Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at thach thanh 4 high school to prepare for the 2016 national competition

Scanning is often used when searching for data such as names, dates, parameters or words in texts without reading and understanding all the other parts of thequestions or for students, a

INDEX PAGE APPENDIX .

I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Reasons for the research……… 1

2 Purposes ……….……… 1

3 Subjects ……….… 1

4 Methods……….……… 1

II CONTENT ……… ….1 - 19 1 Theoretical background ……… …….1 - 2 2 Reality before applying the research……… ………2

3 Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems…… …… 2

3.1 Reading comprehension skills……….………2 - 4 3.1.1 Skimming ……… …… 2

3.1.2 Scanning……… ………3

3.1.3 Paraphrasing……….…3 - 4 3.1.4 Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills………….…4 -15 3.1.5 Example for all the types of questions of reading comprehension skills ……… … 15-19 4 Effectiveness of research……… ………19

III.CONCLUSION……… …….20

1 General conclusion ……… ……20

2 Recommendation……… ……20

REFERENCES……… ………

I INTRODUCTION

1 Reasons for the research

Today English is regarded as a global language that anyone in the world needs to

be fluent this foreign language as a way of communication and integration So,learning English becomes one compulsory subject for the schools However, thecharacteristics of the school where the majority of students are from ethnicminorities, many students do not have access to English courses, and many parents

do not see the importance of it Moreover, conditions of school facilities is limited,these reasons prevent students from learning for English well to ethnic high schoolstudents as well as students of Thach Thanh 4 high school

2 Purposes

From my point of view, I noticed that students often have some difficulties such

as impatience, the rules of pronunciation, new words and grammar etc Of the fourskills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, the reading comprehension skillalways makes my students lost patience The reading passages are too long forthem to understand because there are many new words and inferential questionswhich makes any students downhearted Furthermore, this skill contains a lot ofpoints in the exams Therefore, I have given my own experiences to help studentsovercome the difficulties of this skills

3 Subjects

To help students figure out all the detailed method, the form of questions in thecomprehension exercises The teacher should help students to know where the answer inthe reading is, what the way to do the type of questions is In this way, the students will findthe method which they have to use with the types of question; it is most effective way forthem to avoid confusion between them with different ones

II.CONTENT

1 Theoretical background

Reading comprehension skill is one of the most difficult skills because it needsmany factors such as vocabulary, grammar to answer the question Students are notoften easy to get an answer quickly, translate the meaning of it Even though theyhave found the passage that relates to the answer but in some case, they cannot findout the answer Maybe they do not know the closest meaning, opposite meaning,the way to move from specific nouns into common nouns, change part of speechand use other structures

2 Reality before applying the research

Understanding the student’s difficulties , teacher must know how to simplify thetypes of questions in order that the students can increase their interest, help themsee that this skill is not too difficult as they thought, make students feel passion forall types of questions as well as for English subject

3 Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems

Teacher must find the measures to solve the difficulties of readingcomprehension skills, provide many examples from easy to difficult, ask students

to look up and learn by heart all kind of words that concern vocabulary or thestructure as a source of examples for the following exercises Besides, teacher need

to ask them to do this one for each topic to realize what kind of vocabulary is usedfor that topics, help them increase vocabulary for other skills, such as filling in theblanks, etc; Show students that they have to understand certainly the skill of eachtype, practice more and more to be abundant experience for themselves

As the student’s difficulties I see, through researching and teaching, I have givensome interesting methods for this skill, here are some experiences myself so as tohelp students cope with the difficulties of reading comprehension skills

3.1 Reading comprehension skills

Before doing reading comprehension exercises, students have to understandclearly some basic skills There are three basic skills that often appear in reading

3.1.1 Skimming

● Definition

Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage toget an overall impression of the content of a reading selection

● When is skimming skill used?

- Skimming to find the significance of readings in order to determine where is theimportant information; to determine the main keywords

- After skimming a passage, you will determine whether you need to read this skill then

● How to skim

- Read the title and the introduction or the first paragraph

- Read the first sentence of every other paragraph and any heading and sub-heading

- Notice any pictures, charts or graphs, any italicized or boldface words or phrases

- Read the summary or last paragraph

3.1.2 Scanning

● Definition

Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specificinformation quickly In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read apassage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information

● When is Scanning skill used?

