passage.
2. After all the students have given their dramatic readings, tell them to choose the most
dramatic reading in their groups. The students whose readings were chosen read their
passages to the entire class.
Evaluation: Students are very happy to perform drama. It also gives them the idea that a
text is a lively portrayal of life.
(Bamford 164-166)
9.2 Sentence Detective
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: T whole class, ind. Ss
Aims: to improve writing proficiency
Preparation: Students bring books they are reading to class.
Procedure:
1. Write a simple sentence on the board, e.g. Jeremy writes books.
2. Ask the students whether the sentence is grammatically correct. (Yes, it is.)
3. Ask students to embellish the sentence with one additional word:
Jeremy Taylor writes books.
Jeremy writes excellent books.
Jeremy writes books quickly.
55
4. Students may also try to embellish sentences with two or three words, but they have to
be written together.
Two words added:

1.
Every day Jeremy writes books.

Jeremy writes books for teenagers.
Three words added:
Almost every day Jeremy writes books.
Not possible:
*Interestingly Jeremy Taylor writes exciting books.
5. Have students browse through their books to find a sentence that they can embellish
with one, two or three words.
6. Have students write down the embellished sentences without indicating which words
were added. They also note down the books title and the page on which the original
sentence is found.
7. The Sentence Detective the teacher should then examine the sentence carefully and
to determine which word or words have been added. If the SD detects the added words,
the student loses that number of points. If the student successfully tricks the SD, then the
student is awarded points equal to the number of added words.
8. Ask students to prepare a set number of embellished sentences for homework for the
next lesson.
Evaluation: The benefit of this activity is that students create numerous sentences and at
the same time they enjoy themselves and realize the word order and words connotations.

Time: 5 minutes
9.4 Radio Serial

Time: 10 minutes
Goals of the lesson

- students realize different word classes and word order of a sentence
56
57
Lesson 10
10.1 Sentence Detective
Time: 20 minutes
Variation: Students work in group after they have appointed their Sentence Detective
(Bamford 93-94)
10.2 Instant Book Report
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: pairs
Aims:
- to give students a chance to tell each other about the books they have read
- to improve oral fluency
Procedure:
1. Write the following on the board:
I read a book called ___________.
Its a(n) _____________ story.
i.
(adventure, mystery, science fiction,, love, detective, true)

Its about ____________.
The main characters are ____________.
ii.
(names, jobs, personalities)

In the story there was a problem. ____________.
I liked/didnt like this book because ______________.
2. Have students work in pairs. They each choose a book they have read recently and tell
their partner about it. They use the sentences on the board to help them get started. Most
students reports last two or three minutes. It is reasonable to give students a few minutes
before they start to speak. You might want to ask them to close their eyes, imagine the
story and mentally listen to themselves narrate it.
3. After students tell each other their stories they can change partners and repeat their
book reports.
58
Evaluation: Again students share their reading this time with the help of prompts written
on the board. While students are talking about their reading teacher can monitor whether
students have done their reading. This activity is important because students are
stimulated to share their reading experience with peers and thus create a reading
community.
(Bamford 158-159)
10.3 Poetry with a Character
Time: 5 minutes
Interaction: ind. Ss
Aids: dictionaries
Aims:
- to improve writing skills
- to help vocabulary development and enrichment
Procedure:
1. Ask students to write a five-line poem about one of the characters in the following
way: the student writes the name of the character on the first and fifth lines. On the
second, third and fourth lines the student writes a two word phrase that describes the
character. The first word must begin with the letter of the alphabet that the characters
name begins with, the second word with the letter that the characters last name begins
with. Write an example on the board:
Frank Wormold
Frequently weary
Feeling weak
Film writer
Frank Wormold
2. Begin the activity by having the students write the five-line poem by using their own
names.
3. Have the students read their finished poems to the class.
59
Evaluation: This activity lightens up the lesson and shows students that writing can be
fun.
Time: 5 minutes
(Bamford 115-116)
10.5 Dramatic conversations
Time: 5 minutes
Aims: to improve oral fluency
Procedure:
1. Divide students into groups of three. Tell them to select a conversation involving three
characters from a book they have read for a three- to five-minute dramatic performance.
For homework, ask students to make photocopies of their conversation for the number of
characters taking the part in the conversation. The number of characters should be equal
with the number of students in the group. Students should also prepare short introductory
remarks about the book from which the conversation is taken (e.g. the title of the book,
author, and type of book) and about conversation (e.g. who is talking, where they are
talking, and what the conversation is about).
2. Have the groups rehearse their conversations and then introduce and perform them for
the class.
Goals of the lesson

