UNIVERSIDAD AUSTRAL DE CHILE Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades Escuela de Licenciatura
Profesor Patrocinante M Ed. Juana Barrientos Villanueva Instituto de Lingüística y Literatura
Teaching reading comprehension through local stories.
Propuesta Pedagógica para optar al Grado académico de Licenciada en Inglés y al Titulo profesional de Profesora de Inglés.
Alejandra Jacqueline Rocha Loaiza
VALDIVIA – CHILE 2009
Index
I. Introduction Page 2
II. Objectives Page 4
A. General Objective Page 4
B. Specific Objectives Page 4
III. The method Page 5
IV. Theoretical Background Page 6
A. Definition of Reading Page 6
B. Models of Reading Page 8
1. Bottom – Up Model Page 8
2. Top – down Model Page 8
3. Interactive Model Page 9
C. Types of Reading Page 9
1. Extensive Reading Page 9
2. Intensive Reading Page 10
3. Skimming Page 10
4. Scanning Page 11
D. Teaching Reading Comprehension Page 11
E. L2 and Schema Theory Page 12
1. Content Schema Page 13
2. Reading and Linguistic Knowledge Page 14
F. Reading Strategies Page 15
G. Strategies to Activate Prior Knowledge Page 16
H. Reading Activities Page 19
V. Description of the NB5 English Program for Seventh grade Page 21
A. Objectives Page 24
1. Fundamental Objectives Page 24
2. Fundamental Cross-Curricula objectives Page 25
B. Generic Activities and examples for the development of reading comprehension
skill Page 25
C. Unit 2: People and Traditions Page 30
1. Contents Page 30
2. Learning outcomes Page 31
VI. Proposal Page 33
VII. Description of Teaching Strategies during the Unit Page 34
VIII. First Session: Chiloe Charming Land Page 36
IX. Unit 2: Chiloe Magic and Traditions Page 38
A. Chiloe Charming Land Page 39
B. Chiloe Magic Page 49
C. The Caguach Celebration Page 58
D. Reading Comprehension Test Page 65
E. Evaluations Page 68
X. Conclusions Page 69
XI. References Page 71
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I. Introduction
Nowadays, English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It has become the language of international cooperation and affairs. English should be seen as an essential tool which opens different opportunities in this globalized society where everyone would like to participate actively.
It is well – known that many changes are taking place in the Chilean educational system in relation to the skills and competences that a student must achieve to become a successful learner. This is the reason why in Chile there is a special awareness of the importance of learning English as a second language
Through new educational policies that have included a new educational reform and the implementation of the “English Open Door” program which was created by the Chilean
Ministry of Education and the United Nations Development Program in 2003, great changes can already be seen. The objectives of this “ English Open Door ” program is to improve English skills of Chilean learners, because research has shown that only a 5% of the secondary school graduated students speak English.(Mineduc noticias.,2004) One of the main contributions of this program consists of providing native English speakers to assist teachers and students in Chilean public schools.
Learning English, then, has become a necessary tool to be competitive and successful in this century, where education plays a very important role.
Education is considered as a key element that contributes to the development of a country.
The major goal of education is to prepare students to become long-life learners. Students 3 must internalize learning to learn in order to face the new challenges of the competitive world of today.
This paper will illustrate the importance of reading comprehension through the use of local topics of the students` interest.
Nowadays, Reading Comprehension is considered as the most important tool in the development of education and the ability to learning to learn, which enables people to get informed about new advances in every field, is a must. (Brown & Campione,1981)
During all these years, I have been teaching English in different schools in Chiloe Island. I have noticed that students do not show much interest while learning English through written texts. One of the main reasons of this lack of interest is the fact that students do not feel identified with topics which are unfamiliar to them.
Therefore, the aim of this paper is to select and adapt texts according to the needs and interest of the students as well as to design activities to develop reading comprehension through known topics. Research has shown that topic familiarity is the single most important factor in determining students’ comprehension of a text (Bernhart 1986, Swaffer)
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II. Objectives
A.- General Objective
To introduce teachers to an improved methodology which includes effective strategies to develop reading comprehension skill of seventh grade students of English as a second language through local readings.
B.- Specific Objectives
1. To provide an improved methodology to teach English as a second language (L2) to
seventh grade students.
2. To adopt the best strategies to activate prior knowledge considering topic familiarity
for students of seventh grade to improve their reading comprehension.
3. To describe the methodology employed in a three forty-five minute period lesson.
4. To promote self-esteem and self-confidence in students to achieve academic success
at school
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III. The Method
To be able to choose the best strategies and methodologies to teach English as a second language (L2) to seventh grade students, who show little interest in reading. The reason is unfamiliar topics.
A lot of research regarding topic familiarity and the necessary activation of prior knowledge will be discussed in the literature review.
Once the concepts and methods have been defined, a descriptive study will focus in the implementation of nine English classes of 45 minutes each one. At the end of this study there will be a discussion in order to propose an improved methodology and effective strategies to develop reading comprehension skills of seventh grade students of English as a second language (L2).
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IV. Theoretical Background
A. - Definition of Reading
A lot of reading research carried out over the last three decades has concluded that Reading
Comprehension enables the reader to understand and interpret written texts with success.
This is the reason why reading is considered as the most important academic skill (Carrel
1988 a; Gabe and stroller 2001).According to Diane Henry Leipzing reading is a complex process that draws upon many skills that need to be developed at the same time. During this process the reader interacts with the text trying to make meaning from print. This interaction includes the reader’s existing knowledge, the information suggested by the text and the context of the reading situation. Although there have been a number of definitions of reading, it is difficult to define it in just a single sentence.
Grabe and Stoller (2002:9) define reading as “… the ability to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this information appropriately”. According to this definition reading is a “meaning-constructing system” that readers use to try to understand a text by relating it to what they already know (Bernhardt 1986 a: 26).
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This knowledge that readers bring to a text is called schemata. According to theories of schema and interactive reading, comprehension occurs when readers are successful in activating schemata that logically match those of the text. In order to schematize, readers must:
1) Realize that they need to do so;
2) Be able to associate new meanings with the background knowledge they already possess
(Swaffer 126).
Readers realize that it is not enough for them simply to know the meaning of each individual word in isolation; rather, comprehension “involves fitting the meaning of the message to the schema that one has in mind” (Omaggio 135).
Therefore, the reader’s background knowledge plays a very important role on reading comprehension, which is definitively the essence of reading.
Several studies have shown that during this interactive process between the reader and the text, readers employ three different reading models. These models of reading include bottom – up, top – down and interactive processes (Grabe and Stoller 2002)
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B.- Models of Reading
1. Bottom – up Model
The Bottom – up process of reading can be defined as the ability to decode or put into sound what is seen in a text. It is a process of building symbols into words. The reader focuses specially on the letters, the words and sentences creating a mental translation of the information presented in the text.
Peran 1997 and Alderson 2000 see the bottom – up process of reading as a serial model where the reader begins with the printed word, recognises graphics stimuli, decodes them to sound, recognises words, and decodes meaning.
