The warm up activities in motivating the 11th grade students at uong bi high school to develop their reading skills

ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN THU PHƯƠNG THE WARM-UP ACTIVITIES IN MOTIVATING THE 11TH GRADE STUDENTS AT UONG BI HIGH SCHOOL TO DEVELOP THEIR READING SKILLS 2018 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The study would not have been completed without enthusiastic support and encouragements of many people First of all, I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thanh Long who has contributed to my study with a wide multitude of useful suggestions, critical comments, valuable advice and encouragements I also would like to thank the teachers from School of Foreign languagesThai Nguyen University, who have given me useful advices and conditions for the completion My sincere acknowledgement of all English teachers and students at Uong Bi high school who have helped me to carry out the surveys for my research The study has been progressed with all my attempts but there have been still limitations and mistakes Therefore, I look forward to receiving sincere comments from all of you! ii ABSTRACT This study aimed at investigating how to develop situation of teaching and learning by using motivational activities The study addresses issues of teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards warm-up activities in reading lessons, students’ favorite activities, problems the teachers encounter when conducting warm-up activities in teaching writing lessons, students' assessments on the benefits of warm-up activities and finding out some suggested warm-up activities applied to teach reading lessons with the aim to make teaching and learning reading more effective The participants of the study included English teachers and 122 students of the 11th grade at a High School The data were collected by means of questionnaires and class observations, but the main one is the questionnaires Both the quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in this study Data analysis was mainly based on the quantitative method The collected information was analyzed, compared, commented, and presented under the forms of tables The result of the study provided encouraging evidence to indicate that most of the teachers and students at Uong Bi High School appreciate the role of warm-up activities in teaching and learning reading lessons However, the survey revealed that there were a number of difficulties that existed in reading lessons used warm-up activities Some detailed suggestions are recommended within the wish to contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning reading skills through warm-up activities TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims of the study .2 Research questions The scope of the study .2 Significance of the study Method of the study: Design of the study .3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of reading 1.1.1 What is “reading”? 1.1.2 What is “teaching reading”? 1.1.3 The importance of reading 1.2 Warm-up activities in teaching and learning 1.2.1 What is “warm-up”? .7 1.2.2 The importance of warm-up activities 1.3 Motivation 1.3.1 Definition 1.3.2 Using games to motivate students in warm-up activities .10 1.3.2.1 Definition of game .10 1.3.2.2 Games motivate learner .11 1.4 Reading motivation 12 1.4.1 Organismic Theories of Motivation 13 1.4.2 Relating motivation to read and emergent reading skills: A 13 measurement validation study 13 1.4.2.2 Motivation for reading 14 1.4.2.3 Motivation and engagement 15 1.4.3 Motivating students to actively engage in reading .15 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .17 2.1 Setting of the study .18 2.2 Participants of the study 18 2.3 Research methodology 18 2.3.1 Methods of data collection .19 2.3.1.1 Questionnaire .19 2.3.1.2 Questionnaire for students 20 2.3.1.3 Questionnaire for teachers 20 2.3.2 Class Observations 20 2.3.3 Methods of data analysis 21 2.4 Data collection and analysis of observations 21 2.5 Description of situation 23 2.6 Material 24 2.7 Data collection and Procedures 24 2.7.1 Collection of the Questionnaire Data .24 2.7.2 Collection of the Class Observation Data 25 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 27 3.1 Research results 27 3.1.1 Data analysis of the students’ survey questionnaires .27 3.1.1.1.The situation of learning reading skills at the 11thgrade inUong Bi high school 27 3.1.1.2 How warm-up activities motivate students in reading lessons 29 3.1.2 Data analysis of the teachers’ survey questionnaires .31 3.2 Data analysis of the class observation 32 3.3 Discussions .33 3.3.1 Situation of learning reading in Uong Bi high school 34 3.3.2 How warm-up activities motivate students in reading lessons 34 3.3.3 The situation of teaching to develop students' reading skills 35 3.4 Summary 35 PART C: CONCLUSION .35 Conclusions of the study .36 Suggested games and other activities for warm-up in reading lessons at Uong Bi high school 38 2.1 Games for warm-up activities collection 38 2.1.1 Board Race .38 2.1.2 Hangman 38 2.1.3 Pictionary 39 2.1.4 Hot seat .39 2.1.5 Chain game .40 2.1.6 Noughts and Crosses 41 2.1.7 Lucky numbers 42 2.1.8 Slap the board 43 2.1.9 Network 43 2.1.10 Pass the ball 44 2.2 Other activities for warm-up .44 2.2.1 Songs 44 2.2.2 Discussion 45 REFERENCES 46 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: Situation of learning reading inUongBihighschool .27 Table 1.2: How warm-up activities motivate students in reading lessons 29 Table 1.3: The situa tio n of teaching to dev elo p students’ reading skil lsin a high school 31 vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study English has been considered to be an integral subject for students from Primary school system to University system In fact, there are a lot of parents who orient their children need to learn English at age of three Furthermore, English clubs and English centers are developed over provinces in Vietnam This means that English is being more and more appreciated However, how learners find out the most effective method to teach and learn English? It is concerned by a great deal of teacher, parents and students How to teach four basic language skills such as speaking, listening, reading and writing is thoughtful consideration Of these four skills, reading skills are paid attention by numerous students; however, to start a lesson that makes students feel contented is not straightforward Besides, how to motivate students in the warm-up activities is the anxiety of many teachers Warm-up activities in language