Extensive Reading



STATE OF ISRAEL

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT

ENGLISH INSPECTORATE

READING FOR PLEASURE

JUDY STEINER

CHIEF INSPECTOR FOR ENGLISH

NOVEMBER 1995

I am grateful to the following people for their invaluable input in writing this booklet:

Raquelle Azran

Miriam Melamed

Debbie Toperoff

Sheila Waller

J.S.

STATE OF ISRAEL

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT

ENGLISH INSPECTORATE

READING FOR PLEASURE

The purpose of this booklet is to explain the rationale for a Reading for Pleasure program and to provide you with guidelines of how to set up a program.

According to Stephen Krashen, who firmly believes in the value of reading for

pleasure:

When children read for pleasure, when they get “hooked on books," they acquire, involuntarily and without conscious effort, nearly all of the so-called "language skills" many people are so concerned about: They will become adequate readers, acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good (but not necessarily perfect) spellers. Although free voluntary reading alone will not ensure attainment of the highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level. Without it, I suspect that children simply do not have a chance.

(Krashen 1993:84)

1. Why incorporate a Reading for Pleasure program into the curriculum?

a. A Reading for Pleasure program:

- enhances world knowledge

- accounts for one third or more of vocabulary growth

- promotes reading as a lifelong activity

- builds vocabulary

- builds structural awareness

- improves comprehension skills

- promotes motivation

- encourages pupils to read fluently and so use all the strategies

associated with good readers

- encourages pupils to progress through different levels of text and

monitor their own progress

- provides pupils with an enjoyable reading experience and so breaks

the vicious circle:

THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF THE WEAK READER

doesn't understand

doesn't read much reads slowly

doesn't enjoy reading

THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE OF THE GOOD READER

enjoys reading

understands better reads faster

reads more

(Nuttal 1982:167-168)

b. It is important to see a Reading for Pleasure program as a process, and not as an end-product on the day of the oral Bagrut exam. It is a process

that should start in elementary school and continue up through all grade levels.

2. What are the guidelines for implementing a Reading for Pleasure program?

a. Pupils select their own books, according to individual interest and appropriate level of difficulty.

b A Reading for Pleasure program requires pupils to read both at home and in school. The school component consists of regular sustained silent reading periods in class, at least once a week. Reading periods run about 20 minutes. They are scheduled for “prime time” and not, for example, during the final hour on a Friday. Reading periods are uninterrupted. Questions and comments are kept until the end of the period.

c. The role of the teacher is as a model reader, doing what the pupils are doing - reading a book. You should NOT be correcting papers, preparing lesson plans, taking attendance or answering questions during reading sessions.

d. Administrators need to know that when teachers are reading to students, and when teachers are relaxing with a good book during sustained silent reading sessions, teachers are doing their job. Administrators need to know that a print-rich environment is not a luxury but a necessity. (Krashen 1993:85)

3. How can the teacher motivate pupils to read?

a. Encourage individual choice for reading matter. Let your pupils select

the subject and level they want to read.

b. Show interest in your pupils’ choice of reading materials by helping them choose and by recommending books

c. Show you value your pupils’ reading with praise, display of work, certificates, extra credit, and so on.

d. Encourage personal responses to reading .

e. Reading is fun. Introduce a variety of associated tasks that are unusual, stimulating and creative.

f. Encourage pupils to recommend books to their classmates. Ask them, for example, to rate the books they have read and display a Top Ten poster in the classroom.

4. What level of books should pupils be reading?

The Advisory Committee and English Inspectorate have not defined the levels of books that pupils are required to read. A key principle of the Reading for Pleasure program is that pupils themselves select books most suitable to them. Your responsibility as teacher is explaining the importance of choosing an interesting book at the right language level, as explained in T.E.E.C.H.:

Prior to starting an extensive reading program, the teacher needs to explain to the pupils the importance of reading for pleasure in a foreign language. Not only does it help improve the pupils' vocabulary and understanding of the structure of the language, but it also gives a feeling of satisfaction to be able to read a book in English. Books are available from Stage One to Stage Six, Simplified, Easy Unsimplified and Unsimplified. There is a wide variety of books to choose from, with topics of interest for pupils at all levels. Pupils should be advised to start off reading a book which is interesting and not difficult for them, because if they find that there are too many difficult words in the story, it becomes too frustrating and does not encourage them to want to read. (Steiner 1993:51)

The idea is for pupils to read what interests them. As to the length of books chosen, use discretion . Five articles or three short stories can replace one book per year. Longer books can be counted as two volumes.

