SKKN ( 09 - 10 )

If students have a good reading skill,they can easily understand the information written in English well.. To English teachers , helping students drill their reading skill is more import

INTRODUCTION.

Experience is a work that you have from doing your

work many times During a long time you do your work , you overcome bad things , improve them and make them better and better Then , whenever you do that work ,you always use the method you have used before and get a good result The method you use to make your work better is considered an experience of your own

Teachers always try to find the best methods to teach their students I do , too I have many experiences during

my life of teaching , such as experiences in teaching Listening , experiences in teaching speaking, experiences in teaching reading and experiences in teaching writing

In this material , I will tell you my experiences in teaching reading I myself think the followings are the best experiences of my own But each person has different points of view Anyway, I hope my experiences will be supported and all of you are certain to help me make my experiences better and better after reading my experiences

Le Thi Thu Binh Nghi Secondary School

PART 1

I REASONS OF CHOOSING THIS TOPIC

Reading skill is one of the most important skills to language learners The purposes oflearning English are to learn how to listen , speak , read and write English well Englins is aninternational language It is a means to communicate with other people in the world Manybooks are written in English So how to help readers understand information written in English

in books, newspapers , magazines ,etc is more important If students have a good reading skill,they can easily understand the information written in English well

To English teachers , helping students drill their reading skill is more important because it

is one of the four skills in teaching English Moreover , teachers have to teach students readingskills so that they can understand the knowledge in English books and in English tests

To students , about 30 percent or even more than 30 percent of the exercises in theirEnglish tests are to test their reading skills So if students have a good reading skill , they caneasily complete their English tests well

Moreover,people said that “A good reader make a good writer” If students are good atreading, of course , they are good at writing, speaking, and listening

In conclusion , how to teach students to be good at reading skills in English is veryimportant And my ideas above are the reasons why I have spent most of my time studying thetopic :

” How to teach reading effectively ? “.

II TASKS OF THE TOPIC.

( WHAT TASKS DOES THIS TOPIC SOLVE ? )

In this topic , I focus on the following contents :

1.The ways to read texts

2.Sub-skills in teaching reading

3.Principles of teaching reading

4.Steps for presenting a reading text

5.Some purposes of reading texts

6.Techniques of teaching reading

7.Games often used in teaching reading

8.Some kinds of exercises in reading

III METHODS TO RESEARCH THIS TOPIC

First of all , I use the knowledge of methods I have learnt at University

Secondly , I read many methodogical books to get the knowledge of the methods toteach reading

Moreover , I learn many experiences from my colleagues

With all the knowledge I have collected , I use them in teaching my students readingskills After that , I choose the methods which are suitable for my students this meansthat I choose the methods which make my students good at reading skill

I use these methods many times and then they become my own experiences Now I

am writing my own experiences in teaching reading in this material

IV THE PLACE AND THE TIME TO RESEARCH THIS TOPIC

During a long time teaching English at Binh Nghi secondary school , I am experienced in teaching reading skills

I have researched this topic for over 3 years ( from 2004 upto now )

PART 2

THE RESULTS

A THE SITUATION OF LEARNING READING IN ENGLISH OF THE STUDENTS

AT BINH NGHI SECONDARY SCHOOL AT PRESENT

* Students get acquainted with many kinds of reading exercises , and they do reading

exercises well

* Students have a lot of skills and methods in doing reading texts and their reading skill is becoming better and better

* Students have many pleasures in reading periods

* Students read English texts more fluently and they can easily understand the contents of the English texts

* Students can do many reading exercises in the reference books by themselves at home

* Students enjoy reading periods

* When my students take part in examinations , they all get good results at reading

* Students have a lot of abilities in doing reading exercises and they do reading texts carefully

*Students’English pronunciation is better

B .SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE THE CONTENTS IN THIS TOPIC

I The ways to read English texts :

There are many ways to read English texts

1.Reading aloud :

