Reading Skills and Strategies

Hi guys,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my internet is still not working, and I just have a few hours when I can use it a week.

I found this very concise article about reading skills and strategies that can help you make sense of the chapters related to reading skills in your anthology.

Please take a look at the article. Then, let me know what you think about it. Is it too summarized? What else from the chapter in reading skills should we keep in mind when we teach reading?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

Applying Reading Theory

Ok, so now it's time to apply what you've learned. Take a look at the cartoon and do the following:

1. Decide whether students would have to use top-down or bottom-up processing (or both) to understand it and justify your answer.

2. How can you as a teacher make it easier for high-beginner students to understand the cartoon?

Reading as a Guessing Game

Hi, guys! This is our very first blog communication, but I definitely know it won't be the last. We're a little behind on the reading, but for this week, just try to read Hedge's Chapter (6) and at least start the one on reading skills (by the way, I apologize because the readings appear to be disorganized).

With that out of the way, my first post is on Chapter 6. I basically have some questions for you, not only to check your comprehension but also to get you reflecting about your own teaching practices.

1. Why does Goodman refer to reading as a "psycholinguistic guessing game"? (p. 188)

2. What is the difference between systemic knowledge and schematic knowledge? (p. 189)

3. What is the difference between top-down processing and bottom-up processing? (p. 189-194)

4. Why is reading a purpuseful process?

5. How is reading a critical process?

6. What is your personal opinon of extensive reading? Is it useful in a C.R. teaching context? Why or why not?

7. What criteria should we use when selecting a reading text for our students? What criteria do you personally use when selecting a text?

8. What kinds of reading tasks help to develop reading ability? Do you personlly follow all the different stages when you teach reading? Why or why not?

Remember that you can write your answers and comments below my post. You can also comment on each other's answers so feel free to do it.