1. THEMATIC UNIT: FAMOUS PEOPLE

1. Objective of the unit

By the end of the unit, students will have used and learned certain learning strategies to improve their reading.

 What is reading?

“Reading is an active information-seeking process in which readers relate information in the text to what they already know” Joan Rubin and Irene Thompson (1994)

“Reading is a complex and multifaceted skill, and notions of how to best to teach reading have been in constant revision, especially with the rise of the Internet” Graham Stanley

Teaching goal

In order to help students become better readers we  need to  teach them the following strategies explicitly:

  1. Using prior knowledge / make connections.
  2. Using selective attention
  3. Determining importance
  4. Using graphic organizers (Venn diagrams, timelines, charts, etc)
  5. Asking questions
  6. Making inferences to recognize implicit information
  7. Predicting
  8. Visualizing/Using imagery
  9. Summarizing
  10. Getting critical
  11. Retelling/paraphrasing
  12. Repairing understanding
  13. Personalizing
  14. Skimming to find main ideas
  15. Scanning to locate specific information
  16. Guessing meaning from context

Learning strategies in a nutshell

“Learning strategies are techniques that facilitate the process of understanding, retaining and applying knowledge.” Jodi Reiss

There are different ways to classify learning strategies. The most popular one classifies them in metacognitive, cognitive and social.

Metacognitive strategies are usually referred to as “thinking about learning”.

Metacognitive strategies that need to be taught:

  • Using a diary or calendar to organize tasks, assignments, study periods and tests.
  • Using a homework to keep track of work, questions to ask and ideas.
  • Splitting projects and assignments in smaller units of work.
  • Finding one’s weaknesses
  • Self-evaluation

Cognitive strategies are the ones that lead to both the understanding of the object of study and the application of the new knowledge in different situations.

Cognitive strategies to be taught:  

  • Comparing L1 and L2
  • Identifying key words and concepts
  • Creating graphic organizers, maps, charts, diagrams
  • Categorizing and classifying
  • Using background knowledge to build learning
  • Paraphrasing
  • Guessing from context

Social strategies are strategies that allow learners to work and learn from peers or the environment. 

Social strategies which need to be taught

  • Working in pairs or groups to solve problems, do tasks.
  • Respecting class rules
  • Taking and respecting roles

 How can learning strategies help students read?

“Learning strategies are the thoughts and/or actions that students use to complete learning tasks… the tools that students themselves can employ independently to complete a language task”  Retrieved from  www.nclrc.org

In order to fully understand what students actually do and to help them complete a reading task, we need to know the types of learning strategies students can use in reference to the types of texts they are reading and the purposes they have.

What do students read for?

Students can read for different purposes. They can read to be informed, to prepare for a lesson, to prepare an exam, to study, to do an activity (to buy a product or service, to cook, to repair a gadget, to complete a learning task, etc.), to learn new information or for pleasure. Knowing and setting the purpose of a reading task is crucial in order to know the reading approach and the reading strategies students will benefit the most from. When students do not know what they read for, they usually lack motivation and feel lost.

Teachers should bear the reading purpose in mind when designing a reading activity and help students identify it so that they can use adequate reading approaches.

 


Reading purpose

Examples

Reading approach

1. be informed

reading a biography to know a famous person better

skimming, scanning, taking notes, summarizing, comparing information.

2. prepare for a lesson

reading a book chapter in order to participate in class

planning, reading for a gist, note-taking,  managing time, memorizing.

3. prepare an exam

reading exam samples, reading writing samples.

searching for specific information,  note-taking, critical thinking, evaluating.

4. study

reading an article to write a composition.

planning, skimming, language analysis, managing time, note-taking, evaluating.

5. do an activity

read a recipe in order to make a dish.

searching for specific information (ingredients), reading in a logical order following instructions, managing time, making mental images.

6. learning new information

read a specific chapter from a book on a certain topic

skimming and scanning, using graphic organizers, note-taking.

7. enjoy

reading a comic

reading for pleasure, imaging, predicting.

Adapted from Díaz Barriga, F. & Hernández Rojas, G. (2010)

READING STRATEGIES   

According to Jodi Reiss strategy teaching is a four-step process. Teachers should:

1. Introduce the strategy

2. Identify it by name

3. Demonstrate how to use it

4. Give students time and opportunity for practice