Literature Review
Criteria for an Effective Extensive Reading Program for English Learners
Wesley Pulido
California State University, San Bernardino
Criteria for an Effective Extensive Reading Program for English Learners
Introduction
The term second-language acquisition (SLA) has multiple meanings. Generally, it describes learning a second language. It specifically names the theory of the manner in which second-language learners learn a second language. As Díaz-Rico (2013) has stated, second-language acquisition is “learning any language (whether third or twentieth) in school or in some other way after the first language” (p.6).
Second-language acquisition can be compared to second- language learning. The latter of the
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Alan Maley stated,
Given the limited hours of instruction in most programs, students will never be exposed to enough vocabulary, enough times, to acquire the necessary quantum in classrooms alone. Out of class learning is the only way, and one of the most convenient and proven ways of doing so is through massive independent reading, entailing repeated encounters with vocabulary in context. (Maley, 2012, p. 308).
Maley confirmed the important role of reading both inside and out of class in order to expose English Learners to as much vocabulary as possible through the use of literary texts.
What Is Extensive Reading?
Extensive Reading is a method to improve the reading ability of readers. When second-language learners read extensively, they independently use easy-readers to build their fluency rate. Moreover, readers learn to read by reading instead of through the direct instruction of the reading components such as comprehension, grammar and vocabulary. According to Carrell and Carson (1997), Extensive Reading has two characteristics.
First, learners read numerous amounts of varied reading material. Second, the reading focuses on the meaning of the text as opposed to the language. It is important to distinguish the difference between Intensive Reading and Extensive Reading to fully understand the Extensive Reading approach. Intensive Reading is an approach that requires examination of a short passage. The instruction is focused on breaking down the text
Reading can provide many benefits to the reader. One of those benefits is the expansion of the reader’s vocabulary. The more a reader reads, the broader the reader’s vocabulary.
Moreover, I have learned from this class that while reading a book to write out the meaning of major events on the side of the book. So, when I need to refer to the book over something, I would not have to reread the whole book or essay, over again. Moreover, I have also learned to use a dictionary while reading in case I don’t understand the meaning of a certain word. In addition, I have learned that while reading a book that have questions, it might help to read the questions first before reading the essay. This will help you read a little bit faster and you will have an idea of the main points in the
We want to create knowledge depth in students. To do this we need to have students engaging in close readings of complex texts. Moreover, our lessons need to teach students how to approach text analysis, as opposed to using question and answer drills or practice tests as test preparation.
As proven by the decades-long study by the National Reading Panel Report, there are five pillars students must be exposed to (foundations of reading): phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. When students encounter a word that is not in their spoken vocabulary, they will not understand that word in the text (Reading Horizons, 2015). Context clues help students meet the goals for each of these vocabulary skills. Also, there is a direct relationship between vocabulary and knowledge of the world. Students with a better background of the world are more successful with their
The objectives of the lessons include reinforcing learned vocabulary, in order to produce greater comprehension. Other objectives include fundamentals of writing and the way words are structured on a page, drawing simple conclusions based on the vocabulary and content, and beginning to determine the meaning of words as they are used in the content. In order for teachers to truly help students develop English language proficiency, the integration of content areas is essential (Echevarria, & Graves, 2014). The listening and thinking objectives will allow
Student oral and reading vocabulary increases in this stage. Students are reading less predictable text that require decoding skills and an expanding sight word vocabulary. Applying read a-louds, re-telling, and concept sorts are ways to expand on a student
"The more that you read the more you learn" said Dr. Seuss in his book "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut". Reading is the most efficient method for learning a new language. There are several stages of reading where each one has it's own significance and all these stages are repeated to create holistic knowledge on a book (Dr. Janet Swaffer p1).
Their reading is confident and fluent and they use expression and punctuation. They have a good understanding and are able to use a variety of comprehension strategies. These readers read a wide range of text types. They continue to improve their reading skills as they come across more difficult reading materials. Books they read have a majority of text, a variety of topics and challenging vocabulary. They have more complex sentences with interesting descriptions and include different writing styles. Fluent Readers able to recognize and read the words and work out new and challenging words. They can understand what is being read and are able to make predictions and interpretations. They can also make connections between different books. They are able to use the vocabulary they gain in their own
Since each reading component builds on each other, it is imperative that I take advantage of young readers’ listening and competency skills to boost their vocabulary development. While reading aloud isn’t enough to improve vocabulary, but having teacher-student discussion about the passage, story, or book can improve both comprehension and vocabulary. I will implement this strategy to assist students in understanding new words and what they mean by providing student-friendly definitions, discussing the word in the text of the story, and relate the word to situation that the students are familiar with. Therefore, by using some of the examples given in the booklet, it will benefit me not only in the long run, but now as I spend the next few weeks tutoring my struggling reader. I will be able to break down the words he is struggling with and introduce new vocabulary words as we read different passages and discuss the words in the text. Putting emphasis on intervention to prevent further failure in reading while focusing on the end results that promotes independent reading is definitely a high priority. Each component is broken down to a level that allows me to fully understand that each component is connected to each
The active reading method seemed to make tests a lot harder compared to my previous reading habits. It also has made school work a lot tougher because I tend to forget things during the school work from what I have read. I think that none of active reading helped me, I feel like I am staying with my current reading method.
After this strategy is Interactive Reading and Guided Reading, where students are reading peer-to-peer, typically a proficient readers is paired with a less proficient reader, and more independent reading
Explicit instruction refers to task-specific, teacher-led instruction that overtly demonstrates how to complete a task and can be used to teach students both basic and higher-order reading skills. Elements of explicit teaching include setting and articulating learning goals, illustrating or modeling how to complete a task, and assessing student understanding and ability to complete the task independently. The routines and consistent language used in explicit teaching provide ELLs clear, specific, and easy-to-follow procedures as they learn not only a new skill or strategy but also the language associated with it. Explicit skill instruction has been shown to be effective with ELLs who are in the beginning stages of learning to decode English
That being said, comprehension is not just understanding the singular words that are being read, but being able to put them together, along with activating previous knowledge, make sense and develop meaning to the text. Essentially, when a reader is immersed and engaged in text, they are actively developing meaning to the text while formulating questions that may later be answered by the text itself.
Reading and writing are both important; you can’t have one without the other. They are skills that are increased constantly due to little things that most times are not noticed. Whether it is from a book to a poem, there will always be a way that it helps out your school performance. Reading and writing in general only helps absorb information, and enhance leisure or school related writing tasks. It has also made life itself so much easier because reading and writing are so beneficial for school and for life. How much you read and write today, will somehow affect your future job, family, position, or even your salary.
In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching