How to teach reading young learners

Successful reading practices in the young learner classroom

Nora Ephron, a celebrated American writer and filmmaker once said: “Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter.” Reading, alongside other literacy components: writing, communication and critical thinking, is instrumental in helping young learners achieve success in school and in life. How can we support young learners on their journey towards literacy?

In this article, Dr Peter Watkins shares some insights into successful reading practices, looking particularly at Extensive Reading (ER).

The role of Extensive Reading (ER) in the reading curriculum is clearly to provide opportunities to read for meaning and pleasure

ER involves learners reading relatively large quantities of material that are comfortably within their linguistic range, and there is therefore a focus on reading fluency. Before learners can move onto such text-level reading they must have sufficient vocabulary to deal with the texts and be able to decode frequent words with a good degree of automaticity. One key assumption of ER is that reading will be a pleasurable experience.

In primary, the teaching of phonics – the systematic instruction of how sounds match to letters and letter combinations – should be part of any reading programme

Phonics instruction is essential in developing reading skills; however, it is also important to help young learners develop a love of reading. In order to do this, young learners need to experience a number of texts of different genres, particularly stories, so that they see that the ultimate purpose of reading is meaning-focused. Young learners benefit from reading instruction that combines phonics and more ‘whole-language’ approaches.

We know that young readers of foreign language texts go through similar stages of reading development as their native counterparts. This suggests that young readers of English as a second language benefit from successful practices used in the teaching of reading in the first language, such as:

Shared reading in class

A first step on the way to encouraging individual silent reading is to promote a love of stories in the classroom by engaging with a shared story selected by the teacher. The teacher may introduce the story and read it aloud to the class, gently checking understanding by putting questions to the class as a whole. The teacher is likely to show accompanying pictures to the class and ask learners to comment on how they relate to the story, or invite them to speculate on what will happen next in the story. Such activities provide a potentially memorable, shared experience for the learners, which can help enhance class rapport.

Silent reading in class

According to Day and Bamford’s 10 principles of implementing Extensive Reading, as learners develop greater reading proficiency, teachers need to provide more time in class for sustained silent reading. This instils good reading habits and increases the likelihood of learners reading outside the classroom. The success of ER programmes, particularly with young learners, is likely to depend on the investment of classroom time.

We should remember that non-fiction texts also have a part to play in reading programmes. As learners move from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’, they need to become familiar with the conventions of non-fiction writing. Well-chosen non-fiction texts can potentially support both reading development and the assimilation of content from other parts of the school curriculum. Some learners may also simply prefer reading non-fiction texts.

Reading outside the classroom

In the longer term, there is no substitute for learners doing substantial amounts of reading, if they are to become proficient readers. Given the pressure on classroom time, much of this will need to happen outside the classroom. At primary level, this will require teachers to enter a partnership with a parent or other caregivers so that there is the best chance possible of creating a positive and encouraging environment for reading at home.

This partnership may be created in several ways. For example, there may be initial meetings with parents to explain the rationale for reading in English at home and the benefits it is likely to bring. Teachers and parents may set targets for how much reading should be undertaken over the course of a week, or a month. After each session of reading, the responsible adult may be encouraged to write (in either English or mother tongue) a brief note commenting on what was achieved. There may be opportunities for this communication to take place online in many teaching contexts.

Parents can provide guidance in their mother tongue, and those who do not speak English themselves might enjoy the opportunity to learn with their children. Any support that a school could give in this endeavour would obviously be useful.

Building the necessary links to the home environment is essential because, without support at home, young learners are less likely to engage with ER. This in turn can lead to a lack of progress in reading, with weaker readers soon falling behind – the so-called ‘Matthew effect’, whereby the strong get stronger and the weak get weaker very quickly. As children become weaker in relation to their peers, they read even less, and this quickly leads to big differences in reading ability. Here are some useful tips to help parents of pre-school children make the most of reading time outside the classroom.

The importance of success

In contexts where English is the medium of instruction, such as where Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is practised, any lack of achievement in reading can have very significant consequences, particularly when learners reach the stage of reading in order to learn about other subjects. At this point, a lack of basic reading skills begins to impact upon the learning of other subjects and that will hold back progress across the curriculum as a whole. With this in mind, it is clearly essential that teachers monitor the progress of young readers so that support can be given immediately, should they start to fall behind.

For more insights into reading practices for primary, check out our white paper Extensive Reading for Primary ELT. And check out our blog post Ideas for extensive reading in the Primary classroom for some practical suggestions for involving a whole class in reading.

Article «How to teach reading to young learners.»