In summary, in this model, reading is seen as a process of building symbols into words, words into sentences and sentences into overall meaning.
2. Top – down Model
Contrary to the bottom – up model of reading, in the top – down model, readers are expected to bring their background knowledge to the text.
Top – down approaches emphasise the importance of schemata, and the reader’s contribution, to the incoming text (Alderson 2000). The readers sample the text for information and contrast it with their own experiences to construct meaning of what is written on a page.According to Kennet S Goodman (1967), “The goal of reading is constracting meaning in response to a text, it requires use of gropho-phonics, syntactic, and semantic cues to construct meaning”. Readers do not read every word, but see through the text in order to be able to guess the meaning and the words and phrases that activate their background knowledge. Then, they complete what they already know with the meaning they derive from the text. 9
3. Interactive Model
In the interactive model, readers combine elements of both: bottom – up and top – down models (Alderson 1999). Readers focus on what is written on a page and the background knowledge, schemata, that they bring to the text. They recognize the importance of both, the text and their role, as readers, in the reading process. In this interactive model of reading the readers interact dinamically with the text to get meaning using various kinds of knowledge: linguistic or systematic knowledge (through bottom-up processing) as well as schematic knowledge (through top-down processing)
C.- Types of Reading
There are different styles of reading for different situations. The several techniques that the readers might use will depend on the purpose of reading. Here are the four types of reading used in every language.
1. Extensive Reading
Extensive reading is used to obtain a general understanding of a certain subject. It includes reading longer texts often for pleasure. Hafiz and Tudor state that:
The pedagogical value attributed do extensive reading is based on the assumption
that exposing learners to large quantities of meaningful and interesting L2 material
will, in the long run, produce a beneficial effect on the learners command of the L2. (1989, p.5)
Extensive reading helps the readers develop their reading ability. Moreover, this type of reading enables the readers to achieve their independence by reading either in class or at home, through sustained silent reading (SSR). Carrel and Eisterhold (1983) argue that SSR activity, can be effective in helping learners become self-directed agents seeking meaning provided an SSR program is “based on student selected texts so that the students will be 10 interested in what they are reading. Students select their own reading texts with respect to content, level of difficulty, and length.” (p.567)
2. Intensive Reading:
Intensive reading can be defined as reading a shorter text for detailed or specific information. In this type of reading, it is necessary that the readers understand each word of the text. In intensive reading, the readers go through the text line by line with the aim of getting the gist of reading comprehension. Hafiz and Tudor (1989) differentiate between extensive and intensive reading:
In intensive reading activities learners are in the main exposed to relatively short texts
which are used either to exemplify specific aspects of the lexical, syntactic or discoursal
system of the L2, or to provide the bases for targeted reading strategy practice; the goal
of extensive reading, on the other hand, is to “flood” learners with large quantities
of L2 input with few or possibly no specific task to perform on this material. (p.5)
Although there is a clear difference between both types of reading, it is also clear that they are important because the main goal of reading is to comprehend what is written on a page.
3. Skimming
This type of reading is used to understand the main idea of a text, through a quick reading.
Readers do not need to read the whole text. Flowederw and Peacock (2001) state that readers are able to predict the purpose of the passage, and get the writer’s message.
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4. Scanning
Scanning is used to find a particular piece of information. Readers search for key words or for a particular answer. Brown proposes that readers scan to get specific information in a text, such as names, dates, etc.
Once, the readers have scanned a text for a specific information, they can go back and skim it in order to get the main idea of the text.
D.- Teaching Reading Comprehension
Durkin (1973) defines comprehension as an active and intentional thinking in which the meaning is constructed through interactions between the text and the reader.
Therefore the level of the reader’s comprehension of the text is determinated by how well the reader variables (interest in the text, purpose for reading the text, knowledge of the topic, foreign language abilities, awareness of the reading process, and level of willingness to take risk) interact with the text variables (text type, structure, syntax, and vocabulary) (Hosenfeld 1979). Comprehension is then conditioned by multiple factors.
It is the teacher’s responsability to take into account those factors in order to choose the appropiate L2 reading material as well as the appropriate reading strategies to increase reading comprehension.
A lot of research has been carried out to find out how multiple variables affect Reading
Comprehension. Many authors have established that schema is useful in helping students improve their reading comprehension.
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E. L2 and Schema Theory
Schema theory was developed by the psychologist Bartlett “... who observed how people, when asked to repeat a story from memory filled in details which did not occur in the original but comformed to their cultural norms.” (Cook 1997:86).
Taking into account Bartlett’s observation there are many ways of defining schema.
Schema is the technical term used by cognitive scientists to describe how people, process, organize and store information in their minds.
Bruning (1995) defines schema as the mental framework that helps the learners organize knowledge, direct perception and attention, and guide recall.
Some years before Widdowson defined schema as “cognitive constructs which allow for the organization of information in a long term – memory.”
Schema or schemata is also called prior knowledge and reflects the experiences, conceptual understanding attitudes, values and skills a reader brings to a text situation.
“... Readers are in a better position to comprehend what they are reading whenever they use prior knowledge (schemata) to construct meaning (Vacca, 2002).
According to the definitions above it is clear that schema deals with the reading process.
The readers are expected to connect new information of the text with their previous experience to construct meaning.
Carrell (1983 b) distinguished three different dimensions of schemata; linguistic (language knowledge), content (knowledge of the topic), and formal (previous knowledge of the rhetorical structures of different types of texts). He established that each of these three dimensions plays a role in the interpretation among the text and the readers. As Carrell
(1988 b) points out, “students’ apparent reading problems may be problems of unsufficient
13 background knowledge [content, formal and linguistic]” (p. 245).
Moreover, according to the same author schemata must be appropiately activated to really comprehend the text.
Therefore, taking into account Carrell’s point of view about schemata, teachers have the responsability to motivate reading by choosing the appropiate texts, selecting topics familiar to reading. In fact reseach shows that topic familiarity is the single most important factor in determining students comprehension and can make up for linguistic difficulty specially at the beginning level (Bernhart 1986; Swaffer).
Brantmeier (2003) emphasizes that topic familiarity can be an exceedingly significant factor in affecting L2 comprehension.
According to this close relationship between reader’s comprehension and topic familiarity
I will focus on the role that content schema has on the reading comprehension process of
English as a Second Language.(ESL)
1. Content Schema
Content schema refers to topic familiarity that readers have with the text they are reading.
According to Brown (2001). Content schema includes what we know about people, the world, culture, and the universe. So content schema is part of an individual’s cultural orientation, since culture affects all aspects of life, it certainly has a major impact on all elements of reading.
Individuals acquire that content schema through their experiences both real and vicarious therefore, through these experiences they refine, reshape correct and restructure their schemata. 14
When reading a text with a familiar topic, especially one from the native culture, L2 readers might easily activate their prior knowledge that helps them understand the text.
