TEACHING READING SKILLS AND VOCABULARY

IN THE PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM

LESSON 4:
1. READING READINESS
2. STAGES OF A READING
COMPREHENSION LESSON
3. STAGES OF LITERACY HOUR

MOHD I SKANDAR DAUD ( I PGKKB)




TSL 3106
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Mohd Iskandar Daud Lesson 4 2012
READING READINESS
What is reading readiness?
The general stage of developmental maturity and
preparedness at which a child can learn to read easily and
proficiently in a regular classroom setting when exposed to
good teaching (Rogers, Norma., ___)
the point at which a person is ready to learn to read and the
time during which a person transitions from being a non-
reader into a reader.
the readiness to profit from beginning reading instruction.

Also known as pre-reading, emergent literacy, early literacy

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READING READINESS
Descriptions:
The teachable moment for reading: a point in time
when the pupil is ready to learn how to read
(Dechant, 1991)
A transition extending over several months during
which time the child (student) gradually changes
from a non-reader to a beginning reader. In this case
the readiness program couples the (student's) past
learning with new learning and brings the (student),
gradually, through the transition." (Clay, 1991)
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READING READINESS
What does the child who wants to read need at this
stage?
a. Develop knowledge of English language so that s/he
can understand what s/he reads
b. Motivation to learn to read in English
c. The ability to discriminate between shapes to
recognise letters and words when s/he begins to learn
to read
d. Recognition that print has meaning just as talk has
meaning
(Chitravelu, N., 2004)

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READING READINESS
Skills that indicate whether a child is ready to learn to
read:
Age-appropriate oral language development and vocabulary
Appreciation of stories and books
Phonemic awareness (ability to distinguish and manipulate
individual sounds of language)
Understanding of basic print concepts (for example, printed
text represents spoken words; spaces between words are
meaningful; pages written in English are read left to right
starting at the top of the page; books have a title and an
author, and so on)

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READING READINESS
Skills that indicate whether a child is ready to learn to
read (cont):
Understanding of the alphabetic principle (letters represent
the sounds of language)
Ability to distinguish shapes (visual discrimination)
Ability to identify at least some letters of the alphabet.
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READING READINESS
At this stage, the child may:
pretends to be a reader
holds books the right way
turns pages at appropriate times
can discuss what is happening and relate it to their own
experiences
knows that the reader is focusing on the print and that it is
conveying the message
makes inferences on both what is read and the pictures
enjoys stories being re-read
likes to turn the pages and knows when to and will make
attempts to re-read the story from memory and picture cues, etc



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READING READINESS
The factors affecting reading readiness (Rogers, Norma, __ )
Mental factors reading is complex mental process
Emotional and Social factors self-confidence & self-esteem
Physical factors health, vision, hearing, motor control,
speech, attention span, neurological disorder
Educational factors parents, materials, teachers,
environment , etc
Other factors age, sex, interest and desire
Note: These factors are interrelated a strength in one may
compensate weakness in another, or a weakness in one area
may cause another area to be weak, eg: defective hearing
causes poor speech and vocabulary

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READING READINESS
How to help a child develop reading readiness
Reading-readiness activities for babies
Talk to your baby, it improves language skills
Play games, not only helps them to learn but it is fun too
Start reading books to your baby early, describe pictures
Reading-readiness activities for toddlers
Teach your child the alphabet song
Read a variety of books to your toddler
Start showing him his name in print, make signs, cards, etc
Watch educational shows like Sesame Street, etc




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READING READINESS
How to help a child develop reading readiness (cont)
Reading-readiness activities for preschoolers
Play rhyming games
Take your child on trips to the library
When you read to them: ask questions throughout the story,
Point to the words as you read
Make your own books, have your child make up his own story
with pictures
Show him the letters and tell him what sound they make
etc


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Stages of a Reading Comprehension Lesson

Pre-reading / Guidance before reading
While-Reading / Guidance while reading
Post-Reading / Guidance when reading
completed
Please refer to Christine Nuttall, Teaching
Reading Skills In A Foreign Language, 1989

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Pre-Reading
What is pre-reading stage?
A stage before the pupils begin to read the text where the teacher
can help make their task more explicit and their way of tackling it
more effective
What are the purposes of pre-reading?
To acknowledge the different experiences and background
knowledge that students bring to a text
To promote engagement and interest by providing students with a
means to predict text content
It is important in building confidence and creating security within
the learners before they approach a reading text.
The pre-reading stage also helps to make the next stages of
reading more easily adaptable for the reader. How?

