Skkn applying graphic organizers in teaching reading new textbook – tieng anh 10

TABLE OF CONTENTS  CONTENT Page Part I Introduction 3 1 Reasons for the study 3 2 Aims of the study 3 3 Methods of the study 4 4 Scope of the study 4 5 New features in the study’s result 4 Part II Co[.]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4. Types of graphic organizers employed in the study 7

6.1 Data analysis and discussion of the students’ survey

questionnaire

12

6.1.1 Students’ attitude towards reading skill 12

6.1.2 Students’ difficulties when learning reading 13

6.2 Data analysis and discussion of the teachers’ survey 14

II. Solution 15

References

Appendices

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PART I: INTRODUCTION

I Reasons for the study

Reading is an essential skill for English as a second or foreignlanguage (ESL/EFL) For many, reading is the most important skill tomaster With strengthened reading skills, ESL/ EFL readers will makegreater progress and attain greater development in all academic areas InVietnam, English is taught and learned in a non – native environment soreading is not only an important means to gain knowledge but also a means

by which further study takes place According to Carrell (1984:1): ―formany students, reading is by far the most important of the four macro skills,particularly in English as a second or a foreign language This is also true tothe students at Ha Huy Tap High School since the reading skill offers them awide range of interesting information as well as a variety of languageexpressions and structures which are of great usefulness for developing otherlanguage skills When dealing with a reading lesson, students find it hard toovercome some challenges in the classroom In addition to that, teachers arefacing to their own problem as well when a new text book are introduced Itmeans that most of their previous traditional methods should be changed toadjust to their new teaching object and new textbook

One of the effective solutions to help both of them is using graphicorganizers Graphic organizers actually have the power and potential toenhance the learning ability of students in all age groups Use of graphicorganizers as visual tools for visual learners of comprehension will makecomprehending a reading text easy and fun for students Through the use ofgraphic organizers, students are able to gain a better understanding of theunderlying concepts that can be found within what is being read, allowing them

to isolate text that is not important to their learning This will also enableteachers to determine main ideas so that they can help students entire storiesfrom their reading

It is hoped that this study will provide classroom English teachers aswell as their students with an in – depth understanding about how and whatthey should with do with graphic organizers in reasearch entitled

“APPLYING GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS IN TEACHING READING NEW TEXTBOOK – TIENG ANH 10” to keep the students much more

II Aims of the study

This study is aimed at giving out a brief overview on graphic organizers,gaining an insightful look into the application of graphic organizers with a view tomotivate students’ reading at Ha Huy Tap high school

III Methods of the study

The study was carried out on the basis of material collection, surveyquestionnaire and class observation, aimed to determine whether graphic organizersare able to enhance students’ motivation o r have a positive affect on the ability

of students to make sense of what they read The author used data collectioninstrument to gather information about the students involved, monitor the progress

of the students when they used graphic organizers throughout the research, anddetermine the effectiveness of the graphs based on survey questionnaire and classobservation

IV Scope of the study

In general, reading lessons are not so exciting as students expect or many of them do not want to answer comprehension questions according to their favorite learning styles Therefore, within this study, my purpose is to carry the research on using grapic organizers to motivate and enhance student thinking skills through the reading text by using images or visual illustrations instead of responding the

questions given in the textbook

V New features in the study’s result

In my innovation, there are a lots of interesting graphic organizers which havehigh effectiveness and wide application And these available activities, which weresuitably adapted for all levels of students, can help create environment for students

to develop student’s reading skill and for teachers to use flexibly in their teaching

Part II CONTENT

I THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BACKGROUND

1 The importance of reading skill

Reading is a very important language learning skill It helps studentsimprove all parts of the English language – vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and

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writing Improve and use their reading skills and they will improve all Englishskills.

In a second language classroom, reading plays a significant role in buildingboth linguistic and background knowledge for other language skills Hoang et

al (2006:191) even consider reading as the most effective means ofimproving students’ language competence Particularly, when there is a lack

of language environment, reading is even more significant since it helpsenlarge students’ background knowledge and vocabulary as well as supportsother skills (Pham, 2005 cited in Hoang et al., 2005:515)

2 Stages of reading

A reading lesson can be divided into three stages which are

pre-reading stage, while- pre-reading stage and post-pre-reading stage Each of these stages carries its own features and purposes and requires different techniques and strategies (William, 1984:37)

A reading lesson can be divided into three stages which are pre-readingstage, while-reading stage and post-reading stage Each of these stagescarries its own features and purposes and requires different techniques andstrategies (William, 1984:37)

