Text Based Reading

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CHAPTER

Text-Based
Reading

LEARNING OUTCOME
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
1.

distinguish between text-based reading and skill-based reading;

2.

write the purpose, and types of tasks and activities suitable for pre-reading ;

3.

write the purpose, and types of tasks and activities suitable for while-reading ; and

4.

write the purpose, and types of tasks and activities suitable for post-reading ;

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Text-Based Reading CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
We will be discussing about intensive reading which requires close reading with thorough understanding. Intensive reading is divided into two:
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

text-based; and skill-based We will also discuss about text-based reading lessons. This chapter provides an overview of textbased reading lessons and the various stages of lessons, namely:
•

post-reading

•

while-reading

•

post-reading.

1.1

TEXT-BASED READING VS. SKILL-BASED READING

What are text-based lessons? Text-based lessons focus on understanding specific texts as closely as possible. Text-based lessons are very common in Malaysian classrooms, in which students will employ their various reading strategies in tackling the specific text that they are reading.
Skill-based reading on the other hand, focuses on a particular reading skill, for instance, inference or prediction. Instead of working on a single text, skill-based will employ different texts to develop specific reading strategies. In this unit, we will discuss about the text-based reading lessons.

1.2

THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF READING

How do you carry out a text-based reading lesson? What can teachers do if it is a long text which cannot be completed in one class period? What if the text is on a subject which the students are completely unfamiliar with? These are the issues that will be resolved in this chapter and the rest of the chapters in this unit.
In a text-based reading lesson, reading can be divided into three stages, namely:
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•
•

pre-reading; while-reading; and post-reading. 1

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Text-Based Reading

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Figure 1.2: Stages in text-based reading lesson

1.2.1 Pre-reading
According to research, background knowledge plays a significant role in reading. Readers who have more prior knowledge about a reading passage are able to comprehend the passage better, as compared to those who do not have much prior knowledge.
Research conducted by Pritchard (1990), Nunan (1985), Johnson (1981) and Steffensen and
Joag-Dev (1979) provides evidence that lack of prior knowledge — content domain knowledge or cultural knowledge — affects comprehension. Readers who have more prior knowledge of the subject matter and target culture performed significantly better in their reading comprehension as compared to those who did not.
In fact, Nunan (1985) found that text which was linguistically easier but with unfamiliar content seemed to be significantly more difficult to comprehend than the text that was linguistically more difficult but with more familiar content. This suggests that knowledge of the content and the target culture plays a more significant role in reading comprehension than knowledge of language. For comprehension to take place, readers not only need to have the relevant schemata, but also the ability to tap into the appropriate schemata. This is important because readers’ ‘failure to activate an appropriate schema ……… during reading results in various degrees of non-comprehension’ (Carrell
& Eisterhold 1983:560).
This process can be aided during the pre-reading stage where clues and guidance are given for readers to be able to activate the intended schema. Studies conducted by Hudson (1988) and
Johnson (1981) provided evidence that pre-reading activities produced significantly better comprehension scores. Vocabulary input and exposure to the unfamiliar words did not contribute as significantly as inducing content schema.
Pre-reading activities serve to prepare students for the text that they are going to read. This is where students’ interest towards the text is developed and the purpose of reading established.
Students can also be asked to reflect upon the text so that they can integrate the text they are going to read with what they already know i.e. background knowledge. If the text is culturally unfamiliar to the students, the necessary background knowledge to understand the text can be developed here.
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Text-Based Reading CHAPTER 1

Figure 1.3: The benefit of pre-reading activities
What are the purposes of pre-reading activities? The purposes of pre-reading activities are:
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•
•
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•
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To establish the purpose in reading
To develop the students’ interest in the reading material
To preview the text
T reflect on what they already know
To invoke the appropriate network of schemata
To provide the necessary background knowledge

