READING & VOCABULARY

TOPIC 4

STAGES OF A READING COMPREHENSIONS LESSON & STAGES OF A LITERACY HOUR

SYNOPSIS Topic 4 looks at how a reading comprehension is carried out in the classroom. The topic begins with outlining the stages of the lesson and the purposes of each of the stage. This will be followed by a discussion on some possible activities that can be carried out at each stage. The second segment of this topic looks at the activities that are carried out during the literacy hour.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you will be able to:

name the three stages of a reading lesson demonstrate an understanding of the purposes of these stages distinguish the types of activities that can be carried out in each stage determine the purpose of the literacy hour identify the stages of a literacy hour plan the activities that are carried out at each stage of the literacy hour demonstrate an understanding of the criteria for grouping pupils for guided reading.

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FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS

Topic 4a

STAGES OF A READING LESSON

pre reading

while reading

post reading

Topic 4b

STAGES OF A LITERACY HOUR

shared reading

word/sentence level work

guided reading/independent work

plenary

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Topic 4a : Stages of a Reading Lesson

What is reading? Reading is a complex metacognitive process where understanding is derived through the intricate interplay of words and ones prior knowledge. All efficient readers use various strategies to help them comprehend a text. In the same light, teachers dispense various strategies to help pupils develop reading comprehension in the classroom. For the same reason, a reading lesson is divided into three distinct stages with specific strategies set for each stage to develop reading comprehension.

Stages of a Reading Lesson A typical reading lesson comprises three basic phases of pre-reading, whilereading and post-reading. All these phases have their own aims and thus the activities in each of these phases or stages vary depending on the purpose or aim of that phase. We shall deal with each phase in greater detail below.

Pre-reading This phase usually has one or more of these functions: to generate interest in the topic to introduce vocabulary, language or concepts related to the text to help pupils see the relationship of ideas to activate previous knowledge related to the text to relate text to personal lives Generally, this stage is to prepare learners for the reading passage they will be reading. It is very important that the learners are provided with a lot of prereading support so that the learners are confident enough to read effectively and efficiently. Among the activities that can be carried out at this stage are: looking at the title/picture to predict or speculate about the content of the text the teacher giving background information of the content

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providing learners with some relevant material to read about the content/topic learners writing questions about the topic they would like to get answers in text to come further discussion of the topic pre-teaching, revising essential linguistic items lexis and syntax.

Before closing this segment, there are some important points to remember about pre-reading activities. They are most important at lower levels of language proficiency and at the earlier stages of reading instruction. As pupils become more proficient at using reading strategies, the teacher will have to reduce the amount of guided pre-reading and allow pupils to do the activities themselves.

Thats a brief introduction of the pre-reading stage. Now, lets take a look at what is entailed in the while-reading stage.

While-reading This stage chiefly deals with the reading activities learners are expected to do while reading the text. The aim is to help learners develop the reading sub-skills necessary to extract message or meaning from the text. However, it must be noted that the activities carried out at this stage are not meant to be used as a form of assessment. Instead, they are to help learners to read and develop the necessary skills which they can apply in any reading situations. Hence, the activities must be carefully planned to fit their purposes. Some of the purposes for carrying out this stage of the reading lesson are to: get the main idea obtain specific information understand most or all of the message the writer is trying to convey enjoy a story.

Lets now look at some of the activities that can be carried out at this stage: identifying main idea and supporting details looking for examples to illustrate ideas identifying different words that refer to the same idea looking at relationships between sentences in one paragraph recognizing transition words or a change in ideas 4

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writing main idea for paragraphs making and check predictions marking/checking/arranging items in pictures putting pictures (or other things, e.g. paragraphs, words, events, etc.) in order completing/drawing pictures based on descriptions completing texts (gap filling) following a route e.g: on a map completing charts, grids transfer information from text identifying true/false statements answering multiple choice questions, or Wh-questions matching headlines to news articles matching descriptions to pictures making decisions based on information from the text.

That concludes the segment on while-reading. Its time to look at the last stage the post reading stage.

