Reading in the language classroom
Reading is a key competence taught in school. Reading in L1 is quite a challenge, so reading in L2 is much more difficult, especially in English, where the written form is different from the one that we pronounce.
In my practice, I’ve observed some signs of reading. My mentor teacher said that she is not focusing on reading that much in 1st grade yet, because there will be plenty of time to practice it later, for now, she sticks to global reading and connecting the written form with meaning.
The main task used to prepare students to read is a flashcard game. At first, she shows flashcards with pictures, students have to name them, later on, it gets more difficult, as she shows flashcards with names written on them. Thanks to a constant practice students are aware of the written form and easily can say what word is that. This king of global reading is very useful especially for young learners, as it might help them realize the specific of English language. Another activity I’ve noticed is connecting pictures with their written form, it’s like a game on a paper.
For older kids, she uses some more complicated tasks. For example, after listening to dialogue and practicing it with the whole group she asks students to act it out in smaller groups, with the division on characters. This task is widely used and I find it interesting and useful, as it helps students to practice reading, as stress-free, as they were already exposed to new words and proper pronunciation and overall, is fun.
One of the nicest tasks that I’ve seen was on the 6th of December when students from grade 2, divided into smaller groups were given descriptions of a Santa and their task was to draw it! What a great opportunity to check their progress, understanding and a cool, fun practice of reading comprehension!
Most of the text used is introduced by pre-teaching vocabulary and getting students into the right context. And this is basically how it should be done. I really enjoyed watching it.
I believe my mentor teacher is doing a great job with teaching students how to read as even if it’s not her main focus, she exposes younger students to global reading and practices in meaningful and fun context with older ones. Reading in L2 is extremely difficult and this way students are slowly getting into the habit of proper reading. I like it!
In my practice, I’ve observed some signs of reading. My mentor teacher said that she is not focusing on reading that much in 1st grade yet, because there will be plenty of time to practice it later, for now, she sticks to global reading and connecting the written form with meaning.
The main task used to prepare students to read is a flashcard game. At first, she shows flashcards with pictures, students have to name them, later on, it gets more difficult, as she shows flashcards with names written on them. Thanks to a constant practice students are aware of the written form and easily can say what word is that. This king of global reading is very useful especially for young learners, as it might help them realize the specific of English language. Another activity I’ve noticed is connecting pictures with their written form, it’s like a game on a paper.
For older kids, she uses some more complicated tasks. For example, after listening to dialogue and practicing it with the whole group she asks students to act it out in smaller groups, with the division on characters. This task is widely used and I find it interesting and useful, as it helps students to practice reading, as stress-free, as they were already exposed to new words and proper pronunciation and overall, is fun.
One of the nicest tasks that I’ve seen was on the 6th of December when students from grade 2, divided into smaller groups were given descriptions of a Santa and their task was to draw it! What a great opportunity to check their progress, understanding and a cool, fun practice of reading comprehension!
Most of the text used is introduced by pre-teaching vocabulary and getting students into the right context. And this is basically how it should be done. I really enjoyed watching it.
I believe my mentor teacher is doing a great job with teaching students how to read as even if it’s not her main focus, she exposes younger students to global reading and practices in meaningful and fun context with older ones. Reading in L2 is extremely difficult and this way students are slowly getting into the habit of proper reading. I like it!
Comments
Post a Comment