The Internet TESL Journal

An Extensive Reading Program for Your ESL

Classroom
Mary Clarity
maryclarity[at]gmail.com
Victoria University of ellington !ellington" #e$ %ealan&'
Introduction
(ran) Smith may have thought he $as stating the o*vious in +,-. $hen he uttere& a
statement almost /ro/hetic in its sim/licity0 1e &o learn to rea& *y rea&ing2. !cite&
in Smith 3 Elley +,,-' Certainly" research has confirme& that e4tensive rea&ing is
*eneficial to the learners in terms of increasing /rint e4/osure !est an& Stanovich5
+,6,'" $riting a*ility !Tsang0 +,,7'" rece/tive an& /ro&uctive s)ills !Elley an&
Mangu*hai0 +,68' an& voca*ulary ac9uisition !though num*ers vary $i&ely5 see
:rashen +,,85 ;orst +,,65 Laufer <==8 for some very &ifferent an& interesting
&iscussions'. > strong em/irical *ase has forme& aroun& e4tensive rea&ing" *ut from
/ersonal e4/erience !*oth my o$n an& other teachers' it is not utilise& as a stan&ar&
/art of general ESL curriculum. ?elo$ lies an im/lementation /lan that teachers can
use to )ic) start the rea&ing in their classroom.
What is Extensive Reading?
Sim/ly" e4tensive rea&ing is rea&ing a lot. It is also rea&ing for /leasure. E4tensive
rea&ing shoul& *e at a comforta*le 1easy2 level for the stu&ent an& the main goal is
to rea&. They shoul& not *e reaching for a &ictionary every sentence or even every
/aragra/h. The goal is to create fluency an& en@oyment in the rea&ing /rocess.
(inally" e4tensive rea&ing is something that shoul& ta)e /lace over a sustaine&
/erio&. Stu&ies $hich have sho$n very im/ressive results are stu&ies $hich have
&evote& a serious amount of time to an e4tensive rea&ing /rogramme. !Elley 3
Mangu*hai0 +,6+'
This last /oint lea&s into issues associate& $ith the im/lementation of e4tensive
rea&ing. E4tensive rea&ing is not a 9uic) fi4. It is not a *an&Aai& over something
unforeseen $hich cro/s u/ in class. Instea&" it is something $hich $ill reveal its
*enefits slo$ly" an& in a variety of $ays.
The Context
The learners in my e4/erience $ho $oul& strongly *enefit from an e4tensive rea&ing
/rogramme are a&ult immigrant learners in an ESL conte4t. Bes/ite living in an
English s/ea)ing country" they /rimarily interact $ithin their ethnic an& cultural
communities. It $oul& not *e an e4aggeration to say that the time s/ent in
community classes is the ma@ority of time they s/en& s/ea)ing English. >n e4tensive
rea&ing /rogramme a//eals to me as their teacher for a variety of reasons.
E4tensive rea&ing can hel/ to move the focus from 1/lug the ga/2 activities to
actually fi4ing the /ro*lem. Instea& of res/on&ing to only imme&iate /ro*lems
they encounter" e4tensive rea&ing can hel/ $ith consoli&ating voca*ulary"
fluency" an& strategies in an ongoing an& natural manner.
?y encouraging e4tensive rea&ing in class an& at home stu&ents s/en& more
time learning English an& this time is not &e/en&ent on a teacher.
Every class contains stu&ents $ho range in a*ility" es/ecially in rea&ing.
E4tensive rea&ing $ith gra&e& rea&ers ma)es it much easier to cater to the
various levels in the class. #ot only are stu&ents having more time on tas)" *ut
*y choosing a//ro/riate *oo)s they are learning at their o$n /ace an& level.
Cften these learners have young chil&ren" so *y increasing the rea&ing a*ility
of the /arent" it increases the /arentDs a*ility to hel/ their chil&ren.
Implementation Plan
Orientation to Extensive Reading
Stu&ents" teachers an& the a&ministration nee& to *e intro&uce& to $hat you /lan to
&o in class. If other teachers are to *e involve& they must *e /ositive a*out the
/rogram. ;aving the a&ministration of your school E class on *oar& is also im/ortant.
If *oo)s are nee&e& they a&ministration coul& hel/ su//ly the nee&" an& if this isnDt
/ossi*le investigating local li*raries or literacy societies is al$ays useful.