- students can talk about what they read
60
- students can create a short poem about one of the characters

- students can select an interesting dialogue from a book
61
Lesson 11
11.1 Dramatic conversations

Time: 20 minutes
Interaction: groups
(Bamford 128)
11.2 Shared dictation
Time: 15 minutes
Interaction: T whole class, pairs
Aims: To practice listening and speaking, to learn how to correct errors comparatively
Preparation: Choose or write a short paragraph to dictate to your students
Procedure:
1. Read a dictation paragraph aloud to the class at natural speed with no pauses while
students listen. Then read it again phrase by phrase in sense groups so that students can
write what they hear. Finally, read the whole paragraph again at natural speed. Have
students correct their own work, using a pen of another colour. Students make correction
by asking classmates.
Evaluation: In this activity students realize the dramatic and musical qualities of reading
(stress, rhythm, intonation and pitch) and have the possibility to practice imitating these
qualities.
62
(Bamford 108-109)
11.3 Poster Presentations
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: T - students
Aims:
- to allow students to report on their reading in a way that is creative and that integrates
language skills
- to let students share enthusiasm for what has been read
- to introduce students to good books they have not read
Preparation: Gather a few examples of posters in any language or make a poster based
on a book you have read, so you can demonstrate a poster presentation.
Procedure:
1. Put some example posters around the room and let students circulate and look at them.
2. As a whole-class discussion elicit what makes a good poster (a few words written
large, some text, but not too much, an appropriate use of colour, arrows or lines to link
ideas, visual impact and general design).
3. Introduce the idea of poster presentation. Show the students the poster you have made,
talk about the book briefly, using a poster as a visual organizer.
4. For homework ask students to prepare a poster about an interesting book they have
read recently.
Goals of the lesson

- students can perform a short dialogue
- students know how to create a good poster
Evaluation: This activity rounds a course off nicely. Students will create beautiful
posters and will be eager to present them to their peers. This raises motivation to further
reading and develops oral presentation skills.
63
Lesson 12
12.1 Poster Presentations
Time: 20 minutes
Interaction: groups
Aims:
- to allow students to report on their reading in a way that is creative and that integrates
language skills
- to let students share enthusiasm for what has been read
- to introduce students to good books they have not read
Procedure:
1. Have students work in small groups. Ask students to give a poster presentation to the
other students in the group.
2. Display the posters around the room.
12.3 Evaluation of Extensive reading programme
Time: 15 minutes
Assumptions: students have been reading extensively, they have been handing out Instant
Book Reports and filling in their Reading Marathons forms
Preparation: prepare certificates for all students and awards for students who have
reached the goal of 12 books read
Procedure:
1. Congratulate winners and give out awards and certificates for taking part in an
Extensive reading programme.
2. Evaluate Top ten Books.
3. Paste posters in class with students help.
4. Encourage students to follow reading.
64
(Watcyn-Jones 10)
12.4 Remember when ...
Time: 10 minutes
Interaction: ind. Ss, whole class
Aims: to boost morale and create positive feelings, to round off the course
Preparation: Cut out strips of paper and write Remember when ... on each strip, leaving
enough space for a complete sentence. Make at least 20 strips for each student.
Procedure:
1. Ask the class to think back over the Extensive reading classes and to try and remember
nice or funny things that have happened to the group.
2. Ask them to complete the strips in as many ways as possible.
3. After they have been writing a little while, join them up with a partner and ask them to
share their sentences. Then ask them to go on writing, jogging each others memories.
4. Finally, ask everyone tin the class to share their memories.
Goals of the lesson

- students can make and present poster
- students find reading an interesting and pleasurable activity
Evaluation: This activity was designed to make students remember on the positive
experiences they had during Extensive reading programme.
65
13. Activities accompanying Extensive reading programme
13.1 Reading Marathon
Aims:
- to encourage students to read books
- to bring a sense of excitement to a reading programme
Preparation: The marathon will last three months and 3.5 km will be awarded per a
book read. This means students have to read 12 books (a book a week) to reach the goal.
Prepare and copy a Marathon Course form for each participating student. If you are
awarding certificates of completion or prizes, prepare those. The best prize is a book (this
contributes also to intrinsic motivation of students)
Procedure:
1. Announce to the class that there will be a reading marathon. Specify that the marathon
will take for three months. Explain that participation is voluntary. Students who read
books during the marathon will be awarded points in the form of kilometers. Stress that
there will be more than one winner as anyone who completes the course will win.
2. Give each participating student a Marathon Course form on which a route is drawn
and marked off in kilometers. Explain that when students complete a book, they will
colour in their route to show the progress made.
3. Recognize students who successfully complete the marathon by presenting certificates
of merit and books and by posting the names of successful students.
Marathon Course form - Appendix
66
(Bamford 73)
13.2 Picking the Top Ten
Aim: to find out which books in the Extensive reading programme are most popular
Assumptions: This activity requires that students record their opinions of books using a
rating system (Instant Book Report)
Procedure:
1. Keep all the ratings that students have d=given to the books they read. At the end of
the course, add the total point given to each book (Good=2 points, Fair= 1 point, Poor= 0
points)
2. Make a list of top ten books. Make copies of the list to give to each student at the
beginning of the next term and put the list on the library wall.
(Bamford 74-75)
13.3 Stimulating Ads
Aim: to interest students in books through peer recommendations

Assumptions: students write Instant book Reports after reading
Procedure:
1. In the middle of the course, when a fairly large number of student book records have
been collected, read the reports to find appealing comments for ads. Collect such
comments for perhaps half-dozen books.
2. Copy, cut out, and paste comments for one book on a sheet of paper. Add the title and
author of the book.
3. Put the ads on the board in class.
67
2. Research
2.1 Subjects
Two classes that attended courses for children at a language school were chosen. Both
groups were approximately of the same age and sex. Both courses had two hours a week
timetable. The teacher of the control group was similar to the teacher of the experimental
group. Both were young students, aware of contemporary methodologies, nonauthoritarian, outgoing with a good rapport with their students. Both experimental (the
ER group) and the control group were taught two hours a week.
The experimental group followed the school lesson plans and in addition to this an
Extensive reading programme was introduced. Students were encouraged to choose from
a stock of books and students progress after the project was measured in three areas
reading speed, vocabulary acquisition and attitudes towards reading.
2.2 Evaluation
The students growth in reading speed was measured by reading speed tests. Before
starting the Extensive reading programme students were asked to read an extract for a
minute in their natural speed. After one minute they were asked to mark the place where
they finished reading. They did the same test after they finished the programme and their
reading speeds were then compared.
A close test was used to assess vocabulary acquisition for its ease of construction and
its high correlation with standardized English level tests. A narrative passage from
Johnny English from Penguin Graded Readers was chosen. Even if the experimental
group was at lower level, this narrative should be considered appropriate for both levels.
The introductory sentences and the end were left unaltered. Twenty-five words were
deleted at intervals of every ninth word. The deletions included articles, pronouns,
adjectives, nouns, and conjunctions.
The motivating activities were measured by a questionnaire that was filled in
after the project. Its aim was to assess students attitudes to reading. Student used
emoticons to mark their attitudes to different types of activities that take place during the
lesson. We focused on the attitudes towards reading stories that was one of the
activities that students had to mark.
68
2.3 Motivation
To motivate students a score system was developed students played a game

Reading Marathon. They gained points-kilometres for each book they read and these
were then recorded into a chart that was displayed in class. The display of points gained
Reading Marathon Chart motivated the students to keep up with others. The student
who read the target of twelve books had enough points i.e. ran the marathon and were
awarded by a book.
2.4 Monitoring
Students were asked to fill in Instant Book Reports after reading each book. This was
mainly for the teacher to monitor whether the students have really done their reading.
Moreover, it helped students to learn how to state their opinions about reading and
developed writing skills. Instant Book Reports were then displayed on the class board
designed deliberately for Extensive reading. These reports also served as book reviews
that helped other students with their book selection.
69
2.5 Results
1. Cloze test
Experimental group
Reader
1
2
3
5
6
Pre-test
13
7
6
11
18
Post-test
Gain
2
15
6
12
8
18
Total mean:
1.6
Control group
Reader
1
2
3
4
5
Pre-test
4
10
14
17
18
Post-test
Gain
7
8
3
13
18
17
16
19
Total mean:
70
1
3.8
2. Reading speed test