A study conducted by Koh (1986) to show the effects of familiar content on students reading comprehension supports the notion that reader’s comprehension of a text depends on how much relevant prior knowledge the reader has about the topic of that particular text.
Koh (1986) also suggests that students must activate their content schemata for the recreating of meaning from the text rather than focus on the word – for – word – deciphering which characterizes much ESL reading materials.
Taking into account the previous presentation of the importance of topic familiarity, it is necessary to consider this factor while teachers are choosing the appropriate reading materials.
Carrel (1988-1987) indicates that ESL teachers should also work on minimizing their student’s reading difficulties by providing them with familiar contents that include relevant cultural information and by activating the appropriate schema through useful reading strategies.
2. Reading and Linguistic Knowledge
It is also important to consider the role that a certain level of linguistic knowledge plays in the reading process. Linguistic knowledge refers to reader’s existing proficiency in vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, especially for learners at the elementary level.
Without basic language knowledge no reading strategy or skill can function effectively. 15
Moreover, constructing meaning from a text is impossible without being able to identify words. The key aspect to reading fluency is the expansion of vocabulary through the use of word play, puzzles, crosswords, word maps etc.
Spencer and Hay (1998) state that
Word recognition is an essential component in the mastery of reading… and considerable evidence suggests that the major difficulty confronting the beginning reader is the development of rapid, automatic word recognition skills… Efficient readers use a variety of orthographic data to recognise word units, such as individual letters, letter clusters, morphemes, word stems, and word patterns.
English vocabulary is primary determinant of reading comprehension for L2 readers.
Those students whose first language has many cognates with English have an advantage in
English vocabulary recognition, but they often require explicit instruction to optimize transfer for comprehension (Garcia & Nagy, 1993).
F.- Reading Strategies
Reading strategies are useful skills that readers must acquire to become more effective readers.
Most L1 and L2 research has shown that many of the same strategies can be used whether reading in a foreign or in a native language. They also suggest that training in reading strategies can significantly increase reading comprehension (Barnett 1988; Carrel 1985).
Moreover, L1 and L2 research has found that effective readers:
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1- Read with a purpose; 2- Use any background knowledge they may have; 3- Are able to identify text structure and use it as a means to increase their comprehension of it; 4- Are able to locate main ideas; 5- Are motivated and interact with the text; 6- Self-monitor their comprehension ; and 7- Understand the relevance of the strategies they use for increasing comprehension and the transferability of these skills (Baker and Brown, Barnett 1988). It is the teacher’s role to help his/her students acquire these skills.
There are many reading strategies to help students become independent, critical readers. As it was mentioned before, it is the teacher who should select the appropriate reading strategies considering text-type, purpose for reading, topic familiarity, etc.
As in this proposal I have considered the importance of topic familiarity I want to explain some strategies, which are useful to activate prior knowledge.
G.- Strategies to Activate Prior Knowledge:
• Brainstorming: In the sessions, teachers ask students to examine together the title of
the selection they are about to read. The teacher lists on the board all the
information that comes to mind as students read the title.
These pieces of information are then used to further recall, and in the process
considerable knowledge will be activated.
• Class Discussions: Class discussions and informal talks in and out of class all serve
as techniques to discover more about what students bring to their reading. Over a
period of time, teachers can begin to get some idea as to what their students know
and can adjust how much time needs to be spent on background information.
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• Semantic Mapping: Students still use brainstorming strategies in semantic mapping;
however this strategy is organized and controlled by the teacher. As students offer
their personal ideas about a topic, the teacher writes these ideas on the board. In
brainstorming, all ideas are written on the board. In semantic mapping, ideas are
organized on the board under headings. The diagram represents the information
elicited from the students but created in such a way that qualities and relationships
are evident. During active reading, students may also use semantic maps. As they
read, they include new information on their maps. During post-reading, students can
use their maps as a review of information gained.
• Prequestions: Whenever teachers or students decided on questions to be answered
by reading, they are activating prior knowledge. These questions tend to focus
attention and provide for purposeful reading. Teachers can accomplish this by
preparing questions in advance of reading. This will help in guiding students as they
complete their reading assignment. The teacher can also help students develop their
own questions which will help them establish purpose and focus attention.
• Visual Aids: Pictures and other visual material can activate students’ prior
knowledge. If a student has some schema for fossils, a simple picture may serve to
retrieve appropriate knowledge. Thus a teacher may share this photograph of a
fossil before students read a science textbook chapter on fossils. The picture serves
to activate the students’ schemata on fossil.
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• Real-Life Experiences: Actual experience is the best way to develop and refine the
schemata that make up reader’s prior knowledge. To impact a students memory,
they must see, touch, use, and experience real objects or situations. If possible,
provide any real-life experiences that have to do with the assignment. Even
something done on a small level will help students’ understanding.
• A purpose for Reading: When students have a purpose for reading a selection, they
find that purpose not only directs their reading towards a goal, but helps to focus
their attention. Purposes may come from teacher directed questions, questions from
class discussions or brainstorming, or from the individual student. Along with the
question, it is a good idea to pose predictions of the outcome and problems which
need to be solved.
These may be generated by the student or the teacher, but the teacher should use
these to guide students in the needed direction for the assigned selection.
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H.- Reading activities:
Contemporary reading task involve three-phase procedures: pre-reading, reading and post reading stages.
Barnett suggests a lesson plan for teaching reading, which includes four steps: pre-reading, reading, post-reading and follow-up activities. (Barnett 1989).
Pre reading activities motivate students before the actual reading takes place. At this stage teachers are expected to activate student’s prior knowledge through the use of different appropriate strategies. Students relate what they are going to read to something that is familiar to them.
Abraham (2003) states that an interactive approach “ demands that the teacher activate the students ” schemata during the pre-reading phase by helping students recognize the knowledge that they already have about the topic of a text (p.6).
At this stage teachers should use different pre-reading strategies such as predicting, previewing, identifying text type, inferring through the use of pictures, titles etc.
The aim of reading stage (or interactive process) is to develop student’s ability in facing texts by developing their linguistic and schematic knowledge.
Barnett’s reading exercises help students acquire reading strategies to improve their command of the linguistic features of L2, and decode difficult passages. This reading stage includes activities to: 1. help students learn to infer word meanings from context; 2. give them practice in recognizing cognates, prefixes, suffixes and word families, grammatical structures, and function words; and 3. teach them when and how to use a dictionary effectively. 20
During the post-reading stage teachers check their student’s comprehension of the text. Post reading activities can also help readers clarify any unclear meaning where the focus is on the meaning not on the grammatical or lexical aspect.
Students can discuss in groups what they have understood, students focus on information they did not understand. Students are also expected to reflect and share opinions about the text.
Follow-up exercises take students beyond the particular reading text in one or two ways: by transferring reading skills to other texts or by integrating reading skills with other language skills (Phillips, 1985).
Follow-up activities also encourage students to think about what they have read. Some follow-up activities are, new endings, dramatizing, interviews based on the text etc.
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V.- Description of the NB 5 English Program for Seventh Grade
During the NB5 English Program for seventh grade, just like in the previous years, the emphasis of teaching is in the development of receptive skills, reading and listening.
Nevertheless, at this level, the guided production of simple oral and written texts has been introduced.
Taking into account the Fundamental Objectives (FO) and the Core Content (CC), the program is organized in three thematic units. Each unit includes its corresponding contents, learning outcomes and evaluation criteria.
Moreover, the program includes methodological suggestions to the development of reading and listening comprehension skills and oral and written production, generic activities and examples; suggestion for the units and the selection and adaptation of the oral and written texts that will be used in class.
The three thematic units of this level are: The City, People and Traditions and The
Environment.
Because of the various topics, the teacher has the opportunity to choose among a large number of texts, considering the students own reality, interest and needs. Moreover, the students have the possibility to choose their own texts. It is also possible to establish a connection with other areas of the curricula.
At this level, the students work with longer and more complex texts. The content of the
NB5 English Program is composed of a list of techniques, text types and syntactical elements.
The lexical content is determined by the topics of the units. Of course, the students have acquired a linguistic base during the two previous years. The syntactical content includes 22 some structures introduced during 5th and 6th grade. However, a more explicit study of grammar has been incorporated at this level, For the first time, students are expected to realize during post-reading activities that grammatical structures will help them comprehend the text.
The lexical content, as well as, the syntactical content must be introduced according to the principles of spiral approach and recycling (reviewing) technique. These principles are particularly relevant at this level.
The program also establishes learning outcomes for each unit referred as first priority the achievement of the receptive skills ( listening and reading ) and secondly the productive ones ( speaking and writing ).
In order to achieve the learning outcomes of this program, the generic activities are organized according to the different skills mentioned in the pervious paragraph.
These activities are grouped in: ‘Pre-reading or listening activities’, ‘While-reading or listening activities’, and ´Post-reading or listening activities’.
Pre-reading or listening activities are expected to motivate, anticipate and prepare students for the reading or listening. These activities relate what the students are going to listen or read to their previous knowledge and lead them to understand key-words. While-reading or listening activities lead students to gradually understand the oral and written texts from the more general to the more specific details. At this stage students check their predictions, identifying the type of text and getting the general idea, specific information, summarizing main ideas and so on.
Post-reading or listening activities enhance comprehension through the use of different kinds of exercises. At this stage, the syntactical elements have a special treatment, for the 23 first time, students are expected to realize the function of grammatical structures in the text.
Moreover, a new generic activity has been introduced.
The aim of this new activity is to develop critical thinking skills about the communicative function of the text.
Evaluation is conceived as part of the learning – teaching process. It is important to consider the evaluation of the process, as well as, the specific instances of assessment
(evaluation of the product) in order to perceive the students performance in terms of achievement of the fundamental and cross-curricular objectives. Evaluation gives students constant feedback about their performance in the learning process.
Self-evaluation and teamwork evaluation are also other ways to evaluate the process and the achievement of learning outcomes self-evaluation gives students the possibility of becoming self-aware and responsible for their own learning process and, if necessary look for help on how to improve.
Teamwork evaluation gives students the opportunity to develop a sense of responsibility as a team member, to improve their performance and to give others their feedback. Project work is a good moment to record their progress.
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A.- Objectives
1. Fundamental Objectives:
By the end of seventh grade, students are expected to:
• Listen to and understand a variety of authentic and adapted oral text related to the
topics in the seventh grade program. They should identify general information and
some details, in Spanish, if necessary.
• Read and understand a variety of authentic and adapted written texts. They should
identify general information and some details, in Spanish, if necessary.
• Produce guided, simple oral dialogue and simple written texts using simple
structures and the vocabulary related to the level
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2. Fundamental Cross-Curricula objectives
The English program for seventh grade emphasizes not only the cross-curricular objectives worked in the two previous years, but also the ones related to the new thematic units at this level.
Therefore, the fundamental cross-curricular objectives of seventh grade help with the development of the following values:
• Appreciation of national identity within a multicultural content.
• Self-awareness and personal development
• Appreciation and respect for other cultures (traditions, ways of thinking and cultural
practices).
• Respect for the individual and, her/his surroundings (nature, history and
environment).
• Developing social relationship.
B.- Generic activities and example for the development of reading comprehension skill.
Pre-reading stage
1. Relate the text to their own experiences and knowledge.
o Sharing in Spanish.
o Sharing real material brought by the students.
o Answering guided questions.
o Doing imaginary games. 26
2. Predict the content of the text.
o Using the title, pictures or other visual aids
o Brainstorming in Spanish
o Solving T/F or multiple choice exercises
o Making questions about the text in Spanish
3. Understand key words.
o Identifying key words through pictures, real objects, mimicry or translation.
o Matching a picture with the word
o Identifying words of the text following clues given by the teacher
o Using a dictionary or glossary given by the teacher
Reading Stage
4. Identify the text type
o following visual aids
5. Validate prediction
o Confirming or modifying prediction of the previous stage
6. Identify the main idea
o Doing T/F or multiple choice exercises.
o Choosing the appropriate title that best represents the text content.
o Underlying or copying the sentence that represents the main content.
o Answering with 2 or 3 words in English
o Completing the sentences
o Explaining in Spanish what the text is about. 27
7. Identify specific information
o Correcting information mistakes
o Doing T/F or multiple choice exercises
o Underlying information
o Indicating the line where the information appears.
o Matching information
o Completing sentences or short texts
o Making an object following instructions
8. Make sequences, classify and put in order the content of the text
o Numbering pictures or sentences
o Classifying the information in dialogues, word maps
o Rewriting a text in order
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Post-reading stage
9. Consolidate morph syntactical and lexical aspects
o classifying lexical content in word maps, tables using a pencil and a sheet of
paper or software support
o doing a puzzle or a crossword
o writing words in order to make sentences using a pencil and a sheet of paper
or software support
o labeling pictures
o completing sentences with 2 or 3 words
o identifying grammatical structures in the text
o replacing parts of a sentence
o underlying information
o matching sentences
10. Think about the thematic content of the text in Spanish
o Establishing connections between the content of the text and their
experience.
o Expressing opinion, agreement or disagreement
o Showing the new information of the text
o Connecting on the cultural aspects presented in the text
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Oral Expression
1. Solve comprehension exercises of oral and written texts.
o answering with 2 or 3 words
2. Participate in dialogues or other guided oral texts in English
o performing a dialogue, an interview or advertisement
Written Expression
1. Solve comprehension exercises of oral and written texts
o Answering questions with 2 or 3 words.
