READING

 Reading in the classroom is artificial – standing up and reading

aloud a text / parts of a text
 Reading in the real world has a purpose: to find out information
(newspapers), for pleasure and relaxation (novels and stories), for
specific information (guidebook)
 Reading in the real world is not aloud unless we have a specific
reason for doing this
 People read different things in different ways. i.e. by using
different techniques (e.g. linear reading or sentence level reading,
fast silent reading, global reading)
 EARLY STAGES  SENTENCE LEVEL READING:
 the T introduces grammar to help Ss decode meaning
in their first text and vocabulary,
 the T practices pronunciation to make the Ss aware of
the gap between the spelling and pronunciation and of
the problems in terms of intonation and stress
 with early stagers meaning and the message of the text
are often lost because Ss focus on reading aloud
 LATER STAGES  GLOBAL READING:
 the T should focus on meaning and on the information
in the text rather than on grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation
 the T should encourage the Ss to break away from
word-by-word reading, to pick up the main ideas and
to filter out irrelevant information
 with later stagers the T should use fast and silent
reading techniques (e.g. skimming and scanning)
Teaching reading implies the T’s considering carefully

 the wide range of reading material

 the various reasons for reading
 the different reading techniques available
 the appropriate reading techniques and strategies to
be used in the classroom in order to help Ss develop
their reading skills
 GLOBAL READING – FAST SILENT READING
(skimming and scanning)

 SENTENCE LEVEL READING – SILENT /ALOUD READING

(linear reading)
Global reading - used when training Ss to read for
meaning
SKIMMING – reading the text fast and extracting
the main idea by leaving out irrelevant chunks of
texts
SCANNING – locating and extracting specific
information (facts, dates, names, etc.) without
reading the whole text
SKIMMING is typical for reading magazines or for
evaluating books

SCANNING is typical for those instances when readers

try to get to the meaning of the text by processing
the information carried out by paralinguistic clues
(figures, capitalized words, emboldened words, etc.)
SKIMMING and SCANNING tasks require:
- setting a time limit so as to prevent the Ss’ word-for-
word reading
- deciding on an appropriate task to be carried by Ss
while/after reading the text, i.e. actively involving
the Ss in the process of reading (e.g. grids to fill out ,
questions to answer)
!!! NB multiple choice/ dual choice tasks allow wild
guessing so correct guessing becomes unlikely
LINEAR READING (silent /aloud)
- Ss will have to focus on the meaning and organization of
individual sentences
- Ss will have to work out the grammar and vocabulary
problems efficiently
- The T should aim at helping Ss become
- FLEXIBLE READERS: able to choose the best technique for a
given text type
- ACTIVE READERS: able to interact with the text
- REFLECTIVE READERS: able to personalize the subject of the
text and to learn from it
 by scanning the text
- to pick out dates, numbers, names of characters or places
- to find out the main idea (in titles or in the first line)

SCANNING practice by
 filling out a grid with information from the text
 transferring information/ continuing sentences
 using a cloze passage/a gapped text
 answering questions
 by skimming the text
 Ss may be asked to read a text fast and silently and to
summarize it in a limited number of words and a limited
interval of time
 LONGER TEXTS  Ss may be asked to read and summarize
paragraphs separately so as to make an outline of the text
 The Ss may be asked to distinguish between the main idea
and the elements which illustrate and support it
 Skills: decode the text + systematize and summarize info
 Scanning should be followed by sentence level reading 
to process and analyze the text at deeper levels
 reading a text for making inferences about the actual
meaning of a text or about the author’s intent
 for making proper inferences Ss should be helped by the T
and should be allowed to express their diverging opinions
 certain texts can be read and interpreted in different ways
 reading the text twice, discussing the text, expressing
opinions and feelings about the text
 interesting texts favour creative communicative activities
 are necessary to help the Ss to internalize the new topic
(to come to feel and see, to view it as part of their
experience) by activating their prior knowledge of the
world and society;
 readers contribute meaning to the text according to their
personality and world experience ;
 the T should help the Ss to activate their subject-related
knowledge so as to determine them to make the correct
predictions about the message and significance of the
new text;
 the T should integrate reading with speaking/ writing
activities :
 OBJECTIVE TASKS – used to introduce new vocabulary

e.g. matching words with definitions, matching pictures

with short texts, fill in the blanks, continue sentences,
correcting the mistakes, key words to be used in the new
story, word associations, rearranging paragraphs to make
the story, true/false choice, create a story with visuals .
 PREDICTION
- the T gives the title of the text/unit predictions about
subject, character, plot, etc.

 DISCUSSIONS - to activate previous knowledge and

prepare the Ss for the text, to introduce new topic and get
the Ss interested in the new text, to guide their
observation while reading (comprehension questions,
problem questions, personalized questions, related
questions, conversation cards, directed dialogue, paired
interviews, surveys and polls, social interaction activities).
 BRAINSTORMING – relies on prediction - the Ss are
encouraged to make any contribution they consider
appropriate.

 the T may use a key word/ a problem question/ a title/ a

proverb or a picture  the Ss will use their knowledge of
the world in order to call out or write down as many
words/ ideas they can come up with by free association.
 textbooks provide a wide variety of objective tasks to be
used while/after reading;
 the Ss have to skim/scan/read the text so as to find the
correct answers;
 such exercises are motivating and ensure active reading.

DIFFERENT TEXTS REQUIRE DIFFERENT TYPES OF READING

short texts – reading + solving tasks
long texts – adapted approaches
 with longer and complex texts the T has to decide on the
best strategy according to:

 the T’s aims

 the Ss’ linguistic competence
 the type of text :
descriptive texts (description of a city)
expositional texts (the life of a personality)
narrative texts (a short story)
 descriptive texts (description of a city)  require locating
specific information three level reading activities

1. global silent reading to ensure the comprehension of

the text as a whole (e.g. skim the text  the main idea);
2. scan the text for specific details (the information
transfer may be achieved by grids/tables/ matching
exercises/ sentences to expand/ cloze tasks);
3. introducing and drilling the new language: further
activities meant to bring the Ss closer to the text
(inferring the meaning of new words by pointing out
key words and phrases).
 expositional texts (the life of a personality)
The T must guide the Ss from global to sentence-level
reading (grasping the overall meaning  linguistic
content)
1. skim for the main idea and summarize it in one sentence
 who the personality was and what made him/her
important;
2. skim individual paragraphs and summarize them in one
sentence  identify details to illustrate and support the
main idea;
3. focus on new vocabulary and grammar.
 narrative texts (a short story)  linear reading
The T must keep in mind that:
- there is not enough time for several readings;
- some Ss may understand the text vaguely or not at all;
- the Ss must have a task to solve while so as not to lose track.
The T should interrupt reading in key moments and ask
comprehension questions so as to
 allow Ss to interact with the text (make the correct inferences);
 encourage Ss to predict or anticipate certain elements in the
story.
 Sentence level reading must follow  the Ss will focus on the
text
 aim to expand the text and to improve results
 are generally targeted at:
◦ assessing and enhancing the comprehension of the text;
◦ practicing vocabulary and structures;
◦ looking back at the text and interpreting its message;
◦ expanding and personalizing the text.

THE FOLLOW-UP (mostly written)

- must be related to the text;
- should give Ss the opportunity to use their imagination
to expand its content.