The results are in words per minute.
Experiment group
Reader
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Pre-test
142
256
213
144
138
282
213
Post-test
240
453
318
316
231
402
288
Total mean:
Gain
98
197
105
172
93
120
75
122.86
Control group
Reader
1
2
3
4
5
Pre-test
318
174
168
274
174
Post-test
Gain
564
433
370
433
338
Total mean:
246
259
190
159
164
203.6
3. Questionnaire
Experimental group
Control group
Like reading
5
3
71
Neutral
2
2.6 Comments
It can be seen that control group outperformed the experimental group in both reading
speed tests and cloze test. This might be caused by the higher language competence of
the control group. The other fact to consider is that the control group was at slightly
higher level than the experimental group.
1. Cloze test
Even if the overall gain is not high we were pleased by the performance of Student 1
and 3 as these students belonged to those who had read most. The lower scores of
students 2 and 5 could be ascribed to the low level of concentration during the post-test.
2. Reading speed test
The results of the experimental group were very dissimilar. This can be due to the fact
that students have not developed the idea of constant reading speed yet. Students were
reading either too slowly or they tended to skip some words. We do not consider reading
speed test an appropriate means for measuring reading speed at this age. The results are
also not objective as marking of the part that was read is only up to students honesty. A
computer programme for measuring speed would be more suitable for this level.
On the other hand, the results of the control group were more consistent. It was
probably because of their age that was one to two years above the experimental group
and their language experience.
3. Attitudes questionnaire
The questionnaire showed the positive attitudes of experimental group to reading

stories that was one or the aims of implementing Extensive reading in ELT teaching. In
control group two of the respondents showed neutral attitudes to reading stories. All
members of experimental groups proved to like reading stories.
72
Conclusion
The aim of this thesis was to introduce Extensive reading approach as a valuable
alternative to traditional teaching approaches. ER has proved to developed students
reading speed, vocabulary acquisition, writing as well as speaking skills ( Elley et. al.;
Bell). Positive effects of ER on readers motivation have also been stated (Mason).
The small gains in vocabulary acquisition and reading speed in our research may be
ascribed to a short period students were exposed to reading materials. Even if the results
of our research did not confirm the gains in reading speed and vocabulary sufficiently,
the fact that students enjoyed reading can be seen as very positive. All students stated in
their Instant Book reports that the material was interesting and even the reluctant
students evaluated the books they read positively. Students kept bringing their books in
class and read them before the lessons. Their interest in reading was also seen after the
programme had finished. Some of the students asked whether they can continue
borrowing books from the library.
Implementing Extensive reading into our teaching was a useful experience as we
observed that if students are given the opportunity and encouragement to read they like
reading.
We are aware of the fact that introducing Extensive reading into ELT teaching places
more demands on teacher in terms of organizing and performance but the results are
certainly worth the effort.
73
Bibliography
Stanley, Graham. Extensive Reading. BBC /British Council teaching English Reading.
7 May 2007. <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/read/extensive.shtml>.
Vaezi, Shahin. Theories of Reading 2. BBC /British Council teaching English Reading.
7 May 2007. <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/read/reading_tips.shtml>.
Susser, Bernard and Thomas N. Robb. EFL Extensive Reading Instruction: Research and
Procedure. JALT Journal, 12.2 (Nov 1990). 7 May 2007.
<http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~trobb/sussrobb.html>
Krashen, Stephen D. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. 2nd ed. Portsmouth:
Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Bamford, Julian and Richard R. Day. Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language.
Cambridge: CUP, 2004.
Bamford, Julian and Richard R. Day. Extensive Reading: What Is It? Why Bother?.
The Language Teacher Online 21.5 (May 1997). 7 May 2007.
<jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/97/may/extensive.html>
Bamford, Julian and Roberta Welch. Starting Extensive Reading Programs at Universities,
Vocational Schools and Language Schools. 7 May 2007.
<www.extensivereading.net/er/bamfordWelch.html>
Waring, Rob. Getting an Extensive Reading Program Going. Language Magazine
December 2003. 7 May 2007. <www1.harenet.ne.jp/~waring/papers/papers.html>
Waring
Elley, Warwick, Brian Cutting, Francis Mangubhai and Cynthia Hugo. Lifting Literacy
Levels with Story Books: Evidence from the South Pacific, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South
Africa. 7 May 2007. <http://www.literacyonline.org >
Nuttall, Christine. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language. Oxford: Heinemann,
1982.
Hill, David R.. Setting Up An Extensive Reading Prgramme: Practical Tips. The Language
Teacher Online. 7 May 2007.
<ttp://www.jswl.cn/course/czwyjx/refrences/Arob2/049.files/index.htm>
Hitosugi, Claire Ikumi and Richard R. Day. Extensive Reading in Japanese. Reading in a
Foreign Language. Vol. 16, No. 1, Apr 2004. 7 May 2007. < http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/>
Day, Richard and Julian Bamford. Top Ten Principles for Teaching Extensive Reading.
Reading in a Foreign Language. Vol. 14, No. 2, Oct 2002. 7 May 2007.
< http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/>
Scott-Conley, Lois. Starting an Extensive Reading Program. ER Main Page. 7 May 2007. <
http://www.langconcepts.com/er/lois.html>
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Waring, Rob. Graded and Extensive Reading Questions and Answers. The Language
Teacher Online. 7 May 2007.
< http://www.jswl.cn/course/czwyjx/refrences/Arob2/049.files/index.htm>
Day, Richard and Julian Bamford. Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom.
Cambridge: CUP, 1998.
Ioannou-Georgiou, Sophie and Pavlos Pavlou. Assessing Young Learners. Oxford: OUP,
2003.
Soars, John and Liz. New Headway. Oxford: OUP, 2000.
Mr. Bean. Penguin Readers. Longman
Mason, Beniko and Stephen Krashen. Can Extensive Reading Help Unmotivated Students of
EFL Improve?. Beniko Mason webpage. 7 May 2007.
< http://www.benikomason.net/index.html>
75

