Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at thach thanh 4 high school to prepare for the 2016 national competition

Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen INDEX PAGE APPENDIX I INTRODUCTION .1 Reasons for the research…………………………………………… .1 Purposes ……………………………………………………………….……… Subjects ……………………………………………………………….… Methods……………………………………………………………….……… II CONTENT …………………………………………………………… ….1 - 19 Theoretical background …………………………………………… …….1 - 2 Reality before applying the research………………………………… ………2 Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems…… …… 3.1 Reading comprehension skills…………………………………….………2 - 3.1.1 Skimming …………………………………………………………… …… 3.1.2 Scanning…………………………………………………………… ………3 3.1.3 Paraphrasing………………………………………………………….…3 - 3.1.4 Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills………….…4 -15 3.1.5 Example for all the types of questions of reading comprehension skills …………………………………………………………………………… … 15-19 Effectiveness of research…………………………………………… ………19 III.CONCLUSION……………………………………………………… …….20 General conclusion …………………………………………………… ……20 Recommendation……………………………………………………… ……20 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………… ……… Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen I INTRODUCTION Reasons for the research Today English is regarded as a global language that anyone in the world needs to be fluent this foreign language as a way of communication and integration So, learning English becomes one compulsory subject for the schools However, the characteristics of the school where the majority of students are from ethnic minorities, many students not have access to English courses, and many parents not see the importance of it Moreover, conditions of school facilities is limited, these reasons prevent students from learning for English well to ethnic high school students as well as students of Thach Thanh high school Purposes From my point of view, I noticed that students often have some difficulties such as impatience, the rules of pronunciation, new words and grammar etc Of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, the reading comprehension skill always makes my students lost patience The reading passages are too long for them to understand because there are many new words and inferential questions which makes any students downhearted Furthermore, this skill contains a lot of points in the exams Therefore, I have given my own experiences to help students overcome the difficulties of this skills Subjects To help students figure out all the detailed method, the form of questions in the comprehension exercises The teacher should help students to know where the answer in the reading is, what the way to the type of questions is In this way, the students will find the method which they have to use with the types of question; it is most effective way for them to avoid confusion between them with different ones Methods Firstly, reading comprehension skills not only require knowledge of grammar but also have abundant vocabulary To a comprehension exercise, students need to understand at least 60-70% of the vocabulary, meaning of reading If students not understand this, the reading will often provide too little information Therefore, students cannot find the answer to choose the multiple questions Before reading, students should be equipped with a quantity of vocabulary about 3000 words and some fixed grammatical structure For national exams, the new words are wide and quite diverse In this case, we need to learn words from basic to advanced Instructure students to learn new words through film, picture or in the process of doing comprehension exercises Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen II.CONTENT Theoretical background Reading comprehension skill is one of the most difficult skills because it needs many factors such as vocabulary, grammar to answer the question Students are not often easy to get an answer quickly, translate the meaning of it Even though they have found the passage that relates to the answer but in some case, they cannot find out the answer Maybe they not know the closest meaning, opposite meaning, the way to move from specific nouns into common nouns, change part of speech and use other structures Reality before applying the research Understanding the student’s difficulties , teacher must know how to simplify the types of questions in order that the students can increase their interest, help them see that this skill is not too difficult as they thought, make students feel passion for all types of questions as well as for English subject Researches and solutions that have been used to solve problems Teacher must find the measures to solve the difficulties of reading comprehension skills, provide many examples from easy to difficult, ask students to look up and learn by heart all kind of words that concern vocabulary or the structure as a source of examples for the following exercises Besides, teacher need to ask them to this one for each topic to realize what kind of vocabulary is used for that topics, help them increase vocabulary for other skills, such as filling in the blanks, etc; Show students that they have to understand certainly the skill of each type, practice more and more to be abundant experience for themselves As the student’s difficulties I see, through researching and teaching, I have given some interesting methods for this skill, here are some experiences myself so as to help students cope with the difficulties of reading comprehension skills 3.1 Reading comprehension skills Before doing reading comprehension exercises, students have to understand clearly some basic skills There are three basic skills that often appear in reading 3.1.1 Skimming ● Definition Skimming refers to the process of reading only main ideas within a passage to get an overall impression of the content of a reading selection ● When is skimming skill used? - Skimming to find the significance of readings in order to determine where is the important information; to determine the main keywords - After skimming a passage, you will determine whether you need to read this skill then ● How to skim - Read the title and the introduction or the first paragraph - Read the first