Post-reading Before ending the reading lesson, it is good to allow the pupils to reflect upon what they have read and to make connections to their life experiences, or knowledge of the world. It is also a time for them to conceptualise what has been taught or learnt in the text. At this stage, the pupils interest in the text can be heightened and enriched. For these reasons, the activities planned for this stage should answer the said goals.

Among the activities that we can engage pupils in are: asking opinions making generalizations discussing moral values of the text researching on a topic related to the text doing extension activities like crafts or poster drawing.

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Lets now see how these stages work in a reading lesson.

Situation: Imagine you are going to use the reading text Chocolate. (page 10) The following strategies can be used for each stage of the lesson. Remember this is just a sample.

Pre-reading tasks a) Bring some chocolates to the class maybe a small bag of chocolate that can be shared. b) Put the pupils into pairs and give each pair a copy of a set of questions. They need to ask each other these questions.

Questions 1. Do you like chocolate cake? Chocolate ice-cream? Chocolate bars? Hot chocolate drinks? 2. How much chocolate do you have every week? 3. Do you eat more chocolate now than when you were younger? 4. Do you think its bad that some children eat a lot of chocolate?

c) The teacher monitors while the pupils discuss the questions together. The first three questions are the most important, so stop after everyone has done those.

d) Do a whole class feedback on the first three questions. You could also tell the class your answers to these questions.

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**A note to teachers: As far as possible, use realia in the class. This generates a lot of interest. At the same time you can see the pupils reaction to chocolate-are they excited about eating some? Why is that so? It is also essential to personalize your lesson. Pupils are always more interested in a topic if they can relate it to their own lives.

While-reading tasks

Task 1

a) Tell the pupils they are going to read about a woman, Maria, who loves chocolate very much. Draw their attention to question 1 in the worksheet and ask them to read the choices.

b) Give each pupil their own copy of the text, ask them to read it fairly quickly and to decide who Maria is writing to.

c) Let pupils to compare their answers before asking for suggestions.

d) Give feedback to (c).

**A note to teachers: Always remind pupils that they can read the text again more slowly and as many times as they want.

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Task 2

a) Tell the pupils they are now going to read the text in more detail to understand each paragraph.

b) Pupils read the summaries of the paragraphs in question 2 of the worksheet.

c) Check answers: ( e1 a2 d3 b4 f5 c6 ).

**A note to teachers:

Do an example first. Ask all pupils to all read the first paragraph. They then decide which summary is for this paragraph. They should all agree it is the introduction so they draw a line from An introduction to the problem to Number 1.

Task 3

a) Get pupils to read the text another time and answer Questions 3 of the worksheet.

b) Pupils compare their answers. If there are any differences, they should try to provide the reason.

c) Check answers. They are all true except for c. Make sure pupils understand the reasons for the answers preferably get pupils to explain them. (a) She has an older and younger sister, (b) If the children have chocolate (c) Shes still talking about her children, (d) She gets headaches. (e) She feels better and happier, but, guilty too. (f ) I try to speakbut nobody understands. 8

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Post-reading tasks Based on the text you have read, Maria asks, What can I do? (paragraph 5). In pairs or small groups, ask pupils to brainstorm ideas to help Maria. What can she do? How can her family help? Encourage them to come up with four or five ideas.

