Unlock with PatreonThe Problem with CI
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Reading Question
Share:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Ben Slavic
Get The Latest Updates
Subscribe to Our Mailing List
No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.
Related Posts
CI and the Research (cont.)
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
Research Question
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
We Have the Research
To view this content, you must be a member of Ben’s Patreon at $10 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to
7 thoughts on “Reading Question”
I tend to do what Linda does. I feel like it keeps the flow of L2 input going. If the reading is comprehensible to the students, they will understand all but tiny bits of it. I would rather let them enjoy what they understand and stop and explain what they don’t. But that’s just me.
I read aloud in L2, and after a few related paragraphs, usually ask a few questions. Some comprehension checks, some asking students’ opinions or comparing to the students’ experience. Over time, I’m leaning more to the opinions/predictions/comparing to students than comp checks. I watch for confusing parts & ask for a translation, or gloss it. The stomp thing worked with middle schoolers, though I’ve not tried it with high schoolers.
I do exactly what Linda does. Yesterday bc kids were a bit tired, I had them stand up when they encountered a word they didn’t know. Didn’t last long though and soon we were back to the footstomp. My students want to hear the Spanish while reading.
Today I tried having them “blurt” the word (in Spanish) when they didn’t understand. Not perfect, but WAY better than usual in terms of keeping a flow of Spanish. Monday I will try the stomp. That might be more anonymous. Today was pretty good though bc when the blurter blurted, other kids quickly linked meaning for that kid, and we were able to keep some momentum and energy going. I know I lose them so quickly when I get into too many side questions, comprehension checks, etc. I agree with putting the burden on the kids to let me know when they don’t understand rather than have incessant comp. checks that disrupt the flow of the story.
Of course the personal parallels often have more juice, so I tend to stay with that and abandon the reading. When this happens, and I get back to the book in the next class or whatever, I have learned to just gloss quickly over the part we read, or ask a kid to tell what they remember (via yes/no either or questions super quickly) and then I start in the new part of the book. I’ve learned to just skip any boring parts / fill them in on what happens next and stay focused on the flow of the story and the most compelling scenes.
Sorry for sounding dense, but reading along in L1 (English) while the Ss are reading in L2 sounds totally confusing, jarring and counterproductive to me.
When Karen Rowan consulted in our district, which, since we teach WL in grades 1-8, is all pretty much novice level, she said (we asked!) not to translate every single word/line if we ‘know’ that they know it. It’ll become too tiresome/repetitive/boring. The tension is in trusting that our Ss will actually signal somehow when there’s something incomprehensible. those used to translating into L1 ought to try it with less English and compare the experience. To my mind, reading is at the top of all the auditory scaffolding.
Alisa this is a big deal to me. I foresee in my own classes two or three days of stories, or more, and then a day or two of silent reading with little spinouts into random L2 discussion. The quiet flow of reading. Why? First of all, Krashen has shown exhaustively that it is perhaps the best way to acquire a language. Stipulations: 1) the text must be easy, below their level – so we need more Isabelle level books, which is the best entry book at least for us here at the American Embassy School. 2) the text must be engaging.
Then we just go through the book and talk about it in L2 without any intrusion of English, except some glossing (thanks Eric!) or a quick run to the board to write something down, but we explicate most things in L2. It takes a firm hand and a loving heart but it works.
Could it really be this simple? Does the future of language teaching now imply almost zero level preparation?
I love these observations:
…reading along in L1 (English) while the Ss are reading in L2 sounds totally confusing, jarring and counterproductive to me….
…reading is at the top of all the auditory scaffolding….
I would like you to expand on the last comment a bit if you feel like it. It is the mantra in Denver Public Schools, certainly.
Yes reading is at the top. More important than auditory input in my opinion.
But I have this old habit of translating for them into L1 and I still don’t have that process clear in my mind. I appreciate what you say here. I have an email into Krashen awaiting a response. He also addressed this in some emails re: ROA a few months ago, but we were too busy here to take that topic up at the time. (The queue is still jammed.) I need to get clear on this. So then how do you do reading, Alisa?