Scanning is often used when searching for data such as names, dates, parameters

or words in texts without reading and understanding all the other parts of thequestions or for students, after completing skimming they can apply Scanning tofind the exact answer

● How to Scan

- State the specific information you are looking for

- Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to helpyou locate the answer

- Use heading and any other aids that will help you identify which sections mightcontain the information you are looking for

- Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage

* Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change of women

* Paraphrases: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women

● Some paraphrase’s technique

This technique consists of the following ways:

♦ Using synonyms

For example:

* A car exhibition → An auto show

* To identify problems in the system → To expose defects in the system

♦ Using antonyms

For example:

* The public school is opened to Monday through Saturday →The public school isclosed on Sunday

* To encourage better attendance → To have fewer absences

♦ Moving from a specific noun into common noun

For example:

* They are buying some apples →they are buying some fruits

* She has bought a microwave oven for two days → She has bought a kitchen

♦ Moving from a common noun into a specific noun

For example:

* Fossil fuels → coal, oil, and gas

* Transportation → bus, subway, train and airline service

♦ Word class conversion

For example:

* He cycles very slowly → He is very slow cyclist

* To take occasional walks →To walk occasionally

♦ Using other structures

For example:

* High salary based on the level of prior experience →Pay depends on how muchexperience the employee has

* Public parking is available, but limited → Visitors aren’t easy to find a place to park

3.1.4 Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills

There are nine questions that usually appear in reading comprehension It isdivided into three main groups: the question of main idea, the question of specificinformation and reference, the question of vocabulary

● The questions of main idea

- Question 1: Finding the main idea of the reading

- Question 2: Finding the purpose of the reading

In general, the readings are at least a question of this type, it can be asked inmany different forms but finally, it will ask students to identify “topic”, “title”, “subject” “main idea” Here is a main ideas questions table which helps studentsunderstand exactly for this ones

Main ideas questions

Some kinds of main

ideas questions

-what is the topic/subject of the passage?

-what is the main idea of the passage?

-what is the author’s main point in the passage?

-what is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

The answer -The question is usually located the first or last

of each paragraph If the main idea isn’t the first or last of each paragraph, we will do it after completing all other questions

The method -Read the first line of each passage

-Find the most common idea in the first line and the relationship between them

-while reading, pay attention to the keywords that is repeated several times

-skim all passage to check the correct content -Eliminate wrong answers certainly, normally, the main idea isn’t too general, too specific or not mentioned

-Choose the best answer in other options

♦ Give the example to explain this method

An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material adversely Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the extensive list of harmful substances known today As technology has developed and knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air pollutants has lengthened In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air pollutant under certain conditions

Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, are found in nature As the earth developed, the concentration of these pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in biogeochemical cycles These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the compounds to move from the air to the water or soil On a global basis, nature’s output of these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities

However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city In such a region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles The result is an increased concentration of noxious chemicals in the air The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area For example , sulfur dioxide has detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm

Question: what does the passage mainly discuss?

A the economic impact of air pollution

B what constitutes an air pollutant

C how much harm air pollutants can cause

D the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere

Explain the answer

Skimming the first and last each paragraph to find the main idea the passage Then,

we can use elimination to find the best answer

A the economic impact of air pollution is not mentioned

B the passage refers to the pollutants in the 14th century in England until now

C the passage is not mentioned about how much harm air pollutants can cause

D the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere this isn’t main idea the

passage ►The correct answer is B (what constitutes an air pollutant)

-Question 3: Identify organizational ideas, general organization or attitude

This kind of question, we are often asked to identify passage’s organization orauthor’s attitude For question about organization, we should pay attention to theconnection words between paragraphs For the question about author’s attitude, weshould notice the adjective expression

Organization question Signal

Time order/chronological order Firstly, secondly, finally, next, then.

