Strategies for Using Shorter,Similar & Differentiated Reading TextsESAP Symposium 2015 Timothy Wong

Arts and Social Sciences

Monash University Malaysia is jointly owned by Monash University and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation

Strategies for

Using Shorter, Similar &

Differentiated Reading Texts


15 August 2015Presentation title 2

Overview

Getting to know you and your problems

Reading problems

Micro-reading skills

Strategies

Q & A



Getting to know you

Your name

Your school

Your kind of “kids”

Their reading problems



Problems

Poor self-monitoring

Pseudo-reading

Text-to-self connection (as

opposed to text-to-world)

Lack of inference

Lack of motivation — non-

reader/struggling

“Read to get it done” mindset

Little metacognition strategies



Reasons “behind” the problems

Glossing over

Disconnection

Instant gratification

Shallow thinking

Lack of imagination

Lack of developmental reading



Micro-reading skills

Recognising punctuation

Recognising independent &

dependent clauses

Recognising the noun

phrase

Recognising “verbal”

phrases

Analysing sentences



Punctuation

a woman without her man is nothing

A woman, without her man, is nothing.

A woman: without her, man is nothing.



Punctuation

i want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous kind

and thoughtful people who are not like you admit to being useless

and inferior

I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous,

kind and thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being

useless and inferior.

I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous,

kind and thoughtful people who are not like you. Admit to being

useless and inferior.



Shunting 1

therewasabooklyingnearaliceonthetableandwhileshesatwatchingthew

hitekingforshewasstillalittleanxiousabouthimandhadtheinkallreadytoth

rowoverhimincasehefaintedagainsheturnedovertheleavestofindsome

partthatshecouldreadforitsallinsomelanguageIdontknowshesaidtoher

self

Fullstops — Capitals — Commas — Quotation Marks — A Dash —

Apostrophes — Brackets

There was a book lying near Alice on the table, and while she sat

watching the White King (for she was still a little anxious about him,

and had the ink all ready to throw over him, in case he fainted again),

she turned over the leaves, to find some part that she could read, “–

for it’s all in some language I don’t know,” she said to herself.



Shunting 2

treesareveryimportanttousformanypracticalreasonsbecauseoftheuses

towhichthewoodcanbeputhowevertheirvalueineconomictermsisnothin

gcomparedtotheirroleinhelpingtoregulatetheworldsclimateandprovidin

gfertilesoil

Trees are very important to us for many practical reasons because of

the uses to which the wood can be put. However, their value in

economic terms is nothing compared to their role in helping to

regulate the world's climate and providing fertile soil.



Analysing 1

Environmental activists have raised concerns about GM foods, and

criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential

hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate

regulatory oversight.

Environmental activists have raised concerns about GM foods,

and

environmental activists have criticized agribusiness for pursuing

profit without concern for potential hazards,

and

environmental activists have criticized the government for failing

to exercise adequate regulatory oversight.



Analysing 2

Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is

going to be a major challenge in the years to come.

Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population

is going to be a major challenge in the years to come.

There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create

a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible

individuals.

There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may

create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in

susceptible individuals.



Puzzle Breather

1. A mother elephant had two babies named Samson and Delilah.

What is the name of the mother.

2. Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?

3. What kind of room has no doors or windows?

4. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't

got me. What am I?

5. Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die. What am I?



Levelled Text (Low to Mid to High) One day Winnie-the-Pooh walked to the middle of the forest and saw

an oak tree. He heard a buzzing-noise. Then he sat there and started

thinking.

One day when he was out walking, he came to an open place in the

middle of the forest, and in the middle of this place was a large oak-

tree, and, from the top of the tree, there came a loud buzzing-noise.

Winnie-the-Pooh sat down at the tree with his head between his

paws and began to think.

One day when he was out roaming the forests by himself, he came

upon an open area nicely located in the centre of the forest, and a

large looming oak-tree stood at the middle, and, from the top of the

oak, there came a loud buzzing-noise. Winnie-the-Pooh sat down at

the foot of the tree, put his head between his paws and began to

ruminate.



Levelled Text (High to Mid to Low)

Japan has slipped back into recession, leaving financial analysts to

ponder over the implications for the global economy. Japan's

economy unexpectedly shrank for the second consecutive quarter.

Japan has slipped back into recession. Financial analysts are

thinking about how this will affect the global economy. Japan's

economy unexpectedly shrank for the second quarter in a row.

Japan has gone back into financial bad times. Financial experts are

thinking that this will change the world’s economy. Japan's economy

suddenly became smaller for two quarters (3 months in a year) in a

row.



Levelled Text (Low to Mid to High)

Experts have studied school class sizes for more than 40 years.

Many think smaller classes are better. They believe students get

more help in small classes. The idea is popular.

It seems obvious that giving teachers fewer students to teach is a

change that makes sense. Students should get more individual

attention and perform better. The idea is popular with parents and

lawmakers alike.

Few education reforms make as much sense on a gut level as giving

teachers fewer students to teach. The idea is popular with parents

and politicians alike — at least 40 states have carried out some kind

of class-size reduction in the past 15 years.



Levelled Text (Mid to Low to High)

American kids are eating healthier because companies have cut

down the amount of calories in their packaged foods. A new study

found that parents bought food with 101 fewer calories per person

per day in 2012 than they did in 2007. But experts said it's not

enough to stop children from becoming too overweight.

American kids are eating healthier. Companies are making food with

fewer calories. But experts said it is not good enough.

American families with kids bought 101 fewer calories per person per

day in packaged foods in 2012 than they did in 2007, according to an

analysis of a pledge by big food companies to reduce calories in the

marketplace. It's an “impressive" accomplishment but not sufficient to

reverse childhood obesity, experts say.



Strategies

Looking for synonyms /similar meaning words /related phrases

Differentiating between main ideas and details

Real-life application

Foreshadowing

Fine-tuning intentions (logical thinking)



References

News in Levels: World News for Students of English (3 levels with

similar texts)

http://www.newsinlevels.com/

Newsela (5 levels with similar texts)

https://newsela.com/

Breaking News English (7 levels with similar and different texts)

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

VOA Learning English (3 levels with different texts)

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

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Strategies for Using Shorter,Similar & Differentiated Reading TextsESAP Symposium 2015 Timothy Wong

Education