sentence of every other paragraph and any heading and sub-heading Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen - Notice any pictures, charts or graphs, any italicized or boldface words or phrases - Read the summary or last paragraph 3.1.2 Scanning ● Definition Scanning is a reading technique to be used when you want to find specific information quickly In scanning you have a question in your mind and you read a passage only to find the answer, ignoring unrelated information ● When is Scanning skill used? Scanning is often used when searching for data such as names, dates, parameters or words in texts without reading and understanding all the other parts of the questions or for students, after completing skimming they can apply Scanning to find the exact answer ● How to Scan - State the specific information you are looking for - Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer - Use heading and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for - Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage 3.1.3 Paraphrasing ● Definition Paraphrasing is using your own words to express someone else’s ideas whilst still preserving the main ideas of the original source For example: * Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change of women * Paraphrases: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women ● Some paraphrase’s technique This technique consists of the following ways: ♦ Using synonyms For example: * A car exhibition → An auto show * To identify problems in the system → To expose defects in the system ♦ Using antonyms For example: * The public school is opened to Monday through Saturday →The public school is closed on Sunday * To encourage better attendance → To have fewer absences ♦ Moving from a specific noun into common noun For example: Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen * They are buying some apples →they are buying some fruits * She has bought a microwave oven for two days → She has bought a kitchen ♦ Moving from a common noun into a specific noun For example: * Fossil fuels → coal, oil, and gas * Transportation → bus, subway, train and airline service ♦ Word class conversion For example: * He cycles very slowly → He is very slow cyclist * To take occasional walks →To walk occasionally ♦ Using other structures For example: * High salary based on the level of prior experience →Pay depends on how much experience the employee has * Public parking is available, but limited → Visitors aren’t easy to find a place to park 3.1.4 Kinds of basic question in reading comprehension skills There are nine questions that usually appear in reading comprehension It is divided into three main groups: the question of main idea, the question of specific information and reference, the question of vocabulary ● The questions of main idea - Question 1: Finding the main idea of the reading - Question 2: Finding the purpose of the reading In general, the readings are at least a question of this type, it can be asked in many different forms but finally, it will ask students to identify “topic”, “title”, “ subject” “main idea” Here is a main ideas questions table which helps students understand exactly for this ones Main ideas questions Some kinds of main -what is the topic/subject of the passage? ideas questions -what is the main idea of the passage? -what is the author’s main point in the passage? -what is the author’s main purpose in the passage? The answer -The question is usually located the first or last of each paragraph If the main idea isn’t the first or last of each paragraph, we will it after completing all other questions The method -Read the first line of each passage -Find the most common idea in the first line and the relationship between them Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen -while reading, pay attention to the keywords that is repeated several times -skim all passage to check the correct content -Eliminate wrong answers certainly, normally, the main idea isn’t too general, too specific or not mentioned -Choose the best answer in other options ♦ Give the example to explain this method An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material adversely Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the extensive list of harmful substances known today As technology has developed and knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air pollutants has lengthened In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air pollutant under certain conditions Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, are found in nature As the earth developed, the concentration of these pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in biogeochemical cycles These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the compounds to move from the air to the water or soil On a global basis, nature’s output of these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city In such a region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles The result is an increased concentration of noxious chemicals in the air The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area For example , sulfur dioxide has detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm Question: what does the passage mainly discuss? A the economic impact of air pollution B what constitutes an air pollutant C how much harm air pollutants can cause D the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere Explain the answer Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen Skimming the first and last each paragraph to find the main idea the passage Then, we can use elimination to find the best answer A the economic impact of air pollution is not mentioned B the passage refers to the pollutants in the 14th century in England until now C the passage is not mentioned about how much harm air pollutants can cause D the effects of compounds added to the atmosphere this isn’t main idea the passage ►The correct answer is B (what constitutes an air pollutant) -Question 3: Identify organizational ideas, general organization or attitude This kind of question, we are often asked to identify passage’s organization or author’s attitude For question about organization, we should pay attention to the connection