Cause and Effect Because, since, as, as a result

Definition and example Define, mean, indicate

Comparison and contrast On the other hand, more, less, most

Problem-solution Cause, result in/ deal with

♦ Provide the example for this kind’s question

Increasing numbers of parents in the US are choosing to teach their children at home In fact; the US department of education has estimated that in 1999, about 850.000 children were being homeschooled Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school

Although there have been a lot of arguments for and against it, homeschooling in the U.S has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing

Question: The attitude of the author towards homeschooling can be best described as…

A acceptable B favorable C remarkable D unfavorable

Explain the answer:

For this kind of question, we should do after skimming all passage to understandthe passage’s main content to find the attitude of author In this passage, the authorgives the thesis about the trend of increasing numbers parents for homeschooling inthe USA

The reasons for this trend are taking place and developing, so the author’s attitude

is positive ►The best answer is B (favorable)

● Stated detail questions

-Question 4.Determining information that appears in the reading

The question about determining information in reading always asks little detailed information in reading Answer for the question is available information in the reading Normally, the correct answer is only

“restatement” again the information by using different expression words Below is the table’s stated detail question

Stated detail questions

The questions

-According to the passage, -It is stated in the passage………

-The passage indicates that……….

true………

The answer It is located in the reading

The methods -Underline main word, important idea in the

reading -Use scanning skills to find appropriate passage

to read carefully information -Read carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question

-Eliminate the mistake options and choose the best answer

♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions

An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material adversely Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the extensive list of harmful substances known today As technology has developed and knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air pollutants has lengthened In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air pollutant under certain conditions

Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, are found in nature As the earth developed, the concentration of these pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in biogeochemical cycles These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the compounds to move from the air to the water or soil On a global basis, nature’s output of these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities

However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city In such a region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles The result is an increased concentration of noxious chemicals in the air The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area For example , sulfur dioxide has detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm

Question: According to the passage, human –generated air pollution in localized regions…………

A can be dwarfed by nature’s output of pollutants

B can overwhelm ( lấn át )the natural system that removes pollutants

C will damage areas outside of the localized regions

D will react harmfully with natural pollutants

Explain the answer:

“Key words” in the question is “human-generated” “air pollution” “localized regions” So,

we have to use scanning skill to find where key word located in the passage is We can seethe information in sentence: “human output may be dominant and may temporarilyoverload the natural purification scheme of the cycles”

►The correct answer is B (can overwhelm the natural system that removes pollutants)

●Unstated detail questions

-Question 5: Determining information that is not mentioned in the passage

It means that you find the answer which its content isn’t mentioned It oftenappears the words such as: “not mentioned” “not stated” “all the following optionsare true Except” or “not true” This kind of question has three options that containthe same information in the paragraph and one question is not mentioned in theones Below are the table’s unstated detail questions

Unstated detail questions

The question -Which of the following is not stated/mentioned…?

-Which of the following is not discussed…………?

-All of the following are true except………?

The answer The answer is the information that is not mentioned

in the passage or it is a incorrect answer

The method -Read carefully the question and the available

options, underline key words -Skim quickly to choose the appropriate information part for key words

-Eliminate the options that is mentioned or correct

in the reading -Choose the answer that is not mentioned or incorrect

♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions

Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be

as small as 5 microns.

Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate,

called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other ray tube devices

The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed .Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age.

Question: Fiberscopes are being used to do all of the following Except……….

A assist in delicate surgeries

B control operations in inaccessible areas

C converts light pulses to electrical signals

D transmit images

Explain the answer:

The information in passage “In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes toexamine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery (A) Miniature probeshave also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells.Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or

control operations in inaccessible areas (B) They can transmit images (D)

►The answer is C (Convert light pulses to electrical signals)

● Question about where in the passage

-Question 6: Finding the information where is in the passage

This question asks to find information in the question about where is theinformation mentioned in the passage, it is located in where line or paragraph inreading The answer will be lines or paragraphs that have the information Below isthe table’s question about where in the passage

Question about where in the passage

The answer The answer is some connective lines in the reading

which contain the information of question

The method -Determine the key word or main idea of the question

;read quickly the options -Skim all passage to find out the information’s location of key word in the question

-Choose the best answer

♦ Provide the example for this question about where in the passage

Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what

is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as 5 microns.

Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused

together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices

The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to