Possible Activities and Tasks
The possible activities and tasks that can be carried out at the pre-reading stage are shown in
Table 1.1:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Anticipate content through titles, blurbs, summary, and biographical information of the author
Anticipate through music and sounds
Anticipate through pictures, illustrations, cover page etc.
Anticipate through preface and introduction
Anticipate through the index or the table of contents
Anticipate through the key words or key ideas in the text
Anticipate through chapter titles
Anticipate through headlines, the opening sentence and the closing sentence
Anticipate through the title, the first sentence and the first few words of every paragraph 3

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10
Anticipate from the blurb and biographical information
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Semantic mapping
12
Match titles and pictures, illustrations, cover page etc.
13
Match titles and text or short descriptions of text
14
Discussion on what students know about the topic
15
Quiz to familiarize students with some of the ideas that will be dealt with in the text
16
Arranging a possible story line
17
Skimming for the gist of the text
18
Scanning for specific information
Source: Grellet, 1981; Carter and Long, 1991; and Duff and Maley, 1991.

Examples of Pre-reading Activities
The following are examples of pre-reading activities:
Example 1
Objective: To build students’ anticipation about the theme of the passage.
Instruction:
Do you know what to do if a fire breaks out in your school? Discuss with your partner next to you. Which of these things should you do and which should you not do?
• Panic and scream
• Leave the building quickly
• Leave everything behind
• Push your classmates
• Line up in the school field
• Take your bag and all your books
• Run and hide under the tables
• Stay calm
• Follow your teacher’s instructions
Example 2
Objective : To build students’ anticipation about the text.
Instruction:
Answer the following questions:
1. Which farm animal provides us with milk?
2. How is chicken useful to us?
3. What other ways does this farm animal contribute to us?
4. How many types of farm animals can you name?
5. What animal can provide us with food like sausage, burger and cheese?
6. How can horses help farmers in their daily chores?

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Prepare a sample activity for pre-reading. Write the aim of the activity and prepare the necessary materials for the lesson.

1.2.2 While-reading
At this stage, the lesson should focus on interpretation or negotiation of meaning.
Students work on the content and the language in order to comprehend the text. This is the stage where they will find out the main ideas of the text, monitor their comprehension, and adjust their reading strategies so that comprehension occurs at the sentence, paragraph, discourse, etc. levels.
At this stage, readers are engaged in both top-down and bottom-up processes in which answers to the predictions or questions asked during pre-reading will be answered. If the predictions are correct, the reader will continue reading. Otherwise, readers may want to change their predictions, adjust their reading strategies, or investigate their source of reading difficulties so that misinterpretations can be avoided.
Activities should be designed to help students respond not just cognitively, but also personally, emotionally and imaginatively.
The purposes of while-reading activities are:
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•
•
•
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To understand the language and content of the text;
To understand the function of the text;
To understand the function within the text;
To understand the organization of the text;
To develop reader who are reflective and flexible.

Possible Activities and Tasks
The possible activities and tasks are shown in Table below.
Self-questioning

Retelling and paraphrasing Drawing plot progression Let students formulate questions on what they would like to find out from the text. This helps to establish the purpose of reading which an important pre-reading task is. Students also need to ask questions on what they do not understand.
Identifying their source of difficulty and working out the answers is an important part of comprehension.
Retell and paraphrase certain events from the point of view of different characters.
Plot the progression of events on a graph. This is best for narrative texts. 5

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Distinguishing main ideas from supporting details
Describing
characters, setting etc. Summarizing the text
Sequencing
Expanding information Reconstructing information Transferring information (maps, tables, graphs, flow charts) Following instructions Changing the beginning, middle or ending Selecting an appropriate summary
Matching
information
Catching the mistake
Role play