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Chocolate

I know that I have a problema big problem. It may sound funny but its very bad for mefor my health and for my life. Whats the problem? I cant stop eating chocolate! I started eating chocolate as a child of course; me and my sisters all ate a lot of different kinds of chocolate. However, my sisters and I are adults now and Im the only one who still eats it a lot. My elder sister can have a bar of Tobblerone and make it last a week. My younger sister is happy with one box of chocolates a year for Mothers Day. My parents dont eat any chocolate at all. Me, I need it every day, and lots of it too. So, how much do I eat? Well, I have about 10 bars of chocolate a day. My first bar is at 8 oclock in the morning, and then I have my last one just before I go to bed. Sometimes if theres no chocolate in the house I drive to the nearest shop that sells it (about 2 kilometres away) and buy some more. I even drive out late at night if I need some chocolate. If the children (and this is terrible, I know) have chocolate in the house I take it. When Sarah was eight, someone gave her a box of chocolates for her birthday. I took the box and then, when she was out playing, I ate some. Then I ate some more. I finished the whole box! A few days later she said, Wheres my box of chocolates? and I said, I dont know. I know that was very bad. At Christmas we got a giant family-sized bag of chocolate sweets, I ate the whole bag on my own in two days! I know eating a lot of chocolate is bad for my health. Theres a lot of sugar in all types of chocolate. Theres also a lot of fat. I think thats why I have many spots on my face, and Im a little overweight too. Sometimes I try to stop but if I dont have any, I get very bad headaches. However, as soon as I have some chocolate I feel better and happier too. I know that its also very bad to take and eat chocolate thats not mine but I cant stop myself. What can I do? Even at night I dream about chocolate. My favourite dream is falling down a hole and landing on a big pile of chocolate bars! I really do want to stop, or start to eat less. At the supermarket theres always chocolate for sale while I wait to pay for my shopping. At the station (bus, train, underground) theres always chocolate for sale in machines. Everywhere I look t heres chocolate for sale! I try to speak to my family but nobody understands. They all like chocolate but nobody wants to eat 10 bars a day, and nobody understands why I do.

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6 Worksheet I need help! Please tell me what I can do to stop eating chocolate1. 1. Read the text written by Maria, a woman who loves chocolate. Who is she writing to? A. Her mother B. A newspaper C. A magazine problem page D. A company that makes chocolate 2. Read the text again and match a summary with a paragraph.

Summary a) Maria is the only one who loves chocolate in her family b) This becomes a problem for Maria c) Maria wants help d) The description of the problem e) An introduction to the problem f) Why the problem is difficult to stop 3. Are the following sentences True or False? a) Maria is the middle child in her family. b) She is a mother. c) Sarah is one of her sisters. d) Cheryl feels ill if she stops eating chocolate. e) She feels both good and bad after eating chocolate. f)
1

Paragraph 1

2 3 4 5 6

( ( ( ( ( (

) ) ) ) ) )

Its very easy to buy chocolate.

Taken from : http://www.esl-galaxy.com & www.englishmedialab.com

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So, that was a complete lesson with different activities for the three stages of a reading lesson. Now, heres something for you to do.

Tutorial Question You wish to use the following text in your class. Suggest one pre-reading, one while-reading and one post-reading activity you could carry out. Discuss your answer with your lecturer during the interaction session. Can you imagine a school youd want to go to? Like, for instance? Like a school, Sam said, where youd never have to do anything you didnt want to. If you didnt feel like maths, you could read. If you didnt feel like reading, you could play ball. Boring, Benjy said. What do you mean boring? Benjy pretended to throw up as he looked at the gooey macaroni and cheese that was the days lunch. After a while, he said, youd get bored doing anything you wanted to. Itd be like summer all year long. I mean, summers OK up to about the first week in August, but then, you know what, I start wanting somebody to tell me what to do even if I dont want to do it. The trouble with you, Sam said, is you havent got much imagination. What the hell does that mean? It means, Sam said, theres always something to do. Theres never any reason to be bored. Watch. My Brace! My Brace! Sam howled. Ive lost it! Theres nothing wrong with your teeth, Benjy whispered. You dont have a brace. If Sam wasnt a friend of mine, Benjy was thinking, Id figure him to be the biggest jerk in creation. And you know what? He is the biggest jerk in creation. Reward! Reward! Sam was yelling. I lost my braces, I lost my dental appliance. Its in the macaroni or somewhere in the ice cream. Reward! Reward! The food line stopped. Some of the kids already at their tables looked at their tray, grimaced, and pushed them away. 12