o Completing questionnaires
o Completing sentences or short texts
2. Rewrite a text, in English, replacing parts of the information
o completing sentences or short texts
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C.- Unit 2: People and Traditions
1. Contents
1. Techniques for the development of reading and listening comprehension
o prediction of the topic and / or the information of the text
o discrimination of words
o localization of general and specific information
o techniques for the development of oral and written production
o participation in guided dialogues
o complete information
o solving exercises to show reading and listening comprehension
2. Text – type for reading and listening comprehension
o tales
o articles
o instructions
o biographies
o dialogues
o songs
3. Syntax and Lexicon
Lexicon
o lexicon related to the topic ‘People and Traditions’
Syntax
o affirmative, interrogative and negative simple and complex sentences
o simple past 31
o future will or going to
o adverbs of frequency: usually and often
o elatives first, second, third, after that, then, finally
2. Learning outcomes
1. Reading Comprehension
The students demonstrate comprehension of authentic and / or adapted written texts
of approximately 200 words, through:
a. The recognition of the text-type read
b. The recognition of the general information of the texts
c. The localization of the specific information of the texts
d. The recognition and comprehension of the lexical content related to the topic
‘ People and Traditions’
e. The understanding of the communicative function in texts of:
affirmative, interrogative and negative simple and complex sentences
simple past and simple future tenses
the adverbs of frequency: usually and often
The elatives first, second, third, after that, then, finally.
32
2. Oral and Written Production
The Students:
a. Use 2 or 3 words in English orally to demonstrate comprehension of written
and oral texts.
b. Participate in guided dialogues of approximately 3 interactions
c. Write 2 or 3 words in English to demonstrate comprehension of written and
oral texts.
d. Complete simple and short written texts being guided
33
VI. Proposal : Chiloe, Magic and Traditions
This proposal consists of designing a working unit called “Chiloe, Magic and Traditions” to develop reading comprehension skills in students of seventh grade (NB5). This unit has been designed following the English as a Foreign Language Program from the Ministry of
Education (Mineduc) for this level.
“Chiloe, Magic and Traditions” is a sub -unit of unit 2. “People and Traditions”, which deals with people, places and different customs and traditions.
In addition, “Chiloe, Magic and Traditions” is divided into three different lessons:
Lesson 1: “Chiloe, charming land”
Lesson 2: “Chiloe Magic”
Lesson 3: “Caguach Celebration”.
These three lessons have been designed according to the needs and interest of the students with the purpose of motivating them to participate and interact using reading texts with topics that are familiar to them. The main reason is that it is easier for students to understand a text if they have a prior knowledge of the topic. Therefore, they can compare the information they already possess with the information of the text, share their own experiences and play an active role in their own learning process. Moreover the topics of these lessons also pretend to help students understand the importance of keeping local traditions and the respect for their own culture. Keeping cultural identity makes each society unique.
When students are learning a second language, they are not only acquiring the main linguistic aspects, involved in the study of this second language, they are having an insight 34 into non-linguistic aspects, they are also learning about history, literature, social conditions and of course cultural codes that are also involved in second language acquisition
Therefore, second language acquisition will also promote cross-culture, since students open their mind to another culture, being able to discover the similarities and share the differences. Alptekin (2002-2003) states that teaching English culture is not possible since whose culture is going to be taught is not clear.
VII. Description of Teaching Strategies during the Unit
This is a description of the strategies used during the Unit: Chiloe Magic and Tradition which is divided in three lessons and a final evaluation.
Using pre-reading, reading and post-reading activities, students will be asked to predict, read, discuss, think and reflect about the lessons of the unit Chiloe Magic and Traditions.
The class activities will be done as individual work and class discussion. The evaluation will be done through a project evaluation at the end of each lesson and finally an evaluation of the unit through a reading passage, using the most effective reading strategies that students worked during the unit.
There will be special attention during pre-reading activities with the purpose of motivating students and activating the necessary background knowledge to understand the text. Students will be able to predict, make questions, and share their own experiences about the topic. Key words will be introduced using visual clues (pictures, photographs, etc). Then, during the reading activities the text will be presented. First the student will skim the text for general information with the purpose of checking their predictions. The second reading will be done to develop different types of reading-activities some of these 35 activities will be: true or false, matching exercises, multiple choice, questions and answer etc.
Post-reading activities: the main purpose of these activities will be to check understanding of the text. Students will reinforce vocabulary and grammatical structures that appear in the text. At this stage the students will be asked to discuss about the topic of the lessons, students will reflect about the contents and important value they involve.
At the end of each lesson students will be evaluated through a project which is done as a group work. Some guided dialogues will be evaluated as pair work and at the end of the unit there will be a final evaluation as an individual work. In this final evaluation the students will be asked to read and show comprehension of a text through effective reading strategies worked in class.
The Final Evaluation
The final test has been designed to measure the learning outcomes in relation to reading comprehension skill.
The text includes a glossary to clarify the meaning of key words. The final score is 28 points divided in five different items. Item A: has 2 points, item B: has 5 points, item C: has
10 points item D: has 8 points and item E: has 3 points.
36
VIII. First session Chiloe Charming Land
Motivation:
Motivate your students by showing them a map of Chile. Ask the students to locate the
Region of the Lakes on the map. Then ask them to locate Chiloe Island. Finally the students also locate their cities, villages or any other island of Chiloe Archipelago.
Class Development:
Introduce your students to pre-reading activities with the purpose of activating prior knowledge necessary to comprehend the text. Write the word Chiloe on the board and ask the students to brainstorm. Write all their ideas on the board, after that ask them to write three questions they think will be answered in the text (this activity is done in their copybooks and in Spanish). Then ask the students to tick the words they expect to find in the text.
Introduce key words, show pictures to the students while you read the words. The students match the words to the pictures. Ask the students to listen and repeat the key words. Make sure that all students have understood the meaning of key words and their correct pronunciation.
Introduce your students to reading activities. Ask your students to skim the text to check their predictions. They look at the text structure and answer what type of text it is.
Now, introduce your students to the text. Students read the text.
Encourage your students to read in silence, do not vocalize and do not stop their reading when they find any word they do not know. 37
Once the students have finished their reading ask them to do reading exercises. At this stage students can ask questions about vocabulary. Motivate your students to ask in English, for example: what’s the meaning of …?. You can use gestures or body language to show meaning of words.
Ask students to answer true or false exercises. Then ask them to complete the fact file about
Chiloe.
Then students read the text again and circle the correct answer (multiple choice exercises).
Ask your students to read the text once more and find specific words. They underline the food mentioned and circle the buildings mentioned. Then they write the words in a table under the correct category. This activity can be done on the board.
Introduce your students to post-reading activities. Ask students to solve the puzzle to show how much they remember of the reading. Then the students write in their copybooks the process of making “a curanto” using connectors.
After that, ask your students to describe the process of preparing their favorite salad. This activity can be done as a group work with a presentation.
Ask them to bring pictures or drawing, and materials to make a poster. This activity can be worked in a forty-five minute period.
Finish the session by asking students to discuss some questions. Write the questions on the board. Ask your students to reflect about the importance of keeping local traditions.
One-forty-five minute period: review, on the board the correct use of connectors. Write an example of how to prepare an orange juice.
