Defining Reading

Anthony Acevedo
[email protected]
Last Updated: April 27, 2014
Original Date: August 30, 2005

Anthony Acevedo 2014

 Reading is *not rocket science, but we
wouldn’t have rocket science if we couldn’t read.
Definition of reading: Perceiving a
written text in order to understand
its contents.
It’s about expanding our minds and the minds
of our students through reading that leads to
experiencing and ultimately to autonomy.
* Oxford University Press Research – 1 of the 10 most annoying expressions in English (It’s not rocket science.)

Anthony Acevedo 2014 INTRODUCTION

 But my students do not read in their first
language (L1).

In many ways there is no

difference in reading Spanish
or English, or any language.

We must create a positive reading

environment that students like.
Anthony Acevedo 2014 INTRODUCTION
 Taking a Closer Look at Reading
What have we read in the past two weeks?
Reading materials (any language):

• Survey • Calendar
• Pamphlet • Newspaper
• Magazine • Letter
• Telephone directory • Email
• Statistics • Article
• Medicine label • Book

• Something for the complete enjoyment of it (including professional readings

not done as assignments)

Why did we read any of these materials?

For pronunciation?
For grammatical structures?

For comprehension and meaning?

Anthony Acevedo 2014 INTRODUCTION
 Presentation Objectives
Overarching Principles
1. Reading
2. Reading comprehension
3. Reading approaches

Practice Overview
4. Reading lessons
5. Intensive reading assignments
6. Extensive reading programs

Personal Reflection
7. Effective reading
Anthony Acevedo 2014 INTRODUCTION
 1. Reading

Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?

 Oral Word Recognition (decoding)
Reading Fluency (reading rate)

Comprehension is not necessarily

the focus.

 Can be time consuming.

 Reading comprehension can be optional.
 A text read aloud can be done without understanding it.
 2 types: Teacher reads aloud (more support),
Student reads aloud (less support).
 Focus on eye movements of readers with
photography.
 Can be good for research.

Why do we have students read aloud?

Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?
 Word Recognition (decoding)
Silent Fluency (reading rate)
Reading
Comprehension is the
primary focus.
 Practical
 Understanding that results from silent reading is
known as reading comprehension.
 Classroom based:
- Examine the practicality of reading texts.
- Strict measures exist such as TOEFL
and other international exams.
 All texts have “meaning potential” and the potential is
realized in the product of understanding and
comprehension.
Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?
 Reading means reading and
understanding written messages.

Oral • Decoding (word recognition)

Reading • Fluency (reading rate)

Silent Reading leads to

Comprehension
+ Decoding
+ Fluency

Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?

 Where do we stand?
Silent reading Oral reading

Vocabulary
Word Recognition Vocabulary
Fluency Word Formation
Overall Comprehension Sound Patterns
Language Acquisition

Product and Process Process

Can we defend our position in terms of percentages?

Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?
 Supporting a Position on Reading

Silent Reading

Product (through process)

Comprehension

Language Acquisition

Anthony Acevedo 2014 1. WHAT IS READING?

 2. Reading Comprehension

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Reading comprehension

Understanding that is a result of silent

reading is reading comprehension.

This in turn promotes

language acquisition.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Types of Reading Comprehension

We can distinguish between four types of

reading comprehension.

 Literal
 Inferential
 Evaluative
 Appreciative

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Types of Reading Comprehension
Literal comprehension - reading to understand,
remember, or recall explicit information in a text

* Details * Explicit
* Sequence of events * The basics
* Character traits * “Reading the lines”

Inferential comprehension - reading to find

information not explicitly stated in a passage

* Schema * Implicit
* Experience * A little beyond the basics
* Intuition * “Reading between the lines”
Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?
 Types of Reading Comprehension
Evaluative comprehension - reading to compare
information with the reader’s knowledge and values

• Opinion based on implicit and explicit information

• Used in critical evaluations, TOEFL and Michigan
• “Reading beyond the lines”

Appreciative comprehension - reading to gain a

valued or emotional response

• Using the imagination

• Done for enjoyment
• “Reading to add lines”

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Types of Reading Comprehension

Literal - reading The

the lines Limbs &
Leaves
Inferential - reading The
between the lines Roots

The
Evaluative - reading Trunk
beyond the lines
The Fruit

Appreciative - reading
to add lines Match the reading comprehension
with the part of the tree.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Types of Reading Comprehension

Appreciative Comprehension -- The Fruit

reading to add lines
The Limbs
& Leaves
Evaluative Comprehension -
reading beyond the lines

Inferential Comprehension -
reading between the lines

The Trunk
Literal Comprehension -
reading the lines
The Roots

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 Reading Comprehension
What have we read in the past two weeks?

