Angie Lee & Quan ChenAmerican Language Program, California State University East Bay

Pathways to Reading Success: Extensive Reading

2013 Northern Regional California Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL)

Conference

• What is Extensive Reading?• Goals of Extensive Reading• Book Choices• Students Choose Book• Teacher Chooses Book

• Class Assignments • Survey Results • Recommendations • Bibliography

Outline

• Reading for pleasure• Read quickly and easily• Familiarity: 95 – 98% running words • Focused on the story not on items to learn

What is Extensive Reading?

• Enjoy reading • Develop fluency• Increase vocabulary • Read faster• Gain confidence • Become independent learner• Achieve higher motivation

Goals of Extensive Reading

Teacher Chooses Book• Teacher picked interesting graded reader book at class level • Selected book that was made into a movie

Book Choice

Students Choose Book• Students picked graded reader book at their level• Teacher reviewed book choice

Advantages• Freedom to choose book• Choose book they like or want to read• Intrinsic Motivation

Advantages & Disadvantages of Students Choose

Book Disadvantages • Hard to supervise whether students read • Cannot have a class discussion

Advantages & Disadvantages of Teacher Chooses Book

Advantages• Read in class• Improve pronunciation

& reading speed• Class discussion• More control

Disadvantages • Students don’t have freedom to choose book• Students loose interest in reading

Class AssignmentsStudents Choose Book• Weekly Book Reports• Summary• Vocabulary Journal• Prediction• Character, Setting, Conflict • Presentation• Summary, Author, Recommendation, Vocabulary, Evaluation

Teacher Choose Book• Reading Log• Summary• Word Log• Plot Development• Character Exploration

• Class Reading• Discussion • Quizzes • Presentation• Movie & Book Comparison

Student Survey Results Students Choose Book

Teacher Choose Book

Enjoyment 80% 70%Improvement 70% 80%

Success 90% 80%Encourageme

nt to read more

90% 100%

Click icon to add picture

How Did You Feel

Successful?

Students Choose Book

Teacher Choose Book

Completed Reading Book

33% 25%

Improved Reading Skill

55% 50%

Increased Vocabulary

12% 25%

Student Survey Results

Student Survey Results

Why or Why Not Would You Have Chosen Another Book To

Read?

Teacher Choose Book

No Change Book: Book Is Interesting.

No Change Book: Assigned By Teacher

38%29%

Change Book: Book Is Boring.Change Book: Book Is Too Difficult.

Change Book: Book Is too Easy.

29%0%4%

Recommendations

• Take a diagnostic test from graded reader website• http://www.penguinreaders.com/pr/students/the-right-reader.html

• More classroom structure for students choosing book to make sure they read book• Pair work: Summary, “Selling/criticizing book”• Sustained Silent Reading for 15 minutes

Nation, I. S. P. Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and Writing. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.

Sahr, Sarah. Creating a Reading Journal. TESOL Connections, 1 January 2013. Web. 3 May

2013. <http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/

tesolc/issu es/2013-01-01/3.html>.

Bibliography