2.1 Pre-Reading

Pre-reading stage has been considered as an effective learning tool to bettercomprehend reading texts and to avoid possible failure in understanding andextracting information during the reading processes They are commonly used toprepare students to understand what they are about to read Many studies havefound pre-reading activities as facilitative for comprehension of texts as it links thelearner's prior knowledge with understanding the text in hand It is claimed thatsuch pre- reading activities are challenging and motivating in the sense that theychallenge students to recall their previous knowledge Ringler, L H., & Weber, C

K (1984) called pre-reading activities enabling activities as they elicit prior

knowledge, provide background and focus attention They pointed out that suchexperiences involve understanding the purposes for reading and building thenecessary knowledge needed for dealing with the content and the structure of thematerial

In this early stage, teachers are expected to motivate students to read,especially by activating or building students‟ background knowledge of thesubject and familiarizing them with some of the language needed in coping

with the text According to Williams (1984:37), the purposes of the pre-readingstage are:

- To introduce and arouse interest in the topic

- To motivate learners by giving a reason for reading

- To provide some language preparation for the text

Normally, pre-reading phase often lasts from two to ten minutes depending on eachlesson Before delivering activities for this stage, the teacher needs to take theobjectives of the lesson, the situation of teaching and learning, the students‟ needsinto account

2.2 While-Reading

While- reading stage is the main part of a reading lesson Without this stage, thestudents will lose the chance to deal with the text to understand the writer‟spurpose and clarify the text’s content in detail Williams (1984:38) points out theaims of the while- reading stage:

- To help to understand of the writer‟s purpose

- To help to understand of the text structure

- To clarify the text

He also gives the teacher some questions to ask himself in order to deal withthe above mentioned aims:

1 What is the function of this text?

2 How is the text organized or developed? (e.g.: a narrative, an explanationwith various examples, an argument and counter argument)

3 What content or information is extracted from the text?

4 What may the reader anger or deduce from the text?

5 What language may be learned from the text?

6 What reading styles may be practiced?

It is clear that, question (1) deals with the aims of understanding, the writer’spurpose, and question (2) helps to recognize the text structure and the rest help toclarify the text content The answers to these questions will be a guide for theteacher in this stage Depending on their answers, the teacher will choose suitableactivities for students which focus them on exploiting the meaning of the text, anddevelop their reading skills Concerning the while- reading stage‟s activities, in his

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research, William (1984:39) has a more generating idea: “While- reading workshould begin with a general or global understanding of the text, then move eto

te smaller units such as paragraphs, sentences and words

2.3 Post-reading

The post reading stage is the final but not the least important stageof a readinglesson because it is the time for students to apply what theyhave got from the textinto real life communication In William’s opinion( 1984: 39) , the post readingstage aims at:

- to consolidate or reflect uopn what has been read

- to relate the text to the learner’s own knowledge interest or views

In summary, each of the reading stage carries its own aims and activities It is veryeffective if these three stages are combined flexibly and appropriately for anefficient reading lesson In the while- reading stage, it is neccesary to help studentsimprove and develope sub- reading skills such as skimming, scanning or readingfor details If the students can acquire these skills, it is easier for them to understandefficiently the significance of the text To acquire these skills, students may beinstructed to take part in various tasks or activities acording to each skill There arenumerous tasks or activities in this stage The teacher should be flexible inchoosing them for their reading lessons

3 What are graphic organizers?

A graphic organizer is a visual frame used to represent knowledge andunderstanding of a subject matter by arranging important aspects of a concept ortopic into logical pattern using labels There are many types of graphic organizersnamely maps, graphs, charts, diagrams, or clusters Each of these patterns can beexpressed in different layouts but they have similar purposes that portray therelationship between facts, terms or ideas within a learning task In reading lessons,graphic organizers can be efficiently used in all lessons for students of all ages tocheck not only students, understanding but also motivate and improve their criticalthinking In the words of Krasnic [6; p.24] students are able to clear their thoughtsand sharpen their thinking by organizing and connecting key concepts related towhat they are reading from the text This process can help students to enhance theircritical thinking, a kind of cognitive activity appearing in many of cognitiveprocess of language learning.

4 Types of graphic organizers employed in the study

During my teaching process, four basic graphic organizers namely cause &effect map, problem & solution map, compare & contrast matrix, and KWL chartwill be described The value of these organizers will be discussed and followed bytheir application in English reading lessons at upper secondary schools in Vietnam

4.1 Cause & effect map

A cause and effect map is one of the effective organizers used to showrelationships of all factors (causes) that lead to the given situation (effect) It isusually preceded by cause and effect analysis The teacher uses this organizer tohelp students realize that there are many causes that contribute an effect It alsographically displays the connections of the causes to the effect to each other.Students can do this task individually, in pairs or in groups and then share what theinformation in the diagram with the others

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4.2 Problem & solution map

The critical thinking necessary to problem-solve by posting and evaluatingsolutions is an important skill the students need throughout their lives Being able

to write clearly and persuasively about proposed solutions is as important as beingable to think clearly and logically in formulating solutions This reading guidehelps students organize and write about problems and proposed solutions Thisactivity is also applied into a writing class where students are aware of the relevantproblem and discuss reliable methods Students can do this task individually andthen share what the information in the diagram with their partner or their groupmembers

4.3 Compare & contrast matrix

The compare and contrast matrix has a wide variety of classroomapplications English teachers can use it as a means of comparing differenthistorical events, geographical regions, cultural and traditional differences orpolitical systems Students are able to clearly see similarities and differencesbetween more than one by using this type of graphic organizer This readingactivity can be done in the whole class, in groups or individually.

