Colegio de San de Letran-Manaoag

Manaoag,Pangasinan

ENHANCING GRADE 7 READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH TWIN-TEXT

TEACHING

SECTION I - Introduction

The purpose of this study is to seek and to enhance poor reading problems of Grade 7 St.
John at San Jacinto Catholic School Inc. in order to increase reading comprehension rate among
English as a second language learners. The factors affecting their reading comprehension are
most commonly observed in English for Secondary Language classroom therefore, the researcher
had formulated possible interventions regarding those factors that will be stated. Also, the
researcher had come up with solutions which will engage the students in reading activities with
various methodologies that will stimulate their reading skills, as we observed students now a day
they prefer watching television rather than reading books. So the researcher believes that this
proposal will help the students increase their reading comprehension and skills.
Reading is not limited to assigning sounds and recognizing the words and sentences in a text.
Ma’am Lailanie Lanoria Grade 7 English teacher said that the main concern of reading is to
comprehend the message conveyed in the selection. This entails the use of thinking skills,
comprehension strategies, and recall of past experiences to make sense of what is put down in
writing. On the other side is the will to read. A good reader possesses both skill and will. The
“will” part refers to the motivation and engagement to read. Encouraging students to be engaged
in the reading process is a concern of many teachers. Engagement is one of the crucial factors to
the reading achievement of students in school.
This study will use twin-text teaching and look into whether or not it improves the reading
comprehension and engagement of Seventh Grade pupils in San Jacinto Catholic School Inc.
Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
1. How does twin-text teaching affect reading comprehension of Sixth Grade pupils?
2. How does twin-text teaching improve pupil engagement in reading?
 Through reflections of observations of reading achievement of the class, the two critical
problems that affected the reading performance of pupils were (1) poor reading comprehension
and (2) low interesting reading activities. To address the problems on reading comprehension,
the researcher searched for the literature used to solve the problems. The strategy used to solve
these problems is the combination of two text types, narrative and expository texts, to facilitate
students’ comprehension or understanding of texts and develop engagement in reading. Twin-
text teaching is the use of two texts with similar theme. Students are motivated to learn more
about the topic and explore different perspectives on the same topic.
Research found that the use of paired texts or twin texts build background knowledge,
support reading comprehension, promote thinking critically, enhance classroom conversation,
and increase motivation and engagement (Ciecierski & Bintz, 2016). Frye, Trathen, and Wilson
(2009) found that combining good historical fiction and informational texts about key social
studies topics with engaging and interactive comprehension activities facilitated students’
comprehension and understanding of social studies content. For this reason, the researcher
observed the use and implementation of twin-text strategy to enhance students’ reading
comprehension, boost their interest and engagement, and expand their knowledge and
imagination.
The action research will be undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of twin-text teaching
on the reading comprehension of Grade 7 pupils. It was designed in light of the growing
awareness regarding the importance and effectiveness of using both narrative and expository
texts of similar theme to improve reading comprehension and student engagement in reading.

SECTION I – Review of the Literature

After identifying the problems on reading comprehension, the researcher referred to previous
studies and looked for strategies to address the problems. Based on previous studies, the
researcher will develop a strategy to increase reading comprehension of pupils and implemented
it in one reading class.
The twin text strategy Camp (2000) was developed revealed that it is effective for
struggling readers when used in combination with other strategies to activate prior knowledge,
gain conceptual understanding and organize information while reading. In this action research,
twin-text strategy was combined with other reading strategies like asking questions, making
predictions, summarizing, and organizing information using varied graphic organizers. The
strategy was supported by other researchers. Pairing narrative and expository texts is an effective
strategy of enhancing students’ reading comprehension, boosting students’ interest and
engagement, and expanding their knowledge and imagination (Frye, Trathen, & Wilson, 2009).
As students read both narrative and expository texts, they become aware of how similar topics or
themes are presented through different genres.
Children’s literature connects language arts, science, social studies, and other content
areas (Camp, 2000). In twin-text teaching or paired text, the narrative and expository texts
explore a theme (Furtado & Johnson, 2010). Twin texts or paired texts are two texts that are
conceptually related in terms of topic and theme. Focusing on a common theme helps students
understand the text structures of both narrative and expository texts. Thus, pairing narrative and
expository texts on the same topic is an authentic way of integrating content areas. These texts
share a parallel topic, but they differ in the way they present it. Students have the chance to study
a topic from a narrative and expository text perspective (Camargo, 2006). Twin-text teaching
provides a bridge between “make believe” and the real world. It encourages the enjoyment of
reading while capitalizing on students’ fascination with facts (Camp, 2000). It assures teachers to
motivate students on the joys of reading while expanding on their interests on facts (Furtado &
Johnson, 2010). In this study, the researcher will use different expository texts (science text,
literary non-fiction, essays, editorial, and features). The first text is a narrative text. Then, it will
follow the discussion of expository text. Finally, the two texts will be compared for better
understanding of text.
Twin texts or paired texts have many benefits, including building background knowledge,
supporting reading comprehension, promoting thinking critically, enhancing classroom
conversations, and increasing motivation and engagement (Ciecierski & Bintz, 2016). Stewart
(2010) taught Science through Literature. She found that pairing narrative and expository texts is
a great way to introduce and reinforce science concepts. Reading was followed up with
discussion questions and fun, inquiry-based activities. This made the students remember the
reading experience and the content of the texts. Hence, the pairing and combination of narrative
and expository texts offer students alternative ways to view and comprehend content as they
explore multiple perspectives and build their content knowledge (Coombs, 2013).
 This action research will examine the effects of twin-text teaching on reading
comprehension. This study will focus on the use of both narrative and expository texts with
explicit instruction of reading strategies (i.e., asking questions, making predictions, summarizing,
making connections, activating background knowledge, and organizing information). This action
research was also in line with the content standard, performance standard, and learning
competency in the Second Quarter of the Grade 7 K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum.