This presentation introduces how lexical instructions in order to maximize the comprehension of L2 reading.Different approaches to L2 reading are discussed. A framework for the teaching is also provided.
Lexical instruction to improve L2 reading comprehension Prepared by Nguyen Chi Duc, School of English Language Teaching Methodology, University of Languages and International Studies, VNUH Foci Section 1: Lexical load and treatment Understand the effects of lexical load in a text on its comprehensibility; Section 2: Lexical tools in unpacking a text Use Vocabulary Size/Level Test to learn about your students’ current lexical sizes/levels; Use repeated key words and its referents to generate a text’s general topic; Use cohesive devices to draw out the text organization; Use Vocabprofile to analyze the lexical load in a text; Use the outcome from this analysis to select what words to be treated and taught; Use the paraphrased patterns to locate the needed information in a text Use the four strands to select suitable techniques for lexical instruction A text’s comprehensibility In groups of six, brainstorm all the factors influencing your students’ reading comprehension of a text, and then rank them in order of their importance A brief summary of research Background Knowledge Lexical base Comprehension Skills Lexical Quality Hypothesis (Perfetti and Hart, 2000) Lexical Decoding knowledge capacity Text comprehension Empirical findings: Lexicon proves to be the most consistently influential factor on reading comprehension Chall (1958) Klare (1963) Elley (1969) Carrel (1987) Brown (1997) A case study Many students claimed that they could complete the required reading tasks in the textbook, yet without a sufficient comprehension of the target text Discuss the possible reasons for this claim in your groups Threshold of lexical load and a text’s comprehensibility Some key findings from research: Density of 15% unknown words failed to understand (Marks et al., 1974) Density of 8% failed to understand (Freebody & Anderson, 1983) Density of 7% able to understand (Holley, 1973) Density of 5% reasonable understanding (Liu & Nation, 1985) Density of 2% optimal to understand (Nation, 2001) Suggested threshold of known words in a text 95% - 98% known words For Reasonable Comprehension (Nation and Webb, 2011) Analysis of lexical load in a text Discuss the following questions with your partners in your groups: (a) How would you know what words your students may have learnt or yet learnt before you actually start the lesson? (b) How would you know how many words in a text might be unknown to the target students? (c) What so-called “new” words you often choose to teach in the pre-reading stage and why you choose them? Wise Prediction Discuss the benefits of wise prediction in a lesson of reading comprehension: To activate the students’ background knowledge; To activate the top-down process in reading comprehension Wise prediction: A suggested flow Repeated key words and general topic Look at the reading paragraph below, spell out its topic, and describe your way to it Born in Hungary in 1913 as Friedmann Endre Ernő, Capa was forced to leave his native country after his involvement in anti government protests Capa had originally wanted to become a writer, but after his arrival in Berlin had first found work as a photographer He later left Germany and moved to France due to the rise in Nazism He tried to find work as a freelance journalist and it was here that he changed his name to Robert Capa, mainly because he thought it would sound more American Repeated key words and general topic Another try with this one Repeated key words and general topic Discuss and then demonstrate how you would instruct your students this technique Cohesive devices and a text’s organization One of the major causes seems to be the passenger’s behavior or their personality Fear of flying and the feeling of powerlessness associated with flying can lead to irritable or aggressive passengers Also, alcohol consumed on a plane pressurized to 8000ft affects the drinker more quickly and the effects are stronger Many people not take account of this and drinking may increase any negative reaction to the flying environment they have, which, combined with the lowering of their inhibitions, may cause air rage Smoking withdrawal, which some liken in severity to opiate withdrawal, is another major cause of air rage incidents Passengers caught smoking in the toilets occasionally assault flight attendants and have been known to start fires When conflicts occur in these conditions, they can escalate into major incidents if the passenger has a violent personality or a fear of flying and because of the enclosed nature of a plane offers no option of retreat as would be natural in a “fight or flight” reaction Cohesive devices and a text’s organization Read and complete the table below: Cohesive devices and a text’s organization Cohesive devices and a text’s organization Design a similar table for the text below: Lexical paraphrasing and its needed information Read the questions and locate their needed information Remember to describe how you located it Example – Item Wrap-up of the second section Key words and wise prediction Repeated key words and general topic Cohesive devices and a text’s organization Lexical paraphrasing and idea location Self-evaluation of the second section THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT ... four strands to select suitable techniques for lexical instruction 1 A text’s comprehensibility In groups of six, brainstorm all the factors influencing your students’ reading comprehension. .. Knowledge Lexical base Comprehension Skills Lexical Quality Hypothesis (Perfetti and Hart, 2000) Lexical Decoding knowledge capacity Text comprehension Empirical findings: Lexicon proves to be the... 1: Lexical load and treatment Understand the effects of lexical load in a text on its comprehensibility; Section 2: Lexical tools in unpacking a text Use Vocabulary Size/Level Test to