TEACHING READING

DR.NAZİFE AYDINOĞLU
WHICH PICTURE BEST REFLECTS WHAT READING IS?
The text is full of meaning like a jug full of
water; the reader’s mind soaks it up like a
sponge. The reader’s role is passive; all
the work has been done by the writer and
the reader has only to open his mind and
let the meaning pour in.
The text functions like a do-it-yourself
construction kit. A reader tackling a text
resembles an amateur furniture maker
unpacking his do-it yourself kit and trying
to work out how the pieces fit together.
Here are some definitions of reading.
• Reading is actually a very complex process that
requires a great deal of active participation on
the part of the reader.
• Reading is asking questions of printed text. And
reading with comprehension becomes a matter
of getting your questions answered.
- Frank Smith in Reading Without Nonsense
(1997)
• Reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game. It involves
an interaction between thought and language. Efficient
reading does not result from precise perception and
identification of all elements, but from skill in selecting
the fewest, most productive cues necessary to produce
guesses which are right the first time. The ability to
anticipate that which has not been seen, of course, is
vital in reading, just as the ability to anticipate what has
not yet been heard is vital in listening.
- Kenneth Goodman in Journal of the Reading Specialist
• Reading is a matter of bringing meaning to print, not
extracting meaning from print. (McCormick, T. 1988)
Proficient readers

• recognize the purpose for reading,

• approach the reading with that purpose in
mind,
• use strategies that have proven successful
to them in the past when reading similar
texts for similar purposes,
• monitor their comprehension of the text in
light of the purpose for reading,
• know when unknown words will interfere with
achieving their purpose for reading,
• have a number of word attack strategies
available to them that will allow them to
decipher the meaning of the unknown words,
• make meaning from the text by using their own
prior knowledge and experiences,
• Make constant predictions while reading.
TYPES OF READING

• Top-down reading,
• Bottom-up reading,
• Intensive reading,
• Extensive reading,
• Skimming,
• Scanning,
• Critical reading,
• Jigsaw reading.
Top-down reading

• Top-down reading models suggest that

processing of a text begins in the mind of
the readers. In it we draw on our own
intelligence and experience- the
predictions we can make, based on the
schemata we have acquired. It proceeds
from whole to part.
some features of a top-down reading

• Readers can comprehend a selection even

though they do not recognize each word.
• Readers should use meaning and grammatical
cues to identify unrecognized words.
 Reading for meaning is the primary objective of
reading rather than mastery of letters,
letter/sound relationships, and words.
.
• Reading requires the use of meaning activities
rather than the mastery of a series of word-
recognition skills.
• The primary focus of instruction should be the
reading of sentences, paragraphs, and whole
selections.
• The most important aspect about reading is the
amount and kind of information gained through
reading.
. Bottom-up Reading

• In bottom-up reading, the reader builds up a meaning

from the black marks on the page: recognizing letters
and words, working out sentence structure.It proceeds
from part to whole. It operates on the principle that the
written text is hierarchically organized (i.e., on the
grapho-phonic, phonemic, syllabic, morphemic, word,
and sentence levels) and that the reader first processes
the smallest linguistic unit, gradually compiling the
smaller units to decipher and comprehend the higher
units (e.g., sentence syntax).” (Dechant 1991)
some features of a bottom-up reading:
The reader needs to
• identify letter features
• link these features to recognize letters
• combine letters to recognize spelling
patterns
• link spelling patterns to recognize words,
and
• then proceed to sentence, paragraph and
text-level processing.
Intensive Reading

• Reading shorter texts for detailed information

with an emphasis on precise understanding. It
involves approaching the text under the
guidance of a teacher or a task which forces the
students to focus on the text. The aim is to
arrive at an understanding not only of what the
text means but of how the meaning is produced.
The “how” is as important as the “what”.
• Within intensive reading a further
distinction can be made between skills-
based and text-based teaching. In skill-
based teaching a number of texts may be
used to practice the skill, e.g. to make
inference, to find the main idea.In text-
based teaching, the text is studied in
detail as the aim is to understand it fully.
Extensive Reading

• Extensive reading is reading longer texts,

often for pleasure and for an overall
understanding. It is done outside the
class. The goal is to read as much as
possible in the time available. It is the
teacher’s task to provide the students with
the necessary materials and help them
choose the suitable ones.
Skimming

