(SKKN 2022) SOME MEASURES TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS FOR THE 12th GRADERS AT QUANG XUONG 1 HIGH SCHOOL

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT QUANG XUONG HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE SOME MEASURES TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS FOR THE 12th GRADERS AT QUANG XUONG HIGH SCHOOL The author: Nguyễn Thị Thoa Job position: Teacher Experience initiative about: English THANH HOA, YEAR 2022 TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION 1.1.Reasons of selecting the topic 1.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Subjects 1.4 Methodology 2 CONTENTS 2.1 Rationale 2.2 Reality before applying the experience initiative 2.3 Implementation solutions to tackle the above factual situations 2.3.1 Training the students reading techniques 2.3.1.1 Skimming 2.3.1.2 Scanning 2.3.1.3 Making Predictions 2.3.1.4 Questioning 2.3.1.5 Paraphrasing 2.3.2 Identifying question types 2.4 Results of the research 15 CONCLUSION 19 3.1 Conclusion 19 3.2 Proposal 19 REFERENCE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reason of selecting the topic Learning a foreign language has become a common trend nowadays In a globalized world, people need to learn a language for many reasons Traveling to other countries, getting good job opportunities and having a good professional status are among the most common reasons to learn a language This is especially true for English Since having been considered as the most crucial part in our life, English appears in almost necessary materials in all fields in the world, it can help people in such an important work If people don’t know something, they can use their English that they have learnt before to read and use materials effectively Because of its meaningful contribution, in recently years, English has become a main subject of many schools in our country and it is also the compulsory subject for almost entrance examinations Learning a foreign language, students are expected to enhance both productive (speaking and writing) and receptive skills (reading and listening) and to develop literacy which enables them to be more critical thinkers at the moment of expressing their opinions Reading is one of the four macro linguistic skills that foreign language learners need to develop Through reading, learners are exposed to the second language input, which is a pre-requisite for the acquisition of the target language In addition, reading helps students consolidate what they have learned and support their further study However, Most of the students in my class think that doing reading comprehension is quite difficult When they are delivered the reading tasks, they immediately read words by words, try to understand the meaning of all the words and find out the answers randomly By this way, it takes them a lot of time to complete the tasks and even, they find it daunting to the reading tasks When being asked for the reasons, the students reported that they lacked vocabulary, they hadn’t been taught any reading techniques before, and even sometimes they did not understand the questions Moreover, the reading tasks in the new textbook mainly require students to write down the answers whereas the reading questions in the GCSE examination are multiple choices and the passages are too long Due to these reasons, students often get poor result when doing this kind of exercises From the above reasons, I decided to carry out my initiative with the title: “Some measures to improve reading comprehension skills for the 12th graders at Quang Xuong high school” 1.2 Objectives With the above reasons, I myself would like to offer some suggestions on guiding students how to use some reading techniques in the most effective way to enhance the their reading comprehension skills 1.3 Subjects The study was designed to investigate the strategies to improve reading comprehension skills The finding obtained from this study was to help improve teaching and learning reading in general and learning and teaching reading at Quang Xuong High School in particular 1.4 Methodology I wrote this topic based on: • Observation method • Methods of analysis, evaluation, synthesis • Method of collecting students’ opinions, colleagues, CONTENTS 2.1 Rationale Reading is one of the four main skills that students of foreign language need to master in order to successfully learn the language Due to the ever increasing importance of reading in every aspect of our everyday life, it is essential to find ways or methods to improve reading skills for students To this purpose, a great emphasis is laid on the use of reading strategies as the best way so far to improve readers’ reading skills Effective reading strategies are considered as significant skills that have received the special focus on students’ reading comprehension proficiency The use of reading strategies by the learners of language will help them overcome language barriers, become more conscious of the comprehension and learning method of the language and develop confidence in learning reading which has a low level of exposure to English outside the classroom Reading strategies offer a way to this, and the guidance on reading approaches should be included in the curriculums for English Language that students get through reading can be reused for writing skills, or students can interpret the meaning of the reading to obtain the necessary information for them That is to say, to have good reading comprehension skills is very important For 12th graders, it is far more important because having good reading skills is one of the vital elements to help them achieve high marks in the examinations In reading, students need to use various strategies to help them in the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information Therefore, reading strategies are assumed to be important for students reading comprehension and the reading