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Mr McEvoy, the head of the middle school, a tall, thin, balding man who prided himself on his ability to remain calm, or at least appear calm, whatever the provocation, walked briskly over to Sam. You really did not have to tell the whole world, he said. Now, are you sure you lost your brace? Sam, trying not to grin, nodded affirmatively. Benjy, who had moved several steps away, was looking fixedly at the ceiling. Wait a minute, Mr McEvoy said, You dont have a brace! I remember your mother saying that at least your teeth are perfect. He began to make noises in his throat. Jees, Sam thought, Mr McEvoy sounds like hes growling. He sounds like like a dog. Sam! Mr McEvoys voice was loud, but it sounded strangled. This is a joke, isnt it? Benjy moved farther away from Sam, who kept his head down. Well, said Sam, it just came to me, you see, Mr McEvoy. The head of the middle school, the growls coming faster and deeper, shut his eyes for a few seconds and then, enunciating each syllable with great care said, You already have an appointment for detention with me this afternoon, Sam. It will be a long appointment. And you will have a very long composition to write on why pupils must not act like baboons in the school cafeteria. All right! Mr McEvoy tried to make his voice carry throughout the cafeteria. All right! No brace, no dental appliance fell into any of the food. One small boy thought he was being funny. He was not being funny. And he is going to be very sad. Continue your lunch! The kids at the table looked suspiciously at their food trays, and some began to poke around in the macaroni. The food line started moving again, but most of the kids judging by how little macaroni they took, didnt seem to be hungry. Terrific, Benjy said to Sam. Terrific, if thats what you call imagination, Id rather have a toothache. Some days nobodys got a sense of humour, Sam said, annoyed at Benjy and annoyed at himself. 30

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Adapted from: This school is driving me crazy

Now, take a break before you move on to the next topic.

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Topic 4b : Stages of the literacy hour

This topic concerns a special programme launched by the Ministry of Education in 2002 to develop literacy, specifically, the reading skill among the primary school pupils. You will be given a brief overview of the English Hour. This will be followed by a detailed description of the stages of the English hour and the activities that can be carried out at each stage of the hour.

The Literacy Hour Before we begin to talk about the stages of a literacy hour, let us take a brief look at what is meant as the literacy hour and the objectives of this special hour allocated for developing literacy among our pupils. The literacy hour or the English Hour as it is called in Malaysia is an adaptation of the Literacy Hour used in the UK. It is an innovative effort by the Ministry of Education to improve the teaching and learning of English in Malaysian schools. It was introduced in 2002 as part of a revised English language programme. The focus of the English Hour is to develop language through story books. The purpose is to move away from the traditional whole-class teacher-centred approach to developing literacy, especially reading, through a more studentoriented approach. Here, it is hoped that active participation will increase the pupils interest and motivation to read. Pupils learning is also enhanced when they are engaged in text-based activities.

Now that we know the aim of the programme, let us look at the stages of the English Hour and what is carried out at each stage of the hour.

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Stages of the English Hour/Literacy Hour

The English Hour comprises four sections or steps.

The lesson starts with the whole class working on a shared text (15 minutes) where the teacher models effective reading. The teacher will read from a big book or more preferable a text projected on a screen. Pupils will listen and may join in the reading by repeating some parts of the text but the whole text is mostly read by the teacher.

Then comes a short period of word level or sentence level work (15 minutes). The teacher can use this part of the lesson to teach and consolidate phonic knowledge which the children can then apply in their reading and writing or on spelling or sentence construction. Grammar work can also be conducted but only one or two grammar items at a time.

Twenty minutes of the lesson is for independent work and guided reading where pupils apply their literacy skills in meaningful tasks individually, in pairs or in groups. While the pupils are engaged in their work, the teacher will work with pupils in small groups on their reading. The text should be one that the pupils have little difficulty in reading.

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.

That is an overview of the English Hour. Let us look at the stages in more detail, the types of activities that can be carried out at each stage and the value of these stages and actvities.

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i. Shared Reading

Shared reading is an interactive reading session which creates a risk-free environment for the pupils allowing them to focus on the enjoyment of the story. It is an integral part of any literacy programme as it provides a high degree of interaction between the teacher and the pupils. Also, it increases their awareness on how written texts work.

In a shared reading session, the teacher and pupils sit together around a big book or a reading source big enough for every child to read clearly. This is most essential so that all the pupils can join in the reading. During the session, the teacher does most of the reading and the pupils follow with their eyes, actively listening and at certain points of the story joining in the reading.

