Let's talk about readers

 

            1.   Basic definiions:

a)   Reading means getting information from written material.

b)   A reader is a book that has been specially written or adapted for students of Enlish as a second language.

2.   Types of control:

a)   vocabulary control: number of words, choice of words, repetition, illustrations, glossary

b)   structure control: structures are to be introduced step by step, more or less like the majority of modern course books.

3.   Ways of learning a foreign language:

a)    living abroad (the best)

b)   reading (very useful)

c)   taking up a language course. (the worst, if I may say so)

4.   fluency: reading in Portuguese  X  reading in English.

a)   If you are reading a text in Portuguese, and the line you’re reading ends in apesar, you know the first word in the next line will be de. However, if you’re reading in English and the line ends in in order, you may not know that the next word will most probably be to.

b)   acquisition of vacabulary: learning new words by reading is pelasant, whereas learning new words by looking them up in a dictionary is demotivating.

c)   improvement of writing: reading influences writing in terms of spelling, structure adn vocabulary. “The more more you read, the better you write.”

d)   enjoyment: the pleasure of ‘being able to finish reading a book in a foreign language’.

e)   stimulus: encouraging to read other material.

5.   Suggestions:

a)   each student reads a different book of the same level and writes a summary about it.

b)   students provide the books themselves and read what they want, when they want and if they want.

c)   the same book is set for the whole class.

6.   Strategies:

a)   - ask students what kinds of stories they know (science fiction, adventure, ghost, horror, thrillers, love stories, fairy tales, etc.);

- write them on the board;

- write the titles of the chapters of the set book on the board;

- ask students where they fit;

b)   – write the title of the set book on the board plus the titles of the chapters;

– ask students to suggest a plot;

- divide the class into groups;

- give each group the title of a chapter and ask students to consider it a complete reader:

- do not tell them the title of the set book;

- give students the first and the last lines of any chapter and ask them what happens in between;

- give students copies of illustrations of the set book and ask them to make up their own plots.

c)   each student  suggests one sentence, which  writes on the board;

d)   students write a summary of the book at home.

e)   students are invited to guess what happens after the end.

f)     teacher prepares a list of features and students match them with the characters.

g)    teacher prepares a list of significant sentences used by the characters and students are to identify them.

h)   students may be asked to create illustrations, do some research or dramatise the story.

i)     exercises on vocabulary, grammar, comprehension and ‘far beyond’.