Reading & Writing

English 565 Fall 2008/Week 8 Serpil Sonmez

How do language learners read? Who is a good reader? Who is a fluent reader? Is reading a language or thinking skill?

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?

Auidolingual Method- used to practice grammar+vocab+pronunciation 1970s Goodman developed psycholinguistic model of reading suggesting: Better readers: monitor their reading comprehension adjust their reading rates consider reading objectives

Fluency is -simply- rapid and automatic word recognition. Fluent readers don’t read all the words. Fluency activities: read-aloud, repeated reading, flashcards, rapid and timed reading, word-recognition activities

Vocabulary Development: closely related to reading abilities. Vocabulary is a predictor of reading ability. However, reading only doesn’t help with vocab development – instruction is necessary (Graves, 2000; Stahl, 1999) L1 students start with min. 5000-7000 words. Frequently used words take up to 80% of most texts. Dolch or Sight words are used in instruction –particularly L1 and in adult ESL programs- to help reading.

Awareness of text structure is necessary Steps: Identify sentences that convey main ideas of the text Examining headings and subheadings of the text Adding info to partially completed outline Underlining transition phrases Examining an inaccurate outline and adjusting it so that it is correct Reorganizing scrambled paragraphs Creating headings for sets of paragraphs Identifying clues that indicate patterns of organization (e.g. cause-effect, comparison, contrast, analysis)

Pre-reading activities During-reading activities Post-reading activities

(See handouts for samples) Previewing the text Skimming Answering questions about information in the text Exploring key vocabulary Reflecting on previous texts related to the topic of the new texts

Outlining or summarizing ideas in a difficult section Examining emotions and attitudes of key characters Determining resources of difficulty and seeking clarification Looking for answers to questions posed during pre-reading activities. Writing down predictions for what will come next

See handouts for some examples: Completing a graphic organizer Expanding or changing a semantic map created earlier Listening to a lecture and comparing info from the text and lecture Ranking importance of info in the text Answering listening comprehension questions

Use Graphic organizers Strategic reading- reading with purpose Common strategies: Summarizing Predicting what will come next in the text Previewing a text Using context to maintain comprehension Recognizing text organization Generating appropriate questions about the text Clarifying text meaning Repairing miscomprehension

Extensive Reading: Reading large amounts of texts for a an extended period of time. Positive motivation for reading: look for ways to help students enconuter “flow” in their reading (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) Integrated teaching: reading & writing: Examples: Student journals- reactions to readings Double-entry notebooks Create graphic organizers for the main idea and write an explanation or critique based on the information on the graphic organizer Write an alternative ending to a text

Conducting needs analysis (see handout for sample questions) Planning the curricula based on needs analysis Selecting appropriate text materials Diversifying students’ reading experiences in and outside of classroom.

Flower, L. & Hayes, J. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32, 365-387.

2 models: 1. knowledge telling: retrieving content from memory- traditional schooling 2. knowledge transforming model: reflective problems solving and goal setting.

Writing plays an important role in early reading. How would you plan early writing stage for students who uses a different writing system? Early writing tasks: Practice sound-spelling correspondence Enhance letter recognition Help learner move from letters and words to mean larger sentences Sound-spelling correspondence activities

More Advanced Writing Tasks: practical writing tasks - short writing tasks that serve a ‘real-world’ purpose (e.g., lists, messages) emotive writing tasks - personal writing (e.g., letters, diaries); appropriate aspects of mechanics can be chosen as focus school-oriented writing tasks dialogue journals - can be used at even very beginning stages of writing (e.g., labeling activities)

Types: Product oriented: grammar rules- not realistic/communicative goals. Process- oriented Janet Emig (1971)- developed think-aloud technique Definition: cyclical, content-based, reader-dominated, etc.

Strategies (O’Malley & Chamot, 1990) Brainstorming Listing Clustering Freewriting

When to correct? What types of errors to correct? How to correct? Responding to student writing (p. 227) forms of response written commentary oral commentary Peer reviews (Silva (1993) warns observers review at a superficial level.

Reading & Writing

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