Through the shared reading session, pupils can see how reading is done in a positive, supportive and interactive environment. When it is carried out consistently, its benefits are enormous for both the teacher and the pupils. The following are some of them.

a) For the teacher it enables the teacher to model fluent and expressive reading it provides opportunities for the teacher to use some skills in context that are meaningful to the pupils it allows the teacher to demonstrate strategies that make meaning out of print it furnishes the teacher with ideas for discussion it enables the teacher to demonstrate strategies and the use of cues to work out meanings of unfamilair words.

b) For the pupils it helps pupils to develop and share their knowledge and the conventions of a text it stimulates and inspires children to be actively involved in reading it stimulates imagination and provides ideas for writing it stimulates and fosters reflective and critical thinking 16

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it allows children to work on the text at their own level and enjoy it it allows children to enjoy reading in a community of readers it allows children to experience success and satisfaction as they become more familiar with the text it can build sight word knowledge and reading fluency.

After looking at the advantages of shared reading, now lets move on to the activities that can be carried out during the shared reading session. Among the activities that can be carried out during shared reading are: predicting (words, actions, events, etc.) working out tricky words using various strategies and clues recognising and demonstrating the use of writing conventions like full stops, capital letters, etc. looking for words of a particular type in the text, and grouping them e.g. rhyming words, words ending with a particular sound, etc. reading and re-reading the text (choral reading) conducting oral cloze asking brief questions during the reading process to determine pupils' comprehension level relating the story to the pupils' similar experiences masking key words or specific letters depending on the objective of the lesson retelling the story in their own words.

The list above is not exhaustive. So do not restrict yourself to only the ones mentioned above. As with every reading lessons, the shared reading session is made up of the three stages of pre-reading, while reading and post reading. Lets look at what is carried out at each stage.

Pre-reading The teacher introduces the story by talking about the title and the cover. By directing the pupils to the illustration on the cover, the teacher can ask the pupils to predict the content of the story. While many teachers tend to focus only on the front cover, the back cover may hold as much picture clue and information to what will happen in the story as the front. For those reasons, the back cover should not be sidelined. Conducting a picture walk through the book, stopping at 17

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some significant event or picture, pointing out a character may also give the pupils some clues to the story. Asking probing questions may also heighten curosity and interest in reading the story. While reading The first reading is purely for enjoyment. The teacher can run a finger over the words as she/he reads them aloud while the pupils follow the reading with their eyes. It is essential to model the reading with realistic reactions with the use of appropriate voice modulation or tone. The teacher can pause at any point from time to time to involve the pupils in predicting the next word or phrase or what will happen next. Let the reading be carried out at a natural pace and probably slowing down when the teacher wants the pupils to join in the reading. On the second and subsequent readings, invite the pupils to join in the reading especially at points when familiar words or phrases and repeated structures appear.

Post reading The teacher can check the pupils prediction at this stage. Giving opportunities for the children to talk about their predictions is very powerful and engages them in active participation. At this point the teacher can build connections of the story by activiting the pupils prior knowledge to the events, the actions of the characters, or the theme or main idea of the story.

That sums up the procedure. Let us now look at the second stage of the literacy hour, the word/sentence level work.

ii.

Word/sentence level work

The types of exercise carried out at this stage are very much dependent on the text. For example, with one text the teacher may ask the children to find verbs on a particular page. With another, the teacher may get the children to work on providing synonyms for some words, for example, small may be replaced by tiny or little. At another session the teacher can ask the pupils to rewrite sentences from the text changing its tense from present to past or vice versa. Other activities might include asking the pupils to pick out all the saying verbs from the

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dialogue and replacing them with other said words like shouted, exclaimed, cried, whispered, yelled, etc. The sky is the limit. The varieties of activities that can be created for this stage of the lesson is certainly sky-high. With a little bit of imagination and a dose of creativity, any teacher would be able to design interesting and challenging activities that enhances learning.

Now, lets take a look at what entails in the guided reading segment.

iii.