The purpose of reading aloud is to communicate someone’s information written to other

people such as reading newspapers , news , letters , passages , messages ,etc …

In teaching foreign languages , reading aloud has fewer effects to the development of

students’reading skill, but It mainly helps students practice pronunciation , intonation , stress

or reading for announcing something

2 Silent reading :

When we want to read in order to understand something or to get information , we often read silently It means that we only look at the words and understand them in our mind

3 Intensive reading : including two kinds of reading

* Reading for details or research

* Reading for analysis ( in order to learn the language )

4.Extensive reading : including three kinds :

* Reading for pleasure

* Scanning

* Skimming

II READING SUB-SKILLS:

There are some main reading sub-skills that I often drill my students

1 Reading for recognizing words and their meanings in the text

2 Reading for understanding sentences or paragraphs in the text

3 Scanning

4 Skimming

4 5.Predicting the content of the sentences or texts

5 6.Guessing the meanings of the new words from contexts

6 7.Using dictionaries for reading

III PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING READING :

1 When teaching a reading text , It is benificial to state a purpose for reading a given text Tell the students why they are reading the text It is to skim for the main ideas ? It is to

scan for specific information ? It is for critical reading ? The purpose of reading task should

be stated to the students before they read

2 Prepare the students to read by introducing the topic of the passage

3 Before the students read the text , have them read questions about it before hand to helpthem focus on the meaning

4 Do not pre-teach vocabulary unless necessary

5 Have the students read silently without whispering the words or moving their lips Thiswill help them read more quickly and focus on the more important words

6 Discuss difficult vocabulary after reading the text If they do not understand certain words

by guessing from context , help them by explaining the meaning, by definition or example

7 When discussing the answers to comprehention questions , be sure to refer back to the textoften

8 Finally , remember to focus on developing the skills of the readers The purpose ofteaching reading is not only to help the students understand the context for that day , butalso to help them learn to read effectively for themselves To do this ,they must developmany sub-skills of reading like skimming , scanning , predicting , guessing from contextand reading for total comprehension

1.Give a brief introduction to get students thinking about the topic of the text

2 Ask students to say more words they know about the topic

3 teach some key words

4 State a purpose for reading the text ( skim , scan , read for total information , etc … )

5.Write one or two guiding questions on the board to focus their attention

6 Tell the students how much time they have to read Do not allow them much time ,

especially in skimming and scanning exercises

7.Have the students answer the given questions about the text

8.Present a follow-up activity In this , the students can share their own opinions or discuss whatelse they know about the topic of the text

V THE TWO KINDS OF READING TEXT

There are many purposes of reading texts , but in this material I will mention two kinds of

reading texts with two different purposes

* The reading text in order to present the language

* The reading text in order to teach students reading skills

HOW TO EXPLOIT THE TWO KINDS OF READING TEXTS :

1.Exploiting the reading text in order to present the new language :

-If the main aim of the reading text is to present the new language , the teacher’s work is to help students understand the text through presentation , explanation , and noticing students about the content as well as the new language in the text Then the follow-up tasks are in order to check the students’understanding and the use of the new language

Followings are the basic steps to exploit the reading text in order to present the new language :

a Introducing the text by using many different techniques such as telling stories ,

asking questions , revising previous lessons relating to the new lesson

b Introducing the content of the text ( using pictures if possible ) and introducing new words and structures If the text is long , we can divide it into small paragraphs

c Practising asking and answering about the text , using the new language in the text

d Practising the new language in the context of the text and the content of the text

e Consolidating , summarizing , building up the text , using the following exercises :

- Rearrange the text in order

- Build up the text

- Retell the story with prompts given

- Retell each part orally

- Sum up the main ideas of the text , basing on the prompts given

f Read the text aloud in order to practice pronunciation , intonation

g Follow-up activities ( intergrate the 4 skills : listening , speaking , reading , writing)

2 Exploiting the reading text in order to develop students’reading skills:

In some reading texts in order to develop students’reading skills , teachers not only help

students to understand the content of the text , but also give out some follow-up tasks in order

to help students practice their reading skills Those skills can help students read different passages with different purposes In this kind of reading text , teachers do not present ,

introduce the content of the reading text , but the students themselves have to read the text and find out the content of the reading text The role of the teacher is to help , prompt , guide ,giveout suggestions ,and check the students’answers

