UNIT 8 ENGLISH 1
THE WRITTEN FOREIGN LANGUAGE. APPROXIMATION, MATURATION MATURATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE READER-WRITER PROCESS. THE READING COMPREHENSION: TECHNIQUES FOR GLOBAL AND SPECIFIC COMPREHENSION OF TEXTS. THE WRITTEN EXPRESSION: FROM THE INTERPRETATION TO THE PRODUCTION OF TEXTS.
INTRODUCTION.
In this unit, I am going to explain the reading-writing proess! In "irst plae, I will explain some aspets o" this proess in general, the relationship that exists #etween #oth o" them and how an #e de$elop this proess in order to a%uire the English language! In the last part o" the unit, I will explain #oth s&ills, reading and writing! In addi additi tion on,, all all its its "eatu "eature ress li&e li&e the the impo importa rtan nee o" the the auth authen enti ti or nonnonauthenti material whih is used to do the exerises! 'nother important aspet that I am going to #e in mind in the last part is the tehni%ues and ati$ities, whih an #e arr( out in lass to impro$e #oth s&ills! THE READING-WRITING PROCESS.
In the "irst part o" the unit, I am going to explain the relationship that exists #etween the reading and writing s&ills! )oth terms are narrowing lin&ed #eause these s&ills are present "rom the "irst stages in the approah o" the "oreign language! The language is "irstl( heard and then it is read! Readi!, is an important s&ill, whih an ontri#ute to the aomplishment o" a language in posterior stages! This s&ill an #e use"ul in order to ahi ahie$ e$ee $oa $oa#u #ula lar( r(,, or it an an #e a moti moti$e $e to read read "or "or plea pleasu sure re!! The additional lecture, lecture, whih is read in a $oluntar( wa(, o""ers the opportunit( to lear learn n in an uno unons nsi ious ous wa( wa( aspe aspet tss li&e li&e ult ultur uree "rom "rom the the "orei "oreign gn language! The main ad$antage o" the reading "or the students is that it impro$es their general English le$el! *e ha$e as teahers to enourage the omplementar( readings, whih has to #e hose #( the students! *e ha$e to realise that, when we are going to teah a language language in the first stages, stages, our students do not ha$e &nowledge a#out grammar or s(ntax! +ue to that, the teaher will #e the guide in the learning! Teahers will ha$e to use some strategies li&e the omment o" the illustrations, the hose o" eas(
UNIT 8 ENGLISH
situations In the "irst stages, it would #e ad$isa#le diret to our students with patters, whih has the same struture! In order "# i$%&#'e "(e &eadi!-)&i"i! %&#*e++, we an use a great $ariet( o" ati$ities and tehni%ues! It is o#$ious that we ha$e to start "rom eas( to texts that are more omplex! *e will tr( to o""er to the students short tales with "amiliar situations related to their dail( li"e, alternating with "antasti stories li&e ad$entures with monsters! In lass we have to exploit the illustrations, #eause the( are $er( important in order to understand the ontext o" the situation! In a great $ariet( o" ati$ities, the introdution o" the teaher will help the students to understand the aim o" the ati$it(! Then, the teaher an as& some %uestions to he& i" the( ha$e understood what is pretend in the ati$it(! '"ter that, we an do the reading! In the "irst urses, the texts are read aloud to ontinue to silent reading, and later, to the summaries! Then, we an do the omprehension exerise. - questions made by the teacher , "rom open to more lose answers, - judgements made by the teacher , whih an #e true or "alse and - summaries of texts using s(non(mous and paraphrases o" a text! It is ad$isa#le that, whene$er possi#le, the teaher relates the urrent situations that is arr( out to more "amiliar situations! In more ad$aned le$els we an use. - charts, - questionnaires and surveys where the o#/et is to inter$iew a lassmate, "or example aording to their li&es, disli&es, pre"erenes, - role-plays. these ati$ities are onneted with dialogues and per"ormanes! The students are appointed a ertain role and the( must as& aording to it! In these ad$aned le$els, it would #e ad$isa#le. - the use o" the ditionar( and - the preparation o" their own $oa#ular( in personal ditionaries! In the last (le is ad$isa#le that the students tr( to in"er the meaning "rom the ontext!
UNIT 8 ENGLISH 0
THE READING COMPREHENSION.
Now, it is time to disuss the reading comprehension! Readi! in the "oreign language must start "rom the "irst (ear when the language is studied! We have to interact with the text in order to understand the message, e$en where the text ontains language whih the students are not a#le to produe! ne aspet o" reading that onerns man( teahers, is the di""erene #etween authentic and non-authentic texts! T(e a"(e"i* "e"s are designed "or nati$e spea&ers, not "or language students! This &ind o" material an #e newspapers, ad$ertisements or radio programmes! A #-a"(e"i* "e" in language teahing terms is one that has #een written espeiall( "or language students! Suh texts sometimes onentrate on the language the( wish to teah! In these texts appear some partiular grammatial strutures, $oa#ular( or some partiular tenses! *hen teahers hoose the right &ind o" material and the students are suess"ul, then the #ene"its are o#$ious! *hat we need, there"ore, are texts where the students an understand the general meaning o", whether the( are trul( authenti or not! The job of the teacher is to train the students in a num#er o" s&ills whih the( will need "or the understanding o" reading and listening texts! These s&ills an #e di$ide into two groups! a2 T%e #e +/i00+, are those operations that students per"orm on a text when the( ta&le 3en"rentar2 it "or the "irst time! The "irst thing the students are as&ed to do with a text onerns it treatment as a whole! Thus, students ma( #e as&ed to loo& at a text and extrat spei"i in"ormation! The( might read or listen to per"orm a tas& to on"irm or he& expetations the( ha$e a#out a text! T%e 1 +/i00+ a&e: - Predictive skills. e""iient readers or listeners predit what the( are going to read and hear! - xtracting specific information. students ha$e to "ous on the spei"i in"ormation the( are searhing "or! This s&ill, when is applied to reading is alled 4sanning5! - !etting the general idea" we o"ten read or listen to things #eause we want to 4get the general idea5! *hen applied to reading this s&ill is o"ten alled 4s&imming5!
