SKKN ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK TIENG ANH 11 TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING –––––––––––––––––––––––– ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK “TIENG ANH 11” TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION Subject: English Group: Foreign languages – Literature Vinh, 2022 NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING –––––––––––––––––––––––– ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK “TIENG ANH 11” TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION Subject : English Researcher: Vo Thi Thuy Linh Phone number: 0984359184 Group: Literature – Foreign languages Vinh, 2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the Study PART II: CONTENT I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Reading skills Definition of reading comprehension 3 Adapting textbooks 3.1 What is textbook adaptation? 3.2 Principles and techniques for adapting textbooks 3.3 Purposes of adaptation II PRACTICAL BACKGROUND An overview of the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” Situation of teaching and learning reading skills at high school III THE STUDY Situation analysis 1.1 Setting of the study 1.2 Scope of the study 1.3 Participants 1.4 Instrumentation 1.5 Data collection procedures Findings of the study Finding solutions 3.1 Suggested adaptations for some reading tasks in the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” 3.2 Sample lesson plans 19 Results and Discussion 19 PART III: CONCLUSION 37 A summary of the development of the study 37 Limitations 37 Recommendations 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDICES Pl-1 PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale Of the four language skills, reading seems to have received a great deal of attention from researchers in second language teaching It is considered “the most important of the four skills in a second language, particularly in English as a second or foreign language” (Carrell, 1981:1) Despite its importance, many teachers of English at high schools find it difficult to get students’ enthusiasm in reading texts From students’ responses to the survey questions, it can be seen that many of the students feel frustrated at long reading texts with unfamiliar words Besides, many of them admit that they not have necessary background knowledge about the topic of the reading texts or even they not like the topic itself Consequently, they are not willing to learn reading skill as well as carry out the reading tasks given in the textbook Another factor that should be considered when we mention the quality of teaching and learning reading skill at high school is the reading tasks given in the textbook It can be easily noticed that some of the reading tasks are similarly designed in different units, namely answering the questions, choosing the best title, matching words and phrases with their definitions This, to some extent, causes repetition and boredom to students In addition, there is a lack of teachers’ flexibility in creating a suitable learning environment for students in class Statistics collected from the questionnaire reveal that a large number of students are not confident enough to perform all the given tasks by themselves Instead, they often rely on their friends as well as reference books for correct answers As a consequence, students cannot improve their reading comprehension during the process of learning reading skills In addition, most of the students involved in the survey claim that they prefer working in groups of students with the same level of proficiency in reading classes Thus, flexible work arrangements in reading class should be taken into consideration to boost students’ motivation and the quality of teaching and learning reading skills Last but not least, the outbreak of COVID -19 has forced schools to utilize new ways of learning and teaching, including formal and virtual classes Therefore, adaptations for textbook lessons with the aim of making them easier and more suitable for students’ competence are necessary to reduce their learning pressure Related to these problems, this study was carried out, entitling: Adapting reading tasks in the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” to improve students’ reading comprehension Aims of the study The study aims at suggesting adaptations of some reading tasks given in the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” to enhance the 11 th graders’ reading comprehension PART II: CONTENT I THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Reading skills Reading is known as a receptive process that connected the reader with the text, making comprehension Harmer (2001: 153) states that “reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the brain The eyes receive messages and the brain then has to work out the significance of these messages” Thus, although there are different ideas about reading skills, they all focus on two actions: studying with eyes and comprehending with brains, of which the latter is more important since the final goal of reading instruction is comprehension The readers not