The activities in order to develop students’reading skills are usually carried on with 3 stages :-Pre-reading activities

-Set up the context ( thiết lập ngữ cảnh )

-Create reasons for reading

-Pre-teach structures , new words

-Introduce briefly the topic ; content

-Eliciting , guiding questions

-Predict the text

-Give expectation about the text ( nêu những điều muốn biết về bài đọc )

b While-reading activities :

While-reading activities are exercises which are done while students are reading the text Students can read the text many times and do these exercises At this stage , students exploit the content of the text Depending on the purpose and the content of each certain text , There will be different questions and different requirements

The followings are activities and techniques usually used at this stage:

-Find the word / sentence that says ………

-Check / tick the correct answer

-True-false

-Complete the table

-Fill in the chart

-Make up charts / diagrams

-Make a list of ………

-Matching

-What does …… stand for ? / refer to ?

-What does ………… Mean ?

-Answer the questions on the text

c Post-reading activities :

After students read and do the exercises about the text , teachers go on giving some exercises that require the understanding of students about the total content of the text , relate to real life ,consolidate the structures , and the new language in the text

Followings are some kinds of exercises usually used at this stage :

-Arrange the events in order

-Find the sentence that summarizes the paragraph / text

-Give the tittle of the reading text

-Give comments , opinions on the characters in the text

-Discussion questions

-Reproduce the text ( written or oral )

-Gap-filling

-Rewrite the story from jumble sentences / words / visual cues

-Role-play basing on the text

-Make dialogues basing on the text

-Guess the consequences / results of the story

-Develop another story basing on the text

-Personalized tasks ( e.g : write / talk about your own school / family / town / story on … ) + Tell a similar event on ……

+ What would you do / behave / say in that situation ?

+ Make your own plan / decision ………

-Grammar practice and exercises ,etc ………

VI TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING READING :

Ex :- Draw a stadium and give some words about the players

- Ask the students to put the words ( the names of the players ) in the right places in the stadium to have a team in the field

in the right positions on the Christmas tree

4 Listen and draw :

Ex : When the students read a text about a farm , The teacher reads a discription about the things on the farm , students listen and draw the scenery on the farm

5 True – false statement prediction :

Ex : when students read a text about a famous person , the teacher gives some information about that famous person such as : date of birth , place of birth , date of death , famous

inventions … .Students have to guess whether that information is true or false

6 Open-prediction :

Ex: when students read a text about the Tet holiday , the teacher gives some questions such as :a What do Vietnamese children do at Tet ?

b.Do children in England visit their relatives during the Tet holiday ?

c.What do people in Viet Nam prepare for Tet ?

-Students have to find out the information to answer these questions

* While – reading and post – reading techniques :

1.True – false statements

4 Job :5.Place of burial :6.Date od dead :7.Names of his novels : 9.Role-play :

13.Songs and rhyms / songs on tapes

* Beside the techniques I often use above, the followings are also techniques which are used in

teaching reading.

DIY word order ; Tapped dictation; Write the text before you read it; Draw a text; agreeing andDisagreeing; Punctuating a text; First and Last Letter Dictation; Running Dictation; “Orange” Dictation; Stop and correct; Scrambled Dictation; Chain Story; Tape Dictation; Did you read that?; Question Brainstorming; Spider Diagram; Dictated Titles; The Really New and the Merely New; Keywords; Hiding words in the text; Visualizing the text

VII SOME MAIN KINDS OF READING EXERCISES :

Students must get acquainted with many kinds of exercises when studying reading skills The followings are some of the most popular kinds of reading exercises

1.Read a text and answer the questions

Ex: Read the text carefully , then answer the questions.

