ELT Methods and Practices

Unit 5: Dealing with Reading Skills

Evdokia Karavas
School of Philosophy
Faculty of English Language and Literature
 Issues to be discussed in this unit
• The nature of reading.
• How do we read? Models of the reading
process.
• Text types, reading purpose and reading
strategies: How do they interact?
• Developing a reading lesson: pre-while-post
reading.
• Principles for developing reading skills.
Dealing with Reading Skills 2
 Task 1 (1/2)
Below is an extract from a book by Roald Dahl. Read the
extract and answer the questions that follow.
• But if you don´t each people like all the others´
Sophie said, “ then what do you live on?”. “That is a
squelching tricky problem round here” the BFG
answered ”In this shloshflunking Giant Country,
happy eats like pineapples and pigwinkles is simply
not growing. Nothing is growing except for one
extremely icky-poo vegetable. It is called the
snozzcumber”.
Dealing with Reading Skills 3
 Task 1 (2/2)
• “The snozzcumber!” cried Sophie “There is no such
thing”
• The BFG looked at Sophie and smiled, showing about
twenty of his square white teeth. “Yesterday”, he said,
“we was not believing in giants, was we?” Today we is
not believing in snozzcumbers. Just because we happen
not to have actually seen something with our own two
little winkles, we think it is not existing. What about for
instance the great squizzly scotch-hopper?”
• “I beg your pardon? “ Sophie said.

Dealing with Reading Skills 4

 Questions
• What sort of book do you think this extract comes
from?
• Who is BFG and who is Sophie?
• Where do you think they are?
• What do think the words in italics may mean?
• In order to answer questions 1-4 you made a number
of inferences. What kinds of knowledge did you draw
upon in order to make your inferences?

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 What is reading?
• The ability to successfully generate meaning from
text.
• Reading, like listening, is a very active, dynamic
process. The reader is actively involved in
comprehending the meaning of the message; he/she
constantly interacts with the text and combines
information from the text with other sources of
knowledge in order to make meaning. Reading
comprehension is the result of interaction between
the reader and the text.
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 Models of reading: Bottom up model
Reader builds meaning from the smallest units
of meaning to achieve comprehension.
Example: letters > letter clusters > words >
phrases > sentences > longer text > meaning =
comprehension.
Reading is regarded as a process of “decoding”,
which moves from the bottom to the top of the
system of language.

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 Bottom up knowledge
• Linguistic knowledge is
used.
• Knowledge of the:
– conventions of print. Sentences/

Botom up
– way words look. Phrases
– relationship between Words
sounds and letters. Morphemes
Phonemes

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 Problems with the bottom up model
• Spelling to sound correspondences are complex and
unpredictable.
• Serial processing of every letter in a text would slows
reading up to the point where it would be very
difficult for meaning to be retained. Readers would
forget the beginning of a sentence before they have
reached the end.
• In order to assign a phonemic value to a grapheme it
is often necessary to know the meaning of the word
containing the grapheme.
Dealing with Reading Skills 9
 Can you read this?
I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I
was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it
dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the
olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can
still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseaethe huamn
mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as
a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot
slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this forwrad.

Dealing with Reading Skills 10

 Models of the reading process:
The top-down model (1/2)
• This model emphasises the reconstruction of
meaning as the reader interacts with the text.
Reader generates meaning by employing
background knowledge, expectations,
assumptions, and questions.
• Using this information the reader forms
hypotheses about text elements and then
samples the text to determine whether or not
his hypotheses are correct.
Dealing with Reading Skills 11
 Models of the reading process:
The top-down model (2/2)
• This model of teaching reading is based on the
theory in which reading is regarded as a
prediction-check process, “a psycholinguistic
guessing game” (Goodman, 1970).
• The learner uses pre-existing knowledge
(schema) of topic/field, cultural
understandings & life experiences to make
out what makes sense.

Dealing with Reading Skills 12

 Models of the reading process:
The interactive model
As the reader moves through the text, he/she
employs various types of knowledge. The reader
draws on top-down and bottom-up knowledge
alternately or simultaneously depending on the
type of text, the reader’s background knowledge
and his/her language proficiency level.
Example: Reader uses top-down strategies until
he/she encounters an unfamiliar word, then employs
decoding skills to achieve comprehension.

