(SKKN 2022) applying some pre reading activities in some reading lessons to create excitement and motivate learning english for grade 12 students

Through out my teaching experience, studying materials as well as observing the other teachers' class, I realize that stimulating students to learning actively during English lesson majo

TABLE OF CONTENT

1 Introduction………2

1.1 Reason for choosing the study 2

1.2 The scope of the research 2

1.3 Objects of the study 2

1.4 Methods of the study 2

2 Content………3

2.1 Theoretical back ground 3

2.2 Real situation of teaching and learning English at Tho Xuan 4 high school 4

2.3 Some pre-reading activities applied in teaching English 12 (basic) …… 5

2.3.1 Activity 1: MIND-MAPPING 5

2.3.2 Activity 2: MATCHING GAME 8

2.3.3 Activity 3: DISCUSSION 10

2.3.4 Activity 4: COMPETITION GAME – HANGMAN 11

2.3.5 Activity 5: GUESSING GAMES 12

2.3.6 Activity 6: WORD SORT 14

2.3.7 Activity 7: SPEED CHATTING 15

2.4 Result 16

3 Conclusion and suggestions………… ……… 17

3.1 Conclusion 17

3.2 Suggestions 17

References……… 18

1 Introduction

1.1 Reason for choosing the study

Recently, teaching English has improved in method in the light of the communicative, learner-centered approach which is adaptable to require objectives and help students have many opportunities to communicate inEnglish However, at many high schools, many teachers still apply traditional teaching method: grammar- translation They spend much time explaining grammar rules Students receive knowledge passively and have less chance to practice as well as

to develop language skills Especially, in reading class, it is common that teachers always play the centred roles and explain everything to students while students do nothing As a result, they find no pleasure or interest in reading lessons The classtime is often very boring

How to draw students’ attention and to engage them in reading lessons as well as give them as many opportunities as possible to take part in active activities in the classroom? Through out my teaching experience, studying materials as well as observing the other teachers' class, I realize that stimulating students to learning actively during English lesson majorly bases on designing teaching-learning activities of each teacher in each lesson plan And, pre-reading activities- the starting point of the lesson are very important for helping students

to understand the background of the text and help students feel more interested

in reading periods They can spark students’ curiosity and promote a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom As a result, students will get more involved in the lesson and a better learning process will take place

Before you play a sport or do some physical activities it is advisable to warm up and prepare your body for the upcoming task It is the same way with reading It is better for teachers to give students a chance to warm up and prepare their mind for reading so that they can perform well and increase their comprehension in reading lessons So in this writing, I present the study entitled:

“Applying some pre- reading activities in some reading lessons to create excitement and motivate learning English for grade 12 students".

1.2 The scope of the research

The application of these activities was carried out among a class of forty 12-graders at Tho Xuan 4 High School in some lessons in both first and second semester of the school year 2021-2022

1.3 Objects of the study

Among the four skills of learning English, reading is paid much attention

to by the teachers at high schools, however the students feel uninterested in reading classes because they lack motivation from the beginning of the lessons The main objective of the research is to help students feel more interested in reading lessons by using Pre-reading activities

1.4 Methods of the study

Reading reference books, discussing with other teachers, applying in teaching, observing and drawing out experiences

2 Content

2.1 Theoretical back ground

Reading is “by far the most important of the four macro skills, particularly

in English as a second or a foreign language” (Carrell (1984, p.1) Reading is one important way to improve your general language skills in English for the following reasons:

- Reading can improve your English vocabulary and communication skills

- Reading can help you improve your writing vocabulary

- Reading helps you expand your knowledge and make you smarter

- Reading is a good way to enhance your critical and analytical thinking skills

- Reading will also offer you a chance to travel and use your imagination in ways you have never imagined

Sookchotirat (2005) suggests that reading skill is the most important skill

as it is the basis of all the success in one’s life Good readers can gain more knowledge of any kind from reading Reading makes the reader more knowledgeable, and reading makes the reader have wider perspectives and vision Reading helps the reader get new ideas leading to cognitive development When the reader transfers what they read to apply with their own idea a new perspective or idea is created

Harmer (1998: 68) also makes clear that reading is useful for many purposes Reading texts provides opportunities to study a language: vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the way we construct sentences, paragraphs and texts Reading texts also provides good models for English writing Lastly, good reading texts can introduce interesting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative responses and be the springboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons

Despite its importance, for many years, teaching and learning reading have been undervalued and students usually feel tired and bored at the beginning

of the lesson, they study passively and find no pleasure in the act of reading

Some of them just try to struggle with the text (e.g.: unknown words and

complicated grammar rules) to find the answers to comprehension questions It

was also very surprising to find out that most of them did not understand the purpose of reading They spent nearly 80% of the time on translating the text word by word into Vietnamese, even a simple one Because they thought that they could only understand the text completely if they translated the text Besides, some of the students also translate comprehension questions about the text before giving answers to the teacher In order to teach second language learners how to read in the best way possible, some pre- reading activities are provided below, that can be applied to ESL and EFL classroom settings, together with suggestions for teachers who teach oral language

“Pre-reading” is the process of skimming a text to locate key ideas before carefully reading a text (or a chapter of a text) from start to finish Also called previewing or surveying Pre-reading activities play an important role in a

reading lessons Every reading lessons should start with activities to activate background knowledge and a series of activities to prepare student for the

reading Pre-reading activities help students prepare for the reading activity by

activating the relevant schemata, and motivating them to read.Pre-reading activities can also help learners anticipate the topic, vocabulary and possibly

important grammar structures in the texts

Yeeding (2007) investigated the effects of pre-reading activities on learners’ motivation and reading comprehension ability Results showed that the activities subjects were highly motivated, enthusiastic to read After the experiment, they scored significantly higher

"Pre-reading strategies allow students to think about what they already know about a given topic and predict what they will read or hear Before students read any text, teachers can direct their attention to how a text is organized, teach unfamiliar vocabulary or other concepts, search for the main idea, and provide students with a purpose for reading or listening Most importantly, teachers can use pre-reading strategies to increase students' interest

in a text."(Brassell, Danny and Timothy Rasinski Comprehension That

Works Shell Education, 2008.)

"Pre-reading encompasses all of the things that you do, before you start reading, to increase your capacity to understand the material In many cases, taking just a few minutes to learn more about what you are about to read can dramatically increase your reading comprehension and retention

"If you build the big picture before you start, you begin reading the text with a conceptual framework already in place Then, when you encounter a new detail or a new bit of evidence in your reading, your mind will know what

to do with it." (Austin, Michael Reading the World: Ideas That Matter W.W.

Norton, 2007)

2.2 Real situation of teaching and learning English at Tho Xuan 4 high school

From applying new English teaching methods, "pre-reading activites” have been become main activity in teachers' reading lesson plans Some teachers have paid attention and prepared careful activites They know how to make the class time pleasant and comfortable so they create excitement and motivate learning English for their students However, some others are not aware much about the importance of pre-reading activities in reading skill They still think that these activities for this part waste time and make class noisy Thus, instead

of having better preparation for pre-reading activities, they often explain the new vocabulary and ask students to read the passage and then finds the answers This makes students stressful and the class time boring

Moreover, for students at Tho Xuan 4 high school, they have approached new teaching methods, but they seem to be embarrassing when they take part in pre-reaidng activities To know exactly about this problem, I have investigated

80 students in 2 classes 12A2 and 12A3 by asking them the following questions:

Please tick your choice to answer the following questions:

1 Do you like pre-reading activities in reading lessons?

Very like Like

Normal Dislike

2 Why do (don't) you like pre- reading activities in English lesson?

And I get the bellow result:

As can be seen from the result that most of good students are interested in pre-reading activities while lower students are shy because they have no ability

to take part in Student's level of understanding is unequal in a class to cause difficulty for teachers to choose activities which are suitable for whole class Many activities can be applied well in this period but they also are boring in the other ones Lots of activities make good students excited while bad students could not participate in And vice versa, some activities attract lower students but make good ones bored

Besides, my school is located in half-plain and pure agricultural area so students `have less chance to communicate in foreign language in daily life They are so shy to speak as well as express ideas, so the lessons often end with chatting in mother tongue

From those reasons, the study entitled ""Applying some pre-reading activities in some reading lessons to create excitement and motivate learning English for grade 12 students" has been conducted with the hope to make

teachers and students have a good chance to practice reading skill as well as other skills

2.3 Some pre-reading activities applied in teaching English 12 (basic).

2.3.1 Activity 1: MIND-MAPPING

Al-Jarf (2011) defines mind-mapping as “a graphic organizer in which the major categories radiate from a central idea and subcategories are represented as branches of larger branches” (p.4) He also asserts that, this visual tool can be used to assist learning because it helps students “to generate ideas, take notes, organize thinking and develop concepts”This activity is used to:

- attract the students’ attention to the content of the new lesson

- present concepts in the classroom

- deliver an overview of the topic without super

- fluous information

- give students a chance to review and widen their vocabulary

*Procedure

- T takes a key word in the reading passage and write on the board

- T asks the students to suggest all the words which associate with it

- Ss can work individually or in groups to think of the words

- Ss gives words and T writes each suggestion on the board with a line joining it

to the original word in a circle, so that you get a “sunray” effect

*Applying

Unit 1: HOME LIFE

Teacher writes down the word FAMILY on the board and has students brainstorm all the words they can think of:

The word FAMILY may produce something like the sketch below:

FAMILY

FAMILY

housework

Join hand

Close-knit

famifamilr

Responsible Secure

Take care of

Father

Unit 8: Life in the future

Teacher asks students the question “what might happen in the future?” and has

them brainstorm all the words they can think of:

The answers may produce something like the sketch below:

*Variation:

The teacher may use “compettion games” for this activitiy

- T can divide the class into groups of four or five

- T gives them some handouts with list of words

- The groups will work together to identify from the given list as many words related to the word as possible in 3 minutes

LIFE IN THE FUTURE

LIFE IN THE FUTURE

Robot

Space shuttle Economic depression terrorism

unpoluted

Micro technologyy Modern medical system

Car driverless

- After 3 minutes, the teacher invites the representative of each group to come to the board and write their list One point is given for the correct answer The group gets the highest points wins the game

* Example

UNIT 6 : FUTURE JOBS

- T writes key word “ job interview” on the board

- T gives Ss a list of words and asks them to findout words related to the key word

*List of words: casual clothes, self- confident, letter of application, feeling

nervous, letter of recommendation, subject, exam, vacancy, friend, holiday, dress neatly, enthusiasm, stressful, qualifications.

*Sugessted answer: self- confident, letter of application, letter of

recommendation, vacancy, dress neatly, enthusiasm, qualifications

2.3.2 Activity 2: MATCHING GAME

Matching games improve language, concentration and memory

We can use this kind of activity to introduce the new lesson as well as draw students’ attention on the theme of the unit

*Procedure

-T prepares some pictures related to the topic of the lesson and some cards written name of each pictures

- T lets Ss observe the picture and call out the name of them

* Applying

Unit 3: WAYS OF SOCIALIZING

-T divides the class into two groups A & B

- T sticks the pictures of some guestures on the board

- T distributes the cards showing some meamings to the students:

Hello!, Stop here!, I agree, I can’t hhear, I don’t know, Be quiet

- T calls out the pictures in any order and the representatives of each group should run to the board and stick the meanings under the pictures

- The group with more correct answers will be the winner.- T asks Ss answer the

questions: “do you often use gesture to communicate?do other people

understand you?’’ and introduce the new lesson.

* Sugessted pictures

A B C

D E F

* Suggested answers

Picture A: I agree Picture D: I don’t know

Picture B: Stop here Picture E: Hello!

Picture C: Be quiet! Picture F: I can’t hear

UNIT 10: ENDANGERED SPECIES

- T sticks some picture of animals on the board

- T gives Ss some card showing the name of animals: panda, tortoise, leopard,

gorilla, rhinoceros, blue whale

- T calls out the pictures in any order and the representatives of each group should run to the board and stick the meanings under the pictures

- The group with more correct answers will be the winner

- T asks Ss questions: 1 What do these animals have in common?

( they are becoming extinct)

2 Why do they become extinct?

- T leads-in to the new lesson

* Suggested pictures

A B C

D E F

D E F

*Suggested answer:

Picture A: leopard Picture D: rhinoceros

Picture B: panda Picture E: toitose

Picture C: gorilla Picture F: blue whale

2.3.3 Activity 3: DISCUSSION

“Discussion” is a activity in which the teacher can create a discussion about the topic by giving students some questions related to the lesson We use

“Discussion activities” to:

- give students an opportunity to talk about the things they really care about

- encourage students to think more critically and actively participate in the classroom

- increase students’ interests and engagement in reading lessons

- arouse students’ curiosity about a certain topic

- help students process the information rather than simply receive

- help develop students’ habits of collaborative learning

* Procedure

- The Teacher prepares some questions expressing the topic of the reading passage, then sticks them on the board

- T divides Ss into groups of four of five to discuss the answer

- Ss stand up and present their ideas

* Applying

Unit 11: BOOKS

- The teacher has students work in groups of four and discuss some of the questions relating to the topic of the reading lesson

- The teacher invites some students to report their ideas in front of the class, gives comments and then starts the new lesson

* Questions for discussion:

1 Do you like reading? Why or why not?

2 Which is your favourite book?

3 Do you usually read for leisure or for study purposes?

4 What do you think are the benefits of reading in general?

5 Do you think there is a difference between reading habits in the past and in the present day?

6 What kinds of books did you read when you were a child?

7 Which book has affected or influenced you the most so far?

8 What is the impact of e-books on reading habit?

9 In your opinion, will paper book disappearcompletely in the future?

Unit 15: WOMAN IN SOCIETY

- Students are asked to work in groups of four and discuss some of the questions relating to the topic of the reading lesson