Find Learner Level
Choose a series of gra&e& rea&ers $hich $ill match all the levels in your class.
Ensure enough interesting *oo)s match each level.
Teacher / Learner / Text Interaction
The teacher must *e /ositive a*out *oo)s an& their o$n e4/erience $ith rea&ing5
*oo)s shoul& *e intro&uce& to the learners an& &is/laye& attractively5 learner choice
shoul& al$ays *e gui&e& *y level an& learner interest.
Read in Class
The teacher mo&els an& rea&s $ith stu&ents in class. This time shoul& *e rela4ing"
an& the focus is on rea&ing !not voca*ulary or ans$ering 9uestions a*out the *oo).'
Ensure Purpose
Is the rea&ing time en@oya*leF >re there other activities in class $hich /romote
rea&ing i.e. having a Gone *oo) a $ee)D goal" /utting o/inion sli/s in *oo)s for
stu&ents to fill out" having lin)e& &iscussion activities relate& to their rea&ing
material" announcing stu&ent vote& *oo) a$ar&s etc.
Support
In class intro&uce strategies $hich $ill hel/ $ith their rea&ing such as fluency an&
voca*ulary techni9ues. > li*rary orientation at the school or community li*rary $oul&
*e a valua*le lesson an& finally" ensuring that the stu&ents /rogress through the
gra&e& rea&er levels is al$ays motivating.
Success, Confdence and Increased Profciency
The result of a goo& im/lementation /lan for e4tensive rea&ing shoul& *e greater
stu&ent autonomy. They shoul& have the s)ills" )no$le&ge an& resources to stri)e
out on their o$n.
Dilemmas, Attitudes and Resolutions
It is im/ortant to *e conscious of issues that may arise $hen im/lementing an
e4tensive rea&ing /rogramme. hile every conte4t varies" the follo$ing are
im/ortant consi&erations $hich are necessary for any teacher" or /ro/onent of
e4tensive rea&ing" to *e a$are of.
1. Problem: Reading Books Is Too Hard
(irstly" teachers may avoi& as)ing stu&ents to rea& *oo)s *ecause the learnerDs
voca*ulary is lo$. This" ho$ever" lea&s to a vicious cycle $here*y learners &o not
have enough voca*ulary to rea&" *ut there is not enough rea&ing in or&er for
learners to learn more $or&s. >s a conse9uence" stu&ents rarely associate rea&ing
$ith an en@oya*le activity. Hea&ing is vie$e& as Gtoo &ifficultD" an& te4ts they are
given are often unimaginative an& not con&ucive to enticing learners to rea& for
/leasure !ta)e a loo) at any lo$ level course *oo) an& the rea&ing /assages there'.
Solution
?y using gra&e& rea&ers that have *een chosen to match the rea&erDs level" rea&ing
$ill no longer *e vie$e& as a &ifficult tas)" an& $ill hel/ in *uil&ing the rea&erDs
confi&ence. Ira&e& come in multi/le levels rea&ers !C4for& an& Cam*ri&ge have
e4cellent choices an& levels'" $ith many &ifferent *oo)s at each level. This gives the
stu&ents a lot of choice" an& im/ortantly" the a*ility to engage in English at the level
/erfect to them as in&ivi&uals. The *oo) can match the learner rather than the class"
an& for learners on either e4treme of the rea&ing a*ility in the class" this has got to
*e goo& ne$s. Those $ho are *ore& $ith GeasyD class material can stretch
themselves" an& those $ho struggle can finally rea& $ithout relying e4clusively on
translations. The rea&ing material shoul& consist of ,6J )no$n voca*ulary !#ation 3
;u0 <==='" an& focus is on meaning rather than language. This means that only < out
of +== $or&s shoul& *e un)no$n to the rea&er. More than that an& the rea&ing can
*ecome $or) an& not /leasure.
2. Problem: Reading Is Not Valued
If rea&ing is not value& in the learnerDs o$n culture" if they &onDt have they s)ills to
rea& in their o$n language" or if they sim/ly &onDt en@oy rea&ing" then these are
ma@or /ro*lems $hich are going to effect the successful im/lementation of a rea&ing
/rogramme.
