How to Become a Better Reader - Implementing While-Reading Strategies in the ESL Classroom

Reading strategies are all intentionally structuredand skip the while reading activities, in order to
to broaden the students' background, knowledgesee how they cope with the text or in order to
and skills, and may also to be helpful with otherexplain to them the benefits of using a strategy.
subjects as well. Many of the same strategies areBy exposing the students to a variety of
"re-entered" via different activities allowingstrategies I keep them on their toes, and I
students to practice using them with differentstimulate myself as well.
texts.- What are your concerns regarding while-reading
Questions to think about:strategies? What are the rewards that students
Identify those strategies that you currently use,and teacher gain while use them?
activities that help teach them, and new ones that- What are the problems and difficulties that you
you think would be beneficial:face teaching them?
- What is your approach to while-reading activitiesWhile-reading strategies are challenging and
in the classroom?sometimes difficult to teach and learn because
- Which strategies do you already use?different students need different strategies and
- Which new strategies would you like to try tonot every student can acquire the same
incorporate in the classroom?proficiency level. I am not always sure which
While-reading strategies can help the student tostrategies students need the most in the
improve his ability to become more fluent inclassroom and those which require more practice
English especially in the areas of speaking andat home. Hopefully, I will gain more insight as to
reading. The while reading activities I use in thewhich activities are also suitable for each task.
classroom vary according to my aim in using theAnother concern regarding while reading strategies
text.the rewards, problems and difficulties that I have
Hopefully, such strategies will help them cope withfaced had to do with the fact that those
problematic and grayer areas of the text such asstrategies weren't properly taught or were not
identifying the main ideas of a text, identifyingtaught at all in L1. Therefore, as an English teacher
cause and effect, as well as fact and opinionI have to focus on reading strategies in the
which is also problematic for them to do in L1. Intarget language.
this respect, I have found the use of graphicStudents are expected to reach a level of English
organizers to be incredibly helpful in determiningthat enables them to compete in a modern world.
the main idea.Since becoming a good reader is vital for the
Some activities are also much more involving andEnglish language learner, I might say that the
require using a wide array of corresponding tasksreading strategies I have outlined above are the
to implement them, i.e. Summarizing andstepping stones in the development of the skills
paraphrasing for projects. In some cases, I askneeded for a pupil to become fluent in the target
the students to handle the text by themselveslanguage.