words between paragraphs For the question about author’s attitude, we should notice the adjective expression Organization question Signal Time order/chronological order Firstly, secondly, finally, next, then Cause and Effect Because, since, as, as a result Definition and example Define, mean, indicate Comparison and contrast On the other hand, more, less, most Problem-solution Cause, result in/ deal with ♦ Provide the example for this kind’s question Increasing numbers of parents in the US are choosing to teach their children at home In fact; the US department of education has estimated that in 1999, about 850.000 children were being homeschooled Some educational experts say that the real number is double this estimate, and the ranks of homeschooled children seem to be growing at the average rate of about eleven percent every year At one time, there was a theory accounting for homeschooling: it was traditionally used for students who could not attend school because of behavioral or learning difficulties Today, however, more parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their own children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the educational system Many parents are unhappy about class size, as well as problems inside the classroom Teacher shortages and lack of funding mean that, in many schools, one teacher is responsible for thirty or forty students Escalating classroom violence has also motivated some parents to remove their children from school Although there have been a lot of arguments for and against it, homeschooling in the U.S has become a multi-million dollar industry, and it is growing bigger and bigger There are now plenty of websites, support groups, and conventions that help parents protect their rights and enable them to learn more about educating their children Though once it was the only choice for troubled children, homeschooling today is an accepted alternative to an educational system that many believe is failing Question: The attitude of the author towards homeschooling can be best described as… A acceptable B favorable C remarkable D unfavorable Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen Explain the answer: For this kind of question, we should after skimming all passage to understand the passage’s main content to find the attitude of author In this passage, the author gives the thesis about the trend of increasing numbers parents for homeschooling in the USA The reasons for this trend are taking place and developing, so the author’s attitude is positive ►The best answer is B (favorable) ● Stated detail questions -Question 4.Determining information that appears in the reading The question about determining information in reading always asks little detailed information in reading Answer for the question is available information in the reading Normally, the correct answer is only “restatement” again the information by using different expression words Below is the table’s stated detail question Stated detail questions -According to the passage, The questions -It is stated in the passage…………………… -The passage indicates that……………………… -Which of the following is true…………………… The answer It is located in the reading The methods -Underline main word, important idea in the reading -Use scanning skills to find appropriate passage to read carefully information -Read carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question -Eliminate the mistake options and choose the best answer ♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions An air pollutant is defined as a compound added directly or indirectly by humans to the atmosphere in such qualities as to affect humans, animals, vegetation, or material adversely Air pollution requires a very flexible definition that permits continuous change When the first air pollution laws were established in England in the fourteenth century, air pollutants were limited to compounds that could be seen or smelled- a far cry from the extensive list of harmful substances known today As technology has developed and knowledge of the health aspects of various chemicals has increased, the list of air pollutants has lengthened In the future, even water vapor might be considered an air pollutant under certain conditions Many of the more important air pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, are found in nature As the earth developed, the concentration of these Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen pollutants was altered by various chemical reactions; they became components in biogeochemical cycles These serve as an air purification scheme by allowing the compounds to move from the air to the water or soil On a global basis, nature’s output of these compounds dwarfs that resulting from human activities However, human production usually occurs in a localized area, such as a city In such a region, human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles The result is an increased concentration of noxious chemicals in the air The concentrations at which the adverse effects appear will be greater than the concentrations that the pollutants would have in the absence of human activities The actual concentration need to be large for a substance to be a pollutant; in fact, the numerical value tells us little until we know how much of an increase this represents over the concentration that would occurs naturally in the area For example , sulfur dioxide has detectable health effects at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) , which is about 400 times its natural level of 0.1 ppm and is not usually a pollutant until its level reaches about 15 ppm Question: According to the passage, human –generated air pollution in localized regions………… A can be dwarfed by nature’s output of pollutants B can overwhelm ( lấn át )the natural system that removes pollutants C will damage areas outside of the localized regions D will react harmfully with natural pollutants Explain the answer: “Key words” in the question is “human-generated” “air pollution” “localized regions” So, we have to use scanning skill to find where key word located in the passage is We can see the information in sentence: “human output may be dominant and may temporarily overload the natural