In this article, Nafisa Eshmirzaeva and Dilorom Matmusaeva explore why we need to develop reading skills with young learners and offer tips and advice on how we can do it

Nafisa Eshmirzaeva and Dilorom Matmusaeva

The nature of Reading

Imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t know how to read. Approximately only 80% of the world’s population is reported to be able to read (Grabe & Stoller, 2002).

Reading is a fundamental skill for learners, not just for learning but for life (Traves 1994) with reading being defined as “…the ability to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this information appropriately” (Grabe & Stoller, 2002, p. 9).

Why we need to develop reading skills

L1 literacy leads to L2 literacy development awareness. Reading itself builds on oral language levels and key factors that influence (L2) reading skill development include the ability to comprehend and use both listening and speaking skills because you need to:

· Hear a word before you can say it

· Say a word before you can read it

· Read a word before you can write it (Linse 2005)

What this tells us is that young learners need a firm foundation in auditory and oracy skills before they can become proficient readers and writers of ANY language. Learning to read and then to write means the young learner has to link what they have heard or spoken to what they can see (read) and produce (write).

How to explore reading with young learners

Early literacy strategies

Phonemic awareness (grapho-phonics)

Young learners of English need explicit instruction on the link between the symbols (letters) in English and the sounds they make. They need to be taught that there is a direct link between the phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters) in order to be able to start ‘blending’ or sounding out simple words, e.g. vowel consonant (VC), followed by consonant vowel consonant (VC). The UK National Literacy strategy ‘Letters and Sounds’ is a good place to start for ideas on not only the order of letters and sounds to be taught but also the methodology to be used. Once a young learner has mastered blending sounds together, they can be taught how to ‘segment’ the sounds in words they can say. These skills of putting together and separating sounds will help them with both ‘decoding’ and spelling.

The whole point of human beings inventing symbols is to pass on information to each other. They have done this in many different ways, consider the Ancient Egyptians with their hieroglyphics, Chinese pictographs, Arabic text and Roman text to name a few. There are not just differences in symbols but also in directionality. These all have to be taught explicitly because they are man-made and not intuitive.

Being able to ‘decode’ or read aloud is not useful on its own. The symbols carry meaning and so young learners need to be taught how to ‘encode’ the symbols and visuals in order to find out the message being shared.

In the same way that every language has differences in symbols, so they have in the ‘nuts and bolts’ or arrangement of their symbols. The grammar or syntax of language is best ‘acquired’ in the Krashen sense, rather than ‘learnt’ explicitly. Acquisition will occur through multiple exposures to language usage in different contexts. Dissecting language is not very useful to a young learner, however, some simple metalanguage from the age of 10 years old upwards can be helpful, e.g. identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, articles, pronouns and word order. The reason being that there may be differences between the L1 and English and being helped to ‘notice’ these differences can help. A helpful publication to find out differences between 22 languages and English is edited by Swan and Smith (2001).

You do not need access to a vast library or online literature to explore reading in your classroom. Techniques we have used, and ones learners have enjoyed are shared for you below. It is important to remember that activating background knowledge when needed may be key to a comprehensible reading activity as;
“Our background knowledge is like a lens through which we understand what we read” and it “allows teachers to unlock vocabulary before reading” (Anderson, 1999, p. 11).
Cameron (2001) gives a very useful list of ideas for creating a ‘literate environment in the classroom’ as this may be the only place young learners see print in the foreign language. This list includes:

· Labels – labelling children’s trays, desks, coat hooks, as well as furniture and objects around the classroom and school.

· Posters – colourful posters are especially eye-catching which could include a rhyme that is being learnt, advertising something, e.g. reading, cleaning teeth

· Messages – for homework or ‘Don’t forget to bring …’

· Reading aloud – by teacher or older child

Some other activities that will help to make reading ‘pleasurable’ (Arnold 2009) which is crucial for success in literacy, include:

· Focusing on reading fluency may include timed repeated reading (Nation, 2009).

· Running dictation (in pairs, so all learners are involved in reading).

· Learners making their own story books (or comics) to share with each other (Wright, 1997, p.114-130).

· Creating backstories for character in a puppet family and creating a class binder to refer back to when reading peers stories about the family. This can be developed over a semester with learners taking in turns in small groups to create dramas to share with the class in written form, so peers read, and can be followed through with role plays.

· Motivation – ask your learners to bring in materials they enjoy reading – whether it is football results, recipes or song lyrics, use these as a springboard for discussion and reading.

· Make it purposeful – if learning food lexis, bring in packets / tins of food, read where different kinds of food originate from, and classify them by country or by noun basis (countable/ uncountable). (Ellis & Brewster, 1991, p.57).