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Both types of knowledge are necessary
• Language knowledge is necessary because it
enables readers to recognise and decode
quickly and accurately letters, words,
grammatical structures and cohesive devices.
• Schematic knowledge is necessary because it
allows us to make sense of new experiences
and enables us to make predictions about
what we might expect to experience in a given
context.
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 The interactive model
Top down knowledge Botom up knowledge
• Text source. • Knowledge of the world.
• Text design. • General, topic,
• Discourse type. sociocultural.
• Inter-sentential links.
• Sentence structure.
• Clause structure.
• Words.
• Word structure.
• Letter sound relationships.
• Letter.

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 Interaction (“balance”) of
bottom-up and top-down strategies

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 Summarising our understanding of reading
(1/2)
In reading, the goal is always comprehension of
meaning.
Reading is an active process using our:
• knowledge of the world (non-visual information),
• knowledge of language (visual information),
to construct meaning.

Dealing with Reading Skills 17

 Summarising our understanding of reading
(2/2)
The key to reading is prediction.
We use our knowledge of the world and of language to
predict what will come next. We test our predictions by
reading some of the text and then checking if what we
are reading makes sense. If it makes sense we continue
reading, if not we go back and revise our predictions.
The more knowledge and experience we have on which
to base our predictions, the less we need to rely on
print.

Dealing with Reading Skills 18

 Task 2
• In task 1, the extract was taken from a children
´s book (“The BFG”,) by Roald Dahl (2001).
Based on your knowledge of this genre, list
some of the main characteristics of this genre.
Focus on text design/layout, discourse type,
discourse features, grammatical features.

Dealing with Reading Skills 19

 How does knowledge of genres help in the
reading process?
• Text types differ in terms of their communicative
functions, the way information is organised and
presented, in their syntax, grammar and vocabulary
and in the way ideas are related to each other.
• Readers have knowledge of a vast array of text types
and their distinctive characteristics. This knowledge
enables them to approach the text with some degree
of familiarity and adjust their reading expectations
and skills to the particular text.

Dealing with Reading Skills 20

 Text types (1/3)
• Calendars. • Pamphlets.
• Addresses. • Product labels.
• Phone books. • Washing instructions.
• Name cards. • Short stories.
• Bank statements. • Novels.
• Credit cards. • Plays.
• Maps. • Poems.
• Anecdotes. • Handbooks.
• Weather forecast. • Clothes size labels.
Dealing with Reading Skills 21
 Text types (2/3)
• Graffiti on walls. • Postcards.
• Children’s scribbling. • Credit cards.
• Informal letters. • Comic books.
• Business letters. • Newspapers.
• Rules and regulations. • Diplomas.
• Electronic mail. • Application forms.
• Telegrams. • Store catalogues.
• Fax messages. • Magazines.
• Junk mail. • Radio/TV guides.
Dealing with Reading Skills 22
 Text types (3/3)
• Advertisements. • Journal articles.
• Posters. • Song lyrics.
• Travel guides. • Film subtitles.
• Cookbooks. • Diagrams.
• Repair manuals. • Flowcharts.
• Memos. • Name tags
• Time schedules. (adapted from Gebhard,
• Street signs. 1996: 189).
• Syllabi.
Dealing with Reading Skills 23
 Task 3
• What are the purposes for reading? In order
to help you in your answer think, why would
you read a newspaper, a poem, a telephone
directory, a manual, an encyclopedia, tour
guides.

Dealing with Reading Skills 24

 How does the purpose of reading influence
the skills we employ?
• Readers do not approach all texts in the same
way; they adjust their reading style according
to the purpose they have for reading. The text
type also influences our purpose for reading.

Dealing with Reading Skills 25

 Reading purposes (1/2)
• To obtain information.
• To respond to curiosity about a topic.
• To follow instructions to perform some task.
• For pleasure, amusement and personal
enjoyment.
• To keep in touch with friends and colleagues.
• To know what is happening in the world
(through newspapers, magazines etc.).

Dealing with Reading Skills 26

 Reading purposes (2/2)
• To find out when and where things are
happening.
• To extend/enrich our existing knowledge base.
(Adapted from Hedge, 2001; Rivers and
Temperley, 1978.)

Dealing with Reading Skills 27

 How do good readers read?
• Depending on their reading purpose and the
type of text, good readers choose the most
appropriate reading strategy(-ies).
• We read different things in different ways. The
reading strategies we use depend on what we
are reading and our purpose for reading it.

Dealing with Reading Skills 28

Strategies that effective readers employ (1/4)

• Recognise words quickly.