purification scheme of the cycles” ►The correct answer is B (can overwhelm the natural system that removes pollutants) ●Unstated detail questions -Question 5: Determining information that is not mentioned in the passage It means that you find the answer which its content isn’t mentioned It often appears the words such as: “not mentioned” “not stated” “all the following options are true Except” or “not true” This kind of question has three options that contain the same information in the paragraph and one question is not mentioned in the ones Below are the table’s unstated detail questions Unstated detail questions The question -Which of the following is not stated/mentioned…? -Which of the following is not discussed…………? -All of the following are true except………………? The answer The answer is the information that is not mentioned in the passage or it is a incorrect answer Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school The method Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen -Read carefully the question and the available options, underline key words -Skim quickly to choose the appropriate information part for key words -Eliminate the options that is mentioned or correct in the reading -Choose the answer that is not mentioned or incorrect ♦ Provide the example for this stated detail questions Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as microns Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathoderay tube devices The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age Question: Fiberscopes are being used to all of the following Except……… A assist in delicate surgeries B control operations in inaccessible areas C converts light pulses to electrical signals D transmit images Explain the answer: The information in passage “In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery (A) Miniature probes Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 10 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas (B) They can transmit images (D) ►The answer is C (Convert light pulses to electrical signals) ● Question about where in the passage -Question 6: Finding the information where is in the passage This question asks to find information in the question about where is the information mentioned in the passage, it is located in where line or paragraph in reading The answer will be lines or paragraphs that have the information Below is the table’s question about where in the passage Question about where in the passage The question Where in the passage…………….? The answer The answer is some connective lines in the reading which contain the information of question The method -Determine the key word or main idea of the question ;read quickly the options -Skim all passage to find out the information’s location of key word in the question -Choose the best answer ♦ Provide the example for this question about where in the passage Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as microns Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 11 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age Question: Where in the passage does the author discuss the use of miniature probes in medicines? A at the end of paragraph B in the middle of paragraph C at the beginning of paragraph D at the end of paragraph Explain the answer: To answer the question, we should read carefully the question and underline the key words “use of” “miniature probes” “medicines” to determine the content you need Then, look quickly the location of key words We can see the information “Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells” ►The answer is B (In the middle of paragraph 2) ● Implied detail questions -Question 7: Question about inference This question usually asks you to give conclusions or inferences about detailed information in the passage This question contains the words “implied, inferred, probably” These words help you realize the signal of this question The answer isn’t directly available in the passage We have to rely on the available information to infer and give the conclusion Below is the table’s implied detail questions Implied detail questions The question -It is implied in the passage that…………… -It can be inferred from the passage that… -It is most likely that…………… -What probably happened…….? The answer The answer for the question is based on understanding yourself in the readings However, we can find the order of readings The method -Find out key words -Skim to find where is the location of key words -Read carefully sentences that contain key words -Find out the appropriate answer in the passage -Use elimination for the most incorrect answer, then, choose the best answer in the rest of options ♦ Provide the example for question about inference Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 12 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as microns Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathoderay tube devices The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age Question: It can be inferred from the passage that fiberscopes……………… A have more uses in industry than in medicine B will play a major role in the information age C will decrease in importance as they become more common D have reached the peak of their development Explain the answer: To the sentence, you should underline key words in the question The passage talks about fiberscope’s major role in the information age The key words are “major role in the information age” We can find out the information “Fiberscopes will form the basis of the “electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age.” For question about inference, we should combine all skills to do, understand the part of speech and topics that is mentioned in the passage ►The correct answer is B (will play a major role in the information age) ● Reference questions -Question 8: Finding out word or phrase word that is referred to the passage Commonly, this question often use pronouns “she, he, they… ” or “them, it, him” , possessive “ their , its” or “ this, that, these, those” to use the word that will be inferred The question usually appears the word “refer” and you only read carefully the reference questions and the previous sentences The answer is in the previous sentence