UNIT 8 ENGLISH 6
#2 T%e 2 +/i00+ are those that are su#se%uentl( used when stud(ing reading or listening material and the( in$ol$ed detailed omprehension o" the text! The( are pratised a"ter t(pe 1 s&ills ha$e #een wor&ed on! T(e a&e. - xtracting detailed information li&e. what does the writer mean7 *hat preisel( is the spea&er tr(ing to sa(7 How man(7 - #ecognising functions and discourse pattern! To reognise some disourse mar&ers are an important part o" understanding how a text is onstruted! *e need to ma&e students aware o" these "eatures in order to help them to #eome more e""iient! - $educing meaning from context ! It is on$enient that in lass, the student gets used to extensive and intensive reading% F#& "(e i"e+i'e &eadi!+ , the students will wor& with short texts, "rom whih the( understand #asiall( all the words! I "(e e"e+i'e &eadi!, students ma&e the e""ort to understand the message using all &ind the strategies! These are some ideas o" reading ati$ities.
- PRE QUESTION. ' %uestion is gi$en #e"ore reading, to "ind out a -
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piee o" entral in"ormation! DO IT 3OURSELF QUESTIONS. Students ompose and answer their own %uestion! PROVIDE A TITTLE . Students an suggest an alternati$e tittle! SUMMARISE. Students summarise the ontent in two or three sentenes! CONTINUE THE TEXT . Learners suggest what might happen next in a text! PREFACE. Learners suggest what might happen #e"ore! GAPPED TEXTS . Gaps are le"t whih an onl( #e "illed in i" the texts ha$e #een understood! MISTA4ES IN THE TEXTS . Towards the end o" a text, there an #e some mista&es! Students ha$e to &now in ad$ane how man( mista&es there are in the text! COMPARISON. There are two texts on similar topis, students note points o" similarit( or di""erene! RESPONDING. The text is a letter or a pro$oati$e artile and the students disuss how to respond to the letter or write an answer to the artile! RE-PRESENTATION OF CONTENT . The text gi$es in"ormation and students represent its ontent through di""erent graphis mediums!
UNIT 8 ENGLISH
WRITTEN EXPRESSION.
In the last part o" the unit, I am going to explain the written expression! 9re%uentl(, writing is relegated to the status o" homewor&! This is a pit( sine writing, espeiall( ommuniati$e writing, an pla( a $alua#le part in the lass! :eading has a nota#le in"luene in the writing expression, the more we read the better we write! It an #e said that, there is a #etter le$el in the written expression in those students who use a more $ariet( o" written texts in their dail( li"e! *hen we are going to %0ai! "(e )&i""e a*"i'i"ie+ , we ha$e to onsider the "ollowing aspets. a2 &ontextuali'ation. when we write a message in real li"e, we alwa(s do it within a ontext or situation, #eause who writes presupposes ertain aspets determined #( the situation! *e ha$e to #e in mind aspets li&e the t(pe o" the register! #2 (im. writing has alwa(s a purpose, aording to this, there will #e determined the expressions, $oa#ular(, et! The purpose has to ha$e a meaning "or the student! +ue to that, the students need to &now di""erent &ind o" writings and pratise them in order to onnet with the possi#le reader! 2 &reativity. it seems on$enient to pro$ide the student with oasions where the( an reate their own texts and "eel that it is the produt o" their will and personal e""ort! d2 )otivation. the essential o#/eti$e in language prodution is to pro$ide the student with moti$ation to learn! I" the ati$ities are moti$ating, the students will "eel an inner satis"ation to learn, to ommuniate with others and arr( a tas& the( li&e! e2 *ntegration. in a ommuniati$e approah o" writing, it is neessar( the integration with other s&ills whih ontri#utes to se$eral purposes. - allows the pratise o" the some linguisti or "untional ontexts in the same s&ills, - de$elop two or more linguisti s&ills within the same ontext and - approximates the use o" the language to the real world! ' reepti$e or an oral ati$it( an preede the writing ati$it(!
UNIT 8 ENGLISH ;
The "%e+ #5 )&i"i!+ an #e di$ided in two groups. - Personal texts" "or personal use. shopping lists, dates, reipes diret to other people. messages, letters, in$itations - *nstitutional writings" ommerial letters, in"ormation re%uest, magaa&e lists! #2 >a&e personal ditionaries! 2 ?ompleting rosswords! d2 ?lassi"(ing words under headings! In addition, under the sentene le$el students an. a2 *rite tittles "or pitures! #2 *rite speeh #u##les "or artoons! 2 >athing hal$es o" sentenes and op(ing! d2 Se%uening sentenes and op(ing! e2 ?orreting mista&es in written sentenes! "2 'nswering %uestions! There are a lot o" "e*(i6e+ "# (e0% +"de"+ "# de'e0#% "(ei& )&i"i! e%&e++i#, "rom the $er( ontrolled expression to the "ree writing! Some tehni%ues are. - Writing guides with model and visual stimulus 3desription o" a person2! *e an use photographs, drawings, maga
