Teaching reading skills in EFL

Abstract

This paper aims to guide instructors and curriculum developers on strategies and approaches to improve the foreign language learners’ English language reading skills. In this presentation, main models of how reading occurs (bottom-up approach, top-down approach and interactive approach) will be presented. It sheds light on the strategies such as identifying the purpose of reading, using graphonic rules and patterns to aid in bottom up decoding, skimming and scanning and so on as proposed by Brown (2006). Moreover, the link between reading and vocabulary has been identified in the literature. In recognition of this, three vocabulary categories of Grabe and Stoller will be elaborated. Learners should have threshold vocabulary, which is the basic vocabulary one must know to be able to recognize without referring to context, to transfer their L2 reading strategies (Laufer 1997; Nation 2001). Such issues as threshold vocabulary level and word frequency is important for cognitive capacity for processing of the text. For example, if there are too many unknown words, the reader is recommended to handle the text more slowly. At this level, guessing the meaning of unknown words from the text and related strategies in the light of the literature will be provided. Furthermore, the link between needs analysis reading curriculum materials will be emphasized and conducting needs analyses for reading curriculum, and the process of needs analyses for this purpose will be discussed. Practical issues such as selecting appropriate text materials and supporting resources will be elaborated in the light of intensive and extensive reading. Finally, working with texts by means of a Pre-, During-, and post-reading Framework will be discussed. This presentation will be useful for curriculum designers and instructors who seek out recommendations for teaching English reading skills for EFL.