Article : News Report: A Blended Extensive Reading and Intensive Reading Activity

Writer : Dung Thi Thanh Do

Based on an article written by Dung Thi Thanh Do entitle "News Report: A Blended Extensive Reading
and Intensive Reading Activity", this article is related to reading skills, especially to students and
teachers' role in promoting a reading culture while in school. This article also discusses the benefits
of Blended Extensive Reading and Intensive Reading Activity and the differences between these two
reading methods by incorporating ideas and support from previous studies.

The culture of Reading is one of the most important cultures and should be instilled and practised in
society, especially children. Reading culture should be taken seriously in order to be part of the
school cultural environment so that students can improve themselves into highly knowledgeable and
innovative individuals. The focus of this study is to establish the reading habit for learners to widen
their knowledge and learn the target language simultaneously.

Extensive Reading is a method of language acquisition in which pupils read lengthy texts and a vast
quantity of content for better comprehension. Intensive Reading is a reading technique in which
students are instructed to read a short material deliberately and thoroughly in order to obtain the
most knowledge possible. In this article, the author also emphasizes some critical points to the
reader. These two methods have their advantages and disadvantages to the individual. The selection
of the proper method is critical to ensure that it is appropriate and acceptable to them.

To test the most suitable method used by students, the author conducted an experiment in which
the main objective of the study is made by ensuring Students will read newspapers seeking content,
broaden their prior knowledge, and develop an interest in Reading. Students need to select current
news articles that are of relevance to them and are within or somewhat above their English ability
level from freely available web sources. They are advised to skip news that has a high percentage of
new words to read for essence without becoming discouraged due to a language barrier. As a result
of the discussion, the author has drawn conclusions on two situations, namely when outside and in
the classroom. When outside the classroom, students prefer to read materials that interest them.
Then they were asked to list some new words. Situations are activities carried out in class where
students are asked to make a short presentation on a topic they are reading.

From these activities, the authors found that the most effective way is to apply the activity based on
extensive Reading, where students need guidance to improve their reading and language skills. At
the end of this article, the author emphasizes that a person plays an essential role in increasing their
students' interest and reading skills, especially while in the classroom. This is important because,
based on previous studies from Coyne, M.D., & Simmons, D.C. (2001), teachers are a major influence
on students. They are significant influences on students getting adequate knowledge and skills in
school. Overall, from this article, the reader can find out the methods that can be applied and
suitable to students to improve their reading skills and knowledge. A good selection of activities can
also increase students' interest in Reading.

Based on my teaching and learning experience in teaching Form 1 students in the classroom, I found
that the selection of appropriate methods and activities is essential, as emphasized by the author in
the article. Students in Form 1 are students who have just entered the world of secondary school,
and giving them guidance to increase their interest in Reading is very important. Based on my
observations, there are some problems that arise while doing activities to improve their skills. The
first is related to their focus and interests. This problem has been emphasized in previous articles
where students will only be interested in reading materials that interest them. They will not give the
entire focus if they are not interested. Therefore giving motivation to students before starting the
activity is essential.

The second problem that arises is related to Difference In Learning Styles. Not all students can
accept the same way of teaching. When students are not able to accept the way of learning, it will
have the effect of improving the skills needed. Therefore, understanding each student's teaching and
learning method is vital so that the teacher can create an activity that includes the teaching method
of each student in the class. The third problem that arises is the lack of support in the classroom and
when outside the classroom. Different children have varying levels of support requirements. Access
to reading resources, one-on-one help from instructors, and additional learning accommodations are
all examples of support. While at home, parents play an important role in encouraging their children
to read. They can support by providing various reading tools such as storybooks, news, novels and so
on. One of the activities that can be done is to read with these children will make children feel that
Reading is a fun activity and will become a habit for them until they grow up. With exposure to these
materials, children in need of additional assistance fall ahead and are unable to make up, placing
them at a significant disadvantage in the classroom.

In conclusion, The culture of reading among students should be nurtured to form a knowledgeable
society rich in knowledge and information. Various practical and exciting activities or programs
should be planned and implemented by the school, especially teachers, to instil an interest in
reading in students. The selection of suitable methods is also important to ensure that teaching and
learning objectives in the classroom can be achieved. Finally, the interest in reading in individuals
can be cultivated with the presence of support and ways that can motivate them to feel Reading is
fun and not dull. This is because Reading is an interest in the future of the individual and should be
mastered well.