4.4 KWL chart

A K-W-L [7; p.1] chart helps students understand what they know (K), what they want to know (W), and what they learned (L) when reading or researching a

topic This is an effective visual tool to improve students by tapping their prior

knowledge and letting them set their own purposes for learning By analyzing the L

column, both the teacher and students can evaluate students’ grasp of knowledge orcontent Then the teacher can make plans to enrich concepts or to remedymisconceptions

KWL What I

Know

What I want

to know

What I learnt

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4.5 Network tree

Graphic organizer can help students organize facts and information related tothe reading text A network tree is a type of graphic organizer that showconnections A network tree is made up of a series of oval of two or three differentsizes connected by many branches to show how facts and information develop from

a main idea or a topic Also, this organizer is often used to indicate a workcooperation, a hierarchy or branding procedure The main type of question for thisorganizer are: what is the superordinate category? What are the subordinatecategories? How are they related? How many levels are there? Students can do itthemselves , in pairs or on groups and then share what they have done with others

A Venn diagram consists of two (or sometimes as many as five) overlappingcirlce It is used to help students compare and contrast two characters, settings,events or other elements The Venn diagram is one of the conceptual organizersthat highlights similarities and differences It is an effective tool for students toeasily think how the information is organized In groups, students can share andcompare the information on their Venn diagrams

5.1.2 Teachers

Three teachers who have been teaching English at Ha Huy Tap High Schoolwere invited to join the research All of the teachers under the investigation haveever taught grade 10, and all of them were teaching in the academic school year2019-2020 when the study was carried out The problem was that this was thefirst time they had ever taught with the new textbook and they had had littlechance to be formally trained how to deal with it before or to access to the newcirriculum beforehand As a result, they were confused about detailing theirteaching activities In addition to that, there was difficulty in finding theteaching materials or references to support for the designing their lessons apartfrom the textbooks and the teacher’s books The results from these teachers willgive an objective view on how to improve students’ reading ability and howtheir teaching will be better

All participants took part in the survey by responding to the two kinds ofquestionnaires, one for students and one for teachers

5.2 Textbook and Reading materials

The reading materials used in the study consisted of selected texts from newEnglish Textbook 10 (learner-centered and communicative approach with theme-based teaching) published by Education Publishing House and Pearson In thetextbook, there are 10 units with diverse topics related to 4 themes: Our lives, Oursociety, Our environment, Our future Five sections were included in one unitnamely: Getting started, Language, Skills, Communication and Culture, Lookingback and Project There are some samples based on the new English textbook forgrade 10 in which such common organizers are appropriately applied It is hopedthat English teachers will have a better insight into graphic organizes and become

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confident to integrate these effective tools into their reading classroom practice.The study was conducted when the participants were in the second semester whenthey had already had knowledge about basic structures as well as vocabulary intextbook of grade 10 Therefore, the author found that it matched with theobjectives of the learning program and students’ levels of proficiency

6 Data analysis and discussion

6.1 Data analysis and discussion of the students’ survey questionnaire

The questionnaire was designed with three parts with 12 questions Part one was toexplore the students’ attitudes towards reading tasks Part two aimed at collectinginformation about students’ difficulties when learning reading and students’expectation towards teachers’ reading techniques

6.1.1 Students’ attitude towards reading skill

As shown in chart 1, most of the students in the survey have positive attitudetowards reading 25 % of them find reading skill very important and 62,5% ratherimportant Only a small number of them undervalue reading lessons (about 6 %) Infact, many students think that their major purpose of learning English is to pass allcompulsory exams and reading account for 40% in the national exam so reading isvery necessary for them In addition to that, they can learn vocabulary, grammareasily from reading passages However, a certain number of students (6 %) do nothighly appreciate the it as a result of its difficulty and bore More than 48% of themthink the reading tasks in the text book are difficult and 31,7% find them difficult

It is clear that those two factors are also the main reasons that make the studentsreluctant to do the reading tasks

Boring Easy Normal Difficult

0 5 10 15 20 25

Very Rather Little Not at all

Chart 1 Students’ attitude towards the importance of reading skill and their evaluation of the reading tasks