Solution
#um*er one of Hay illiams !+,67' GTo/ tenD /rinci/les for teaching rea&ing is that
1In the a*sence of interesting te4ts" very little is /ossi*le.2 In saying that" @ust *uying
*oo)s is not enough either. The *oo)s shoul& *e attractive" interesting" $ithin the
learners ca/a*ilities" &is/laye& /rominently" an& &iscusse&. Some stu&ents"
es/ecially those $ho feel as though time s/ent on e4tensive rea&ing is G&oing
nothingD" $ill also nee& some outcomeA*ase& reasons for /artici/ating actively. ith
a class of immigrant a&ult learners in min&" I have a list of /otential /ersuasions
*elo$" $ith *oth reference to research an& my learnersD s/ecific situation.
Cnly rea&ing $ill im/rove rea&ing. The num*er of *oo)s rea& is the *est
/re&iction of several measures of rea&ing achievement. !>n&erson" ilson an&
(iel&ing5 +,66. cite& in Elley 3Smith +,,-'
;o$ever" rea&ing $ill also im/rove $ritingK !Tsang5 +,,7'
It $ill also hel/ $ith s/ea)ing an& control over synta4. !Elley5 +,,+'
Hea&ing at home $ith the learnersD young chil&ren $ill hel/ to$ar&s the
estimate& +=== hours of tutoring that ty/ical mi&&le class !L+' families /rovi&e
for their chil&ren *efore school even starts. !>&ams5 +,,=" cite& in Ira*e0 +,,.'
?y *eing a confi&ent /arental rea&er" your chil&ren $ill fin& school easier
Lou can rea& an& im/rove English any$here an& anytime. There is no
&e/en&ence on having a fello$ s/ea)er" listener" or au&ience.
3. Problem: Time
The final issue I see as *eing a stum*ling *loc) to the im/lementation of e4tensive
rea&ing is that of time" or the illusion of time. ?y Gillusion of timeD I mean that I *elieve
there is an assum/tion that learners can rea& at home" so it is unnecessary to ta)e
u/ classroom time $ith this ty/e of activity. ?y /rioritising time in the classroom"
something that all teachers must &o" it is li)ely that rea&ing $ill *e assigne& as
home$or). This is not *a&" *ut neither is it a goo& i&ea" es/ecially in the initial
stages of a rea&ing /rogramme. In or&er for stu&ents to value rea&ing" an& commit
their /ersonal time to rea&ing" they must see that the teacher is $illing to commit
their class time to it. >s Ireen !<==.' note& u/on analysing the ;ong :ong
E4tensive Hea&ing Scheme" reasons for unsuccessful im/lementation $ere0
Hea&ing $as sim/ly not &one in class
Hea&ing $as &one" *ut there $as no rea&ing su//ort in terms of hel/ in
choosing a//ro/riate *oo)s" or conferencing.
There $as no teacher mo&el.
?y *eing im/lemente& from the Gto/ &o$nD !the a&ministration $ante& a
rea&ing /rogram'" teachers at the *ottom $ere not committe& to it.
The atmos/here $as GaustereD an& violate& the Grea&ing for /leasureD /rinci/le.
Solution
C*viously" s/en&ing time in class" /articularly $hen intro&ucing e4tensive rea&ing to
the stu&ents" is im/ortant. Stu&ents $ill nee& assistance in &eci&ing their initial
rea&ing level shoul& gra&e& rea&ers *e use&" /reArea&ing &iscussion is very
im/ortant !Tsang +,,7'" an& lin)ing other in class activities $ith rea&ing such as /air"
grou/ or class &iscussions on *oo)s that have *een rea& $ill all hel/ increase the
im/ortance of rea&ing in the eyes of the stu&ent. The i&ea that stu&ents $ill sim/ly
start ta)ing *oo)s home to rea&" an& actually rea& them $ithout sufficient orientation
to the o*@ectives" is a ho/eful *ut /ro*a*ly unrealistic" fallacy.
4. Ongoing Motivation
Some stu&ents $ill nee& a motivating goal *eyon& @ust Grea&ingD an& this can *e
&ifficult to *alance $ith the i&ea that rea&ing shoul& *e for /leasure. Some great
i&eas coul& *e0
Mut o/inion sli/s in the *ac) of a *oo). hen stu&ents finish the *oo) they
can ma)e a comment a*out $hether they li)e& it or not" if they thought it $as
easy or har&" or if they $ant to rea& it again. Cther stu&ents can chec) these
o/inion sli/s *efore they rea& an& see if they agree or &isagree.