• Skimming is used to quickly identify the main

ideas of a text. When you read the newspaper,
you're probably not reading it word-by-word,
instead you're skimming the text. Skimming is
done at a speed three to four times faster than
normal reading. People often skim when they
have lots of material to read in a limited amount
of time. Use skimming when you want to see if
an article may be of interest in your research.
• There are many strategies that can be used when
skimming. Some people read the first and last
paragraphs using headings, summaries and other
organizers as they move down the page or screen. You
might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and
illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each
paragraph.
Some Skimming Activities
• Give several titles and a text and ask the
sts to find the suitable title for the text,
• Give several texts and titles and ask the
students to match them,
• Give a text and a list of topics and ask
which topics are dealt with in the text,
• Give a text and several figures(pictures,
diagrams,etc.) and ask which figures
illustrate the text,
• Give some letters and ask the students to
categorize them,
• Give some extracts from newspapers and
magazines and ask the students to categorize
them,
• Give several texts some dealing with a topic,
some not. Ask the students which of these texts
deal with the topic.
Scanning
• Scanning is a technique you often use when
looking up a word in the telephone book or
dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In
most cases, you know what you're looking for,
so you're concentrating on finding a particular
answer. Scanning involves moving your eyes
quickly down the page seeking specific words
and phrases. Scanning is also used when you
first find a resource to determine whether it will
answer your questions. Once you've scanned the
document, you might go back and skim it.
• When scanning, look for the author's use
of organizers such as numbers, letters,
steps, or the words, first, second, or next.
Look for words that are bold faced, italics,
or in a different font size, style, or color.
Sometimes the author will put key ideas in
the margin.
• 
• This technique is useful when you're
seeking specific information rather than
reading for comprehension. Scanning
works well to find dates, names, and
places. It might be used to review graphs,
tables, and charts.
Some Scanning Activities

• Look at p.x and find out when and where

sth. happened.
• Ask how many times a word occurs on a
page.
• Ask which forms of a word is used in a
text,
• Give a headline in a newspaper and ask
on which page and column it is given.
Critical Reading

• To non -critical readers, texts provide facts. To

the critical reader, any single text provides but
one portrayal of the facts, one individual’s “take”
on the subject matter. Critical readers thus
recognize not only what a text says, but also
how that text portrays the subject matter.  They
recognize the various ways in which each and
every text is the unique creation of a unique
author.
Goals of critical reading
• to recognize an author’s purpose
( involves inferring a basis for choices of
content and language)      
• to understand tone and persuasive
elements
(involves classifying the nature of language
choices )
• to recognize bias
(involves classifying the nature of patterns
of choice of content and language) 
Ask yourself the following
questions for critical reading
• What is the topic of the book or reading?
What issues are addressed?
• What conclusion does the author reach
about the issue(s)?
• What are the author's reasons for his or
her statements or belief?
Is the author using facts, theory, or faith?
 Jig-saw Reading

• This is an approach to reading that

involves the students in speaking and
summarising skills. It is very useful when
working with short authentic texts such as
newspaper articles. Jigsaw reading can be
done in two ways:
 Two separate stories
 One story split in two
Two separate stories
o If you have two news stories that share a theme - for example
two separate stories on crime - prepare comprehension
questions for each story. Give one half of the class (Group A)
one story, and the other half (Group B) the other. The students
read their article, answer the questions and check
understanding. Students then pair up with someone from the
other group and tell them about their story, and listen to the
other one. To help students remember their story you may get
them to take notes. Alternatively, the students can keep the
article with them to refer to. Be careful though, as lazier (or
ingenious) students will either read the article aloud, or simply
give it to their partner to read!!
One story split in two

o Some stories can be clearly divided in two.

Follow the same procedure as above, but
giving each group only one half of the story.
When the students are recounting their half of
the article, make sure that the student with
the opening half goes first.
Micro-skills for Reading Comprehension

• 1. Discriminate among the distinctive

graphemes and orthographic patterns of
English.
2. Retain chunks of language of different
lengths in short-term memory.
3. Process writing at an efficient rate of
speed to suit the purpose.
4. Recognize a core of words, and interpret
word order patterns and their significance.
Micro-skills for Reading Comprehension

• 5. Recognize grammatical word classes

(nouns, verbs, etc.), systems (e.g., tense,
agreement, pluralization) patterns, rules,
and elliptical forms.
6. Recognize that a particular meaning may
be expressed in different grammatical
forms.
7. Recognize cohesive devices in written
discourse and their role in signaling the
relationship between and among clauses.
Macro-Reading Skills for Comprehension
• 1. Recognize the rhetorical forms of written
discourse and their significance for interpretation.
2. Recognize the communicative functions of
written texts, according to form and purpose.
3. Infer context that is not explicit by using
background knowledge.
4. From described events, ideas, etc., infer links
and connections between events, deduce causes
and effects, and detect such relations as main
idea, supporting idea, new information, given
information, generalization, and exemplification
Macro-Reading Skills for Comprehension

• 5. Distinguish between literal and implied

meanings.
6. Detect culturally specific references and
interpret them in a context of the appropriate
cultural schemata.
7. Develop and use a battery of reading
strategies, such as scanning and skimming,
detecting discourse markers, guessing the
meaning of words from context, and activating
schemata for the interpretation of texts.
Steps of a Reading Lesson

• Pre-reading
• While-reading
• Follow-up
Pre-reading
Reading is a meaning seeking process. Effective
readers are active, not passive. They take some time
before they begin to read a text to:
• activate prior knowledge
• familiarize with the topic
• preview the passage (vocabulary and structure of the
text)
• make predictions
• establish a purpose
• generate questions
 
Pre-reading strategies
• Brainstorming:
Examine the title of the selection you are about
to read
List all the information that comes to mind about
this title
Use these pieces of information to recall and
understand the material
Use this knowledge to reframe or reorder what
you know, or to note what you disagree with, for
further research
Group discussions:

• 
Group discussions in and out of class will
help you to discover what you bring to
your reading, what your fellow students
bring, as well as shared experiences
If you find they have new background
information, ask for more information
from them
• Concept or mind mapping:
This is a type of brainstorming where you
place the title/subject as the main idea,
then develop a "mind map" around it. It
can be effective either in a group or by
yourself
Pre-questions:

• Often chapters in texts provide organizing questions. 