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Masaryk University

English Language and Literature Department

The Benefits of Extensive Reading in EFL

Mgr. Nadda Vojtkov

Prohlauji, e jsem diplomovou prci zpracovala samostatn a pouila jen prameny

What is extensive reading?

The Benefits of Extensive reading

The basic principles of Extensive Reading by Julian

Bamford and Richard R. Day

Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading

Establishing an Extensive Reading programme

in the Second Language Classroom

The number of books

What books to choose?

What exactly happens when we are reading graded readers?

Graded readers or authentic material

Classifying the books

Introducing the ER to students

Helping students to choose books

Encouraging students to read

Monitoring students reading

II. Practical part

The best way to improve your knowledge of a

1. What is extensive reading?

We learn to read by reading

1.1 The Benefits of Extensive reading

1. The reading material is easy.

2. A variety of material on a wide range of topics is available.

3. Learners choose what they want to read.

4. Learners read as much as possible.

5. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower.

6. The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general

7. Reading is individual and silent.

8. Reading is its own reward.

9. The teacher orients and guides the students.

10. The teacher is a role model of a reader.

1.3 Extensive reading vs. Intensive reading

Extensive reading as a term naming an approach to teaching a foreign language reading

The following chart offers basic characteristics of each approach:

Fluency, skill forming

All learners read

Table 1. (Welsh qtd. in Waring, Getting An ER Program Going 3)

2. Establishing an Extensive Reading programme in the Second Language

When establishing an ER programme teachers need interest, enthusiasm but also

2.1 Teachers preparation

Because of its complexity, Extensive Reading programme involves thorough planning

Funding the ER library should be thoughtfully planned before starting an ER

2.4 Organizing a library

2.4.1 The number of books

2.4.2 What books to choose?

2.4.4 Reading target

2.4.3 Graded readers

Graded readers are ideal source of material for lower-intermediate independent

2.4.4 What exactly happens when we are reading graded readers?

According to Waring, when a learner is beginning to read in the second language

e.g. The / old / lady / took / her / dog / to / the / park.

(Waring, Graded or Extensive 1)

e.g. The old lady / took her dog / to the park.

2.4.5 Graded readers or authentic material

We have described the benefits of Graded Readers for an ER programme, however

When questioning authenticity of simplified materials it is worth presenting the

(Swaffar gtd. in Bamford, Extensive Reading: What Is It? 3)

2.4.6 Check-out system