Seminar in Teaching Reading

Latricia Trites, Ph.D.

Academic Advisor

Fulbright Yilan Project 2008-2009

Questions about Reading

• What is reading?

• What influences a student’s interest in reading?

• What types of texts does a person read?

• What types of reading do students do?

• What are different purposes for reading?

• What are factors that affect a student’s L2 reading ability?

Types of Texts

• Generate a list of the different types of texts that students encounter.

• Why does this list matter?– Different rhetorical structures– Affects how we approach a text

Why do Students Read?

• To decode words

• To find information

• To get the general idea

• To learn how to do things

• To learn about things

• To integrate information from multiple sources

• Other reasons?

Factors that Affect Student Reading in L2

• Reading ability in L1

• Cognitive style

• Learning style

• Metacognitive knowledge

• Proficiency in L2

• Level of difference between L1 and L2

• Cultural Orientation

Choosing Textual Materials

• Below proficiency range• Within proficiency range• Beyond proficiency range

• How do you determine this range?– What is the percentage of words that the

students already know?– Can the students understand the general gist

of the text without resorting to translating?

Major Concepts for Teaching Reading

• Extensive & Intensive Reading

• Top down & Bottom up Processing

• Content & Formal Schema

Pre-Reading

What types of activities do you use for pre-reading activities? Why?

• Discussing the topic of the reading• Previewing the different parts of a text• Determining the type of text to be read• Determining the purpose for reading• Skimming for general gist• Scanning for specific informationWhat activities would you use for these

readings?

During Reading

What types of activities do you use for during reading activities? Why?

• Monitoring comprehension

• Interacting with the text (filling out graphic organizers, highlighting, underlining)

• Predicting

What activities would you use for these readings?

Post ReadingWhat types of activities do you use for post

reading activities? Why?• Summarizing• Paraphrasing• Outlining• Recalling details• Determining the relationship among details• Inferencing about information not in the text• Recognizing vocabulary, language structures,

idiomatic expressions• Comprehending vs. recalling the textWhat activities would you use for these readings?

Developing Reading Strategies

Which reading strategies do you teach your students?

• Guessing meaning from context• Tolerating ambiguity• Using graphic organizers

How do you teach these strategies?• Modeling good strategy behavior• Thinking aloud as you are reading• Providing brief “aside” discussions

Role of Vocabulary

• Teaching vocabulary in context

• Choosing vocabulary to teach– Enhance students general knowledge

Vocabulary StrategiesWhat types of activities do you use to

develop student vocabulary knowledge? Why?

• Guessing meaning from context• Analyzing parts of words• Using a dictionary• Developing vocabulary word cards• More?How would you teach vocabulary for these

readings?

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Trites, L. (2000). Beyond Basic Comprehension: Reading to Learn and Reading to Integrate for Native and Nonnative Speakers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.