simply look at and understand the meaning of what is written but also read authors’ thinking In terms of skills required to learn reading effectively, there are many skills in the reading process, namely scanning, skimming, summarizing, paraphrasing, etc However, at the level of high school students, scanning and skimming are two most important ones that matches with their learning ability and goals Definition of reading comprehension In the context of language learning, according to Ur (1996:34), “reading means reading and understanding” In this sense, if a student can read the words but doesn’t know what they mean, it is not reading but “decoding” Sharing this view, Karlin and Kartin (1988:2) also express that “reading without reading comprehension is meaningless.” In other words, reading comprehension is a complicated process in which readers use their own knowledge, experiences and strategies to understand the content of the text Therefore, how to assist students in having efficient reading comprehension is considered to be the most challenging task in teaching reading Adapting textbooks 3.1 What is textbook adaptation? Adapting textbook activities is not just something teachers should as the need arises but also for appealing to the lower, middle and strong student levels Textbook adaptation is performed to make textbook lessons more communicative and incorporate authentic textbook into the lessons Adapting is the ability to create the textbook that introduces and integrates skills in a lively, enjoyable and productive format 3.2 Principles and techniques for adapting textbooks Despite the great effort that textbook writers make to meet the needs of the intended users, textbooks are subject to adaptation when they are actually used in the classroom McDonough and Shaw (1993:83) propose that textbooks are internally coherent although they may be, they may not be entirely applicable Although most classroom teachers will not be involved in the production of textbooks, all teachers have the responsibility for textbook evaluation, selection and adaptation It is undeniable that adapting textbook allows teachers to achieve more compatibility and fitness between the textbook and the teaching environment, and therefore maximize the value of the book for the benefit of their particular learners and for the most effective teaching outcomes to achieve Maley (1998:281) suggested the following techniques to adapt textbook: • Omission: the teacher leaves out things seemed inappropriate, offensive, unproductive, etc., for the particular group • Addition: where there seems to be inadequate coverage, teachers may decide to add to textbooks, either in the form of texts or exercise material • Reduction: where the teacher shortens an activity to give it less weight or emphasis • Extension: where an activity is lengthened in order to give it an additional dimension (For example, a vocabulary activity is extended to draw attention to some syntactic patterning.) • Rewriting/modification: teacher may occasionally decide to rewrite material, especially exercise material, to make it more appropriate, more “communicative”, more demanding, more accessible to their students, etc • Replacement: text or exercise material which is considered inadequate, for whatever reason, may be replaced by more suitable material This is often culled from other resource textbook • Re-ordering: teachers may decide that the order in which the textbooks are presented is not suitable for their students They can then decide to plot a different course through the textbooks from the one the writer has laid down • Branching: teachers may decide to add options to the existing activity or to suggest alternative pathways through the activities Textbook adaptation can be done at three levels The first level is macro adaptation, which is ideally done before the language program begins After comparing what is covered in a textbook and what is required by the syllabus or examination, the teacher may find that certain areas or even whole units of the book can be omitted, and certain contents need to be supplemented The second level of adaptation is adapting a unit This could be done by reordering the activities, combining activities, omitting activities, rewriting or supplementing exercise material, etc Unit adaptation helps to make the classroom teaching smoother and more cohesive It also helps the teacher to better fulfill the aims of a unit The third level is adaptation of specific activities in a unit Occasionally an activity is regarded as valuable, but it is not well-designed or it is not suitable in a particular class If the teacher does not want to give up the activity, he or she needs to adapt it 3.3 Purposes of adaptation McDonough and Shaw (1993:83) propose that “textbooks are internally coherent although they may be, they may not be entirely applicable” Despite the great effort that textbook writers make to meet the needs of the intended users, textbooks are subject to adaptation when they are actually used in the classroom The teachers may choose to adapt the material they are using with a view to making it more relevant, suitable