The ancient town of Hoi An lies on the Thu Bon River , 30 km south of Da Nang It wasformerly a major trading center in Southeast Asia between the 16th and 17th centuries Hoi An isfamous for its old temples , pagodas , small tile-roofed houses and narrow streets All thehouses were made of wood and their pillars were carved with ornamental designs

All visitors to Hoi An are recommended a visit to the Assembly Hall of Cantonese ChineseCongregation This house was built in 1855 and still keeps many precious objects thatbelonged to the Chinese community of Hoi An Another attractive address to tourists is Tan KyHouse , which was constructed nearly two centuries ago as a house of a Vietnamese merchant the house now looks almost exactly as it did in the early 19th century

In recent years, Hoi An has become a popular tourist destination in Vietnam In 1999, it wascertified by UNESCO as a world Cultural Heritage Site

1.Where is the ancient town of Hoi An situated ?

2.What was Hoi An known as between the 16th and 17th centuries?

3.What is it famous for ?

4.What are the old houses in Hoi An like ?

5.How old is The Assembly Hall of Contonese Chinese congretation?

6.When was Tan Ky House built ?

7.When was Hoi An declared by UNESCO as a world Cultural Heritage Site ?

2.Read a text and decide whether the following statements are true or false

EX: Read the passage and decide if the statements below are true (T) or fales(F)

Pollution is a major problem of our times.Air , water and land are all polluted.Poor waste

disposal is to blame for many of the problems and the situation is particularly acute in heavily industrialized and over-populated regions Pollution of the atmosphere has led to the

destruction of the ozone layer and to the green house effect.Other environmental problems have been caused by too rapid a use of resources There are far fewer fish in the sea because of over-fishing and the destruction of the rain forests is having unforeseen ecological

consequences.Battery farming provides a lot of food but involves keeping animals in unnaturaland unhealthy condition

* Decide if it is true(T) or false(F).Correct the false sentences

1…… pollution is an important problem nowadays

2…… Pollution of the atmosphere has destroyed the ozone layer

3…… There are more fish in the sea due to over-fishing

4…… Battery farming provides a lot of food and involves keeping animals in good condition.5…… Poor waste disposal causes pollution

Answers:

1.T

2.T

3.F there are far fewer fish in the sea because of over-fishing

4.F Battery farming provides a lot of food but involves keeping animals in unnatural and unhealthy condition

5 T

3.Read an open – text and find out the suitable words to fill in the blanks ( the words are not given , so students have to think and find out the suitable words to fill in the blanks )

Ex : Read the open text and then find the missing words to fill in the blanks.

Everyone wants to reduce pollution But pollution problem is (1)……… complicated as it isserious It is complicated (2)……… much pollution is caused by things that benefit people Forexample, exhaust (3)……… Automobiles causes a large percentage of all air pollution Butautomobiles (4)…………transportation for millions of people Factories discharge much of thematerial (5)……… Pollutes the air and water , but factories give employment to a large (6)

………of people Too much firtilizer or pesticide can ruin soil , but firtilizers and pesticide (7)

……… important aids to the growing of crops Thus, to end (8)……… greatly reducespollution immediately , people would have to (9)……… using many things that benefit them.Most people do not want to do that , of course But pollution can (10)……….graduallyreduced in several ways

* Answers:

4.Read a text and fill in the incomplete sentences given with the information from the text

Ex : Read the passage carefully and complete the following sentences

Northern Japan has been rocked by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began on 23October 2004 and left at least 23 people dead and thousands more injured and homeless

The initial quake that struck the Niigata prefecture on Honshu Island measured 6.5 on theRichter Scale , with a depth of 9.8 miles, according to the U.S Geological Survey(USGS).The earthquake’s epicenter was located about 162 miles northwest of Tokyo in Ojiya City,where several deaths were reported , housing was destroyed and landslides added to thedevastation Tremors from the initial quake were said to have been felt as far away as Tokyo,with two aftershocks measuring 6.2 and 6.0 on the Richter Scale and another 5.7-magnitudeearthquake occurred on Monday, October 25