The students works in groups, cut and paste pictures or drawings, write the process of preparing their favorite salad and they make a poster. This project will be evaluated. In this evaluation you should also consider Self-evaluation and Team work evaluation. 38
IX. Unit 2: Chiloe Magic and Traditions
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A.- Chiloe Charming Land
Unit 2: People and Traditions
Sub Unit: Chiloe: Magic and Tradition
Lesson: Chiloe: Charming Land
Estimated Time: Three forty-five minute periods
Skill: Reading Comprehension
Lexical content: handicraft, water shore, church, harvest, shellfish
Syntactic content: Transition words (first, second, third, then, after that and finally)
Simple and complex affirmative sentences and simple present.
Text Type: Article
Objective the students will:
• Identify, locate, and find general and specific information about tradition and
attractions.
• Learn vocabulary related to traditions.
• Use transition words to describe a process.
• Help students understand the importance of keeping local / national traditions as a
way to keep cultural identity.
Learning Outcomes: The students will show reading comprehension by:
• Identifying the main idea of the text
• Identifying the text type
• Answering general and specific questions about the text
• Learning vocabulary related to traditions 40
• Identifying specific information
• Writing a description of a process using transition words.
• Reflecting about the importance of the text
Materials:
• Photographs showing them in typical activities
• Pictures of old buildings and typical places
• Copybooks
• Handout, pencils, eraser, markers, cardboard, a map, pictures
Pre – Reading Activities
1. What words come to your mind when you read or hear about “Chiloe ”.
2. Write three questions you think will be answered in the reading:
3. Tick the words you expect to find in the reading about Chiloe
Smog Snow
Minga Handicraft
Curanto Palafito
Desert Traditions
Folklore Churches
4. Look at the key words. Match the words to the pictures
a. handicraft
b. water shore
c. church 41
d. harvest
e. shellfish
5. Look at the text you are going to read and choose the correct alternative to complete
the sentence.
The text is ______
a. An interview
b. An advertisement
c. An Internet article
d. A letter
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Chiloe Charming Land
• The Big Island of Chiloe
• Description:
Chiloe Island is the largest island of Chiloe archipelago off the coast of Chile in the Pacific
Ocean.
The Island is located in Southern Chile, in the Region of the Lakes. It has an area of 8,594 square kilometers. The main cities of Chiloe are Ancud, Dalcahue, Castro, Chonchi and
Quellon. Castro is the capital and also the biggest city of the island with 39,366 inhabitants.
• Chiloe Main Attractions
Some of the main attractions of Chiloe are its typical Palafitos, which are houses built on stilt along the water shore, its wooden churches, 16 of them declared World Heritage by
UNESCO, and Chiloe festivals which are celebrated during January and February in 43 different places of the island. During these festivities, visitors can admire the gastronomy the typical handicrafts, traditional tasks and folklore of Chiloe.
• Chiloe Traditions
The Minga: One of the main traditions in Chiloe is the Minga, in which all the people of a town gathers to do volunteer work, such as, building schools, helping at harvest, or transporting a house from one place to another
The Curanto: is the most traditional dish in Chiloe. It consists of a variety of food cooked in a hole in the earth. First people dig a hole in the earth. Second big heated stones are placed in the hole. Third a variety of shellfish and meat (sausage, chicken, smoked pork) are put on the heated stones. After those potatoes, “milcaos” and “chapaleles” are placed.
Then people cover all the ingredients with “nalca” leaves and “champas”. Finally the curanto is left to cook for about one hour.
44
Reading Activities
6. Read the text quickly and check you predictions
7. Write a T if the sentence is True or al F if the sentence is False
a.____ Chiloe island is in the South of Chile
b.____ Chiloe island has 39,366 inhabitants
c.____ Chiloe festivals are celebrated in winter
d.____ The Minga is a type of volunteer work
e.____ The Curanto consists only of a variety of shellfish
8. Complete the fact file about Chiloe Island
Location
Area
Main Cities
Capital City
Attractions
Traditions
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9. Read the text and circle the correct answer.
1. Chiloe has an area of . . .
a. 9.854 square kilometres
b. 8.958 square kilometres
c. 8.594 square kilometres
2. The biggest city of Chiloe is . . .
a. Ancud
b. Castro
c. Quellon
3. Palafitos are houses built . . .
a. in the middle of the sea
b. in the mountains
c. on the water shore
4. The Chiloe festivals are celebrated . . .
a. In June and July
b. During the whole year
c. In January and February.
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10. Read the text again and
a. Underline the words related to food mentioned in the text
b. Circle the buildings mentioned
11. Classify the words in exercise 10 under the correct category
Food Buildings
______
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Post – Reading Activities
12. How much do you remember about the lesson of Chiloe? Read the clues and complete the puzzle
Across
1. Sea products used. in the Curanto: S
5. They are heated to cook the curanto: S
Down
2. Chiloe is an: I .
3. Artesany made by hand: H .
4. 16 of them declared Word Heritage: C .
6. Meat of pig: P .
1 S H E 2 I S L A N D
L 3 H A N D Í C R A F T S 5 4 C H U R C H E S T 6 P O R K N E S
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13. Using the information below, write the process of making a curanto in the correct order (write it in your copybook)
Second big heated stones are placed in the hole Third shellfish, meat (sausage, chicken and smocked pork) are put on the stones Then people cover all the products with “nalca” leaves and “champas”
After that potatoes, “milcaos” and “chapaleles” are placed. First people dig a hole in the earth Finally The curanto is left to cook for about one hour.
14. Project Time: describe the process of preparing your favourite salad using the words: first, second, third, after that, then, and finally.
• Work in groups of three • Find pictures or make your own drawings • Describe the pictures • Make a poster • Present it to the class
Start like this:
First, collect the …
Second, wash …
15. It’s time to think . . .
Comment in Spanish.
a. What did you learn with this lesson? b. What was new for you? c. Why do you think people in Chiloe keep their traditions? d. What is the importance of keeping local traditions?
49
B.- Chiloe Magic
Unit 2 : People and Traditions.
Sub-Unit : Chiloe Magic and Traditions.
Lesson 2 : Chiloe Magic
Estimated Time : Three forty-five minute period
Skill : Reading Comprehension
Lexical Content : Being, ghost, ship, axe, fishermen, seaweed, dwarf, wizard,
seafood, woods.
Syntactic Content : Simple and complex affirmative sentences, simple present.
Text type : Descriptive.
Resources : Handout, pictures, copybook, pencil, eraser, cardboard,
markers, scissors, glue.
Objectives The students will:
• Identify, locate, find general and specific information about legends
• Learn vocabulary related to legends
• Use adjectives to make a description
• Help students understand the importance of keeping local / national myths
and legend as a way to keep the nation’s identity.
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Learning Outcomes:
The students will show reading comprehension by:
• Identifying the main idea of the text
• Answering general and specific questions about the text.
• Learning vocabulary related to legends.
• Identifying specific information
• Using adjectives to describe people.