Guided Reading In guided reading, the teacher does not read nor does he or she reads with the children. As the phrase implies, the teacher works in small groups (four to six) to assist the pupil(s) to make meaning out of print following an orderly sequence of steps. These pupils are placed in homogenous groups where they share similar instructional needs. During the guided reading session, through the teachers coaching, prompting, and questioning the pupils use various strategies to figure out individual words or work out what a combination of words (a sentence) means. Listed below are some strategies children use or learn during the guided reading session. cross-checking: using more than one source of information to confirm a prediction in order to construct meaning searching: making use of more than one source to derive meaning. The reader may look at the pictures, look for familiar words, or sentence patterns predicting: the reader uses his background knowledge and what is known in the story to guess what will happen next, what the text means or determine what the character may say or do next. The reader may also ultilise the illustrations to anticipate the meaning skipping a word and moving on: the reader may skip the unfamiliar word and move on in order to read more into the text to get into the context and then returns to the unknown word and uses the extended context to figure out the meaning of the word

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rereading: the reader returns to the beginning of the sentence and rereads it making use of the sense of the sentence up to that point to figure out its meaning sounding it out: the reader uses his knowledge of graphophonics to sound out the word appealing: the reader makes no hesitation to ask for help leaning on Margaret: the reader leans into the child next to him or her and listens to what the child says.

Adapted from Saunders-Smith, G. (2009) The ultimate guided reading how-to book. California:Corwin.

Let us now look at group dynamics, the selection of text and the teaching sequence for this segment.

Grouping Teachers work with small groups of pupils of homogenous abilitychildren who know, use and need to learn the same concepts, skills and vocabulary (SaunderSmith, 2009). Each group must be small enough to receive intensive support from the teacher. Since children progress at different rates, membership in a group is not permanent. The groups will change as the childrens competencies change.

Text selection Either fiction or non-fiction books can be used in a guided reading lesson. Selecting the right text is very crucial. It should be appropriate to the pupils learning needs, interest and experience. A general rule to follow is selecting a text at a level where the pupils can read or work through 90-95 percent of the words and at the same time the text offers opportunities for new learning, or 5-10 percent of unfamiliarity. Each child must have a copy of the text.

The teaching sequence The teacher begins guided reading by introducing the text briefly. The teacher can carry out a picture walk, explain or discuss special features or potential challenges the pupils may need help in such as names of characters or technical terms. The pupils then read the text. They take responsibility for their own reading. The teacher monitors each member of the group, prompting and 20

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encouraging them to use the strategies they have learnt. The teacher can move alongside the pupil to check how they process the text. The teacher only intervenes when necessary. At this point, the teacher can take down notes of each individuals progress. The next step is returning to the text. The purpose is to teach specific skills and to do vocabulary work. Here the teacher may also discuss other problem-solving strategies to assist the children to unravel meanings out of problematic words. A reminder though that guided reading is best carried out for emergent and early readers although transitional readers may still need some guidance.

Whats up next? Independent work! Let us walk through the penultimate activity.

iv.

Independent work Various independent work can be designed to get the pupils engaged in an activity while the teacher attends to small groups of pupils during the guided reading session. Some examples of independent work include writing a short poem or paragraph. Writing a description of a person based on a photograph. Rewrite the story read from a different point of view, compile a word bank of saying words from the stories they have read, draw simple cartoons with simple dialogues based on the stories read, etc. Again, the choice of activities is unlimited.

We have come to the last activity in the list. Lets take a look at what can be carried out.

v.

Plenary The English hour ends with a review of the days lesson. In this session, the pupils reflect on their learning and talk about what they have done and how they have done it. The pupils can also talk about what they enjoy most.

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Thats the tutorial on the English Hour. Lets put all that you have learnt into practice.

Tutorial question

1. Pick a story book. Design a word/sentence level activity you would carry out with your pupils. 2. Plan a grouping list of your pupils who need guided reading. List the criteria for the selection. Next, pick a book/story you would use with each group. Explain your choice of the text. 3. Design an independent work activity for the independent readers in your class.

Reference First Steps: Reading Developmental Continuum and Reading Resource Book (1997) Rigby Heinemann. Saunders-Smith, G. (2009) The ultimate guided reading how-to book. California: Corwin

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