• Use text features (i.e. headings, subheadings,
pictures) to predict the content of a text.
• Deduce the meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical
items by using contextual clues.
• Read at different speeds for different purposes.
• Understand information when not explicitly
stated.

Dealing with Reading Skills 29

Strategies that effective readers employ (2/4)

• Distinguish main ideas from minor ones.

• Identify the salient points in a text to
summarise.
• Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Use prior knowledge to work out the
meanings within a text.
• Understand the relationships between parts of
the text from the use of connectives.
Dealing with Reading Skills 30
Strategies that effective readers employ (3/4)

• Skimming (quickly reading through a text to

get the gist).
• Scanning (quickly searching a text for a
particular piece of information).
• Identify the main point in a piece of
discourse.
• Use a dictionary well and understand its
limitations.
Dealing with Reading Skills 31
Strategies that effective readers employ (4/4)

• Use context to build meaning and aid

comprehension.
• Continue reading even when unsuccessful, at
least for a while.
• Adjust strategies to the purpose of reading.
(Adapted from Munby, 1978, and Aebersold
and Field, 1997.)

Dealing with Reading Skills 32

 Task 4
Which strategies would you use if:
• you wanted to find a telephone number in the
directory ?
• your level is intermediate, and you wanted to find
out what a British newspaper opinion towards
the Olympic games?
• your level is pre-intermediate and you want to
decide which places to visit in London through a
tour guide?
Dealing with Reading Skills 33
 Planning your reading lesson
• What you will do with the students before the
reading.
• What you and the students will do while
(during) the reading is going on.
• What you will do after the text has been read.
(Gibbons, 2002, p. 84.)

Dealing with Reading Skills 34

 Pre reading stage
• This stage is used to prepare student for the
reading. It aims to activate students’
schematic and language knowledge and to
ensure that reading is purposeful.
• Pre- reading activities should always aim to
develop knowledge related to the overall
meaning of the text. They are not meant to
deal with every potential difficulty.

Dealing with Reading Skills 35

 This stage can be used to:
• Orient the students to the context of the text.
• Prepare the students for the content of the text.
• Establish a purpose for reading.
• Activate background knowledge.
• Encourage students to express an attitude about the
topic.
• Become familiar with some of the language of the
text.

Dealing with Reading Skills 36

 Types of pre-reading activities
• Brainstorming.
• talking about pictures accompanying a text.
• predicting content from title.
• answering a set of questions or a quiz.
• discussing the topic.
• Identifying genre.
• Learning key vocabulary.
Dealing with Reading Skills 37
 The stages of a reading lesson:
The while-reading stage
• The aim of this stage is to encourage learners to be
active, flexible and reflective readers. This stage is
used to practise and develop a range of reading
strategies.
• The purpose of while reading activities is to model
good reading strategies and to examine how the text
achieves its purpose.
• While-reading activities focus on the process of
understanding rather than the result of reading.

Dealing with Reading Skills 38

In this stage students can be encouraged to:

• Follow the order of ideas in a text.

• React to opinions in a text.
• Confirm expectations or prior knowledge.
• Predict the next part of the text from various
clues.
• Distinguish fact from opinion.
• Distinguish major from minor ideas etc.

Dealing with Reading Skills 39

 Types of while-reading activities
• Multiple choice. • Completing a table.
• Fill in the blanks. • Sorting/grouping.
• True-false. • Answering
• Matching. questions.
• Sequencing. • Writing a reflection.

Dealing with Reading Skills 40

Reading comprehension questions (1/2)
• Questions for literal comprehension. (Answers
directly and explicitly available in the text).
• Questions involving reorganization or
reinterpretation. (Require students to obtain
literal information from various parts of the
text and put it together or reinterpret it).
• Questions for inferences. (What is not
explicitly stated but implied).

Dealing with Reading Skills 41

Reading comprehension questions (2/2)
• Questions for evaluation or appreciation.
(making a judgement about the text in terms
of what the writer is trying to convey).
• Questions for personal responses. (Reader’s
reaction to the content of the text).

Dealing with Reading Skills 42

 The post reading stage (1/2)
• Post-reading tasks should provide the students
with opportunities to relate what they have
read to what they already know or what they
feel.
• Tasks in this stage should encourage students
to check and discuss activities done while
reading so that students can make use of what
they have read in a meaningful way.

