Stages of a Reading Comprehension Lesson

WEEK 7

Teaching of Reading
INTENSIVE READING

Intensive Reading Requires close reading with thorough understanding Two types of intensive reading

TEXT-BASED

SKILL-BASED

Text-based vs. Skill-based Reading

Text-based Understanding specific texts as closely as possible Very common in Malaysian classrooms where students employ various reading strategies in tackling the text they are reading

Text-based vs. Skill-based Reading

Skill-based Focuses on a particular reading skill, for instance, inference or prediction. Instead of working on a single text, skill-based will employ different texts to develop specific reading strategies.

The Different Stages of Reading

Stage 1 PREREADING Stage 2 WHILEREADING Stage 3 POSTREADING

Stages of a Reading Comprehension Lesson

The Different Stages of Reading

To help students understand the text they are

reading, teachers can stimulate students thinking through reading activities that are specific to each stage.

Pre-Reading

Pre-Reading
What do you think is the purpose of pre-reading

activities? Readers who have more prior knowledge about a reading passage are able to comprehend the passage better compared to those who do not have much prior knowledge. Knowledge of content and the target culture & knowledge of language play a significant role in reading comprehension

Benefits of Pre-Reading Activities

Pre-reading activities

Tap appropriate schemata

Prepare students for the text

Students interest towards the text is developed Purpose of reading established

Better reading Comprehension

The Purposes of Pre-Reading Activities

To establish the purpose in reading (e.g. Why am I

reading this? What do I want to get from it?) To develop the students interest in the reading material To preview the text To reflect on what they already know To invoke the appropriate network of schemata To provide the necessary background knowledge

Pre-Reading: Possible Activities & Tasks

Anticipate content through: music & sounds pictures, illustrations, cover page etc. preface & introduction the index or the table of contents the key words or key ideas in the text chapter titles headlines, the opening sentence & the closing sentence the title, the first sentence & the first few words of every

paragraph blurbs & biographical information of the author

Pre-Reading: Possible Activities & Tasks

Semantic Mapping Match titles & pictures, illustrations, cover page,

etc. Match titles & text or short descriptions of text Discussion on what students know about the topic Quiz to familiarize students with some of the ideas that will be dealt with in the text Arranging a possible story line Skimming for the gist of the text Scanning for specific information

Examples of Pre-Reading Activities

Example 1
Look at the front cover. What do you think the little girl and her mother are doing? What can you see in the picture?

 Can you guess who

has come to join them for tea?

Example 2
Play recorded sounds (glasses breaking, spraying,

screeching of brakes). Pupils listen and guess the sounds. Show pictures & objects. Play recorded sounds again. Pupils identify the sounds heard & pick the correct pictures.

Example 3
Say & show some actions. Pupils follow. Call a pupil to say & do the action. The other pupils follow. E.g. Stamp your foot.

I am stamping my foot. Clap your hands. I am clapping my hands.

 Each group is given a set of jigsaw puzzles. Pupils arrange them to form pictures.

 Display word cards. Say the words. Pupils put the word cards on the pictures identified.

 Show a puppet/toy & talk about it. Put up a series of pictures & question the pupils

about the pictures.

 Show some toy animals. Play the recorded sounds of the animals shown and

the pupils imitate. Put the toys into a box. A pupil picks a toy from the box. The others make the sound of the animal picked.

Example 3
To build students anticipation about the theme of the passage. Do you know what to do if a fire breaks out in your school? Which of these things should you do and which should you not do?
Panic & scream Leave the building quickly Leave everything behind Push your classmates Line up in the school field Run and hide under the tables Phone home

While-Reading

While-Reading
What do you think is the purpose of while-reading

activities? Readers work on the content and the language of the text for comprehension to be achieved E.g. Readers will find out the main ideas, monitor their comprehension & adjust their reading strategies.

The Purposes of While-Reading Activities

To understand: The language & content of the text. The function of the text (e.g. giving information, direction, instruction, persuasion). The organisation of the text (e.g. main ideas vs. supporting details & sequence of events).

While-Reading: Possible Activities

 Self-questioning formulate questions on what they would

like to find out from the text or what they do not understand Retelling & paraphrasing Drawing plot progression Distinguishing main ideas from supporting details Describing characters, setting etc. Summarizing Sequencing Expanding information Reconstructing information delete the punctuation or paragraphing & get students to reconstruct the original form

 Transferring information (maps, tables, graphs, flow

charts) Following instruction make or construct something Changing the beginning, middle or ending Selecting an appropriate summary Matching information characters & quotations, causes & effects, pros & cons Catching the mistake Role play-certain sections of the text Compare & contrast differentiate facts from opinions

Examples of While-Reading Activities

Distribute a handout with instructions on making a

paper puppet. Pupils read the instructions. Pupils follow the instructions and do the paper puppet. Pupils use the paper puppet to role play.