You can also write out a series of questions you expect
to be answered when reading:
Examples:
• Definition
What is....?
Where does ... fit?
What group does ... belong to?
• Characteristics
How would I describe...?
What does ... look like?
What are its parts?
• Examples
What is a good example of ...?
What are similar examples that share
attributes but differ in some way?
• Experience
What experience have I had with ....?
What can I imagine about ...?
• Visual Aids:
Pictures and other visual material can
activate your prior knowledge.
Use the Internet to search for pictures
related to your title/topic to give you
visual images of what you are about to
read.
Vocabulary Previews:
•
Unfamiliar key words need to be taught to students
before reading so that new words, background
information, and comprehension can improve together.
• List all words in the assignment that may be important
for students to understand. Arrange words to show the
relationships to the learning task. Add words students
probably already understand to connect relationships
between what is known and the unknown. Share
information with students.  Verbally quiz them on the
information before assigned reading
Structural Organizers:
•  Before reading an assignment, basic
frameworks which are included in the text
should be pointed out such as cause-effect or
problem-solution.  It can be beneficial to call
attention to specific plans of paragraph or text
organization such as signal words, main idea
sentences, highlighted phrases, headings and
subtitles.  A review of skimming techniques
might also be appropriate as these various areas
are covered.
A Purpose for Reading:
• When students have a purpose for reading a selection,
they find that purpose not only directs their reading
towards a goal, but helps to focus their attention. 
Purposes may come from teacher directed questions,
questions from class discussions or brainstorming, or
from the individual student.  Along with the question, it
is a good idea to pose predictions of the outcome and
problems which need to be solved.  These may be
generated by the student or the teacher, but the teacher
should use these to guide students in the needed
direction for the assigned selection.
Author Consideration:

• Depending upon the content area, a

discussion of the author of the particular
work can be helpful to the understanding
of it.  What is the author trying to say? 
What is his point of view and his reason
for writing the particular work?
While-reading Activities

• While reading activities are generally

categorized into three groups:
• Skimming
• Scanning
• Comprehension activities
• Word-attack activities
• Text-attack activities
Comprehension questions
• Pronominal questions
• Yes/No questions
• True/False questions
• Multiple Choice questions
• Sentence completion
• Information transfer
• Matching
• Translation
Text-attack Skills
• These include being aware of cohesive ties,
the devices that help to distinguish a text
from a collection of unconnected sentences.
There are any number of text attack skills.
According to Nuttall:
● Understanding syntax.
● Recognising and interpreting cohesive
devices.
● Interpreting discourse markers.
• ● Recognising functional value.
● Recognising text organization.
● Recognising the presuppositions
underlying the text.
● Recognising implications and making
inferences.
● Prediction.
Text attack questions

• What does X refer to?

• Put the paragraphs into order
• Put the missing paragraph into the correct
place
• Take out the irrelevant paragraph
• Match the subtitles and the paragraphs
Text attack questions

• Insert the sentence into the correct place.

• Take out the irrelevant sentence
• Use of graphic organizers such as
categorising, comparing, etc.
Word attack

• Word-Attack Strategies
Word-attack strategies help students
decode, pronounce, and understand
unfamiliar words. They help students
attack words piece by piece or from a
different angle. Model and instruct
students:
Use Picture Clues

• Look at the picture.

• Are there people, objects, or actions in the
picture that might make sense in the
sentence?
Sound Out the Word

• Start with the first letter, and say each

letter-sound out loud.
• Blend the sounds together and try to say
the word. Does the word make sense in
the sentence?
Look for Chunks in the Word

• Look for familiar letter chunks. They may

be sound/symbols, prefixes, suffixes,
endings, whole words, or base words.
• Read each chunk by itself. Then blend the
chunks together and sound out the word.
Does that word make sense in the
sentence?
Connect to a Word You Know

• Think of a word that looks like the unfamiliar

word.
• Compare the familiar word to the unfamiliar
word. Decide if the familiar word is a chunk or
form of the unfamiliar word.
• Use the known word in the sentence to see if
it makes sense. If so, the meanings of the two
words are close enough for understanding.
Reread the Sentence

• Read the sentence more than once.

• Think about what word might make sense
in the sentence. Try the word and see if
the sentence makes sense.
Keep Reading

• Read past the unfamiliar word and look for

clues.
• If the word is repeated, compare the
second sentence to the first. What word
might make sense in both?
Use Prior Knowledge

• Think about what you know about the

subject of the book, paragraph, or
sentence.
• Do you know anything that might make
sense in the sentence? Read the sentence
with the word to see if it makes sense.
Post-Reading

• Relate to sts’ personal experience

• Integrate it with writing and speaking
skills
• Prepare some games
• Have topical or structural review
• THANK YOU