or reference sentence Below is the table’s reference questions Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 13 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen Reference questions The question The word “X” in the passage refers to The answer It is the phrases in previous sentence or reference questions The method -Read the questions and available options -Skim to find out reference word in the question -Read carefully the sentence that contains reference word and the previous sentence, find out phrases which is listed in the choice of answer -Use elimination for the most incorrect answer, then, Choose the best answer in the rest of options ♦ Provide the example for question about inference Fiberscopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as microns Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age Question: The word “They” in paragraph refers to………… A fiberscopes B light – wave communication systems C television programmes D telephone call Explain the answer: Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 14 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen The information in sentence “Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system and they” ► The correct answer is B (light – wave communication systems) ● Vocabulary in context question -Question 9: Finding out synonyms or antonyms This is kind of difficult question that ask you to guess the meaning of a difficult word It often appears and based on context in the passage However, it will have some signals for you to guess Below is the table’s vocabulary in context question Vocabulary in context question The questions - What is the meaning of “X” in line “Y” -The word “X” in line “Y” could be replaced by… -Which of the following word has the closest meaning with the word “X” in line “Y” -Which of the following has the opposite meaning with the word “X” in line “Y” The answer Base on the information around word which is given in the passage to guess the meaning of word The method -Find the word in the readings -Read carefully the sentence that contain the word you need -Look for clues in context to help you understand the meaning of the word -Choose the answer that context shows ♦ Provide the example for question about inference Fiber scopes are one of the most important outcomes of the science of fiber optics Fivers made of glass and transparent acrylic plastic are capable of conveying light energy, and when thousands of these fibers are combined in what is called a fiberscope, they can transmit images The most common fiberscopes contain about 750,000 fibers, each 0.001 centimeter, or 10 microns, in diameter For certain uses, the diameter of the fiber may be as small as microns Fiberscopes have a wide range of applications In the medical field, physicians use fiberscopes to examine internal organs and as an aid in the dedicate surgery Miniature probes have also been developed to view muscle fiber, skin tissue, and blood cells Fiberscopes have also found varied uses in industry, particularly to inspect or control operations in inaccessible areas Bundles of fiberscopes fused together in a solid plate, called a faceplate, are being used in the manufacture of television tubes and other cathode-ray tube devices The most far reaching applications of fiber-optic technology are in communication Optical fibers carry voice message for telephone service The Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 15 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen sound of the voice is electronically broken down into thousands of pulses of second, which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers At the receiving end, the light pulse are converted to electrical signals and the voice message is reconstructed Light-wave communication systems can handle an immensely greater number of telephone calls and television programmes than the current system, and they will form the basis of the “ electronic superhighway” expected to crisscross the nation in the near future of the information age Question: The word "coordinated" in paragraph is closest meaning to A Separated B organized C transformed D deconstructed Explain the answer: We can’t know about the word, but if you read carefully the sentence and its sentence, around, we can guess the meaning of word in context “which causes a transmitting laser to send coordinated pulse of light through the optical fibers” ►The correct answer is B (organized) 3.1.5 Synthetic examples for all the types of question of reading skill There are three valid arguments to support the preservation of endangered species An aesthetic justification contends that biodiversity contributes to the quality of life because many of the endangered plants and animals are particularly appreciated for their unique physical beauty The aesthetic role of nature in all its diverse forms is reflected in the art and literature of every culture, attaining symbolic status in the spiritual life of many groups According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world Another argument that has been put forward, especially by groups in the medical and pharmacological fields, is that of ecological self-interest By preserving all species, we retain a balance of nature that is ultimately beneficial to humankind Recent research on global ecosystems has been cited as evidence that every species contributes important or even essential functions that may be necessary to the survival of our own species Some advocates of the ecological argument contend that important chemical compound derived from rare plants may contain the key to a cure for one of the diseases currently threatening humans beings If we not protect other species, then they can’t protect us Apart from human advantage in both the aesthetic and ecological arguments, the proponents of a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist, a viewpoint stated in the United Nations World Charter for Nature, created in 1982.Furthermore, if humankind views itself as the stewards of all the creatures on Earth, then it is incumbent upon human beings to protect them, and to ensure the continued existence of all species Moral justification has been extended by a movement called “deep