 Pupils pick a prop related to a character in the story

read (e.g. a wand, a mask, a crown, a shoe, a cane). Pupils role play the character.

Examples of While-Reading Activities

To study the chronological sequence in the text. Read the recipe for a chocolate cake. The instructions are not in the correct order. Can you reorder them? To develop scanning skills. Put () for the correct answer and () for the wrong answer. To make comparisons based on the reading text. Compare and contrast Burger King and McDonalds by completing the chart below.

Post-Reading

Post-Reading
What do you think is the purpose of post-reading

activities? After reading the texts, a review of what has been read is carried out: Moral values learned & other implications are discussed Extension work such as projects, role-play & dramatisation Personal responses to the text & evaluation of both the text & the author

The Purposes of Post-Reading Activities

To recall, apply & consolidate what was read To gain the overall understanding of the text To make a global evaluation of the text To evaluate the authors effectiveness in writing To compare & contrast writers values to the values

of the reader To detect the authors biases or prejudice

Post-Reading: Possible Activities & Tasks

Recognising implications Drawing inferences & conclusions Making moral judgements Reassessments & reinterpretations of key issues, events, themes, etc. Writing dialogues, plays or reports Summarising overall events in visual written forms Analysing authors intention & attitude Recognising authors prejudice & biases Reviewing & consolidating what was read

 Divide pupils into pairs. Each pair is given a set of pictures to complete a

family tree based on the story. Pupils create their own family tree.

 Divide pupils into groups. Give an envelope with word cards to each group. Pupils will create a similar rhyme using the word

cards.

 Pupils pick a character from the story. Pupils discuss the personality traits of the characters

with their group members. Pupils then fill bubbles around the character with his/her personality trait.

 Pupils are paired. Pupil 1 is the reporter & pupil 2 is the chosen

character. The reporter will interview the character with guidance.

 Pupils create their own book cover for the story read.

Examples of Post-Reading Activities

To recognise implications & make conclusions of the text read. Imagine that you have been asked to give a speech on the hazards of pollution. Now, write a speech. Include the following points: To make moral judgement Write what you must and must not do in school, at home and in town to keep the environment clean.

Literacy Hour

 An effort to improve teaching and learning situations The Ministry of Education introduced innovative

practices for primary classrooms including the English Hour, Big Books and CD-ROMs in 2002.

 English Hour is a revised English Language

Programme which was based on the model used in the UK Literacy Hour.

 The focus of teaching in the English Hour is on

developing language with story books. Teachers are encouraged to read with students every day during the shared reading session. The English Hour is hoped to provide active engagement and to produce high quality interaction:
Active engagement and high quality interaction means

that the teacher and pupils are always talking to each other or discussing with each other about the ideas in the story or about spelling, grammar, pronunciation, etc. (Ministry of Education, 2002b, p. 35).

 In the context of the English Hour, Big Books were

introduced to inculcate good reading habits among the students, while the CDROMs were hoped to provide greater opportunities to use English in an IT rich environment.

 The daily English Hour comprises a four- step

activity: Step 1: Shared reading (15 minutes); Step 2: Teaching points pronunciation, spelling, word attack skills (15 minutes); Step 3: Guided Reading or writing and independent work (20 minutes) and; Step 4: Summing up (10 minutes). (Ministry of Education, 2002a, p. 23).

1. Whole class shared text work

The lesson starts with the whole class working on a

shared text where the teacher is able to model effective reading or writing and where all pupils can actively participate.

2. Whole class shared sentence/word work

Then comes a short period of word level or sentence

level work. The focus of this part of the lesson is to teach and consolidate phonic knowledge which the children can then apply in their reading and writing or on spelling or sentence construction.

3. Guided reading & Independent work

Twenty minutes of the lesson is for independent

work where pupils apply their literacy skills in meaningful tasks individually, in pairs or in groups. The teacher works with small groups to improve specific skills through guided reading or writing.

Plenary
The final 10 minutes of the lesson is the plenary

session which allows teachers and children to reflect on and assess what has been learnt and to think about how to develop what they have learnt further.

Tutorial Task
Select a piece of text from the primary school

textbooks (Years 1-6) Based on a selection of texts, discuss a possible sequence of teaching a text-based reading lesson. Prepare activities for pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading stages.