The quakes demolished more than 1,000 buildings, caused widespread power and gas outagesand damaged water mains Rescue efforts were hindered by impassible roads , lack ofelectricity and collapsed bridges

a.A series of earthquakes and aftershocks happened in …………in October, 2004

b.The strength of the initial earthquake measured ………c.The strength and the depth of the earthquake were measured by ……… d.The center of the earthquake was ………e.Tremors from the initial earthquake were felt in ………… , with two aftershocks andanother earthquake measuring ………….on the Richter Scale

f.More than 1,000 buildings were ……… g.After the earthquakes, the supply of ……… and …………was interrupted in manyplaces

h.Impassable roads , lack of electricity , and collapsed bridges prevented ………

5.Read a text and make questions for the answers given

Ex: Read the passage and then use the information given to make questions.

JONATHAN SWIFT ( 1667 – 1745 )

Jonathan Swift , a famous English writer , was born in a poor family in Dublin, Ireland Hisfather died some months before the boy was born His mother found work in England and leftJonathan in his uncle’s family

The boy learnt very well at school and his uncle sent him to the university for four years In

1689, Swift went to England and found there work of a secretary to a member of Parliament

At that time, Swift began to write articles for newspapers in which he attacked the Government

of England and its colonial policy in Ireland He wanted the Irish people to be free and happy.Soon Swift began to write not only articles for newspapers but satirical novels, too In 1726 hewrote the novel “Gulliver’s travels” which made him famous It was a satirical novel aboutEngland People liked the book not only in England and Ireland but in other countries, too

1.An Englis writer

2.In Dublin, Ireland

3.In his uncle’s family

4.In 1689

5.In 1726

1.what was Jonathan’s job?

2.Where was he born?

3

4

5

6.Read a text and use the cues given to make questions and answer them

Ex : Read the following passage , then make up questions and answer them

Everyday on radio, on TV, and in the newspapers ,we hear, see, or read about manyproblems in the world, for example, pollution problems.

Air pollution is the first kind It mostly comes from fumes released from motorbikes,cars,airplanes , trains , and poisonous gases emitted from factoties Also , waste is dumpedanywhere ,even in the city where many people are living The second pollution problem is seapollution Many people earn their living from fishing in the sea ,and the fish they catch feedmany people But the sea has become so polluted from oil spills and factory wastes that thefish are dying This pollution is not only killing the fish , but is also affecting those peoplewho eat fish

Seldom do you find a place nowadays that is not polluted This problem is growing moredifficult everyday We must find a good solution that makes the world a better place to live a.How often / hear , see or read / problem / world ?

b.What / cause / air pollution ?

c.Where / rubbish /dump ?

d.What / cause / sea pollution ?

e.What / happen / when / sea / pollute ?

f.What / should / do now ?

7.Read a text and complete the summary , using the information from the text

Ex : Read the passage and use information from the passage to complete the summary

Van , a student from Ho Chi Minh City , is an exchange student in the USA He is now livingwith the Parker family on a farm 100 kilometers outside Columbus , Ohio He will stay theretill the beginning of October

Mr Parker grows maize on his farm , while Mrs.Parker works part-time at a grocery store in anearby town They have two children Peter is the same age as Van, and Sam is still inprimary school

Since Van arrived, he has been learning a lot about life on a farm In the afternoon, as soon as

he completes his homework, he feeds the chicken and collects their eggs On the weekends, IfMr.Parker is busy, the three boys help him on the farm

On Saturday afternoon, Peter plays baseball The Parker family and Van eat hamburgers or hotdogs while they watch Peter play The Parkers are nice so Van feels like a member of theirfamily

* Complete the following summary :

8.Read a text and fill in the form /the grid

A Vietnamese boy named Van is living with the Parker family in the American state of (1)……… Mr Parker is a (2)…………and Mrs.Parker (3)………….in a nearby town They have two children, (4)………… and (5)………… .Van often does chores (6)

……… School Sometimes , he also helps on the (7)………… The family relaxes on Saturday afternoon and (8)………… Peter play (9)………… Van likes the Parkers, and he enjoys being a (10)……… of their family