Reading time: approach to teaching reading

Reading is a valuable skill not only for those who are getting prepared for an exam but for all people. Although reasons for starting reading a text can be different, we never read without one. Someone can read a chapter or two from a book just to relax, someone can look through a newspaper article in order to find out the latest news, someone may find it necessary to scan a report for work.

Topic is important

If we think about how we read in real life, we never just take a random text and start reading. We know what we are about to read and why. If it is a book, we understand that we are going to immerse into a world of mysteries, for instance. If it is a report at work, even before starting reading, we clearly understand what structure of the text to expect.

That is why, the first thing to consider when giving a reading task is introduction. You have to familiarise you students with the topic of the text. Show them pictures, ask questions, let them predict the content of the text. By doing this, your students will feel more connected to the text and invest more energy and attention in the task(s).

Find more information about reading tasks here.

Do it for a reason

When you students understand what they are going to read, it is time to move on to why. Students learn a language to be able to implement this knowledge later on. This is why, everything a teacher gives in the classroom should be relevant to everyday life, reading included. Students always have to have a clear understanding of why they are reading this or that piece of text, as it is exactly how it happens in real life. We may read something, a piece of news, for example, to get a general idea of what is going on in the world; if a manager starts reading a report, she does it to find out detail or specific information. Your students should also be aware beforehand why you are asking them to read a text because they need to apply different tactics in order to deal with the task in a more efficient way.

Knowing tactics is important especially when you prepare your students for an exam, as it can save them precious minutes at the exam and have a tremendous effect on their overall score. Nevertheless, we will look into exam reading in another article, as the approach to it should be adjusted to specific exam criteria and tasks.

Right texts make all the difference

Another important question you might want to ask yourself is what texts to give. We have already established that reading should be meaningful, but what if your students understand the reasons behind reading but they feel disinterested and uninspired? This means you should start engaging your students into your teaching practices. If you listen to your class, you can get valuable feedback on what topics they are interested in, thus it will allow you to incorporate more relevant texts into your syllabus.

You can read more about the use of authentic texts here.

Instead of conclusion

Reading in a foreign language is a valuable skill for almost everyone. Not only can it be helpful for professional development but it also broadens the mind and raises more awareness of the processes which happen in the world. Moreover, reading can be a great source of new vocabulary. That is why, besides doing reading in the classroom, you might find it useful to encourage your students to read for leisure at home. If you succeed in doing so, you will get more skillful learners as well as more topics for discussions during lessons.