6.1.2 Students’ difficulties when learning reading

Chart 2 represents problems which students are facing when dealing with readingtasks Actually, there are several elements that can be counted on The mostdifficult problem is the limited capacity of vocabulary and grammatical structures.48,8% students in the survey assumed that if they experienced lots of new ordifficult vocabulary and grammatical structures from the text, their capacity ofreading would surely be decreased The next one (14,7%) is the lack of appropriatereading strategies It is obvious that students cannot do reading tasks easily if they

do not have appropriate reading strategies Therefore, it is very important forteachers to suggest their students essential reading strategies needed for each kind

of reading tasks 23.4% students blamed on the lack of background knowledge tothe topic of the reading text 12,2% students thought that they did not have enoughtime for their reading

From the above respondents, it could be safe to conclude that the biggest problem

is the limitation of vocabulary and grammatical structures Reading strategies arefound to be a less challenge than vocabulary and grammatical structures In thearea of background knowledge, students find that they do not know anything insome aspects Therefore, they have many difficulties when reading a strange topic.Some possible explanation considered by the researcher is that grade-10 studentshave very limited vocabulary, focus much on new words, lack of suitabletechniques and are too dependent on teachers or dictionaries

Students’ limitation of vocabulary & grammatical structures

Students’ lack of background knowledge

Time limitation

Students’ lack of appropriate reading techniques

Chart 2 Problems students face when learning reading

6.2 Data analysis and discussion of the teachers’ survey questionnaire

The questionaire (with 7 questions) completed by the teachers covered three mainthings The first questions are what difficulties they are facing and then theirsuggestions to improve it

Obviously, all of the teachers have positive attitude toward reading skill Theyknow how important and beneficial reading skill is to their students However, atleast one among three of them think that the reading task in the new textbook isrepeated boringly and sometimes difficult to students Three of them admittedhaving adapting some reading tasks in oder to motivate their students or simplifythe tasks but they met a lot of challenges for not being trained beforehand with thenew textbook Beside some problems coming from their students like theirlimitation of vocabulary and grammatical structures, or lack of reading strategies,they themselves had to make great effort to help their students overcomedifficulties in reading tasks

In short, the data analysis of the questionnaires at Ha Huy Tap High school hasprovided primary important information concerning the students‟ difficulties,what they do in as well as what they would like their teachers to do to help themread more effectively Having studied the above points, we realized that therewere some major problems faced the students These problems will be discussed

in the next section – the findings of the study

II SOLUTION

In reading lessons, graphic organizers can be efficiently used in all lessons for students of all ages to check not only students, understanding but also motivate and make their lessons more interesting

Sample 1: Unit 3- Tiếng Anh 10- Student book 1, p.29- Education

Publishing House and Pearson

Objectives: By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

- State the history and development of Idol program

Stage: Pre-reading / While-reading

Time allowed: 10 minutes

Procedure:

- ask students to work in groups and help students brainstorm the ideas with

the questions “ What do you know about the Idol ?”

- write the information the students brainstorm about the topic in the K

(know) column

- record the questions the students have about the topic in the W (want to know)

column This establishes a purpose for reading or researching

- ask students to read, research, and discuss the topic

- place the new information in the L (learned) column.

- discus with students whether they can now confirm or deny any statements listed

in the K column.

K

What (I) we know

W What (I) we want to

know

L What (I) we learned

Expected answer:

K

What (I) we know

W What (I) we want to

know

L What (I) we learned

- The Idol format - Who created the Idol - Pop Idol, created by the

British entertainment

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came from the

- The first season of

Vietnam Idol aired

in 2012

format?

- Is Vietnam Idol a franchised programme?

- When did American Idol begin?

- When will American Idolend?

- What are the rules of the Idol?

executive Simon Fuller, is a music competition which began on British ITV on October 6, 2001 to select the best new young pop singer in the UK based on viewer voting and participation

-Vietnam Idol is part of the Idol franchised of the original reality program Pop Idol by Simon Fuller

- The first season of Vietnam Idol aired on May 23, 2007 onHTV9, and the fourth season aired on August 17, 2012

-American Idol began in 2002 and will end its 15-year run after the upcoming season, finishing in 2016

Sample 2: Unit 9- Tiếng Anh 10- Student book 2, p.41- Education

Publishing House and Pearson

Objectives: By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

- List out the causes and effects of four types of polution

- Recognize their duty of protecting the environment

Stage: While-reading

Time allowed: 10 minutes

- Divide students into 4 groups

- Deliver the cause & effect map template for students

Group 1: air pollution

Group 2: noise pollution

Group 3: water pollution

Group 4: soil pollution

- Ask students to list the topic or problem explored in the center of theorganizer

- Each group discuss the causes and effects of one type of polution

- Ask students to present their ideas