?oo) a$ar&s can *e hel& at the en& of a school term an& the stu&ents can
vote on their favorite *oo)s. Lou can have *est fiction" nonAfiction" a&venture
categories to suit your rea&ers.
>fter rea&ing a *oo) stu&ents can sit in /airs an& tal) a*out the stories. >s an
informal &iscussion" stu&ents can really en@oy this. If your stu&ents struggle to
s/ea) then *egin $ith /rom/ts on the *oar&5 My *oo) $as a*out E I really li)e&
!&isli)e&' it *ecause E My favorite character $asN
;aving a goal num*er of *oo)s /er $ee) can *e motivating for some
stu&ents" though *e careful not to ma)e it a strenuous goal to reach. Hemem*er
that ultimate goal is to en@oy rea&ing.
Conclusion
?ase& u/on a teaching situation I am familiar $ith" I have aime& to sho$ ho$ an
e4tensive rea&ing /rogramme coul& *e intro&uce& an& im/lemente& into an a&ult
community e&ucation classroom. >s someone $ho has al$ays *elieve& in the value
of rea&ing /ersonally" it is interesting to note that I $as a sce/tic $hen it came to the
i&ea of e4tensive rea&ing in an ESL classroom. ;o$ever5 if the /rogramme is
manage& in an effective" /ositive" an& ongoing manner" e4tensive rea&ing may *e
one of the most valua*le lessons in learning you $ill ever teach.
References:
Elley" .?. an& Mangu*hai" (. !+,6+' GThe Im/act of a *oo) floo& in (i@i
Mrimary SchoolsD. #e$ %ealan& Council for E&ucational Hesearch" ellington.
Elley" . ?. !+,,+' G>c9uiring literacy in a secon& language0 the effect of
*oo)A*ase& /rogramsD Language Learning O+" 8
Ira*e" . !+,,.' GBilemmas for the &evelo/ment of secon& language rea&ing
a*ilitiesD.Mros/ect +=" <0 86A.+
Ireen" C. !<==.'. GIntegrating e4tensive rea&ing in the tas)A*ase& curriculumD.
ELT Journal. Volume ., E O Ccto*er
;orst" M." Co**" T." Meara" M. !+,,6' G?eyon& a Cloc)$or) Crange0 >c9uiring
Secon& Language Voca*ulary Through Hea&ingD. Hea&ing in a (oreign
Language5 v++ n< /<=-A<8 S/ring
:rashen" S. !+,,8' The /o$er of rea&ing 0 insights from the research
Laufer" ?. !<==8'. GVoca*ulary >c9uisition in a Secon& Language0 Bo Learners
Heally >c9uire Most Voca*ulary *y rea&ingF Some Em/irical Evi&enceD
Cana&ian Mo&ern Language Hevie$. Vol. ., #o.O June
#ation" M. 3 ;u" M. !<===' GUn)no$n Voca*ulary Bensity an& Hea&ing
Com/rehension"D Hea&ing in a (oreign Language" vol. +8
Smith" J.. 3 Elley" .?. !+,,-' G;o$ chil&ren learn to rea&0 insights from the
#e$ %ealan& e4/erienceD Longman" >uc)lan&" #e$ %ealan&
Stanovich" :.E. 3 est" H.(. !+,6,' GE4/osure to Mrint an& Crthogra/hic
MrocessingD. Hea&ing Hesearch Puarterly" Vol. <O. #o. O. >utumn
Tsang" . !+,,7' GCom/aring the Effects of Hea&ing an& riting on riting
Merformance.D >//lie& Linguistics. Volume +-" #um*er <
illiams" H. !+,67' GTo/ tenD /rinci/les for teaching rea&ing.D ELT Journal O=
!+'
The Internet TESL Journal" Vol. QIII" #o. 6" >ugust <==-
htt/0EEitesl@.orgE
htt/0EEitesl@.orgETechni9uesEClarityAE4tensiveHea&ing.html
This E4tensive Hea&ing article is /rovi&e& *y
Akhmad Fadli of PBI 5D (C4.4)
>s an assignment to fulfil one of E4tensive Hea&ing courseDs contract.