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Get students to identify the main ideas of the paragraphs, the section, the chapter and the text as the whole. Students may then identify the supporting details of the main ideas selected.
Provide a matrix with names of characters and factors which represent setting and let students fill them up. This can also be done as open ended. Write the summary for different
Write the summary for different types of audience. This also helps students to differentiate main points and supporting details.
Cut up certain units (sentences, lines, paragraphs, chapter titles, headings, conclusions etc.) of the text and get the students to arrange it into proper order.
Expand or add on certain events in the text. Students may also add descriptive interior monologue, authorial comment or grammatical items (adjective, adverbs etc.) to the text.
Delete the punctuation or paragraphing, and get students to reconstruct the original form
Complete / construct / classify diagram, transfer texts information into non-text information such as maps, graphs, tables, sketches of characters, posters, advertisements, book covers etc.
Make or construct something. This is usually used when reading procedural texts.
Let students explore how this might affect the plot and content of the text.
Provide different summaries which take into account different misinterpretations, incomplete main ideas, unnecessary details etc.
Match titles, beginnings, endings, characters and quotations, causes and effects, pros and cons, etc.
Provide information which is inaccurate and students need to produce the correct version. This can also be done orally where one group reads the wrong version and the other corrects it.
Get the students to role play certain sections of the text. This also helps to integrate speaking into the reading class
Differentiate fact from opinion, main ideas from details.

Compare and contrast Source: Grellet, 1981; Carter and Long, 1991; and Duff and Maley, 1991.

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Text-Based Reading CHAPTER 1

Examples of While-reading Activities
Example 1
Objective: To develop students’ ability to make comparisons based on the reading text.
Instruction:
Compare and contrast Burger King and McDonald’s by completing the chart below:

Example 2
Objective: To develop students’ ability to identify cause and affect relationship.
Instruction:
Match the following clauses to show a suitable cause and effect relationship based on the text.
Number 1 has been done for you.
[ a ] If oil is on the ocean.
[ ] If toxic waste is not treated properly.
[ ] If CFC destroys the ozone layer.
[ ] If there are excessive dust and toxic particles in the air.
(a) It endangers the fish, the sea, birds and other marine life.
(b) It will contribute to land pollution.
(c) The earth is not protected from the ultraviolet-rays.
(d) It will cause diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.

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Text-Based Reading

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1.2.3 Post-reading
After reading the texts, a review of what has been read needs to be carried out. This will be done during post-reading. At the post-reading stage, moral values learned and other implications are discussed. At this stage, extension work such as projects, role-play and dramatization can be carried out.
Personal responses to the text and evaluation of both the text and the author are also carried out at this stage for a global assessment of the text.
The purposes of post-reading are;
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To recall, apply and consolidate what was read.
To gain the overall understanding of the text.
To make a global evaluation of the text.
To evaluate the author’s effectiveness in writing.
To compare and contrast writer’s values to the values of the reader.
To detect the author biases or prejudice.

Possible Activities and Tasks
Possible Activities and Tasks for Post-reading are:
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Recognising implications.
Drawing inferences and conclusions.
Making moral judgments.
Reassessment and reinterpretations of key issues, events, themes etc.
Writing dialogues, plays or reports.
Summarising overall events in visual and written form.
Analysing author’s intention and attitude.
Recognising author’s prejudice and biases.
Reviewing and consolidate what was read.

Examples of Post-reading Activities
The following are sample activities for post-reading activities

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Text-Based Reading CHAPTER 1

Example 1
Objective: To train students to recognise implications and make conclusions of the text they read.
Instruction:
Imagine that you have been asked to give a speech on the hazards of pollution.
Now, write a speech. Include the following:
Types of pollution
The causes of pollution
The consequences
What must be done to stop pollution
You may begin your opening lines of a speech like this:
Good morning, teachers and friends. Welcome to the first “Love your nature” meeting of Sekolah Menengah Bukit Kiambang. I feel very honoured to be given this opportunity to address you about pollution.
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1. Prepare a sample activity for post-reading. Write the aim of the activity and prepare the necessary materials for the lesson. 2. In your opinion, how does post-reading differ from prereading? Discuss.

SUMMARY
We have reached the end of Chapter 1 and this chapter serves as the first section of an intensive reading programme. You have read about the text-based lessons and the explanations for the different stages of the lesson in detail. Examples of possible tasks and activities for each stage of reading, namely pre-reading, whilereading and post-reading, are provided for your reference.

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