One step further – integrating One step further – integrating reading strategies into the reading strategies into the

curriculumcurriculumFebruary 28, 2008

Gladys Wong (EDB)

Iris Ng (Pui Tak Canossian Primary School) Germaine

Wu (Pui Tak Canossian Primary School)

The E-P-I-E approachThe E-P-I-E approach

Evaluation

Planning

Implementation

3ERW1-Part 2B

How well have our students How well have our students performedperformed in reading comprehension? in reading comprehension?

HK

A 1.9%*B 72.2%C 23.4%D 1.7%U 0.8%

HK

A 20.9%B 7.4%*C 40.6%D 30.4%U 0.8%

2008-TSA-ENG-P32008-TSA-ENG-P3Locate specific information

Inferencing

3ERW1-Part 2A

6ERW1-Part 4HK

A 17.6%B 16.5%C 26.1%*D 39.2%U 0.6%

2008-TSA-ENG-P62008-TSA-ENG-P6

How well have our students How well have our students performedperformed in reading comprehension? in reading comprehension?

Inferencing

HK

A 18.7%B 22.8%*C 31.7%D 26.6%U 0.2%

Inferencing

Students could identify some key words with the help of pictorialcues in a notice ….students were still not capable of identifyingkey words in longer texts such as stories.

Students could identify the main ideas in a comic successfully….They were still unable to identify main ideas embedded in longertexts such as a postcard.

Students could make simple inference with straightforward contextual clues….students were still weak in making inferencesin longer texts such as stories and postcards.

(TSA report , 2008)

P3

Students’ performance in TSA Students’ performance in TSA (reading)?(reading)?

…students were, by and large, able to locate information in a chartand extract specific information from texts, …Their skills, however, did not extend to interpreting unfamiliar words or expressions in a context or extracting specific information from longer reading passages.

Most students could interpret implied meaning in short, simplereading texts; however almost half the students had difficulty using inference skills to interpret the meaning of a text and deducing main ideas from supporting details.

(TSA report , 2008)

P6

Students’ performance in Students’ performance in TSA(reading)?TSA(reading)?

What are our students’ main What are our students’ main problemsproblems in reading comprehension? in reading comprehension?

Problems in dealing with long texts

Problems in tackling questions requiring higher order thinking skills

no idea as to where and how to look for clues

limited vocab Have not been ‘taught’ the skills

Lack experience or knowledge to interpret and/or infer

What did schools do to tackle the What did schools do to tackle the problems? – problems? – curriculum levelcurriculum level

Include a variety of skill questions in daily worksheets and assessment papers

Teach students the required reading strategies

Read more

Make sure students read rather than merely ‘look (at)’ or ‘see’ books

Make sure we test what we teach

Make sure we really ‘teach’ the strategies

Reading lesson = post-reading question-and-answer sessions

(Durkin, 1978-79; Pressley, Wharton-McDonald, Hampston, & Echevarria, 1998)

Are the teacher aware of the reading skills the questions are testing?

It’s possible that students get the right answer by chance.

The explanation may not be practical for students because they often do not know where to start tackling the questions.

1. Teacher designs reading comprehension questions

2. Students answer the questions

3. If the answer is correct, teacher interprets that students possess the required reading skill.

4. If the answer is incorrect, teacher explains how the answer can be arrived.

What did schools do to tackle the What did schools do to tackle the problems? – problems? – learning & teachinglearning & teaching

Teaching

?

Testin

g?

Pui Tak Canossian Primary Pui Tak Canossian Primary School’s choiceSchool’s choice

The reality:

-There are so many reading skills students need to learn.

-The less able students give in when facing a long text.

-Students are too used to direct lifting.

-Problems in accommodating the reading skills training

Start training the basic steps in tackling reading comprehension questions

Design own reading materials – to provide a pedagogical contextBegin by teaching the elementary reading skills

Integrate reading skills training in the English curriculum

Integrate the reading skills training Integrate the reading skills training into the English curriculuminto the English curriculum

A P4 example

Module 4Fantastic Hong Kong

Reading - Letters to and from the NET; textbook passages

Listening – conversation between NET and her brother

Language forms & functions – use because to give reasons; use ‘would like to ask for and express preferences; add ‘ed’ and ‘ing’ to verbs to form adjectives

Writing – reply letter to NET

Speaking – discuss the itinerary

b

Bloom’s Taxonomy (the Cognitive Domain)

Knowledge Recall data or information

Comprehension Understand the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of

instructions and problemsApplication Use a concept in a new situation or

unprompted use of an abstractionAnalysis Separates material or concepts into

component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood

Synthesis Build a structure or pattern from diverse elements with emphasis on creating a new

meaning or structureEvaluation Judgments about the value of ideas or

materials

Locate specific

information

Knowledge Recall data or information

Comprehension Understand the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of

instructions and problems

Pronoun reference

skills

Interpret the given information to solve problems

1st phase of training – walking on two legs1st phase of training – walking on two legs

1. Read the questions carefully2. Underline the key words3. Go back to the passage and find the

key words4. Read one sentence backward and

one sentence forward (i.e. the immediate context)

5. Check the MC options

1st phase of training – walking on two legs1st phase of training – walking on two legs

Can you see the ‘magic’ of our Can you see the ‘magic’ of our training?training?

the steps are explicitly taught

students are required to practice and think aloud the steps

aim for habit formation

Students’ attitude towards the Students’ attitude towards the training of magic stepstraining of magic steps

60 (95.23%)YES

NO 3 (4.77%)

No. of students(% of students)

No. of students(% of students)

YES 45 (71.422%)

NO 18 (25.58%)

Do you think the magic steps can help you tackle reading comprehension questions？

Do you think you have mastered the magic steps？

No. of students(% of students)

YES

53 (84.12%)

NO 10 (15.88%)

Will you use the magic steps to help you tackle the reading comprehension questions in future？

Can the students get the correct Can the students get the correct answers using the magic steps?answers using the magic steps?