strategies equip the students with the skills of how to handle their reading effectively Research reveals that good readers are actively involved with the text and they are aware of processes they use to understand while they read Teachers can help students improve their reading comprehension through reading strategies Reading strategies are purposeful means of comprehending the author’s message 2.2 Reality before applying the experience initiative Reading is a lifelong skill for academic learning and success in school According to Anderson, reading is a basic life skill However, the students in my class did not spend enough time on practicing reading skills They faced the problem of not understanding the passages of what they had read This was reflected in their poor reading scores To find out what the reasons were, at the beginning of the first term - school year 2021 - 2022, I conducted a small survey with 46 students in class 12C1 and 38 students in class 12T3 The students were encouraged to give the answers honestly because the results would be helpful for the author to analyze and find out the solutions to the current situation why a lot of them got bad marks The results are presented in the table below: The reasons Percentage I can control my reading speed 4% I read the whole passage words by words and translate all 85% the words There are too many new words 70% I understand the passages as I read 25% I get the requirement of questions clearly 20% I try to identify each question first, then scan and skim the 6% passage to find out the answer I choose the answers randomly 70% I can find the keys words of questions and in the passage 4% I can recognize the question types 35% It can be seen clearly in the above table that the number of students showing positive attitude toward reading was very low They didn’t have good reading skills The biggest problem found out was that students tried to focus on translation more than understanding the main ideas of the passages It took them a lot of time to finish reading text This is especially not good for those taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination From the current situation, the author found it necessary to provide students with some reading techniques to help them improve their reading skills 2.3 Implementation solutions to tackle the above factual situations 2.3.1 Training the students reading techniques The first task of my study was to make all students understand some reading techniques and know how to apply these techniques while reading to improve their reading skills Then, I adapted the reading passages in the new textbook to make them familiar to students as well as gave them extra-exercise to practice 2.3.1.1 Skimming Skimming is a reading technique for speed reading The purpose of skimming is to get an overview of the organization of the text and its main idea from a passage To skim a passage, the students read through the passage quickly and skip the details They read the first sentence of each paragraph Each paragraph usually contains a topic sentence which states the main idea McWhorter (1980) suggested a topic sentence can appear differently within a paragraph The most common location of a topic sentence appears in the first sentence of the first paragraph The second most likely place for a topic sentence is the first sentence of the last paragraph Steps for skimming: + Read the title + Read the introduction of the first paragraph + Read the first sentence of every other paragraph + Read any headings and sub-headings + Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs + Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases + Read the summary or last paragraph Example The reading passage in page 34-Tieng Anh 12- new textbook Nowadays we know a lot about the link between carbon dioxide (C0 2) emissions and global warming However, we seem to be unaware of one very dangerous pollutant, soot also called black carbon 1. Soot comes from the incomplete combustion or coal, oil, wood and other fuels In other words diesel engines, vehicle exhaust pipes, farming machines, construction equipment, or simply fires in grills, fireplaces, and stoves are potential sources of soot It appears in our daily life and can easily affect every one of us 2. _ Soot like all black things absorbs sunlight and heats up the atmosphere According to recent research, it is the second most damaging greenhouse gas after C02, and twice as harmful to the climate Although black carbon remains in the atmosphere for no more than seven days it is particularly damaging to frozen areas Soot emissions might be responsible for the quick melting of the Arctic Controlling black carbon can help to slow down global warming 3. _ Soot does not only have an impact on globs warming and climate change, but is also unhealthy A soot particle is very tiny - smaller than dust and mould, and about 1/30 the width of a human hair It can easily go into our bloodstream and lungs via the nose and throat As a result, breathing in the tiny particles car cause asthma attacks, heart disease, bronchitis and many other respiratory illnesses 4. _ Large quantities of man-made soot enter the atmosphere every year The effects are most damaging regionally, especially in South and East Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa In developing countries, reducing soot emissions can be achieved by replacing traditional stoves with clean, alternative fuel cookers and heaters Installation of filters to remove black carbon from diesel vehicles can also reduce soot Changing to electric or hydrogen vehicles will also reduce the impact on the environment In conclusion, reducing black carbon will have immediate benefits in slowing down global warming and the melting of the Arctic snow and ice It would also prevent many soot-related deaths and illnesses Aims: + students skim the passage to choose the heading for each paragraph + students scan the passage to find detail information Question 1.choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph from a-d A scoot and global warming B the effects of scoot on human breath C the origin of scoot D ways to reduce scoot emission Ask students to read the headings first, then come back to the passage to read the first sentences and the last one of each paragraph to find out the relationship between the heading and these sentences The first paragraph: Soot comes from the incomplete combustion or coal, oil, wood and other fuels….It appears in our daily life and can easily affect every one of us So, the best heading is Choose C: the origin of scoot The second paragraph: Soot like all black things absorbs sunlight and heats up the atmosphere; controlling black carbon can help to slow down global warming Choose A: Scoot and global warming The third paragraph: Soot does not only have an impact on globs warming and climate change, but is also unhealthy; As a result, breathing in the tiny particles car cause asthma attacks, heart disease, bronchitis and many other respiratory illnesses Choose A: scoot and global warming The fourth paragraph: Changing to electric or hydrogen vehicles will also reduce the impact on the environment Choose D: ways to reduce scoot emission Question The word “it” in the paragraph refers to A dust B mould C human hair D scoot particle Ask students to read the sentence before and the one containing the word “it” to locate it Then try each noun in the place of the word “it” to select the most suitable Key sentences: A soot particle is very tiny - smaller than dust and mould, and about 1/30 the width of a human hair It can easily go into our bloodstream and lungs via the nose and throat Choose D scoot particle Question Which of the following is not mentioned as effects of breathing in scoot particles? A heart disease B stomachache C asthma D bronchitis Ask students to underline the key words in the question, then scan the passage to locate the information Key sentences: As a result, breathing in the tiny particles car cause asthma attacks, heart disease, bronchitis and many other respiratory illnesses Choose B stomachache Question How many ways to reduce scoot emission are stated in the passage? A B C D Ask students to keep in mind the key words: reduce scoot emission, then scan the text again to find the answer There are three ways mentioned: replacing traditional stoves…, installations of filters and changing to electric or hydrogen vehicles Choose B Example The reading passage in page 62-Tieng Anh 12- new textbook Read the text about lifelong learning and choose a heading for each paragraph (1-3) A Forms of lifelong learning B Aims of lifelong learning C Defining lifelong learning D The difference between compulsory education and lifelong learning “Lifelong learning” is the pursuit of knowledge throughout life In other words, learning is not confined to the classroom environment and school subjects Instead, people can learn throughout their adulthood, even in old age and in a variety of situations, particularly in their daily interactions with others and with the world around them Lifelong learning must be voluntary and self-motivated Therefore, lifelong learners should have a strong desire to learn and explore the world Lifelong learning is facilitated by e-learning platforms Education is now no longer offered only by ‘bricks and mortar' institutions Online courses have instead enabled lifelong learning by providing learners, teachers, and course providers with much more flexibility in terms of learning time, place, pace, and style Learners, for instance, can now have the course content taught to them by a school located miles away from where they live or work In addition, young parents can select their group meeting time late in the evening when their children have gone to bed Most importantly, lifelong learning should be regarded as an attitude to learning for self-improvement rather than a pathway to qualifications This means the ultimate aim is to better yourself for personal and/or professional development rather than for some certificate to decorate your CV This type of lifelong learning may not necessarily take place as part of a course It may be done very informally in any area of interest and at your convenience, as long as it is well within your capabilities and/or improves your skills For example, researching the tidal cycles of the sea where you often go fishing and the types of fish available there is a form of lifelong learning Ask students to read the headings first, then skim the passage to put the headings in appropriate place by reading the first and the last sentences of each paragraph Paragraph 1: the key words: Lifelong learning, pursuit of knowledge Choose C: defining lifelong learning Paragraph 2: The key words: Lifelong learning, facilitated, e-learning platforms Choose A: forms of lifelong learning Paragraph 3: The key words: lifelong learning, regarded as, attitude to learning for self-improvement rather than a pathway to qualifications Choose B: aims of lifelong learning 2.3.1.2 Scanning: Scanning is a reading skill that allows the reader to locate specific information quickly The purpose of scanning is to get specific information Scanning is especially important for improving reading ability Many students try to read every word when they read, so they read very slowly Scanning can help the students learn to read and understand the texts faster Steps: Read each question completely before starting to scan Choose your keywords from the question itself Look for answers to only one question at a time Scan separately for each question When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see if it is relevant Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers this question choose the correct answer and eliminate the wrong ones Example The reading passage in Tieng Anh 12-new textbook Urbanization is