and useful to their students, which plays a significant role in stimulating students’ motivation and increasing their achievement during the leaning process of reading skills II PRACTICAL BACKGROUND An overview of the new textbook “Tieng Anh 11” Each unit in the textbook “Tieng Anh 11”, which refers to a particular theme, is divided into sections: Getting started, Language, Skills, Communication and Culture, Looking back and Project Each section is designed with different kinds of activities with a view to helping students follow the lessons easily and attain basic knowledge related to the theme of the unit as well as improve their skills in terms of Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing Normally, each skill lesson is taught and learnt in a 45-minute period Like other skill lessons presented in the textbook, reading lessons consist of different activities from the easier to more complicated ones for students to fulfill However, it is noticeable that some task types, namely answering the questions, matching words and their definitions, are repeated in all reading lessons and to some extent cause boredom to students Situation of teaching and learning reading skills at high school Under the instructions of Ministry of education and training, all schools now have had their own syllables for teaching and learning English As far as I am concerned, most high schools in Nghe An province allot 45 minutes for each skill lesson However, many of the activities in Listening, Speaking and Writing lessons in general and in Reading lessons in particular are not fully carried out due to the lack of time as well as students’ uneven levels of proficiency Many of the students admit that they are unable to complete all of the tasks themselves The quality of the reading lessons is also rooted from the monotonous requirements of some tasks given in the textbook Taken these factors into consideration, it is undeniable that the objective of the lesson is not always reached Because of these reasons, I would like to suggest a number of adaptations for some reading tasks to make them easier for students to fulfill so that the lesson objective is fully gained III THE STUDY Situation analysis 1.1 Setting of the study The study was conducted at Le Viet Thuat High School in Nghe An province At Le Viet Thuat high school, the 11 th graders have four 45-minute periods of English a week and there are only six reading lessons in each semester The official textbook used at Le Viet Thuat high school is Tieng Anh 11, edited by Hoang Van Van and written by Phan Ha, Hoang Thi Hong Hai, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Kieu Thi Thu Huong, Vu Thi Lan, Dao Ngoc Loc, and Chung The Quang, published by Nha xuat ban giao duc Viet Nam 1.2 Scope of the study The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2021-2022 Some of the reading passages from unit to unit 10 of the textbook Tieng Anh 11 were used as the materials for the study 1.3 Participants The participants of the research consist of 90 students of 11 th form from classes 11A and 11D at Le Viet Thuat high school In this study, no students were identified by their names All of the informants have the same time of learning English of six years; and they have already completed the syllabus of English with the new series of English textbook from grade to grade 10 at secondary school The most significant point for choosing these participants is that there are no noticeable differences in their levels of proficiency This is proved by their average scores in grade 10 and in the first semester of this academic year 1.4 Instrumentation In order to get information to fulfill the aims of the study, a survey questionnaire (given in Appendix 1) was designed and delivered to the student respondents The survey questionnaire included two parts: Part was some personal information and Part comprised questions relating to researched issue Questions in the questionnaire contained both closed-ended questions and opened-ended questions The questionnaire was written in Vietnamese in a logical order so that they could gradually lead the respondents into the theme of (1-4) (adapted from task 2) a In the 21st century, scientists continue to look for new ways to treat serious diseases and slow down the ageing process b A popular way to relieve stress in today’s busy lifestyles is practicing meditation and yoga c This increase can be attributed to three main factors: healthier lifestyles, better nutrition, and advances in medical science and technology d Eating more fruits and vegetables, but less fatty foods can reduce the risk of serious diseases a Aim: developing the ability to follow the logical structure of a text and reading for specific information about factors responsible for the increase in life expectancy b Content: choose suitable removed sentences to fill in the text c Outcome: Ss’answers d Organization: - Ask Ss to work individually to carry out the task - Instruct them to look at the cues like connectors or repeated words to identify the position of each sentence - Go around to offer help - Have Ss compare their answers with the