Teacher used questions to prompt students to think aloud the steps (magic steps) they employed to arrive at the answers

Time consuming but worth devoting time to help students form the habit.

Teachers’ ReflectionsTeachers’ Reflections

Students can get the correct answers easily for the elementary skills, e.g. locate specific information and pronoun reference skill

The magic steps need to be further developed to help students tackle questions on more advanced reading skills, e.g. inference skills.

The training is especially effective in building confidence among the average and less able students.

22ndnd phase of training phase of training- - how can we help our students to develop how can we help our students to develop

the higher order thinking skillsthe higher order thinking skills

Bloom’s Taxonomy (the cognitive domain)Knowledge Recall data or information

Comprehension Understand the meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of

instructions and problemsApplication Use a concept in a new situation or

unprompted use of an abstractionAnalysis Separates material or concepts into

component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood

Synthesis Build a structure or pattern from diverse elements with emphasis on creating a new

meaning or structureEvaluation Judgments about the value of ideas or

materials

Application Use a concept in a new situation or unprompted use of an abstraction

Analysis Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational

structure may be understoodSynthesis Build a structure or pattern from diverse

elements with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure

Evaluation Judgments about the value of ideas or materials

Inference skills

Can our students infer? Can our students infer?

He put down $10.00 at the window. The woman behind the window gave $4.00. The person next to him gave him $3.00, but he gave it back to her. So when they went inside, she bought him a large popcorn.

To infer means to read between the lines and use personal experience and knowledge of the world to obtain more information and so form a better picture of the text we are reading.

Who are these people? And what are their relations and relationship?

Where were these people?

What were they doing?

An intensive programme on An intensive programme on inferencing skillsinferencing skills

Infer from daily life

Infer from comics

Infer from texts

Encourage students to employ personal experience and knowledge of the world to make inferences.

All inferences must be supported by evidence found in the pictures and/or texts

Suggest five areas to help students infer: people (who), place / context (where), time (when), feeling (how) and ending (what happened)

Infer from comics Part 1

Infer from comics

Infer from comics

Time

Students used personal experience and knowledge of the world to infer that the girls could be playing in the afternoon, in summer and on holidaysFeeling

Students, with support from the pictures, inferred that the girl was lonely (picture 1) and felt painful (picture 2) while the rest of the girls were happy and excited.

Infer from comics Part 2

Infer from comics

Feeling

With more information supplied in the speech bubbles, students changed their inferences. They first inferred that the girl was first lonely (picture 1) and felt painful (picture 2). But then they ‘changed’ the girl’s feeling to ‘fun and excited’.

Infer from texts

A: I think we should bring some snacks to the picnic.B: Yes, I’ll buy potato chips and soft candies…..A: And lots and lots of chocolate … I like chocolate.B: Hey, they are not good for you. See, you are getting so fat!!!!A: You are fat! I’m not! B: But Miss Chan said you were fat yesterday. Fat girl! Fat girl!C: You two are fat! I will only write the healthy snacks I want to bring in the shopping list.D: Have you finished your discussion? Put up your hands if you need more time to discuss. Remember, no Chinese, please.

people place time feeling ending

Infer from texts

People

(Who are they? What are they?)

Infer using personal experience

Infer using knowledge of

punctuation marks

Time

(When did the incident happen?)

Logical deduction

from the text

Infer using personal

experience

Guess support

Feeling

(How did the people feel?)

Infer from texts

Interpret the lines and infer from

knowledge of the world

Ending

(What will happen?)

Logical deduction

from the text using

knowledge of the world

Guess support

Infer from texts

X: Hello, how are you? You are new here. You have a nice skin colour.Y: Oh, thank you. It is brown. But I am yellow inside. What about you? Do you always look that shocking red? I guess you should be green when you are young.X: Oh, yes, you are right. I am red and round. That’s why people like to mix me in green salad. And they often boil me and you in soup.Y: Yes, you are right. The cooks in the McDonald’s like to deep fry me and kids like eating me very much.

X: I see. … Do you think it is cold here!Y: Yes. Because eggs, butter and meat need to stay in a cold place to keep fresh.

(The cook opened the door and took X and some green vegetables out.)X: I go now. Bye! It’s nice talking to you.Y: Bye.

Question 1 2 3 4 5

% of ss getting the correct answer

86.6% 73.3% 80% 83.3% 76.6%

Some tips to shareSome tips to share

The integration of the teaching of reading strategies into the English curriculum does not happen in an accident but the success relies on the concerted effort of the all English teachers and good planning.

Classroom treatment is the key to success. This requires time, patience and good questioning techniques.

Reading skills training can begin earlier in the KS1.