Reading materials (any language):

• Survey • Calendar
• Pamphlet • Newspaper
• Magazine • Letter
• Telephone directory • Email
• Statistics • Article
• Medicine label • Book

Did we read something for the enjoyment of it?

Something fruitful?
Not necessarily for leisure only, but for pure enjoyment?

Anthony Acevedo 2014 2. WHAT IS READING COMPREHENSION?

 3. Reading Approaches

Anthony Acevedo 2014 3. WHAT ARE READING APPROACHES?

 Reading Approaches
The focus and reason for reading determines
the reading approach.

They also influence

language acquisition,
just like reading
comprehension does.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 3. WHAT ARE READING APPROACHES?

 Reading Approaches
Reading lessons
– focus is on language
– limited effectiveness

1. Intensive reading
– focus is on language
– skills-based (meaning interaction)
– text-based (reading potential)

2. Extensive reading
– focus is on content (not language)
– to read for the sake of reading

Anthony Acevedo 2014 3. WHAT ARE READING APPROACHES?

 4. Reading Lessons

The
Roots

4. WHAT IS A READING LESSON?

Anthony Acevedo 2014
 Reading Lessons
A reading lesson is what we
do when we follow the
instructions in a textbook
and have the students read
a text and complete a task.
It limits students to only reading
passages in textbooks.

The Roots

Anthony Acevedo 2014 4. WHAT IS A READING LESSON?

 Reading Lessons
* No Trunk, No Limbs, No Leaves, No Fruit

Characteristics
 Students limited to reading in class,
 Insufficient resources in class,
 Student’s rush to complete the lesson,
 Insufficient language processing by students.

Literal Comprehension Only The

Reading the Lines Roots

* We know it’s better than this slide might portray.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 4. WHAT IS A READING LESSON?
 How might we teach the reading located in a chapter of our
textbook series? 10 Steps
Put the following teaching steps in what might be the correct order.

a) Books open. Pronounce the names under the pictures or graphs.

b) Briefly, elicit and explain new vocabulary.
c) Students answer their own and the textbook questions individually,
in pairs, or in groups.
d) Books closed. Introduce the topic. Stimulate a short class
discussion on the subject.
e) Ask students to write initial discussion questions (things they want
to know) about the topic. Write the students’ questions on the
board.
f) Spark an interest in students to go beyond simply reading the
passage.
g) Go over the questions again. Check their answers.
h) Allow students several minutes to read the passage. Again, remind
students to try to guess from context any words they are unsure of.
i) Point out the pictures of the reading. Ask students to describe the
contents of the pictures or graphs.
j) Refer to the reading when beginning the unit so students have
plenty of time to become acquainted with the reading and topic.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 4. WHAT IS A READING LESSON?

 How might we teach the reading located in a chapter of
our textbook series? 10 Steps
1. j) Refer to the reading when beginning the unit so students have
plenty of time to become acquainted with the reading and topic.
2. d) Books closed. Introduce the topic. Stimulate a short class
discussion on the subject.
3. e) Ask students to write initial discussion questions (things they want
to know) about the topic. Write the students’ questions on the board.
4. a) Books open. Pronounce the names under the pictures or graphs.
5. i) Point out the pictures of the reading. Ask students to describe the
contents of the pictures or graphs.
6. h) Allow students several minutes to read the passage. Again, remind
students to try to guess from context any words they are unsure of.
7. b) Briefly, elicit and explain new vocabulary.
8. c) Students answer their own and the textbook questions individually,
in pairs, or in groups.
9. g) Go over the questions again. Check students’ answers.
10. f) Spark an interest in students to go beyond simply reading the
passage.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 4. WHAT IS A READING LESSON?

 5. Intensive Reading
Assignments

Trunk,
Limbs &
Leaves

Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?

 Intensive Reading Assignments
An intensive reading
assignment is what we do
when we oblige students to
read an article in the textbook
or elsewhere and report on it.
It limits students to reading
obliged assignments.

Trunk, Limbs & Leaves

Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?

 Selected Strategies For Intensive Reading
Example 1:
Before reading
During reading
After reading (Re-reading)

Example 2:
Analysis Pizza
Overview: Helps students organize parts into a whole.
Material: Use sheets of paper or paper plates. If using sheets of
paper draw a circle on the paper and divide it like a cut pizza.
Procedure: Label the parts of the pizza: title/author, main
characters, setting, main events, conflict, ending, create a different
ending.

