IMPLEMENTING EXTENSIVE READING INTO AN INTENSIVE EAP PROGRAM Jarrod Borne & Matthew Peel - University of New Orleans “I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most.” -Margaret Atwood Please sit down and complete the reading activity worksheet on your table.

Intensive Reading  Short, difficult text  Text is read carefully for maximum comprehension  Teachers provide direction & help before, sometimes during, and after reading  Exercises cover a broad range of reading skills  Vocabulary, grammar, patterns of organization, style, scanning, skimming, etc

What is Extensive Reading?  Reading for enjoyment  Reading for fluency  Nurture an independent, lifelong reading habit  Read for general meaning Discuss what books you’ve read lately.

Benefits of Extensive Reading

Overview of Implementation New Extensive Reading Program Reading Curriculum - 8 weeks (4hrs/wk) - Intensive reading - Vocabulary

Reading Material is Easy  What makes an “easy” reading text for ESL students?  Sentence construction (somewhat important)  Students can handle higher levels of syntax  Vocabulary (very important!)  Students need to know 98% of words for unassisted understanding  How to determine appropriate reading levels?

The 5-Finger Rule

Reading Material is Easy  Adapted vs. Authentic text?  L2 disadvantage - readers lack vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context for authentic text  Promote fast reading and fluent reading  Benefits of Graded Readers  Written for EFL readers  Controlled word families  Controlled grammar  Offers High Interest/low difficulty

Graded Readers – Progress to Authentic

Learners Choose What to Read from a variety of materials  Try to find a “home run” book that hooks a student  Promote independent, responsible reading  Graded readers offer a variety of topics, genres, styles Discuss a memorable or life-changing book/series.

Individual and Silent  Not aloud – this isn’t to practice oral reading/pronunciation  Allows students to discover reading as a personal interaction with the text  Readers read at their own pace  In-class reading time - DEAR, SURF, SSR Choose a book, get comfortable, and read for a few minutes

Post-Reading Activities  Reading is it’s own reward (students aren’t forced to read for an exam or comprehension questions)  Why do follow-up activities?  Discover/reinforce what students understood and experienced from the reading  Keep track of what students read – sense of progress  Check student attitude toward reading  Check difficulty of reading material and that students are understanding the general idea  Easy, fun activities with underlying purpose Gallery Activity

Modified ER Program for EAP 1. Reading material is easy 2. Variety of reading materials 3. Learners choose what to read (teacher − > student) 4. Read often (where and when to read) 5. Purpose is fun and general understanding 6. Reading is its own reward (reading activities) 7. Reading speed is fast 8. Reading is individual & silent 9. & 10. Teacher is a guide & role model

MonTuesWedThurs Week 1ER intro & survey DEAR Teacher reads DEAR Reading log Week 2Reading activityDEARReading activityDEAR Reading log Week 3Reading activityDEARReading activityDEAR Reading log Week 4Reading activityDEARReading activityReading log Mixed level activity Week 5Reading activityDEAR(Reading activity)DEAR Reading log Week 6Reading activityDEAR(Reading activity)DEAR Reading log Week 7Reading activityDEAR(Reading activity)DEAR Reading log Week 8Reading activityMixed level activity Reading log ER survey In-class reading At-home reading Extensive Reading Schedule Short Stories Complete books Chaptered stories Teacher-selected Student-selected More in-class time for ER (1-2 hrs/wk) Less in-class time for ER (30-60 mins/wk)

Reading Rate

Observations & Feedback - Matt  Students initially reported that vocabulary was the biggest factor for reading  Choosing appropriate stories based on vocabulary is key  Students enjoyed sharing ideas  Students wanted to read more  Length of book was not an issue – only vocabulary words and interest of story  Surprisingly easy to have students read at home

Observations & Feedback - Jarrod  Having students read at home can solve the problem of a multilevel classroom?  Overall, students really enjoyed the ER aspect of the class.  It’s like a breath of fresh air when the are drowning in the intensive reading  Summarizing skills

Online Resources  Free online books  Extensive Reading Foundation (  Extensive Reading Central (  Online reading text editor (  American English (  Project Gutenburg (  Lit2Go (  Graded reader quizzes  M-Reader (

Bibliography  Day, R. R. and Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive reading in the second language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  Eskey, D. E. (1995). Colloquium on research in reading in a second language. Paper presented at TESOL 1995 Conference, Long Beach, California.  Grabe, W. (1991). Current development in second language reading research. TESOL Quarterly 25 (3),  Krashen, S.D. & Terrell, T.D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. London: Prentice Hall Europe.  Newman, K., & Green, B. (2004) Book clubs for extensive reading. Language Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 12, (August), pp  Pennac, D. (1994). Better than life. Toronto: Coach House Press.  Renandya, W. A. & Jacobs, G. M. (2005). Extensive Reading: Why aren’t we all doing it? In J.C. Richards & W. A. Renandya (Eds.) Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. (pp ) NY, NY:Cambridge University Press.