partner after finishing task - Call on some Ss to explain their answers - Elicit feedback from the whole class - Give final comments on Ss’ answers and provide the key: + Paragraph 1: c + Paragraph 2: b + Paragraph 3: d + Paragraph 4: a Activity 2: Task - Read the text again and answer the questions 34 a Aim: help Ss develop scanning skills for specific information and recognize factors affecting longevity b Content: finish the task and presentation c Outcome: Ss’ answers d Organization: - Ask students to task in groups of - Go around to offer help - Have Ss compare their answers with another group - Check the answers with whole class - Call on some Ss to explain their answers - Elicit corrections from the whole class - Give suggested answers: The three factors are healthier lifestyles, better nutrition and advances in medical science and technology Smoking, alcohol intake and fast food consumption can increase the risk of heart diseases Doing regular physical activity and spending more time outdoors can improve the ability of the human body to function well Because they want to relieve stress Because the food we eat can affect longevity and dietary changes can boost our immune system They are the discovery of antibiotics and vaccines, and the development of medical imaging Activity APPLICATION 10 minutes Task 5: Which of the factors mentioned in the article you think is the most important Discuss in groups a Aim: use languages to practice in pairs/groups b Content: finish the task and presentation 35 c Outcome: Ss’ presentations d Organization: - Have Ss to work in groups of six to the task - Ask them to make a list of important factors responsible for the increase in life expectancy: + Healthy lifestyles (physical exercise, low levels of stress and anxiety) + Better nutrition (nutritious diets and dietary changes) + Advances in medical science and technology - Have Ss choose the most important one and explain their choices - Go around to offer help - Call on some representatives from the groups to present in front of the class - Elicit comments from other Ss - Give final comments on Ss’ presentations Activity CONSOLIDATION AND HOMEWORK minutes - Summarize the main points of the lesson - Ask Ss to learn by heart the new words and prepare for the next lesson 36 PART III: CONCLUSION A summary of the development of the study As stated previously in the first part, the purpose of the study is to suggest some adaptations for reading tasks in the second semester of the textbook “Tieng Anh 11” with a view to helping students improve their reading comprehension Basically, the study has achieved its aim through thoroughly review of related literature and a combination of methods in designing activities for specific reading lessons In order to receive reliable results for the study, experimental teaching periods, in which adapted tasks were used, were conducted with the participation of a number of 11th form students at Le Viet Thuat high school The results collected from the study were then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively Important findings for the study have been drawn from this analysis The results revealed that the application of adapted activities from available tasks in reading lessons can bring about desirable benefits to both teachers and students The most significant finding was that the employment of the new questions made students motivated and feel easier to carry out reading tasks in reading classes Also, in my opinion, conducting these tasks with a proper work arrangement was a good way to encourage students to develop their competence as well as make reading lessons more successful Thus, I recognized that adapting reading tasks is really necessary because they are not always suitable for all teaching contexts Because of this, teachers should be aware of adapting tasks from the textbook if necessary Limitations The application tasks adapted from some reading lessons into teaching reading skills in reality is still limited due to such subjective and objective reasons as limited time, class size, mix-leveled students, unsuitable provided activities, students’ learning styles, etc Thus, to some extent, beside positive results gained from experimental teaching periods, it should be admitted the fact that teaching and learning English reading skills still have been far from satisfaction 37 What’s more, only 90 students of Le Viet Thuat high school were involved in the study As a result, it is impossible to generalize the outcomes as well as represent the situation of learning reading skills of the 11th form students of the whole school Recommendations As for the implication of the study, some detailed suggestions are recommended within the wish to contribute to the improvement of the teaching and learning of reading skills in the textbook “Tieng Anh 11”: - The requirements of reading lessons in the textbook “Tieng Anh 11” should be reconsidered to make it more suitable for student’s different levels of competence and limited time of a reading lesson Whatever pedagogical approach is applied in reading teaching, it is desirable that reading activities should