the process by which urban areas grow bigger as more and more people leave the countryside to live in towns and cities Before the 1950s, urbanization mainly occurred in more economically developed countries (MEDCs) Rapid urbanization happened during the period of industrialization in Europe and North America in the nineteenth and early twentieth century A lot of people left their home villages for urban areas hoping to find jobs in the rapidly expanding industries in big towns and cities Since 1950s urbanization has become slower in most MEDCs Now, some of the biggest cities are losing population because people go back to live in rural areas This is known as counter-urbanization Since 1950, urbanization has grown rapidly in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) in Africa and South America Between 1950 and 1990 while the urban population in LEDCs doubled, increase was less than half in developed countries There are various causes of urbanization in LEDCs Here are some major ones First, people migrate to urban areas on a massive scale due to lack of resources in rural areas Second, small farmers find it h to make a living not just because of bad we conditions such as drought, floods, or storms, because they can't compete with large agricultural companies These are considered ‘push’ factors People living in rural areas are also ‘pulled’ to cities, which are known to be places of financial centers, services, wealth and opportunities Believing that standard of living in urban areas will be higher in rural areas; many people come to the city seeking their fortune Today, about half of the world's population lives in urban areas Urbanisation has provided job opportunities, higher incomes and better access to health facilities and education The urban population will continue to grow and it is expected that proportion will increase to 70% by 2050 Aims: get students practice scanning skill to find specific information To help students use this skill, the teacher ask students to read the question first, underline the key word in each question Then, scan the passage to find the detail information Question All of the following are the causes of urbanization EXCEPT A Lack of natural resources in rural areas B The bad weather in rural areas C The pressure on water supply D Higher living standard in urban areas Key words: causes, except, lack of natural resources, bad weather, pressure, living standard Choose C The pressure on water supply Question Which is not mentioned as benefit of urbanizations? A More places of interest B more job opportunities C Higher income D Better healthcare and education Key words: not mentioned, benefit, urbanization, places of interest, job opportunities, higher income, better healthcare and education The answer is A: More places of interest Question3 The word “which” in paragraph refers to A people B rural areas C cities D living standard Key sentence: these are considered “push factor” People living in rural areas are also ‘pulled’ to cities, which are known to be places of financial centers, services, wealth and opportunities Choose C cities 2.3.1.3 Making Predictions Hutchinson (1987) defines prediction as “A matter of using an existing knowledge of a pattern or system in order to anticipate what is likely in a novel situation” Many researchers have shown that good readers use their experiences and background knowledge to make predictions and formulate ideas as they read This strategy also allows students interaction, which increases students’ interests and improves their understanding of the text Making predictions is a strategy in which readers use information from picture, title, to make predictions about the story The title of a text can operate memories of texts, permitting them to guess the content of a new text During reading, successful readers can make predictions about what will occur next, or what opinions the writer will offer to support a discussion Readers try to assess these predictions ceaselessly and change any prediction that is not approved by the reading 2.3.1.4 Questioning Questioning helps students monitor their comprehension and stay engaged and interested in their reading Readers can use the questioning before, during, and after reading The questioning process requires readers to ask questions of themselves to construct meaning, enhance understanding, find answers, solve problems, find information, and discover new information In this strategy, the students return to the text throughout the reading process to find the answers to the questions Questioning helps students to clarify and comprehend what they are reading In this strategy, asking appropriate questions permits successful readers to concentrate on the most important information of a text Asking questions while involving in the reading process provides students with an opportunity to think about what they are reading, be active and independent readers 2.3.1.5 Paraphrasing In paraphrasing, we express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity without changing their meaning Example: The hardest woodwind instrument to learn is the oboe -> The oboe is the most difficult woodwind instrument to master When paraphrasing, we can use: + Synonyms: e.g A car exhibition-> an auto show + Antonyms: e.g to encourage better attendance -> to have fewer absences + Changing from specific nouns to general nouns: e.g she bought a microwave oven -> she purchased a kitchen appliance + Changing from general nouns to specific nouns: e.g fossil fuels -> coal, oil and gas + Changing word forms: e.g to take occasional walk -> to walk occasionally Making predictions, questioning and paraphrasing are used simultaneously with scanning and skimming when students reading comprehension tasks 2.3.2 Identifying question types The second task of my study was to make students understand the question types, how they could recognize the questions and how to use the