The Language Teacher
August 2003
Reading Quickly, Understanding Clearly
Hisayo Herbert
Himeji Dokkyo University
John C. Herbert
Kansai University
Cheryl L. Bergman
INTERLINK, Greensboro, NC
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words:Skimming, scanning, automaticity in reading
Learner English Level: False beginner to advanced
Learner Maturity Level: High school and above
Preparation Time: 10 to 20 minutes
Activity Time: 50 to 90 minutes
Materials: A one- to two-page reading and a handout, OHP, OHC, or blackboard
The following technique of in-class reading integrates word recognition drills in the form of a text scanning activity with related skimming, topic anticipation, and discussion activities. Students have found this technique to be very useful for improving their reading fluency, with particular respect to increasing their reading rates. Furthermore, the communicative elements of this technique appease many students' desires to escape drill-based tasks.
Preparation
Preparation to carry out the proposed technique of in-class reading can be applied to any text of more than 100 words. As long as each student has a printed copy of the reading itself, the activity can be implemented on paper, overhead projector (OHP), overhead camera (OHC), or a blackboard. A sample activity that was created by following the steps below has been provided in the appendix. That particular activity was used with a reading from the magazine, Mini World (see York, 1999).
Step 1: Choose a one- to two-page reading from a textbook, magazine, or newspaper, according to the students' level.
Step 2: Select about 10 scanning words or phrases that students will be given and will look for in the reading, in accordance with the focus of the scanning activity. That focus could be based on finding key vocabulary words of a certain length, certain grammatical forms, words seen frequently in the text, or a similar criterion. Students often feel more comfortable scanning for these words when each appears once per paragraph.
Step 3: Decide a time length for skimming that is appropriate for your students and the reading you have selected.
Step 4: Create comprehension questions for the reading that include some clues for guessing the topic. If the reading is from a textbook, comprehension questions from the textbook may suffice.
Step 5: Consider an expansion activity such as further discussion of the reading or vocabulary, more comprehension checks for details, related writing activities, or other suitable tasks.
Procedure
When first introducing an activity that employs this technique, teachers should explain why scanning and skimming are important and give students some hints or tips about scanning and skimming before beginning the activity. Teachers should coach students to eye all of a given text loosely and quickly and not to read every word when using the following technique. Students should try to choose something in the word or phrase that helps it stand out from the words surrounding it, such as a not-so-common grouping of letters or capitalization. Students need to remember that building their automaticity, that is, their ability to recognize words in a text automatically without having to think about them, leads to improved reading fluency. The procedures described hereafter facilitate the practice and development of such automaticity through skimming and scanning.
Step 1: Familiarize students with the scanning words by reading the words aloud, explaining new vocabulary, and drawing students' attention to the spelling of each word.
Step 2: Call out each scanning word in 3- to 5-second intervals. Students should mark each word in the reading as they hear the word, without looking back at the scanning word list.
Step 3: Ask students to try and guess the topic of the reading based on the title and scanning words only. Let students discuss their guesses with their classmates in pairs or small groups, but do not ask them to share their answers with the whole class until Step 8. Also encourage students to use their imaginations, but do not let them look back at the text.
Step 4: Have students skim the reading within a pre-determined time constraint.
Step 5: Again, ask students to try and guess the topic in pairs or groups based on the title, scanning words, and what they have skimmed, without looking back at the reading.
Step 6: Have students skim the comprehension questions within the decided time constraint.
Step 7: Have students guess the topic again based on the title, scanning words, what they have skimmed in the reading, and clues from the comprehension questions. Students should not look back to read the text or the comprehension questions.
Step 8: Have students share their guesses with the whole class.
Step 9: Allow enough time for your students to read the text and answer the comprehension questions. Then have them check their answers in pairs or groups.
Step 10: Check the answers as a class.
Step 11: Go on to the expansion activity you created in preparation Step 5.
Final Comments
The authors attribute the success of this technique to its interactive nature and its ability to lower the affective filters of participating students. By allowing students three opportunities to guess the topic of a reading before presenting their answer to the teacher, students become comfortable with the reading activity and the discussion that springs from it. As such, the classroom atmosphere becomes friendlier and less threatening than it would have, if the individual students had been pressured to give immediate answers. The authors believe this is one effective way to make the development of automaticity in reading both fun and productive for students.
Reference
York, V., (August-September, 1999). Take me to the river. Mini World 66, 34.
Appendix 1
Take Me to the River
1. Scanning Words
unique peaceful traffic especially excellent
dine buildings riverboat concerts historic
2. Skimming Activity
- Based only on the title, the ten scanning words above, and what you have read as you were scanning the reading for these words, what do you think the reading is about?
- When the teacher says Go! you may skim the reading once more for only 20 seconds to find the answer to question one. Write your new answer below.
- Now, skim the comprehension questions below. If your answer to question two changes, write your new answer below.
3. Comprehension Questions
- Where is the Riverwalk located?
- What is the atmosphere like on the Riverwalk?
- What kind of restaurants are on the Riverwalk?
- What is the most highly recommended way to see the river?
- Where along the river can you see plays and concerts?
4. Discussion
Where is your favorite tourist spot? Why do you like it?
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