READING APPROACH

Lecture 7.
 From Direct to Reading method
As a reaction to the Direct Approach, the Reading Approach was
developed for which reasons? Choose all that you think are
correct.
a) Teachers were tired of teaching languages, so this simplistic
approach lightened teachers’ work load.
b) Standardized testing became more wide-spread in public
schools.
c) Many people didn’t have the opportunities to travel at that
time, so language as in depth as the Direct Approach wasn’t
needed.
d) Not enough teachers spoke target languages well enough to
make the Direct Approach effective.
A Brief History
• The Reading Method, (also known as the New
Method), was devised by Dr Michael Philip West
During the 1920s, he was working as a Professor of
English in India.
• He stated that people needed a minimum of 1158
words to be able to express their ideas in a normal
conversation, and he categorized these words into
two different types:
• Form words - these are the grammatical words which connect ideas and form
the building blocks of English.
• Content words - these are the words we use to talk and express ourselves.
 Theories behind the approach
• Reading approach is a way to start teaching
beginning readers.
• It is based on cognitive theory originally
conceptualized by Albert Bandura (portions of an
individual’s knowledge acquisition can be directly related to
observing others within the context of social interactions,
experiences)
• Reading Comprehension directly shows the
level of understanding
 Objectives
• The students are able to identify meaning rather than letters
or words
• The students are able to understand and read the text quickly
• The students are able to read actively
• Students are able to pass the test
 Types of Teaching and Learning Activities
Reading strategies

• Skimming - used to quickly identify the main ideas

of a text and to extract accurate detailed
information
• Scanning - is a quickly reading a text to get the gist
of it. Once you’ve scanned the document, you
might go back and skim it.
• Intensive reading - involves students reading in
detail with specific learning aims and tasks.
• Extensive reading - is a reading longer text, usually
for pleasure.
 The role of extensive reading in language
learning:
• It can provide ‘comprehensible input.
• It can enhance learners’ general language competence.
• It increases the students’ exposure to the language.
• It can increase knowledge of vocabulary.
• It can lead to improvement in writing.
• It can motivate learners to read.
• It can consolidate previously learned language.
• It helps to build confidence with extended texts.
• It facilitates the development of prediction skills
 Kinds of instructional experiences
Reading aloud
Materials: storybooks, content materials, poetry, charts.
Purposes:
• To help students benefit from listening, responding,
and expanding their knowledge, vocabulary, and
concepts.
• To expose students to varied forms of text (fiction,
nonfiction, poetry)
• To enlist varied forms of response (discussion,
writing, drama, art, movement, etc.)
• To study various genres, literary devices.
 Shared reading.
The teacher reads a text while the student
observes and follows along silently.

Materials: primarily enlarged texts visible to

students; may include content materials,
storybooks, charts, poems, songs.
Purposes:
• To teach comprehension and interpretation.
• To analyze textual features: word study (e.g.
phonics, word analogies, structural analysis)
 Word study
Word study fosters recognition of the individual
sounds of words and an understanding of the
alphabetic principle and its application to
reading and spelling.
Purposes:
• To provide systematic, focused instruction at
the word level.
• To provide additional support for students
who need it.
 Guided reading
A student reads with the assistance of an instructor as it is
needed.
Materials: books or materials that modestly challenge the
reader.
Purposes:
• To practice application of specific strategies/skills in
highly focused manner.
• To provide opportunity to teacher-monitoring of
application of skills and strategies.
• To provide instruction as close as possible to students’
instructional levels while gradually increasing the
difficulty of the material.
 Independent reading
• Struggling readers should be encouraged to
select books that match their interest and
reading abilities. Teacher can assist them in
finding appropriate books by giving them tips
on how to select books on their own.
 Roles of participants
Learner Roles Teacher Roles
• Recognizing the script of a • Motivating learners
language. • Encouraging to set reading
• Translating the text. strategies
• Deducing the meaning of • Supporting the students to
unfamiliar lexical items. develop reading
• Understanding explicitly comprehension
stated information. • Choose materials
 Advantages of Reading Approach

• Reading approach can be used in a big class.

• In reading approach, students can know much vocabulary
because they have to read the passage.
• The reading method is economical of time since the pupils
all read simultaneously.
• The reading method requires little teaching skill since the
lesson-form is a standardized and fixed procedure.
• The reading method does not demand deep knowledge of
the language on the part of the teacher, since the teacher
does not have to compose the sentences and questions:
everything is supplied in the book.
 Disadvantages of Reading Approach

• Since reading approach is only focused on

written skill, this approach is lack in speaking
skill.
• Reading approach is oppressive approach
because the vocabularies and grammar are
controlled.
 Divide activities into Skimming and Scanning
techniques of reading
• see what’s in the news in a paper or on a website
• look up a word in a dictionary or index
• find an address or a phone number in a directory
• check what time your programme is on television
• browse through a book to see if you want to read it
• look through the television guide to see what’s on one evening
• look up details or prices in a catalogue
• flick through a catalogue to see what’s on offer
• look through the options given on a Google search to see what
sites it suggests
• pick out the website you want from options on a Google search
 Answer
You might use scanning to: You might use skimming to:
• look up a word in a dictionary • • see what’s in the news in a
or index paper or on a website
• find an address or a phone • • browse through a book to see
number in a directory if you want to read it
• • look through the television
• check what time your
guide to see what’s on one
programme is on television
evening
• look up details or prices in a • • flick through a catalogue to see
catalogue what’s on offer
• pick out the website you want • • look through the options given
from options on a Google on a Google search to see what
search sites it suggests
 Scanning Skill
Find 3 spelling mistakes in the text
Reading Speed
Increasing reading speed is important for peoples to be
able to skim and scan texts efficiently.
A simple way to do this initialy with older pupils is to divide
the page vertically into three or four sections, either by
folding it or drawing lines, and to look only at the middle
of each setcion. As the pupil becomes more proficient
with this they will not need to fold the page or draw
lines, and may even be able to reduce the number of
sections to two per page.
 Younger pupils can complete speed reading activities focusing on
specific words and letter patterns to develop fluency. How many words
can they read accurately in 1 minute?
 Silly Reading Game:
• This reading game is a lot of fun! It can be adapted
for different groups, and played in pairs, or within
choral reading, for example. Ask children to read in
a silly voice, or with dramatic hand gestures. You
may need to give an example to help your young
readers understand what you mean. Ask them to
read in a happy way, or a sad way, or challenge them
to clap at the end of each sentence or stand up
when you finish reading a paragraph. This method
helps children to stay alert and focused on the text.
 Read the given paragraph in one of the
provided manners:
• Being happy
• Being sad
• Hiccupping
• Clapping at the end of each sentence
• Adding filler words (for example, actually, Ok,
etc.)
• Adding a sound of any animal or insect.