Tips for Teaching Reading

Low Beginnning
Focus on getting students to recognize simple words and phrases in written English

Types of Materials: Texts with pictures, heavily contextualized information

High Beginning
Focus on straightforward, easy-to-follow texts here little inference is required

Types of Materials: Simplified readings, remedial texts

Low Intermediate
Focus on extracting main ideas and finding specific information in learner-oriented texts

Types of Materials: Articles and books designed especially for non-native readers

High Intermediate
Focus on drawing conclusions, making inferences and outlining ideas in a variety of texts

Types of Materials: Items of general interest in a variety of formats

Advanced
Focus on understanding of author's intent, including tone, irony and nuance

Types of materials: Literature and highly-specialized texts

Testing Reading
What to test ??
General comprehension

Main ideas

Summation

Drawing conclusions

Specific details

Implications/inference

Explicit/Implicit information

Reading between the lines

Reading speed

How to test
Multiple Choice

True/False

Cloze

Short Answer

Paraphrase/Summary

Scoring

Objective/numerically-based

Hand or computer-scored
Reading Skills
Subskills
Faster Reading

Preview

Comprehension

Timed Readings

Skimming

Scanning

Focusing

Questioning

Eye movement

Word recognition

Phrasing

Study Skills
Textbook Reading

Heading cues

Context cues

Transitions

Recognizing patterns

Outlining

Note Taking

Summarizing

Review
Getting the Main Idea

Drawing Conclusions

Making Inference

Implicit Assumption

Making Predictions

Paragraph organization

Discerning author's purpose

Referencing

Point of View

Facts and Opinions

Ladder of Abstraction

Analysis

Critical Thinking

Argumentation

Cause and Effect

Short Reading Exercises
Short Readings and Exercises from America's Library (www.americaslibrary.gov)

Readings and Exercises

• American Art in Delaware

• Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
• Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival
• National Tom Sawyer Days
• The Fourth of July in Colorado
• The Halloween Capital of the World
• The Nation's Largest All-Volunteer Arts Festival
• The Port of Portland, Maine
• Tornadoes in Kansas
• World's Largest Pancake Breakfast
• Anchorage Fur Rendezvous
• California Strawberry Festival
• Calle-Ocho Miami Carnival
• Churchill Downs
• Juliette Gordon Low
• Louis' Lunch
• Mardi Gras Season in New Orleans
• Montana Horse Story
• Prince Lot Hula Festival
• The Cherry Trees of Washington, D.C.
More Reading Links

Reading: Highly Recommended Reading Links. Click Quick Links for individual
Reading activities.

Reading Links

• Aesop's Fables (from University of Massachusetts at Amherst)

• America's Library (from The Library of Congress)
• AcademicKids
• Article Matrix
• Awesome Library
• Bibliomania
• Breaking News English
• Classic Fairy Tales (with audio)
• CNN Student News
• Educational Services from the Bangkok Post
• English Reading (from Englishclub.com)
• Extensive Reading Pages
• Interactive Reading Exercises from Readingmatrix.com
• Internet Public Library
• Learning Resources (from CNN San Francisco)
• Newspaper Links
• News Stories (from California Distance Learning Project)
• Ongoing Tales
• Online Newspapers
• Reading Comprehension Worksheets (from RHL School)
• Simple English News
• The ESL Reading Index (from Gallaudet University)
• The Internet Public Library
• The London Free Press: Newspaper in Education Program
• USA Today Education Online
• Wikipedia
• Wired for Books (Recorded Readings from Ohio University)
Need some help with your reading skills?

Skills, Strategies and Understanding

Check out the materials we have organized below
Skills, Strategies and Understanding

• Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing (from The University of Toronto)

• How Do You Become a Better Reader? from Language Centre of HKUST
• How to Enjoy Reading from Language Centre of HKUST
• How to Get the Most out of Reading (from The University of Toronto)
• Improving Reading Speed from Language Centre of HKUST
• Reading Comprehension Techniques
• Reading Critically from Language Centre of HKUST
• Reading For Main Points from Language Centre of HKUST
• Reading For Specific Information from Language Centre of HKUST
• Reading Skills for Academic Study from Using English for Academic Purposes
• Taking Notes from Research Reading (from The University of Toronto)
• Techniques for Faster Reading