Using novels in the classroom

Characteristic features of (traditional) novels Chronological sequence of events Relations of cause and effect Description of events shapened by narrator Language is used to convey a particular effect Large cast of characters (Highly) complicated plot Language not always used economically

Tasks and Activities 3 basic types of activities (depending on the "when“) 1) pre-reading 2) while-reading 3) post-reading

General Aims Pre-reading activities  help students with cultural background  stimulate interest in the story  pre-teach vocabulary

While-reading activities help students  to understand the plot  to understand the characters  to understand difficult vocabulary  to understand style and language  to develop effective reading skills

Post-reading activities  help students to interpret the text  help students to understand narrative point of view  provide follow-up writing activities  provide follow-up fluency practice

Effective Reading Skills Various styles of reading, e.g.  Skimming : used to get a global impression of the content  Scanning : used to search rapidly through a text to find a specific point of information  Intensive reading: used to appreciate the choice of words, style, etc.

Intensive Reading One main requirement:  to have strategies for coping with unknown words = to have strategies for inferring meaning to be able to cope with ambiguity to be able to distinguish between ‘necessary’ and ‘unnecessary’ words

How can effective reading be trained? allow for changes in reading style (skimming, scanning, intensive) provide exercises on word-guessing provide exercises on reducing the sentence to its core information and vice-versa provide training in the use of dictionaries (both mono- and bilingual)