Approaching a Reading Text for Novice

Understanding a text in written English is one of the first steps towards discovering and decoding the world history today. As we start reading a text, the instructors or mentors can follow some of these widely used practices and procedures at junior and intermediate levels thereby enabling the learners to set a precise norm and form to easily and fully comprehend denser and more compact texts at senior and higher levels.

Let us start with this no-surprise general methodology which most of us use in our everyday reading class.
How would you feel if somebody suddenly picks up a weird topic and starts his or her pedantry? Surely, we feel being imposed and even annoyed. The learners of the 21^st century, of any age also have every reason to feel the same and so easily lose interest in the topic and the lessons we deliver in the same way. Following are some of the activities separately listed under three prominent procedures: Pre-reading; While Reading and Post Reading Activities, what I find instrumental to connect the learners with the lessons or topics teachers deliver in the classes.

 Pre-reading Activities

1. Drawing learner’s attention towards the topic with an enthusiastic expression using illustrations and pictures from the text or the resource center
2. Using an analogy to connect the lessons and even to the life that the lesson lives
3. Highlighting the cultural aspects associated with the text
4. Listing and simplifying/defining the vocabulary especially at junior levels
5. Talking about the author/writer in brief as per the level of the learners
6. Showing further similar slides/posters in connection with the text
7. Setting a clear and achievable goal from the text and inform the learners in case of the intermediate or senior learners.

Some of these goals to achieve certain learning outcomes can be:

                           i.          Using the past tense/narration inappropriate way in the context

                          ii.          Being able to paraphrase/ a text in a logical manner

                        iii.          Making the best use of the causative verbs

                        iv.          Writing a readable summary/ review of a text

                          v.          Using vocabulary inappropriately/collation

While-Reading Activities

1. Providing the learners with a list of possible themes to predict and confirm the same once the reading is done.
2. Introducing the characters but only at the junior level as the senior must be given a bigger challenge to find the required aspect of discourse on their own
3. Providing learners with options to make a guess about the role and adventure of the protagonist or antagonist mostly in plays and dramas
4. Asking the learners to carefully examine the author’s purpose in the text by pointing at the thesis and statements, transitional phrases, and words, in every paragraph with regard to the text.
5. Helping the learners to understand the use of imagery, symbols, puns, and other figures of speech especially at junior levels
6. Helping the learners to move back and forth in lines and even paragraphs in if they miss the point or the connection or the development of the plot
7. Pointing out the difference in the connotative and the denotative meaning of the sentences/ words or the whole text

Post Reading Activities

1. Remind the learners about the already set goals of the reading task(s)
2. Allowing the learners to independently paraphrase, interpret, or summarize the text from various perspectives for senior levels
3. Facilitating the learners to examine the point of view, the narrative techniques used in the text
4. Improvising debates, role plays, simulation or skits based on the text or on its dominant themes, characters, plot, etc.
5. Inviting the learners to write reviews, commentaries, and even a complete impression of the text, the author and his style in the present text
6. Giving teacher’s own insights into the text and asking the learners totally with their understanding and fixing the required portion or rewrite/remake the best version
7. Finally administering a suitable assessment for evaluation using a learner-friendly (easy to understand) rubric or format

It is not that these are the only ways to approaching a reading activity and one should literally adhere to them. Teaching is a constantly changing and experimental task. One particular technique or methodology applicable at one time and space may not be as useful at other times and places. One can always keep on making use of new innovative and experimental techniques and methodologies as and when needed.

Please use your own best ways to bring the most out of the learners’ capacity at their own levels. Do not expect more; do not, as far as possible, allow them to underperform either.

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