techniques to answer the questions effectively The reading comprehension questions are categorized into groups namely questions for main idea, questions for detail information and inference, and vocabulary questions They are presented in the table below: Types of questions Identifying questions Finding the answer + What is the topic of the - Read the first passage? sentence of each + What is the subject of the paragraph passage? - Find out the similar + What is the main idea of the ideas in the first passage? sentences and their Main idea + What is the author's main relations Main purpose point in the passage? - Pay attention to + With what is the author repeated key words primarily concerned? - Scan the whole + Which of the following would passage to find the be the best title? main idea Eliminate +What is the author’s main the wrong options purpose in the passage? A Main + Time order - Pay attention to ideas General + Cause and effect conjunctions, organization or + Definition and example adjectives of attitude attitude + Comparison and contrast between paragraphs + Problem and solution Stated detail B Detail information Unstated detail + According to the passage… + It is stated in the passage… + The passage indicates that… + Which of the following is true ? + Which of the following is not stated…? + Which of the following is not mentioned…? + Which of the following is not discussed…? + All of the following are true except… + Which of the following is false…… + Which of the following is not true…… + Where in the passage… Where question Inference + It is implied in the passage that… + It can be inferred from the passage that… + It is most likely that…… - The answer is one that does not appear in the passage or the one that is not true compared to the information in the passage - Read the question and the options carefully, underline the key words in the questions - Scan to find out the part containing the key words - Read the sentences containing the information in the options carefully - Eliminate the options appearing in the passage or true due to the passage - Choose the option that is not mentioned or false - Read the questions and the options carefully, underline the key words - Scan the text to locate the appropriate the key words - The answer lies in the sentences containing the key words - Underline the key words in the questions - Skim the passage to determine the key 10 + What probably happened….? + The word X in the passage refers to … Reference C Vocabulary question + What is the meaning of “X” in line “Y”? + The word “X” in line “Y” could be replaced by… + Which of the following has Synonym and the closest meaning with the antonym word “X” in line “Y”? + Which of the following has the opposite meaning with the word “X” in line “Y”? words - Read the sentences containing the key words and main ideas - Find out the suitable answer - Eliminate the wrong options, choose the best one - The questions often contain the words like “he, she, they”, “them, it, him”, “their, its” or “this, that, these, those” + Locate the pronoun in the passage + Look before the pronoun for nouns that agree with the pronoun + Try each of the nouns in the context in place of the pronoun + Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices + Find the word in the passage + Read the sentence that contains the word carefully + Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning + Choose the answer that the context indicates 11 In my reading lessons, I asked students to keep in mind the reading techniques, the question types and how to apply the techniques to deal with each type of questions Example The reading passage in Unit 7- Artificial Intelligence- Tieng Anh 12 new textbook: Read the following passage and choose the best answer: A.I or artificial intelligence is the intelligence displayed by machines or software Many industries today use highly automated vehicles that can drive with almost no human intervention Smart robots have replaced humans in stressful and dangerous jobs, and in assembly lines doing tasks such as packing and lifting heavy things In science and medicine, A.I techniques help medical doctors to discover subtle interactions between medications that put patients at risk because of their serious side effects Patients at highest risk of complications are also detected based on these techniques In navigation, devices using the GPS (Global Positioning System) help drivers or pilots to find the best routes to their destination by avoiding obstacles, traffic jams, and accidents In military, A.I robots are used to explore dangerous environments containing explosives or contaminated by nuclear weapons In communication, the voice recognition systems in smartphones or other electronic devices can identify our speech, and are getting better at understanding our intentions A.I algorithms can also help to detect faces and other features in photos sent to social networking sites and automatically organise them Internet search engines such as Google and Bing provide hundreds of millions of people with search results related to weather, traffic predictions, book recommendations, educational institutions, music, films, and games A.I applications on the Internet can translate web pages in real time, and even help users to learn new languages Many A.I experts believe that A.I technology will soon make even greater advances in many other areas Modern robots will be more intelligent and replace humans in many dangerous jobs and environments This will certainly improve our lives in the near future Aims: Students use scanning to find stated information from the passage Question What types of A.I technology can be seen in today industries? A Human-like robots B Automated cars C Machines controlled by humanoids D Packing and lifting machines Ask students to scan the first paragraph to locate the key word such as automated vehicles, packing and lifting heavy things Choose