Extensive Reading

Extensive reading means non- stop enjoyable reading. But not just reading for
pleasure, but reading because it's so easy to do so, and you just enjoy doing it.

Now, in order for students to develop their extensive reading skills they need to
be provided with the right materials, this means the teacher should teach them how
to enjoy reading by choosing the right material readings, which means easy,
understandable and enjoyable for theudents. There are also, some extensive reading
materials that have been specially written for this purpose and have reading levels
that matches student's reading level.

With this the need of an extensive reading programme seems so obvious, here are the
steps to get it done:

Setting up a library
Teacher's enouraging students
Extensive reading tasks

Intensive Reading

Reading intensively is reading for specific purposes. Teachers while teaching

intensive reading, according to Harmer have these role models:

Organiser, explain student's the purpose of their reading and give clear
instructions of what they are supose to do.
Observer, students need their space to read, but the teacher should observe their
performance from a distance.
Feedback Organizer, when student's have finished the tasks, teachers should check
their performance, in order to be able to give feedback.
Prompter, when students have finished reading teachers can prompt students in order
to clarify texts issues, and make some conscious knwoledge of what they have read.
Nevertheless, if students ask for the meaning of unknown words the teacher should
have in mind the following:

Time limite, you can set your own time limit to look for answer.
Word/phrase limit, you can answer only certain number of questions.
Meaning consensus, this is activity that involves team work, each team member help
each other and talk about the unknown words, and decide which words they need to
look in the dictionary in order to understand the text.

Reading sequences

Intensive reading sequences are useful when you want students to practice specific
skills like reading for specific information, or reading for general understanding,
comunicative purposes. Reading sequences usually involves more than one reading
skill. Teachers must guide students while doing the activities, by asking them to
identify the topic, main ideas, or to look for specific information, depending on
the skills tha are being promoted.

Reflection:

I found extensive reading my favorite so far. I like the idea of helping students
to develope their love, passion, curiosity, and concern about reading. Of course
you need to teach them how look read for specific purposes and develop other
skills, but of course you can give a greater input while using extensive reading as
your basic tool, and the intensiveness of reading can come later on, when the
students feel already bond to books and new information.

Interesting blog
Publicado por Xochitl Barney en 10:47
Etiquetas: Reading
7 comentarios:
Margaret dijo...
I love the idea of extensive reading too. I think that this would be very difficult
to implement here in Mexico because I have heard that in general, Mexicans do not
read. So if they dont have the habit of reading for pleasure in Spanish, the idea
of reading for pleasure in English would be a 'hard sell.' (Not impossible but very
difficult!)

3 de septiembre de 2008, 18:06

Xochitl Barney dijo...
I know Margaret, we could just keep trying.

3 de septiembre de 2008, 18:13

Leti dijo...
It's interesting that you say that you prefer extensive reading. I say this because
I'm not much of a reader and most of the things I do read nowadays are academic
texts, and for pleasure reading for this course. I used to think that reading
novels and items in that genre, was a waste of time. I believed that learning would
be in academic literature. Now, I find that people can learn in whatever they read.

As far as creating a reading habit in schools in Mexico, wouldnt it be nice? I

remember that my children were involved in several reading programs while they
attended school in S.D. The teacher marked the books in the classroom with
different colored labels according to reading level. The colors challenged kids to
be in a higher group level by reading more, being in the highest level was the
reward. The school library was awesome. It had every single book that was
appropriate to their age level. The whole experience that children have when they
walk into the library and look up a book in the computer catalog, it made them feel
so confident, independent and grown-up. They even had a library card that had their
name on it, much like a credit card. The public library was even better. The
reading program rewarded kids with free tickets to museums, the Zoo and even
Legoland. What a plus, huh? So, back to my main comment, wouldnt that be nice!!:|

4 de septiembre de 2008, 10:07

Xochitl Barney dijo...
Leticia, how great it is that you have learned that reading is not a waste of
time :P I mean whatever reading.

In the other hand, why oh, why did you have to do this comparison?

I just feel sad of our lack of public libraries, I say: 'When I become rich I will
build one, just like the one you've describe'

Who wants to join me?

4 de septiembre de 2008, 11:00

Penano dijo...
I would join in :P even though I almost don't read at all :(

Even though I really enjoyed the few books that I have read, I can't find the next
book to read.
Maybe I should wait for one of those reading programs because I want to go to
legoland. :p

4 de septiembre de 2008, 12:47

Teacher dijo...
Wow!! Rewards for reading!! For me, the reward is finding a good book and reading
it...but I too would like to go to Legoland!

Xochitl, I hope that you get rich so that you can build that library. What a great
goal!!

The school and public libraries in large cities in Canada are like what you wrote
about Leti. And usually on Saturday mornings, they have story time for the kids
with the librarian reading out loud. It makes the whole reading 'thing' lots of
fun.

5 de septiembre de 2008, 16:47

Leti dijo...
I think that kids do need to be rewarded to do things. Kind of like being rewarded
for their grades, even though we're aware that it's their responsibility. I also
think that the purpose of these reading programs is to develop a habit so when
their older and good readers, theyll read for fun. How great is that?

BTW. They also had story time like Margaret mentioned. It was a shame that never I
had the opportunity to take my kids.

Sorry Xochitl. :) Let that be the what drives you to achieving your goal.

7 de septiembre de 2008, 22:00