Example 3:
Word webs
Graphic organizers
Information maps
Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?
 Selected Strategies For Intensive Reading
Analysis Pizza

Main
Characters
Title/Author
Setting

Ending
Main
Events

Conflict

Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?

 Selected Strategies For Intensive Reading
http://portal.esc20.net/portal/page/portal/doclibraryroot/publicpages/bilingualesl
/beslresources/TAB153297/eslstrategies.pdf

The complete explanation of the 30 strategies is 45 pages long.

1. Analysis Pizza 8. Readers’ Theater

2. Anticipation Guides 9. Retell
3. Characterization Chart 10. Semantic Mapping
4. Cloze Passages 11. Skeleton Outline
5. Feature Analysis 12. SQ3R
6. Formation 13. Think-Alouds
7. Graphic Organizers 14. Think-Pair-Share
* Webs * Concept Map 15. Power Notes
* Story Maps * Venn Diagrams
* Story Ladder * Timeline

Trunk, Limbs & Leaves

Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?

 Intensive reading Maybe Not
Characteristics The Fruit

– Focus is on language,
– Slower reading of shorter texts,
– Readings found in textbooks,
– Includes questions and tests,
– Skills-based and text-based.

Inferential Comprehension
Trunk
Reading Between the Lines

Evaluative Comprehension Limbs &

Reading Beyond the Lines Leaves
Anthony Acevedo 2014 5. WHAT IS AN INTENSIVE READING ASSIGNMENT?
 6. Extensive Reading
Programs

Fruit

Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

 Extensive reading
Characteristics
– Focus is on content not language, The Whole Tree
– Involves the development of good
reading habits,
– Builds up knowledge of
vocabulary and structures,
– General desire and liking to read,
– Reading for the sake of reading,
– Includes discussions, writings,
and assessments (not evaluations).

Appreciative Comprehension Plus The

Reading to Add Lines Fruit
Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?
 Extensive Reading Programs
Characteristics
 Students read as much as possible.
 We provide variety of materials on a
wide range of topics.
 Students select what they want to read.
 Reading is related to pleasure, information,
and general understanding.
 Reading is its own reward.
 Reading materials are within the linguistic competence of
the reader (possible example: graded readers).
 Reading is individual and silent.
 Reading speed increases with experience.
 Students understand the goals of the reading program.
 The teacher is a role model of a reader.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

 Extensive Reading Programs
The Extensive Reading Pages Homepage Online
http://www.extensivereading.net/

Looking at Extensive Reading Explanation Online

http://extensivereading.net/what-is

Extensive Reading Programs Assistance Online

http://extensivereading.net/starting

Extensive Reading Programs Models Online

http://extensivereading.net/model

Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

 Project Gutenberg Free Ebooks Online
Over 40,000 Books Free Online
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Children Books Free Online

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Category:Children%27s_Bookshelf

Secondary School Books Free Online

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=secondary

Short Stories Free Online

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=short+stories

Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

 Extensive Reading Programs
Goals

• Positive attitude toward reading in a second language

• Confidence in reading
• Motivation to read
• Read without stopping to look up words
• Increase word recognition ability
• Understand the purpose of reading
• Read at appropriate rate for purpose
• Choose appropriate texts for purpose and
language ability
• Record progress
• Promote autonomy and critical thinking

Read everyday! Read everyday! Read everyday!

Anthony Acevedo 2014 6. WHAT IS EXTENSIVE READING?

 7. Effective Reading

Reaching for the Stars

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Empowering Students to Read
WHAT students read is important,
WHEN is probably even more important,
HOW we set an example is most important.

This is done by:

• Improving reading lessons,
• Improving intensive reading assignments,
• Improving extensive reading programs.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Enabling our students to read effectively, it is
necessary to teach them HOW to:
• Predict.
• Read in different ways
• for gist (skimming),
• for specific information (scanning),
• for detail (intensive) according to the purpose,
• for enjoyment (extensive).
• Cope with unknown words.
• Use the dictionary as a tool.
• Cope with long and complex sentences.
• Understand the text as a whole.
• Assess the writer.
• Take responsibility for their own learning.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Student Interest Questionnaire
Find out about our students’ interests. Don’t simply ask them
what they like to read. They might answer what they think you
want to hear. Ask questions like the following:

 What kind of movies do you enjoy?