be integrated into the work of the learners, which need to be made suitable for their objectives and levels of proficiency - The possible reasons to account for students’ disinterest in learning reading skills may partly lie in the inadequate method of teaching; therefore, teachers of English are required to be flexible in using alternative teaching methods - Other research on addressing the problems of low reading proficiency and low interest in learning and teaching reading skills should be conducted The potential research can focus on the implementation of task adaptation in general and application of appropriate techniques in particular 38 REFERENCES Brown, H D (1994) Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy New York, NY: Tina Carver Carrel, P.L., Devine, J., & Edkey, D.E (eds) (1981) Interactive Approaches to Second Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Harmer, J (2001) The Practice of Language Teaching, Longman Hedge, T (2000) Teaching and learning in the language classroom Oxford: Oxford University Press Karlin, A & Kartin, A R (1987) Teaching Elementary Reading: Principles and Strategies Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Plublishers Maley, A (1998) Squaring the circle-reconciling materials as constraint with materials as empowerment Cambridge: Cambridge University Press McDonough, J., & Shaw, C (1993), Materials and Methods in ELT A Teacher’s Guide, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Penny Ur (1996) A course in Language Teaching Practice and Theory, Cambridge University Press Ministry of education and training (2017) Tieng Anh 11, Volume and Volume Vietnam Education publisher 39 APPENDICES Appendix 1: PRELIMINARY SURVEY BẢN THĂM DỊ Ý KIẾN I Thơng tin cá nhân: Nam/ Nữ………… Tính đến nay, em học Tiếng Anh ……………… năm II Ý kiến kỹ đọc hiểu Tiếng Anh đọc hiểu SGK Tiếng Anh 11 Theo em kỹ đọc hiểu đóng vai trị quan trọng việc học Tiếng Anh Không đồng ý đồng ý Các yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc đọc hiểu đọc SGK em là: (em chọn nhiều phương án) A Bài đọc có nhiều từ vựng cấu trúc B Thiếu kiến thức chủ đề đọc C Yêu cầu số tập khó D Khơng hứng thú với số dạng tập (nêu rõ dạng tập có) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Theo em tiết học đọc (reading) trường thú vị Không đồng ý đồng ý III Cách học tiết Reading SGK Tiếng Anh 11 Em thường làm tập đọc hiểu SGK nào? A tự làm B chép bạn Pl-1 C chép từ sách hướng dẫn giải từ mạng Internet Việc giáo viên yêu cầu em đọc trước chuẩn bị từ nhà cho đọc giúp em làm tập hiệu nhớ từ Không đồng ý đồng ý Theo em, làm tập đọc hiểu SGK lớp theo hình thức hiệu nhất? A Cá nhân B Cặp C Nhóm Nếu làm việc theo nhóm, em thích làm việc với: A bạn trình độ B bạn giỏi C bạn em hay chơi Xin cảm ơn hợp tác em! Pl-2 Appendix 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA Mục đích câu hỏi để lấy ý kiến em học đọc hôm theo hoạt động có sẵn sách giáo khoa Hãy khoanh trịn phương án mà em thấy phù hợp nhất: I Về ngơn ngữ Bài đọc có nhiều từ Không đồng ý đồng ý Nội dung dễ hiểu phù hợp với hiểu biết em Không đồng ý đồng ý Em làm tập khơng khó Khơng đồng ý đồng ý Em thấy cần bổ sung thêm tập đọc hiểu khác Không đồng ý đồng ý Nếu em chọn đồng ý cần bổ sung tập, chọn dạng tập mà em thấy hiệu đọc khóa: A Đọc khóa trả lời câu hỏi B Đọc khóa điền từ cịn thiếu vào chỗ trống C Đọc khóa chọn đáp án cho câu hỏi cho sẵn (bài tập trắc nghiệm) D Đọc khóa giải thích từ in nghiêng Pl-3 E Đọc khóa đưa từ tương đương Tiếng Việt F Đọc khóa chọn tiêu đề cho G Đọc khóa cho biết câu cho sẵn hay sai H Đọc khóa tìm từ cụm từ có nghĩa với từ gạch chân I Nối từ với định nghĩa Em có mong muốn giáo viên cách dạy để giúp em tiếp thu tốt hơn? A Giữ nguyên hoạt động yêu cầu học sinh hồn thành tất hoạt động B Bỏ số hoạt động Cụ thể:………………… ………………….………… C Bổ sung số hoạt động Cụ thể:………………… ………………………… Xin cảm ơn hợp tác em! Pl-4 Appendix 3: SURVEY FOR RESPONSE TO ADAPTATION PHIẾU ĐÁNH GIÁ Phiếu để thăm dò ý kiến em sau em làm số hoạt động đọc sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 11 điều chỉnh Em vui lịng cho biết ý kiến học đọc hơm Hãy khoanh trịn phương án mà em thấy phù hợp nhất: Hôm em chuẩn bị từ kỹ không đồng ý đồng ý Em thấy tập cho đọc hơm phù hợp với trình độ em không đồng ý đồng ý Sau học xong em hiểu nội dung đọc không đồng ý đồng ý Sau học xong em nắm nhiều từ vựng không đồng ý đồng ý Xin cảm ơn hợp tác em! Pl-5 Appendix 4: PICTURES OF STUDENTS’ COMPLETING THE QUESTIONNAIRE CLASS 11D Pl-6 Pl-7 CLASS 11A Pl-8 Pl-9 ... entitling: Adapting reading tasks in the new textbook ? ?Tieng Anh 11? ?? to improve students’ reading comprehension Aims of the study The study aims at suggesting adaptations of some reading tasks. .. EDUCATION AND TRAINING –––––––––––––––––––––––– ADAPTING READING TASKS IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK ? ?TIENG ANH 11? ?? TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION Subject : English Researcher: Vo Thi Thuy Linh Phone... that there are too many new words and new structures in the reading passages 68 % of the respondents show their disinterest in certain types of reading tasks in the textbook, namely answering the