Book lists are available from publishers, showing the wealth of graded readers on the market, though as publishers use different grading systems, you should evaluate each series for your pupils.

5. How can the teacher monitor a pupil's progress while the pupil is reading his/her book?

Monitoring progress is important both for pupil and teacher. Reading can be monitored:

- by keeping a reading diary or journal, in which pupils note

impressions and reactions to their reading and the teacher briefly responds

- by having the pupils fill out a form to which the teacher adds

comments:

LIBRARY BOOK JOURNAL

PUPIL’S NAME ______________________ CLASS __________________

|TITLE | LEVEL | PAGE | DATE |C O M M E N T S |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

6. What about pupils with learning disabilities?

Learning-disabled pupils who can read should be encouraged to read at their own pace and level as jointly decided by teacher and pupil. Pupils who cannot read should be allowed to listen to recordings of books, short stories and articles. Ideally, schools will share these tape libraries.

7. What about the possibility that some pupils will not read books in English, but in Hebrew?

Some teachers have expressed their concern about the possibility of "cheating." We in the English Inspectorate do not believe in rejecting an educational initiative because of the fear that some pupils might read a book in Hebrew, see the video instead of reading the book and/or download book reports via the MODEM. Based on current knowledge about foreign language acquisition, reading books plays a major role in learning a language and therefore the integration of a Reading for Pleasure program is a very important part of the curriculum. In education, there are, of course no absolutes and our expectations need to be realistic. The program should be implemented even if there are pupils who decide not to read books in English. Teachers can help offset a tendency to “cheat” by explaining to their pupils the value of reading in English and by helping them develop a love for it. Overall, the benefits of a Reading for Pleasure program outweigh its risks.

8. How is a Reading for Pleasure program integrated into the curriculum and the

Oral Bagrut exam?

a. Pupils read books, short stories and/or articles in English on their own, in the classroom and at home.

b. A record of each pupil’s reading progress is kept. (See suggestions above.).

c. On completing a book, pupils choose a post-reading task that is then evaluated by the teacher. (See Appendix One)

d. The reading task is added to the reading file once it is marked by the teacher.

e. The pupils' final grades on their report cards will include a grade for the Reading for Pleasure program.

f. During the oral exam, pupils will be evaluated on their competence in talking about the books they have read. This is not a recall test of the content of the books.

g. Pupils should be asked a variety of questions. The purpose of the

questions is to encourage pupils to talk about what they have read,

using the tasks they have done as a trigger for oral interaction. The

teacher’s questions should therefore be based on the tasks in the pupil’s

reading file. Some examples:

- Why did you choose the alternative ending you wrote to the book?

- Tell me more about the character to whom you wrote a letter.

- Tell me about a character you liked/disliked/identified with.

- Why did you choose to use a tape/video/picture to express your

feelings about the book as a task?

9. Is additional class time needed to integrate a Reading for Pleasure Program?

Teachers have expressed concern that they will need more time in order to implement a Reading for Pleasure program. The program replaces other kinds of home and class assignments. Once the central role of Reading for Pleasure in foreign language acquisition is understood, teachers will incorporate it as part of their planning of both class and homework.

Krashen (1994) claims that extensive reading will contribute more towards pupils' learning than other learning activities. As proof, he describes an experiment called “Hooked on Books” which was done on first language acquisition with juvenile delinquents, aged 12-17. One group was encouraged to read two-three books a week for two years. After two years, the reading group had improved on everything that could be tested : reading comprehension, writing fluency, writing complexity, attitudes towards school and self-esteem. The other students remained at the same level or went down.

Krashen goes on to claim that the endless worksheets we hand out to drill rules and vocabulary into the pupils' conscious learning - as opposed to the unconscious acquisition of language - have limited effect, and any success is short term only. This system fails, because language is just too complex in thought and structure and too rich in vocabulary items for teachers to reduce it all to “worksheet-type” exercises.