• Reflecting about the importance of keeping local myths and legends.
Pre – reading activities:
1. Look at the pictures. What do you think the text will be about?
2. Make a list of legends you know
3. In pairs, choose a legend and comment it
4. Tick the words you think you will find in the text
Myths Doll Ghost
Mysterious Dragon Princess
Angel Darkness Superstition
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5. Look at the text and choose the correct alternative to finish the sentence.
The text is ______
a. a letter c. a description
b. a piece of news d. a legend
6. Look at the key words. Match the words to the pictures presented by the teacher.
being fishermen
ghost seaweed ship dwarf axe wizard wood seafood
7. Before reading the text, find the meaning of these words in your dictionary, and
write them down.
sail come out
crew (v) face (v)
carry cut down
chase steal
52
Chiloe Magic
Chiloe is known as a land of myths and legends. The origins of Chiloe mythology are a mixture of the old religions of their first inhabitants, the Huilliches, Cuncos and Onas, and the myths and superstitions, specially Celtic, brought by the Spaniards and other Europeans to the island. Chiloe mythology is full of legends about mysterious beings. The most popular legends are: The Caleuche, The Pincoya and The Trauco.
The Caleuche
The Caleuche is a ghost ship that sails the seas of Chiloe at night beautifully illuminated.
Aboard there is beautiful music and dancing.
It is crewed by powerful wizards and fishermen lost at sea. Those fishermen are taken to the ship where they come back to life in order to live for ever.
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The Trauco
The Trauco is an ugly and deformed dwarf that lives in the woods of Chiloe. He wears a hat, a coat and trousers made of “ Quilineja ” ( a kind of straw ). He has hands and feet with three long fingers. He always carries a stone axe called Toki which he uses to cut down trees. The Trauco likes to chase and attack beautiful young women to steal their virginity.
The Pincoya:
The Pincoya is a beautiful young woman who lives in the sea. She has long golden hair and wears a seaweed dress. She is known as the goddess of fertility, beaches and sea. The
Pincoya often comes out of sea to dance. If she dances facing the sea, fish and seafood will be abundant. However, if she dances facing the land, there will be lack of fish and seafood.
54
Reading activities
8. Read the text quickly and check your predictions.
9. Read the text again and answer True or False to the following statements:
a.____ The Trauco is an ugly and deformed giant
b.____ The Trauco has three fingers in his hands and feet.
c.____ The Caleuche is crewed only by wizard and witches
d.____ The Pincoya wears a golden dress
e.____ The Pincoya is a beautiful young woman.
10. Read the text once more and choose the correct answer.
1. The Caleuche is a ______
a. real ship
b. ghost ship
c. ghost boat
2. If the Pincoya dances facing the sea ______
a. fish and seafood will be abundant
b. there will be lack of fish and seafood
c. it will rain a lot
3. The Trauco lives ______
a. in the sea
b. in the city
c. in the woods
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4. The Trauco carries a(n) ______
a. iron axe
b. wooden axe
c. stone axe
11. Classify the words into categories: ugly, live, long, attack, coat dress, beautiful, powerful, steal hat, trousers, young, deformed chase, dance, face, known
Clothes Adjectives Verbs
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Post – Reading Activities
12. Find the adjectives used in the text in the crossword below.
B A L P O W E R F U L G U Q E I E R O V I T O D O I S O A Y U N G L Y Q U E E O L O U N A N A A L E G R O T E S T N I G O L D E N I T S T R I E T H A U R A L O N G A L F Y O T A E B U O Y L U F I U T U A E P D E F O R M E D L U N Y O N G W O M I E S P L N O S Y O U N G N O O A L O T E
13. Use the adjectives you found in the crossword. Complete the phrases according to the text.
a. ______music
b. ______hair
c. ______fingers
d. ______woman
e. ______dwarf
14. Project time:
• Work in groups of four
• Choose a mythological character
• Collect pictures or make your own drawings
• Use adjectives to describe your character
• Make a poster 57
15. It’s time to think
a. Did you know that Chiloe Mythology was influenced by Spanish and
European superstitions?
b. What do you think of it? Discuss with your partner.
c. How did you know about these legends?
58
C.- The Caguach Celebration.
Unit 2 : People and Traditions.
Sub-Unit : Chiloe Magic and Tradition.
Lesson 3 : The Caguach Celebration.
Estimated Time : Three forty-five minute period.
Skill : Reading Comprehension.
Lexical Content : Mass, church, procession, heritage, gown, souvenir.
Syntactic Content : Simple and complex affirmative sentence, simple present,
simple past, Wh-questions.
Text type : Article.
Resources : Handout, copybook, pencil, eraser, cardboard, scissors,
pictures, markers, glue.
Objectives the students will
• Identify, locate, find general an specific information about a religious
celebration
• Learn vocabulary related to celebrations
• Use Wh-questions to ask about a celebration
• Help students understand the importance of keeping local / national
celebration as a way to keep the nation’s identity.
59
Learning Outcomes: The students will show reading comprehension by:
• Identifying the main idea of the text
• Answering general and specific questions.
• Learning vocabulary related to celebrations.
• Identifying specific information.
• Using wh-questions to ask about celebrations.
• Reflecting about the importance of local celebrations.
60
Pre-reading Activities:
1. Answer these questions:
a. What are the main celebrations around the world?
b. What are the most important celebrations in Chile?
c. What are the main celebrations in Chiloe?
2. Look at the pictures the teacher is presenting, what do you think the text will be about?
3. In pairs, find the meaning of key words in the dictionary. Write them in your copybook.
Mass Church Gown
Procession Heritage Souvenir
4. According to the meaning of key words in exercise 4. What type of celebration is it?
5. Before reading the text, match the words in column A with the words in column B. Write them in your copybook.
A B
Finish Recibir Begin Tomar Receive Finalizar Keep Guardar Take Comenzar End Terminar
61
The Caguach Celebration
The Caguach celebration is the most important religious holiday from the archipelago of
Chiloe. This celebration takes place every year on August, 30th and since some years ago it has a second version every third Sunday of January. During this celebration, people express their devotion to Jesus, the Nazarene. The celebration was established in 1778, when the
Franciscan missionary Fray Hilario Martinez brought the image of Jesus, the Nazarene from Spain to Caguach. From this time, every August 30th, the island of 540 inhabitants receive more than 5,000 visitors. These people come from different parts of Chiloe Island to honour Jesus, the Nazarene. The celebration begins with a Mass outside the church at
11 o’clock in the morning. The ceremony takes place in the Caguach church, which was declared World Heritage by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization
(UNESCO) in June 2001. The ceremony ends when people receive a piece of the purple gown worn by Jesus, the Nazarene. People keep this piece of cloth as a souvenir or as an amulet for good luck. The Caguach celebration finishes with a procession, which is done to the rhythm of bands and religious songs allusive to Jesus, the Nazarene.
62
Reading Activities:
6. Read the text and check your predictions.
a. What is the text about?
b. Were your predictions correct?