classes have been a prominent topic in methodology In fact, this is the beginning of a lesson and has a great impact on the classroom, excitement and efficiency of the class Recognizing this fact and the importance of this aspect, the thesis title “The of warm-up activities in motivating the 11th grade students at Uong Bi high school to develop their reading skills” was conducted with the hope of contributing to some extent to the teaching method and providing some informative knowledge Reading skills are a weighty skill at high schools because reading comprehension is always appeared in midterm exams, semester exams, and entrance exams However, it is also a complicated skill Many students feel that learning reading skills is intricate and tiresome Motivating students has a positive impact on learning because they take an advantage of a given opportunity and show intense effort and concentration in the implementation of learning process So how to motivate students to learn reading skills better is an aspect that teachers need to concern about To make an English teaching period effectively, the teacher has to create the learning environment to motivate students from the beginning There are numerous ways to motivate of students in reading lesson and warm-up activities as one of the most effective ways An effective warm-up can also be a high-quality way which helps students to feel more excited with a reading lesson Based on the consideration above, the present study tries to investigate the warm-up activities in motivating the 11th grade students to develop their reading skills Aims of the study The study was conducted with the aims to: - Improve reading skills of high school students - Motivate students to participate in warm-up reading activities Research questions The following research questions were investigated in the study: How does the use of warm up activities increase the level of high school students’ motivation for reading in English? How does the use of warm up activities improve high school students’ reading comprehension in English? The scope of the study There are various warm-up activities to apply for reading lessons That is why the researcher cannot cover all the knowledge related to the topic However, the most important items about reading skills and warm-up activities to motivate students are mentioned in this study Due to limit of the thesis, only one high school was chosen as the research setting This study included warm-up activities used in teaching and learning reading skills in 11thgrade Significance of the study The findings of the study contributed a number of strong points to students, teachers, and researchers of the related fields First of all, teachers received benefits from the information the research provides Teachers would have an overview look at the benefits of warm-up activities Secondly, the study was also significant for the students It was expected that the students could learn reading skills more effectively Finally, the study could give contribution to other researchers as references in conducting further researches Method of the study: The researcher decided to use quantitative method because the main content of this study would be based on the data collected from questionnaires to collect, analyze and tabulate the data However, quantitative method alone is not reliable and valid enough to have strong evidence for the study The adoption of both quantitative and qualitative methods would help the researcher collect the most precise and pertinent information for the study This study followed method steps below: (1) Prepare questionnaires for teachers and students; (2) Collect data from questionnaires to analyze tabulate the data; (3) Attend teachers who teach reading skills with different warm-up activities; (4) Observe students' attitudes, classroom atmosphere, the things that students can improve after lessons with warm-up activities Design of the study This minor thesis is divided into three parts: This is one of our students’ favorite games and is always at the top of the list when teachers ask them what they want to play Hot Seat allows students to build their vocabulary and encourages competition in the classroom They are also able to practice their speaking and listening skills and it can be used for any level of learner How to play this game? Please follow the steps below: + Teachers split the class into teams, or more if you have a large class and elect one person from each team to sit in the Hot Seat, facing the classroom with the board behind them + Teachers write a word on the board One of the team members of the student in the hot seat must help the student guess the word by describing it They have a limited amount of time and cannot say, spell or draw the word + Teachers continue until each team member has described a word to the student in the Hot Seat 2.1.5 Chain game This game is very suitable for students to use all their vocabulary about the subject to the teacher Sometimes with good students, they also give words related to the vocabulary of reading lesson To play this game, the dispatcher performs the following guidelines: + Teachers divide classes into groups and give the topic to students + Teachers say a sentence and the groups in turn place the sentences successive sentences of the teacher and of the other groups + The team that won more than the winner For example: - Teacher: In my classroom, there is a blackboard big - Group 1: In my classroom, there is a blackboard and a door - Group 2: In my classroom, there is a blackboard and a door They are very 41 2.1.6 Noughts and Crosses I have applied this game many times in my class as a warm-up activity of the reading class It not only creates excitement for the students, but also helps me to come up with some simple vocabulary related to the topic Here are the instructions for conducting this game: + Teacher who rips the boxes on the board, each box contains one word (or one picture) For example, a teacher can utilize a table of words as the table below: h ot p ar ri ce la k ri ve fl o tr ee sc h vi lla He/she can also use the pictures below: + Teacher can divide students into two groups: one group is “Noughts” (O) and one group One group is “Crosses” (X) Two groups select from within the boxes and makes sentences with the word (For instance, there is a hotel near my house.) The group that makes the same turn, the group that sets the correct sentence will be an “O” or “X” Which group has three “O” or “X” in a vertical, horizontal or vertical row become winners 2.1.7 Lucky