10. How is it possible to budget the buying of books?

Different possibilities include:

- working with the school principal to earmark part of the school's library budget for the purchase of English books

- asking pupils to donate books to the school library

- having the pupils use the public library or that at the Community

Center (Matnas) until their school library is developed

Krashen cites research that shows that children who live closer to public libraries read more. Moreover, having a school library results in the pupils reading even more than if they had access to public libraries only (1993:34).

In conclusion, I would like to share with you a story about how reading books changed the life of an individual:

The case of Ben Carson suggests that direct encouragement to read can stimulate an interest in reading, and thus lead to better literacy development. Carson, now a neurosurgeon, was a poor student in the fifth grade when his mother required him to check out two books per week from the library and insisted that he report on his reading to her at the end of each week. Carson was not enthusiastic but obeyed his mother. What is crucial is that Carson's mother allowed him to read whatever he wanted. At first, Carson chose books on animals, nature, and science, reflecting his interests. Carson reports that while he was a "horrible student in the traditionally academic subjects, I excelled in fifth-grade science" (Carson 1990

p. 37). As his science reading expanded, he "became the fifth-grade expert in anything of a scientific nature" (p.37).

Carson credits reading with improving his reading comprehension and vocabulary, which affected all his academic work, reporting that he became "the best student in math when we did story problems" (p. 38). Consistent with the research, reading also improved his spelling: "I kept reading all through the summer, and by the time I began sixth grade I had learned to spell a lot of words without conscious memorization" (p.39).

The initial impetus his mother provided led to dramatic results: "As I continued to read, my spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension improved, improved so much that by the time I entered seventh grade...I was at the top of the class" (p. 39). Clearly, Carson's mother provided him with just the right amount of direct encouragement; because his reading was self-selected, the intrinsic pleasure of reading soon took over, and direct encouragement was no longer necessary. (Krashen 1993:43-44)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carson, B. 1990. Gifted Hands. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Books.

Krashen, S. 1993. The Power of Reading Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc

Krashen, S. 1994. Speech given at TESOL. Baltimore, Md.

Nuttal, C. 1982. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language Heinemann 167-8.

Steiner, J. 1994 T.E.E.C.H. Jerusalem, Israel: Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

APPENDIX ONE

BOOK TASKS

1. Draw a series of pictures illustrating the story you have read.

2. Write a letter to one of the characters.

3. Hold an interview with one of the characters asking questions about events in the book. It may be recorded.

4. Draw a map showing where the story takes place; describe what happens in each spot.

5. Write a song or poem about the book.

6. Have a mock trial defending your opinion of the book.

7. Design a new jacket for your book.

8. Write a letter to the author, asking questions about how, why and where the book was written.

9. Write a diary for one of the characters.

10. Do a summary of the story in comic strip form.

11. Write an advertisement (for TV, radio, newspaper) trying to sell the book.

12. Compare and/or contrast to another book you have read: plot, characters,

theme, style, etc.

13. Write a continuation of the story.

14. Write or record a dialogue between two or more characters.

15. Make up a different ending or beginning.

16. Rewrite the story in a different genre - a newspaper article, for example.

17. Describe one or two of the characters you liked best, you liked least, you would like to be, you would like to add to the book.

18. Make a diorama. A diorama is a scenic representation in which figures and lifelike details are exhibited in a shoe box.

19. Write a brief play using characters from the book.

20. Make a puppet of your favorite character. Give a puppet show about the book.

21. Make a picture book about your book.

22. Write a book review for a newspaper.

23. Role play a radio interview with the author of the book and tape it.

24. Make a costume for one of the characters of the book.

25. Create some sound effects for your book.

26. Choose music to go with the book.

27. Make a WANTED poster for the villain of the book.

28. Draw a picture of a scene from the book.

29. Make a mobile or collage about the book (characters, scenes, etc.)

30. Write about:

- things in the story that could NOT happen in real life

- things in the story that COULD happen in real life

- things you would LIKE to have happen to you

- things you would NOT like to have happen to you

31. Make a time-line of events in the story.

32. Make a scrapbook.

33. Do research relating to an issue raised in the book.

34. Design a T-shirt with a slogan based on the book.

35. Produce a video clip based on the book you have read.

36. Write a news report about an event that took place in the book

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