7. Read the text again and answer True or False.
a______The celebration begins with a Mass at midnight b______Caguach Island has a 540 inhabitants c______The celebration was established in June 2001 d______People keep a piece of the purple gown of Jesus, the Nazarene. e______The celebration finishes with a silent procession.
8. - Complete the chart with the information from the text.
Name of Celebration: Location: Date: Purpose: Attractions:
63
9. - Answer these questions
a. When was the celebration originated?
b. When does the celebration take place?
c. Where does the celebration take place?
d. What do people celebrate?
e. How do people celebrate?
Post-reading Activities:
10. Find the verbs of the text in the crossword and pair them with the Spanish equivalent:
expresar R O P O T A C E D O U N tener O E X P R E S S T R C O terminar M U P E R F O S A E N E finalizar Y B B U K E E P O C T O guardar E N O E Y O U W H E L A recibir E R E S E T N I S I C E tomar T B E G I I T I I Y D O comenzar U T H O Y L N H O E S E E A S L O N O A O S E I R K E E N D O V Y O L A E E E N O P A E R A N A S U N B U F I N I S H D
64
11.- Use the verbs in the crossword to complete the sentences.
has - keep - express - receive - begins
a. The Caguach celebration______a second version in the summer. b. People______their devotion to Jesus, the Nazarene. c. The Caguach celebration______with a Mass. d. People______a piece of the purple gown of Jesus, the Nazarene. e. They______a piece of cloth as an amulet.
12. - Project time: Choose another celebration and complete the chart.
Name of Celebration: Location: Date: Purpose: Attractions:
13. - Find pictures and make a poster.
14. - Pair work. Interview one of your classmates about his/ her celebration in the previous chart. Ask these questions.
a. What is the name of the celebration? b. Where does it take place? c. When does it take place? d. How do people celebrate?
15. - Answer these questions in Spanish.
a. Have you participated of the Caguach celebration? What was your experience?
b. Why do you think this celebration has a second version in the summer? What do you think about it?
65
D.- Reading Comprehension Test
Name: ______
Grade: ______
Date: ______Score:______/28 Mark:______
I. - Read the text below and pay attention to key words in the glossary.
Saint John’s Night
Saint John’s night is celebrated on 23rd June, the night preceding Saint John’s day. It is an ancient festivity that commemorates the birth of Saint John, The Baptist. Saint John’s night is the largest night of the year and marks the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. It is a traditional celebration in Chile, specially in Chiloe Island.
During this celebration people meet around a bonfire to tell stories about “entierros”
(treasures) hidden in the island. People eat different typical dishes, barbecue and drink wine or chicha (a kind of fermented apple juice) Music and typical dances, especially Trompon dance are part of the celebration.
At midnight it is common to see people do different rituals; they put three potatoes under the bed to predict the future or hit trees to have abundant fruit the next season. Some brave men go out to search for entierros in the island, which burn at midnight.
Glossary ancient = antiguo hidden = oculto birth = nacimiento hit = golpear meet = runirse brave = valiente bonfire = fogata search = buscar treasure = tesoro burn = arder
66
A. - Choose the correct alternative (2 points).
1. - The Text is: 2. - The text is about: a) A biography a) Saint John, the Baptist. b) A legend b) Saint John’s night celebration c) An article c) hidden treasures in the Island.
B. - Read and answer True or False (5 points).
1. - ____ Saint John’s night is a new celebration.
2. - ____ “Entierros” are hidden treasures.
3. - ____ It is the shortest night of the year.
4. - ____ People hit trees to have abundant fruits.
5. - ____ Saint John’s night marks the end of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
C. - Read the text and complete the following chart. (10 points)
Name of Celebration
Date:
Location:
Food:
Drink:
Rituals:
67
D. - Answer these questions about the text (8 points)
1. - What is the name of the celebration?______
2. - Where does it take place? ______
3. - When does it take place? ______
4. - How do people celebrate? ______
E. - Read the text again, underline at least 6 verbs you can find in it and write them down.
(3 points)
______
______
Total score: 28 points. 68
E.- Evaluations
Self Evaluation for the projects
Name:______
Grade: ______
Date: ______
Tick the box that is true for you.
Did I like to work in this group?
Did I contribute to the project?
Did I learn anything new about the topic?
Team work Evaluation:
Members of the group:______
Name of the project:______
Tick the box that is true for you as a member of the group.
Did I participate actively?
Did I look for information about the topic?
Did I enjoy working in this team?
Do you think you did a good job?
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X. Conclusions
This study provides information related to the importance of considering certain factors which are fundamental to develop reading comprehension skill of students of English as a second language.
A lot of research has been carried out in relation to reading comprehension. Most of the researchers conclude that reading comprehension is an interactive process between the reader and the text.
Therefore it is necessary to consider both, the reader and the text to design an effective reading instruction, taking into account the multiple factors involved.
According to the literature review in this present study, the main factors that influence reading comprehension are motivation, interest, and topic familiarity and I agree with them.
I believe it is very important for teachers to consider these factors when they are planning their instruction.
In my experience as an English teacher in Chiloe Elementary Schools, I have noticed that the main factors that influence reading comprehension are motivation, interest and topic familiarity. When students deal with texts with familiar topics they get in confidence and are more motivated to participate and express their opinions about the content of the texts.
Research has shown that topic familiarity is the single most important factor in determining student comprehension and can make up for linguistic difficulty specially at the beginning level (Bernhart 1986, Swaffer).
Therefore, considering topic familiarity and the great number of reading material that I have found in Chiloe. I have designed a working Unit called Chiloe Magic and Tradition to develop Reading Comprehension skills of seventh graders in Chiloe Elementary Schools. 70
All the texts have been translated or adapted taking into account the main factors that influence reading comprehension. I have also considered the importance of pre-reading activities to motivate students and to activate the necessary background knowledge that help students understand the texts.
I would like to share this proposal with my colleagues that are teaching English in different public schools in Chile so that they can create their own lesson plans. It is widely known that students get more motivated and learn better if the topics they are being taught seem interesting to them. Together with teaching a subject we can promote self-esteem and self- confidence in our students and shape their lives.
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XI. References
• Alptekin, Cem (2002) “The effect of cultural knowledge on EFL reading
comprehension.” Opening plenary speech at International Balkan ELT
Conference. EDIRNE: Trakya University.
• Alpetekin, Cem (2003) “The role of cultural nativazation in L2 reading:
The case of inferential and literal comprehension.” Opening plenary
speech at the third International ELT Research Conference-Language
for Life. CANAKKALE: Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University.
• Anderson, Neil J. (1999) Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues
and Strategies. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
• Balwin, R.S. Peleg – Bruckner, Z. and Mc Clintock, A.H (1985). Effect
of topic interest and prior knowledge on R.C. Reading Research
Quarterly, 20 497-504.
• Bernhardt, Elizabeth. “Proficient Readers?” ADFL Bulletin 18.1
(1986a):25-28
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