 What do you like to do in your free time?
 What topics do you and your friends talk about at lunch?
 What are your favorite hobbies?
 What are you studying in school?
 What parts of the world would you like to visit?
 What kind of books do you read in your first language?

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Organize Books
 Libraries – 10 main classifications
– General works
– Philosophy and psychology
– Religion
– Social sciences
– Language
– Natural sciences and mathematics
– Technology
– The arts
– Literature and rhetoric
– History, biography, and geography.

 Teacher libraries
– Keep a list of books we like and our students like.
– We must know what books we enjoy to read.

 Take students to the library at least once

– Have introductory sessions for students in the library.
– Give brochures to students.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Be a better reader without using a dictionary.

1. Predict the meaning of the text.

2. Skip unfamiliar words and guess their meaning from
other words in the sentence or other sentences
in the text (readback).
3. Carefully examine titles, illustrations, and
subheadings.
4. Identify text structure using a flow-chart or diagram.
5. Pre-read questions.
6. Read the story from the perspective of other
people.
7. Know your comfort zone for new vocabulary.
8. Indentify the grammatical function of a word before
guessing its meaning (know about suffixes).

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 General comfort zone for new vocabulary
A minimum of 1 new word to a maximum of 5 new words per page

How to better recognize new vocabulary

without using a dictionary
Suffixes (word endings), such as -er, -sion, and -ive,
often indicate the part of speech of a word.
NOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVES ADVERBS
-age -ize -en -ble -ic, -ical -ly
-ance, -ence -logy -ify -al -ish -wards
-ant, -ent -ment -ize, -ise -an, -ian -ive -wise
-er, -or, -ar -ship -ant, ent -less
-ics -sion -ary, -ory -ous, -ious
-ity, -ty -tion -ful

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 The 10 Golden Rules of Effective Reading
1. Encourage students to choose a reading that they ENJOY!
2. Remind students that UNDERSTANDING a text is not about reading every
word.
3. Recommend that students get into the habit of PREDICTING before starting
to read.
4. Remind students to read for GIST first, and to leave the details for later.
5. Insist that students always GUESS THE MEANING of a new word before
reaching for a dictionary.
6. Encourage students to appreciate the WRITER´S opinion, intention, tone,
style and attitude.
7. Help students assess their personal STYLE (When do I read best? Where
do I read best? How long can I read before overtiring?)
8. Encourage students to keep a RECORD of HOW and WHAT they read.
(quantity, kind of text read, new vocabulary learned, problems they had,
and personal objectives).
9. Reading material should include an EMPHASIS on the skills where the
student is weak.
10. Avoid: - dissecting language,
- making Ss read aloud only,
- expecting your Ss to understand 100% of the text,
- making students dependent on you for meaning.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Effective Reading
Enabling students to read unfamiliar, authentic texts,
silently, without help, at appropriate speed, and with
adequate comprehension, through the following:

well-organized reading program

that combines

intensive and extensive reading,

not just reading lessons from textbooks.

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Effective Reading
________ Comprehension ________ Comprehension
Reading to add lines Reading beyond the lines

Extensive Intensive
Reading Reading

The _______ The

___________

We started here.
The ________ The ________

Reading Intensive
Lessons Reading
_______ Comprehension ________ Comprehension
Reading the lines Reading between the lines

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Effective Reading
Appreciative Comprehension Evaluative Comprehension
Reading to add lines Reading beyond the lines

Extensive Intensive
Reading Reading

The Fruit The Limbs &

Leaves

We started here.
The Roots The Trunk

Reading Intensive
Lessons Reading
Literal Comprehension Inferential Comprehension
Reading the lines Reading between the lines

Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?

 Effective Reading

Silent Reading Comprehension

Language Acquisition
Isn’t this our ultimate goal in reading?
Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?
 Effective Reading Comprehension
What have we read in the past two weeks?

Reading materials (any language):

• Survey • Calendar
• Pamphlet • Newspaper
• Magazine • Letter
• Telephone directory • Email
• Statistics • Article
• Medicine label • Book

Have we read something purely for the enjoyment of it?

Something fruitful?
Anthony Acevedo 2014 7. WHAT IS EFFECTIVE READING?
 Defining Reading

Anthony Acevedo
[email protected]
Last Updated: April 27, 2014
Original Date: August 30, 2005

Anthony Acevedo 2014

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Anthony Acevedo 2014 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Anthony Acevedo 2014 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Bibliography

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Acevedo, A. (2009). Reading to Add Lines. No Reference Found
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