· Extensive reading is where learners read a lot of easy material in the new language. They choose their own material and read it independently from the teacher. (Krashen, 1988). This develops confidence in their abilities and promotes an enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

Reading is a rewarding process and can be enjoyed by learners and the teacher alike. Our last note is simply this, approach reading with the intention of having fun in the learning process and your intention will be mirrored by your learners. Happy reading!

Anderson, N. (1999). Exploring second language reading: Issues and strategies. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Arnold W.H. (2009) ‘Ensuring reading is pleasurable for YL’ in Spring 2009 Children and Teenagers CATS. UK: IATEFL YLT SIG

Cameron, L (2001) Teaching Languages to Young Learners. UK:Cambridge University Press

Carrell, P., Pharis, B., & Liberto, J. (1989). Metacognitive strategy training for ESL reading. TESOL Quarterly, 23, 647-678.

Ellis. G & Brewster. J. (1991). The storytelling handbook for Primary Teachers. UK:Penguin, p.57.

Grabe, W. (2009). Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2002). Teaching and researching reading. Harlow, UK:Pearson Education.

Krashen, S. (1988). Do we learn to read by reading? The relationship between free reading and reading ability. In D. Tannen (Ed.) Linguistics in context: Connecting observation and understanding (pp. 269-298). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Linse, C.T (2005) Young Learners. USA:McGraw Hill

Nation, I. S. P. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL reading and writing. New York:Routledge.

Paris, S. G., Wasik, B. A., & Turner, J. C. (1991). The development of strategic readers. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 609-640). White Plains, NY: Longman.

Swan, M and Smith, B (2001) (eds) Learner English. UK: Cambridge University Press

Traves, P. (1994) Reading In S Brindley (Ed.) Teaching English. London: Routledge.

Wimmer, H. & Goswami, U. (1994). The influence of orthographic consistency on reading development: Word recognition in English and German children. Cognition, 51, 91-103.

Wright, A. (1997) Creating Stories with Children. Oxford:Oxford University Press.

25 Effective Ways to Teach Reading to Beginners

The Butterfly Teacher is thrilled to welcome guest writer Sophia Sanchez, an ESL instructor who has extensive knowledge about language development. In this post, she shares 25 practical and effective ways to teach reading to beginners. Get your pen and paper ready…there are tons of teaching tips below!

*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which do not cost any extra for you. Please see the full disclosure here.*

How Do You Teach Reading Effectively?

Reading is a complex exercise.

We have to teach kids to read the written word and to build vocabulary simultaneously.

On top of all this, as students grow, they need to master more complex reading skills, such as inferencing.

So what are the best reading strategies that teachers and parents need to teach? And HOW do you teach them?

To best answer these questions, you must approach reading instruction based on your students/child’s developmental level:

You will be able to teach reading more effectively when you recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each developmental level and cater to those.

Tanya–The Butterfly Teacher, shares reading comprehension teaching tips for advanced readers, so in this post, I will share tips for early and beginning readers.

Let’s jump right in!

Vocabulary-Building Strategies for Early Readers

A highly effective way to teach reading to beginners is to help them build extensive background knowledge and vocabulary skills.

As you teach early readers more vocabulary, make sure the learning is playful, because most kids learn best via play!

As children grow more proficient and confident pronouncing words for things like vegetables, fruits, simple objects, colors, plants, actions such as mowing, sweeping, washing, drying, etc.–they are forming the building blocks for strong reading fluency.

Simple Ways to Teach Pre-Literacy Skills

The vocabulary word building tips from above help beginning readers develop more background knowledge that influences their reading.

Here are simple but effective ways to teach reading to beginners who need more pre-literacy skills.

What is the Main Difference Between Alphabetic Principle & Phonemic Awareness?

Let’s pause here to quickly dive into an important topic that relates to beginning readers.

Alphabetic understanding vs. letter-sound relationships!

What in the world is alphabetic principle and how is it different from phonemic awareness?

Many people use the words “alphabetic principle” interchangeably with “phonics.” It relates to letter-symbol relationships and spoken words.

Phonemic awareness involves breaking word parts down to isolate and identify specific sounds or phonemes.

To effectively teach reading to beginners, parents and teachers must use different teaching strategies for these two reading skills!

Let’s continue with specific examples

Easy Ways to Teach Alphabetic Principle

Ideas for Helping Beginning Readers Build Phonological Awareness

For example: one team may say the word “red.” The other team will need to say a word like “dog” since the word red ends with “d.”

More Effective Ways to Teach Reading to Beginners

As your children/ students advance through pre-literacy skills, alphabetic principle, and phonemic awareness activities, you can effectively teach them more foundational reading strategies like the ones in this section.