B, D Question Which of these A.I applications in medicine is mentioned in the text? 12 A Operating on patients at highest risk of complications B Helping to treat unhealthy organs C Finding out about the serious side effects of some medications D Discovering how medications interact within human body The key words: medicine, discover, interactions, medications, side effects Choose C, D Question How can the GPS help you? A Recommend your destination B Show you the fastest way to your destination C Show you how to get out of traffic jams D Drive the car automatically Key words: GPS, best routes, avoid obstacles, traffic jams, accidents Choose B, C Question What is the function of voice recognition? A Identifying human voices B Copying human commands C Recording human voices D Translating human commands Key words: voice recognition, identify, speech Choose A Question How can Internet users understand foreign language texts? A They can learn the language on the Internet B They can guess the meaning using search engines C They can get information about them on the Internet D They can use a translating application Key words: internet, learn new words, translate, applications Choose A, D Question What will A.I robots in the near future be capable of having according to many A.I experts? A Human-like emotions B Healthy lifestyles C Dangerous behavior D Higher levels of intelligence Key words: modern robots, more intelligent, near future Choose D Question The word “this” in the last paragraph refers to A Modern robots B A.I experts C A.I technology D Robots replace humans in many dangerous jobs and environments Key words: Modern robots will be more intelligent and replace humans in many dangerous jobs and environments This will certainly improve our lives in the near future Choose D Example Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered new ways of learning All around the world, educational institutions are looking toward online learning platforms to continue with the process of educating students Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students Online learning has a number of tools such as videos, PDFs, podcasts, and 13 teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources, teachers are able to become more efficient educators Online education allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference This allows students to access the learning material at a time of their comfort Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs Online education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning This is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while also being beneficial to the environment Every student has a different learning journey and a different learning style Some students are visual learners, while some students prefer to learn through audio Similarly, some students thrive in the classroom, and others are solo learners who get distracted by large groups The online learning system, with its range of options and resources, can be personalized in many ways It is the best way to create a perfect learning environment suited to the needs of each student (https://fedena.com/blog/2020/10/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-onlinelearning.html) Question 1: What is the main idea of the passage? A Alternative approach to learning B Different learning styles C The best learning environment D The benefits of online learning Key words: - The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered new ways of learning All around the world, educational institutions are looking toward online learning platforms to continue with the process of educating students - Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students - Online education allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice - Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs Answer: D Question 2: It's easy for students to join online classes from any A plans B points C textbooks D Positions Key words: Online education allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries Answer: D Question 3: The word "their" in paragraph refers to A schools B resources C students D Classes 14 Key words: Online education allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice Answer: C Question 4: Online learning can help learners save money due to the following reasons EXCEPT A Learners needn't buy their bus fare B Study materials are affordable C Learners can eat at home with their families D Learners don't have to rent accommodation Key words: Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs Online education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning This is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while also being beneficial to the environment Answer: B Question 5: The word "distracted" is closet in meaning to A extracted B diverted C disturbed D destroyed Key words: Similarly, some students thrive in the classroom, and others are solo learners who get distracted by large groups Answer: C 2.4 Result of researching To have a basic comparison, give out the exact conclusion for the studying process and applying the topic to teach reading skill in Quang Xuong high school, I implemented to examine and collate the result of class 12C1 and 12T3, the academic year 2021-2022 + Class 12C1 was applied the above topic + Class 12T3 was not applied the above topic At the end of this semester, I asked the students to the following two passages in 20 minutes: Passage Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the questions For many years, scientists have been arguing about global warming While they don't all agree about what this might mean for Planet Earth, many think it is going on - and that we can something about it We need a few more years to gather facts before anyone can say for sure But people need to start now to things to stop it There are many types of gases in our atmosphere Some of them