Dealing with Reading Skills 43

 The post reading stage (2/2)
• In addition, post-reading tasks should enable
students to produce language based on what
they have learned.
• They provide an excellent opportunity to
integrate skills.

Dealing with Reading Skills 44

Purposes of post reading stage activities
• To use the now-familiar text as a basis for
language study.
• To allow students to respond creatively to the
text (through art, drama and/or writing
activities).
• To focus more deeply on information in the
text by representing the information in a
different form (e.g. time line, diagram etc.).

Dealing with Reading Skills 45

 Types of post reading activities
• Critical analysis and evaluation.
• Summarising/paraphrasing.
• Language work.
• Integrated activities.

Dealing with Reading Skills 46

 Reproducing the text
• Tell part of the story from these prompts:
– A doctor – village – annoyed.
– People – stop – street – advice.
– Never paid – never – money – made up his mind –
put and end.

Dealing with Reading Skills 47

 Role Play
• Act out the conversation between the doctor
and the young man.
• Act out an interview between a journalist and
the doctor.

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 Gap-filling
• One day the doctor ________ by a young man.
The doctor _________ to be interested. He
felt the young man __________ in the street
with his tongue ______ out.

Dealing with Reading Skills 49

 False summary & writing
• The teacher provides a summary with some
wrong information, and asks the students to
correct it.
• Writing based on what the students have
read, e.g. producing a tourist brochure, an
advertisement, a short summary, etc.

Dealing with Reading Skills 50

 Approaches to the development of reading
skills (1/2)
Extensive Approach:
The assumption behind this approach is that if
students read large quantities of reading
materials of their own choosing, their ability to
read will constantly improve. In this approach
most of the reading is done outside the classroom
without teacher support. The text is always read
for comprehension of main ideas not for every
detail and word.
Dealing with Reading Skills 51
 Approaches to the development of reading
skills (2/2)
Intensive Approach:
Reading is done in the classroom. Each text is
read thoroughly for maximum comprehension.
Intensive reading is used to teach and practice a
range of reading skills/strategies. Teachers
provide direction and students complete tasks
before, during and after reading.

Dealing with Reading Skills 52

 Principles of teaching reading
• The teaching of reading should focus on developing
students’ reading skills and strategies rather than
testing students’ reading comprehension.
• Provide students opportunities to read a variety of
texts.
• Provide students with tasks that have a
realistic/authentic purpose.
• Design tasks that develop a variety of reading skills.
• Work on bottom-up recognition skills and on top-
down interpretation skills.
Dealing with Reading Skills 53
 References (1/2)
Aebersold, J. A., & Field, M. L. (1997). From reader to reading teacher: Issues
and strategies for second language classrooms. Cambridge University
Press.

Gebhard, J.G. (1996). Teaching English as a Foreign Language: A Teacher Self-

Development and Methodology Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of
Michigan Press.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching

second language learners in the mainstream classroom . Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.

Dealing with Reading Skills 54

 References (2/2)
Goodman, K. (1970). Reading as a psychologistic guessing game. In H. Singer
and R. b. Ruddell . (Eds). Theoretical models and Processes of Reading.
Newark, N.J.: International reading Association.

Hedge, T. (2001). Teaching and learning in the language classroom (Vol. 106).
Oxford,, UK: Oxford University Press.

Rivers, W. M., & Temperley, M. S. (1978). A Practical Guide to the Teaching of

English as a Second or Foreign Language. Oxford University Press, 200
Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Munby, J. (1978). Communicative syllabus design: a sociolinguistic model for

defining the content of purpose-specific language programmers.
Cambridge University Press.

Dealing with Reading Skills 55

End of Unit
 Financing
• The present educational material has been developed as part of the
educational work of the instructor.
• The project “Open Academic Courses of the University of Athens” has only
financed the reform of the educational material.
• The project is implemented under the operational program “Education
and Lifelong Learning” and funded by the European Union (European
Social Fund) and National Resources.

Dealing with Reading Skills 57

Notes
Note on History of Published Version
The present work is the edition 1.0.

Dealing with Reading Skills 59

 Reference Note
Copyright National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evdokia Karavas.
Evdokia Karavas. “ELT Methods and Practices. Dealing with Reading Skills”.
Edition: 1.0. Athens 2015. Available at the
ELT Methods and Practices Open Online Course.

Dealing with Reading Skills 60

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Dealing with Reading Skills 61

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Dealing with Reading Skills 62