ecology”, the members of which rank the biosphere higher Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 16 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen than people because the continuation of life depends on this large perspective To carry their argument to its logical conclusion, all choices must be made for the biosphere, not for people Question 1: Which of the following is the main topic of the passage? A the quality of life B the preservation of species C the beauty of the world D the balance of nature Question 2: According to the passage, what we know from research on global ecosystems? A humans have a responsibility to nature B nature represents spiritual values C a balance of nature is important D nature is very diverse Question 3: The word “perspective” in the third paragraph could best be replaced by: A event B view C ideal D truth Question 4: Which of the arguments supports animal rights? A self- interest argument B aesthetic justification C moral justification D ecological argument Question 5: The author mentions all of the following as justifications for the protection of endangered species EXCEPT A the right to life implied by their existence B the intrinsic value of the beauty of nature C the control of pollution in the biosphere D the natural compounds needed for medicines Question 6: What does the author mean by the statement: According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world? A The world is experienced by nature in various forms that are equally beautiful B people are naturally attracted to beautiful forms rather than to different ones C nature is beautiful because it provides varied experiences for people D an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have an opportunity to enjoy the diversity and beauty of nature Question 7: The word “them” in the third paragraph refers to: A steward B humankind C human beings D creatures Question 8: It can be inferred from the passage that the author A is a member of the “deep ecology” movement B does not agree with ecological self- interest C supports all of the arguments to protect species D participated in drafting Charter for Nature Question 9: The word “unique” in line is closest in meaning to: A active B new C strong D special Question 10: Where in the passage does the author explain how rare species contribute to the health of the human species? Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 17 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen A lines 1-3 B line 5-7 C line 12-15 D line 18-20 ♦ Detailed explanation for all questions Question 1: Which of the following is the main topic of the passage? A the quality of life B the preservation of species C the beauty of the world D the balance of nature This is the kind’s question of main idea The question is usually located the first or last of each paragraph Let’s read the first sentence of paragraph “There are three valid arguments to support the preservation of endangered species” ►The answer is B (the preservation of species) Question 2: According to the passage, what we know from research on global ecosystems? A humans have a responsibility to nature B nature represents spiritual values C a balance of nature is important D nature is very diverse This is the kind’s stated detail questions Let’s underline main word, important idea in the reading “what we know from research on global ecosystems”? Then, let’s read carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question “By preserving all species, we retain a balance of nature that is ultimately beneficial to humankind” ►The correct answer is C (a balance of nature is important) Question 3: The word “perspective” in the third paragraph could best be replaced by: A event B view C ideal D truth This is kind’s vocabulary in context question Read carefully the sentence that contain the word you need “the members of which rank the biosphere higher than people because the continuation of life depends on this large perspective” According to the context, perspective is the same meaning with “view” ►The answer is B (view) Question 4: Which of the arguments supports animal rights? A self- interest argument B aesthetic justification C moral justification D ecological argument This is the kind’s stated detail questions Let’s underline main word, important idea in the reading “Which of the arguments supports animal rights”? Then, let’s read carefully sentences which contain the key and idea in the question “Apart from human advantage in both the aesthetic and ecological arguments, the proponents of a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist ►The answer is C (moral justification) Question 5: The author mentions all of the following as justifications for the protection of endangered species EXCEPT A the right to life implied by their existence B the intrinsic value of the beauty of nature C the control of pollution in the biosphere D the natural compounds needed for medicines Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 18 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen This is the kind’s unstated detail questions Read carefully the question and the available options, underline key words “justifications for the protection of endangered species EXCEPT” and then, skim quickly to choose the appropriate information part for key words by Eliminating the options that is mentioned or correct in the reading:“ The proponents of a moral justification contend that all species have the right to exist”(A)“An aesthetic justification contends that biodiversity contributes to the quality of life because many of the endangered plants and animals are particularly appreciated for their unique physical beauty.”