absorb the heat from the sun and control our climate "Greenhouse gases” are those that hold the heat around the planet's surface When we increase the level of these gases, we upset the balance These extra gases trap even more heat Some scientists say global warming has already started to change the environment The Earth's temperature has risen one degree Fahrenheit this 15 century Many scientists believe it could rise from two to eight degrees Fahrenheit in the next hundred years This would be the fastest rise in 10,000 years Sea levels could rise Ice sheets could melt and add to the water level Many places near the coast would be in danger of flooding If the climate change is too large and too fast, some plants and animals could really suffer They could even die out Weather could become more violent and extreme In some places there would be more forest fires But in other areas there would be more rain and snow, storms and floods (Adapted from nytimes.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-fag.html) Question 1: What is the passage mainly about? A Global warming and its negative effects B Global warming and forest fires C Global warming and suggested solutions D Global warming and its advantages Key words: For many years, scientists have been arguing about global warming While they don't all agree about what this might mean for Planet Earth, many think it is going on - and that we can something about it We need a few more years to gather facts before anyone can say for sure But people need to start now to things to stop it Answer: A Question 2: According to the passage, gases control our climate by _ A increasing its level B absorbing the heat C changing the environment D upsetting the balance Key words: There are many types of gases in our atmosphere Some of them absorb the heat from the sun and control our climate Answer: B Question 3: The word "it" in paragraph refers to _ A century B global warming C temperature D environment Key words: Some scientists say global warming has already started to change the environment The Earth's temperature has risen one degree Fahrenheit this century Many scientists believe it could rise from two to eight degrees Fahrenheit in the next hundred years Answer: C Question 4: The word "extreme" in paragraph is closest in meaning to _ A severe B gentle C quiet D peaceful Key words: Weather could become more violent and extreme Answer: A Question 5: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage! A Climate change would cause forest fires everywhere B Scientists have all agreed about global warming C The gases we increase trap even more heat 16 D Scientists say that global warming can never change the environment Key words: - In some places there would be more forest fires But in other areas there would be more rain and snow, storms and floods (A -> incorrect) - For many years, scientists have been arguing about global warming While they don't all agree about what this might mean for Planet Earth, many think it is going on - and that we can something about it We need a few more years to gather facts before anyone can say for sure (B-> incorrect) - Some scientists say global warming has already started to change the environment (D -> incorrect) - When we increase the level of these gases, we upset the balance These extra gases trap even more heat (C-> corect) Answer: C Passage Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions Culture is the lens with which we evaluate everything around us; we evaluate what is proper or improper, normal or abnormal, through our culture If we are immersed in a culture that is unlike our own, we may experience culture shock and become disoriented when we come into contact with a fundamentally different culture People naturally use their own culture as the standard to judge other cultures; however, having our own judgment could lead us to discriminate other cultural values which are different from our own because we not understand them Cultural diversity is important because our country, workplaces, and school increasingly consist of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups We can learn from one another, but first we must have a level of understanding about each other in order to facilitate collaboration and cooperation Learning about other cultures helps us understand different perspectives within the world in which we live and helps dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups In addition, cultural diversity helps us recognize and respect "ways of being" that are not necessarily our own, so that we interact with others, we can build bridges to trust, respect, and understanding across cultures Furthermore, this diversity makes our country a more interesting place to live, as people from diverse cultures contribute language skills, new ways of thinking, new knowledge, and different experiences (Adapted from https://www.purdueglobal.edu/) Question 1: Which could be the best title for the passage? A How can we learn from culture? B What is the function of culture? C How people use own culture? D Why is cultural diversity a "good thing"? Key information: Culture is the lens with which we evaluate everything around us; we evaluate what is proper or improper, normal or abnormal, through our 17 culture If we are immersed in a culture that is unlike our own, we may experience culture shock and become disoriented when we come into contact with a fundamentally different culture People naturally use their own culture as the standard to judge other cultures; however, having our own judgment could lead us to discriminate other cultural values which are different from our own because we not understand them Choose D Question 2: The word "which" in paragraph refers to A cultural values B other cultures C judgment D standard Key information: People naturally use their own culture as the standard to judge other cultures; however, having our own judgment could