What’s the Absolute Best Way to Teach Children to Read?

Kids learn at their own pace.

As no two kids are alike, teachers really have to individually nurture each child on their reading journey. So there’s no ONE absolute best way to teach reading to every single child.

This post features lots of effective ways to teach reading to beginners so that you have more than one strategy to try.

Here Are More Helpful Posts on Reading Instruction For You:

Here’s hoping for wonderful journeys in the world of reading!

Author Bio: Sophia is a newbie online ESL/EFL instructor. She is a passionate educator and blogs about education on her personal blog. She found her true calling — teaching — while she was juggling writing and a 9-5 desk job.

Exploring texts to their full potential with young learners

How much time during the lesson do you devote to profound work with the text? Some teachers try to do the reading part as fast as possible since they often hear students saying “Reading is boring!” (that’s what lots of students would say as in most cases they have to read a text and just do tasks). But how to make students enjoy the process? What else can be done apart from developing reading skills while reading a text? Today we are going to show how to make reading a great, fascinating and inspiring activity.

Main tips

First, and obviously really important, a reading lesson should include pre-reading activities, reading itself, and after-reading activities.

Secondly, the text must be up-to-date, vital, and provoking.

Thirdly, but still worth paying your attention to, don’t forget about after-reading tasks which give students an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.

Pre-reading tasks

Next step is reading itself

The most important thing is to make it fun! Your memory will save every single thing if it’s done in a fun way.

After-reading task. (Usually forgotten)

You can use dice or Spinner for this task and some questions prepared beforehand. It’ll turn a boring discussion into a fun activity.

To make it more fun use a voice changer, so that students sounded as if they are ghosts, detectives, under the water and so on. Use online tools like voicechanger.io

4. Retell the story as if you were … Chose the minor character from the story and ask your students to think about the feeling of this character. Sometimes they need to create the beginning of the story before the main actions took place. You can find it useful to give such a task as a homework.

TEYL – Teaching Reading and Writing to Young Learners

How can you develop reading and writing skills in your learners as a TEYL teacher? Read this academic essay to discover new, efficient methods for TEYL, or specifically, teaching reading and writing to young learners.

It is often considered that the reading and writing activities are very passive and even redundant for language learning. Many kinds of research proved this point of view outdated, and the results were the opposite. Reading and writing are complementary language skills that are equally important as speaking and listening skills. All four language skills should be included and practiced in the classroom, regardless of the unit theme or the age of the learners. Developing literacy skills in foreign language instruction is another step to achieving native-like fluency, and it should start at the same time as the first language instruction.

Components of learning literacy at a young age

According to the International Reading Association & the National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998), there are several components of learning literacy at a young age:

Top-down and bottom-up language processing

When it comes to teaching reading, the teachers should develop two main reading skills, which rely on top-down and bottom-up language processing. The top-down reading skills focus on the meaning and context, and the bottom-up reading skills focus on decoding letters and words. Both approaches are necessary, and they must be present in literacy instruction.

The three main approaches to teaching reading are the phonics approach, the whole language approach, and the language experience approach. The phonics approach focuses on using bottom-up language processing, while the whole language approach and the language experience approach rely on top-down processing.

The reading skills develop through levels, and they are the lowest at the letter and phoneme levels, where the learners only recognize the pronunciation of certain letters. After the letter and phoneme level, the learners progress to the syllable and morpheme level, where they can distinguish the position of certain sounds in each word and pair those sounds. Next, reading skills develop to the word level, which is important because, at this reading level, the learners can read, recognize and use the most common sight words. The final goal of literacy instruction is to develop the ability to read sentences independently and in a bigger context. At this level, the learners should be able to comprehend and connect the words in a meaningful sentence, connecting to a larger text.

Acquiring writing skills

Another part of literacy instruction involves acquiring writing skills, which develop simultaneously as reading skills. When it comes to teaching writing, there are three main approaches, as written by Shin and Crandall (2014):

The TO/WITH/BY approach

According to Shin (2017), effective scaffolding or the TO/WITH/BY approach is the best way to teach literacy in the classroom.

EFL teachers should use a balanced approach when it comes to developing literacy skills in their classrooms. For example, reading and writing are complementary skills, and they need to be developed simultaneously. In addition, even though the literacy skills from the native language can often be transferred to the foreign language, the development of these skills needs to be supported by a teacher, in a language-rich environment, with many meaningful and engaging activities.

Explore this article below about teaching speaking and listening to young learners.

What do you think about these TEYL methods, and how do you approach teaching reading and writing to young learners in your classroom? Write in the comments or via the contact page!

References

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