(B)“Another argument that has been put forward, especially by groups in the medical and pharmacological fields, is that of ecological self-interest”(D) ►The correct answer is C (the control of pollution in the biosphere) Question 6: What does the author mean by the statement: According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world? A the world is experienced by nature in various forms that are equally beautiful B people are naturally attracted to beautiful forms rather than to different ones C nature is beautiful because it provides varied experiences for people D an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have an opportunity to enjoy the diversity and beauty of nature According to the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world? It means that you have to understand author’s different significance To this question, you should infer the sentence “the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world” what sentence is it similar with? Using elimination to choose the best answer from understanding yourself about author’s sentence ►The correct answer is “D” “the proponents of the aesthetic argument, people need nature in all its diverse and beautiful forms as part of the experience of the world” is the same with “an appreciation of the Earth requires that people have an opportunity to enjoy the diversity and beauty of nature” Question 7: The word “them” in the third paragraph refers to: A steward B humankind C human beings D creatures This is the kind’s reference questions The answer is the phrases in previous sentence or reference questions You should read carefully the sentence that contains reference word and the previous sentence “Furthermore, if humankind views itself as the stewards of all the creatures on Earth, then it is incumbent upon human beings to protect them” then, find out phrases which is listed in the choice of answer ► The answer is D (creatures) Question 8: It can be inferred from the passage that the author A is a member of the “deep ecology” movement Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 19 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen B does not agree with ecological self- interest C supports all of the arguments to protect species D participated in drafting Charter for Nature This is kind’s implied detail questions The answer for the question is based on understanding yourself in the readings According to passage, we can find that the author have pointed out different perspective basis but improvement to protect species in the world The protection of the species in the world is right However, it has the different view; the author supports all of the arguments to protect species ►The correct answer is C (supports all of the arguments to protect species) Question 9: The word “unique” in line is closest in meaning to: A active B new C strong D special This is kind’s vocabulary in context question Read carefully the sentence that contains the word you need “many of the endangered plants and animals are particularly appreciated for their unique physical beauty” According to the context, “unique” is the same meaning with “special” ►The correct answer is D (special) Question 10 Where in the passage does the author explain how rare species contribute to the health of the human species? A lines 1-3 B lines 5-7 C lines 12-15 D lines 18-20 This is kind’s question about where in the passage Let’s determine the key word or main idea of the question “explain how rare species contribute to the health of the human species?”, then, Skim all passage to find out the information’s location of key word in the question We can see “Some advocates of the ecological argument contend that important chemical compound derived from rare plants may contain the key to a cure for one of the diseases currently threatening human beings.” ►The answer is C (lines 12-15) Effectiveness of research This experience helped me teach effectively So, I will have more knowledge for myself Besides, the most important factor is the understanding of students Many students know how to find out the kind of questions, the location of exact answers I have introduced this method into tests such as 15 and 45 minutes And I found that almost students understand clearly Below is a statistics according to survey each class class 12A1 The number of student 45 The ratio of students to The result of test, survey participate in building student at the end period post Number 35 Ratio (%) Number Mark Ratio (%) 87.4 30 5→8 87.1 Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 20 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen 12A2 43 37 81.8 34 5→8 82.7 11A3 38 34 79.5 30 5→8 58.9 III CONCLUSION General conclusion During my process of teaching, I found the excellent students have solved well all kind of reading comprehension skills, but the average one is not good Because, the excellent students knew about the part of speech, the meaning of word and grammatical structures, etc While average ones not have enough knowledge to answer the questions Therefore, I have introduced all kinds of questions of reading comprehension skills, the locations of answer and the methods to help them overcome problems and not to lose the basic knowledge Recommendation * For my office and colleagues I would like to offer my office to invest more reference books, hold English activities in order that they have many chances to speak and learn English to each other Besides, I hope that my colleagues will cooperate and help me correct mistakes in the process of teaching English * For Department of Education and Training I wish we will be give care to our teaching in a mountainous school for us to feel passionate in our career I know that my research is limited I would like to have many comments from colleagues so that I could accumulate more research for myself Approved by Thanh Hoa May 25th 2016 Written by Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen Sincerely thank! Thach Thanh, May 25th 2016 Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 21 Thach Thanh High school Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen REFERENCES 1.Training reading comprehension skills : Vu Mai Phuong Ha Noi nation university Publisher English Textbook 12 3.General review of thematic English : Luu Hoang Tri Ha Noi Publisher Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 22 ... call Explain the answer: Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition 14 Thach Thanh High school. .. the atmosphere Explain the answer Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High. .. any heading and sub-heading Some effective methods in teaching reading skill for the 12th grade students at Thach Thanh High School to prepare for the national competition Thach Thanh High school