lead us to discriminate other cultural values which are different from our own because we not understand them Choose A Question 3: Which of the following is TRUE about the main reason for discrimination? A Making judgment B Immersed in a culture C Valuating everything D Contacting with a different culture Key information: People naturally use their own culture as the standard to judge other cultures; however, having our own judgment could lead us to discriminate other cultural values which are different from our own because we not understand them Choose A Question 4: The word "dispel" in paragraph mostly means A realize B remove C contain D discuss Key information: Learning about other cultures helps us understand different perspectives within the world in which we live and helps dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups Choose B Question 5: According to the passage, which of the following people from diverse cultures NOT contribute to a country? A new ways of thinking B a more interesting place C language skills D different experiences Key information: Furthermore, this diversity makes our country a more interesting place to live, as people from diverse cultures contribute language skills, new ways of thinking, new knowledge, and different experiences Choose B Through the assessment in class 12C1 with 46 students of my charge, I achieved the following result: Class Good Above Average Weakness Poverty sizes (9-10) average (5-6) (3-4) (0-2) (7-8) 46 = 13% 22 = 47.8% 10 = 21.7% =17.4% = 0% And the achieved result of class 12T3: Class Good Above Average Weakness Poverty sizes (9-10) average (5-6) (3-4) (0-2) (7-8) 38 = 0% = 7.9% = 21.1% 13= 34.2% = 10.5% 18 In general, nearly all of the students taught the reading strategies were enabled to improve their reading comprehension and achieved higher results in the two passages They seem to know how to identify the question types, how to skim and scan the passage effectively By this way, they have enough time to finish their tasks in advance Semi-structured interviews were also conducted after students had done the two passages Most students had positive attitudes towards the reading strategies on reading comprehension “The teacher teaches us to find key words from the passage because it can help us to get specific information easily and quickly” said one student Students found it less stressful and more motivated to learn English especially reading They participated in the lessons more actively and more effectively The results of the reading tests showed their reading improvement clearly CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion The findings of this study showed that reading strategies have a great impact on the students’ reading comprehension ability Students have revealed that skimming, scanning and other strategies have helped their reading comprehension The students had positive attitudes towards these strategies Students needed to be trained or guide on the use of different reading strategies so that they would know how to apply these strategies for successful comprehension of academic materials The findings of this study show that the use of reading strategies is directly linked with students’ reading skills, which is clearly reflected in the students’ level of accuracy in the tests The majority of the students could apply reading strategies to their reading processes However, the level of the students’ comprehension might vary from tasks to tasks, depending on students’ background knowledge and the complexity of the tasks 3.2 Proposal For teachers of English, try to use different methods to engage students in reading lessons, have students use reading techniques more often to improve reading comprehension competence For students, apply these above methods to as many reading comprehensions task as possible to improve reading skills In addition, spend time learning vocabulary so that it will be easier to reading comprehension tasks Because of time limitation, I not avoid errors I would like to receive feedback from my colleagues, especially teachers who teach English to make my initiatives more complete and widely applied in the teaching process 19 Thanh Hóa, ngày 15 tháng năm 2022 XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ TRƯỞNG Tôi xin cam đoan SKKN ĐƠN VỊ viết, khơng chép nội dung người khác Người viết Nguyễn Thị Thoa 20 REFERENCE Adrian Doff- Teach English- Cambridge University Press A S Hornby- Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary - Oxford University Press Hutchison 1987 English for Specific Purposes—A Learning-centred Approach- Cambridge University Press 1987 Jim Scrivener – Learning teaching – Macmillan books for teachers McWhorter, D.B (1980): Summary of skimming well investigations Sách học sinh Tiếng Anh 12 new textbook DANH MỤC CÁC ĐỀ TÀI SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG ĐÁNH GIÁ XẾP LOẠI CẤP SỞ GD&ĐT VÀ CÁC CẤP CAO HƠN XẾP LOẠI TỪ C TRỞ LÊN Họ tên tác giả: NGUYỄN THỊ THOA Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Giáo viên trường THPT Quảng Xương T T Tên đề tài SKKN Cấp đánh giá xếp loại (Phòng, Sở, Tỉnh ) Improving grade 12 students’ Sở GD&ĐT reading comprehension through scanning technique at Muong Lat high school Kết Năm học đánh giá đánh giá xếp loại (A, xếp loại B, C) C 2017-2018 ... reasons, I decided to carry out my initiative with the title: ? ?Some measures to improve reading comprehension skills for the 12 th graders at Quang Xuong high school? ?? 1. 2 Objectives With the above reasons,... can be reused for writing skills, or students can interpret the meaning of the reading to obtain the necessary information for them That is to say, to have good reading comprehension skills is very... various strategies to help them in the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information Therefore, reading strategies are assumed to be important for students reading comprehension and the reading