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Pre-Reading
How does pre-reading stage help to make the next stages of
reading more easily adaptable for the reader?

Providing a reason to read why should pupils read the text?
Introducing the text not too long, dont give away too much
Breaking up long text read para by para (or suitable length),
pupils diff. ability, no disadvantage to poor ones, good ones not
bored
Dealing with new language pre-teach new key words
Asking signpost questions to guide when pupils read, direct
attention to important points in text
(Rogers, Norma., ____)

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While-Reading Stage
What is while-reading stage?
Guidance while reading is going on
Depends on teachers preferable classroom organisation
Individualised approach pupil works alone, suitable for reading lesson
as reading process is private, individual text to read and understand,
individual reading instructions, advantages (pupil reads suitable
materials, progresses at own pace), disadvantages (harder to prepare,
harder to control)
Whole class approach teacher centered, whole class work with one text
only, teacher controls how text is tackled, advantages ( easy to control,
teacher is aware of problems and weaknesses, easier to prepare)
disadvantages (no individuality in learning)
Group approach much guidance comes from fellow students,
individualised efforts are pooled, advantages (sets motivation high,
promote cooperation, etc), disadvantages (wasting time, quarrel, etc)

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While-Reading Stage
What are the purposes of while-reading stage?
To give students structured means to integrate the
knowledge and information they bring to the text with the
new or unknown within the text. This helps them process
the text and self-monitor their progress
The reading activities of while-reading stage help to
encourage critical thinking of students
increase comprehension
build easier and longer retention



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Post-Reading Stage
What is post-reading stage?
The stage where the detailed work on the text is over
and global understanding must be attended to

What are the purposes of post-reading stage?
To check the students comprehension and retention
of the information of a text that they have already
tackled
To evaluate the text as a whole
To check how pupils responded to the text
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Pre, While and Post Reading Stages
Examples of pre, while and post reading stages:

1. Pre-reading activities

2. While reading activities

3. Post reading activities
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Sample of A Reading Lesson
These are samples of a reading lesson plan. They are
just samples, you may be more creative than this.

1. Sample 1

2. Sample 2
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Literacy Hour
What is literacy hour?
a period in school set aside for developing reading skills,
introduced as a daily requirement in English primary schools
in 1998.
Introduced in England and Wales into the national
primary school curriculum in 1998 to raise the
standards of literacy
Adapted into Malaysian primary schools and is
known as English hour
The purpose of Literacy Hour - to raise standards of
literacy
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Stages of Literacy Hour
1. Whole class shared text
The lesson starts with the whole class working on a shared
text where the teacher is able to model effective reading or
writing and where all pupils can actively participate
2. Whole class shared sentence/ word work
Then comes a short period of word level or sentence level
work. The focus of this part of the lesson is to teach and
consolidate phonic knowledge which the children can then
apply in their reading and writing or on spelling or sentence
construction.
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Stages of Literacy Hour (cont)
3. Guided Reading
Teacher works with 2 groups per day on a specific area that
needs attention (runs simultaneously with independent work)
4. Independent Work
Twenty minutes of the lesson is for independent work where
pupils apply their literacy skills in meaningful tasks individually,
in pairs or in groups. The teacher works with small groups to
improve specific skills through guided reading or writing.
5. Plenary
The final 10 minutes of the lesson is the plenary session which
allows teachers and children to reflect on and assess what has
been learnt and to think about how to develop what they have
learnt further.
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Organisation of Literacy Hour
The Literacy Hour of 60 minutes is organised as
below.
Click link.

Sample lesson plans (UK)



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Tutorial Tasks

Identify the stages in the sample of reading
comprehension lesson.

Prepare suitable activities for pre, while and post
reading comprehension lesson.

In pairs, prepare suitable activity for literacy hour.
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