numbers This is a traditional game in English teaching and it is used by all teachers It is an old game but it still attracts the attention of the students and makes them feel interesting with this game To play lucky numbers, follow these steps: + Teachers divide the class into groups, but according to the number of students in the class and write a few numbers on the board + In those numbers there will be lucky numbers VD: 2, 5, If the student gets the lucky number, the student will get points If the student doesn’t get the lucky number, she or he has to answer a question With a correct answer, students will get points If a group’s answers are wrong, other groups will continue to answer the question The group that scored more was the winner 2.1.8 Slap the board This is also one of the great games used in teaching English How to run this game? A teacher may follow these steps: + Teachers write new words or post pictures on the board Then the teacher calls the two groups up on the board, with groups of four to five students + The teacher asks the groups to stand at an equal distance from the table and shout from the Vietnamese if the table is in English and vice versa (if the pictures are shouting the English word) Next, each student in the two groups ran up the table, pounding on the called word + Students in the group who it right and faster score The team that scores more points wins 2.1.9 Network This game is very interesting but it is suitable for students who are more capable and knowable than other students Therefore, this game should be applied with the English select class This game is made by following these steps: + The teacher divides the class into two teams and requires each student to participate in only one session + Teachers come up with the main topic and ask them to find meaningful words related to this main topic But a student can only write once + After minutes, the teacher checks Teams that write correctly and accurately will score the most For example, teachers choose topic: Friendship and ask students to write the words related to this topic trustable believable enthusiastic sad FRIENDSHIP happy humorous understanding sharing 2.1.10 Pass the ball This is a popular game in recent years At first, it was applied with the number of students about 10-15 students as in foreign language center They are sitting in circles and participating in the game However, this game can still be applied to classes with more students Teachers follow these steps: + Teachers give a subject and give the ball to the students + The teacher asks the students to take the ball one by one and then bring it to the others while the teacher plays the song When the teacher turns off the music, if the student holds the ball, he or she must give a vocabulary about the subject that the teacher requires 2.2 Other activities for warm-up 2.2.1 Songs Using the song as a warm-up activity is more limited than using games; So, it is rarely used by high school teachers It's not an easy task to find a song that is relevant and relevant to the textbook lesson However, for some lessons, teachers can still find the song with the content associated with the lesson Looking at the example below, this is the lyrics of the song “The cup of life”: The (1) of life, this is the one Now is the time, don't ever stop Push it along, gotta be strong Push it along, right to the top The feeling in your soul is gonna (2) Nothing can hold you back if you really want it I see it in your eyes, you want the cup of life Now that the day is here, gotta go and get it Do you really want it (yeah) Do you really want it (yeah) (3) , ale, ale, ale Go, go, go, ale, ale, ale Tonight's the night we're gonna (4) The cup of life, ale, ale, ale The cup of life, it's or die It's here it's now, (5) the lights Push it along, then let it roll Push it along, go, go, go After listening to this song, the teacher can ask some questions related to the song and the topic of the lesson This is also a warm-up form when teaching reading skills 2.2.2 Discussion This is a traditional method that teachers use without the time to prepare for a game The teachers give the picture and then ask questions for the students to discuss in groups or in pairs In some case, teachers directly give questions to ask students and lead them to the topic of the lesson Example in unit 9, grade 11 textbook: The post office Teachers can ask students to look at the following picture and discuss some group questions How far is it from your home to the nearest post office? 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a years c more than years b years d years Which skill you like the most? a Reading c Writing b Speaking d Listening What you think about the importance of reading skills? a Very important c The most important b Not necesary d Rather improtant What are you most afraid of when you have a reading task? a.Not enough time to read c Length of reading b.Vocabulary d Another answer How often your teachers use warm-up activities in reading lessons? a Always c Sometimes b Usually d Rarely How often your teachers use different warm-up activities? a Always c Sometimes b Usually d Rarely In your opinion, how often should warm-up activities be used in reading lesson? a Always c Sometimes b Usually d Rarely Do you think warm-up activities used help much in creating a more interesting learning atmosphere to motivate students in reading lessons? a.Very much c Not much b.Quite much d Nothing Do you think warm-up activities used help much in interaction among students in class to develop reading skills? a.Very much c Not much b.Quite much d Nothing I Thank you very much for your cooperation! Appendix 2: Questionnaire for teachers II How long have you been teaching English? a 1-4 years c Over 20 years b 5-10 years d 10-20 years How have you taught reading skills to your students? a Pair work c Individual work b Group work d Both a, b and c How often you organize reading activities for your students? a Rarely c Once or twice in a course b Once a week d Sometimes How you think abotu the importance of warm up activity? a Very necessary c Rather necessary b Not necessary d The most necessary How often you carry out warm up activity in class? a Never c Usually b Sometimes d Rarely Which type of warm up activity is used to motivate students in reading lessons? a Songs c Story telling b Games d Discussion Thank you very much for your cooperation! III ... aspect, the thesis title The of warm- up activities in motivating the 11th grade students at Uong Bi high school to develop their reading skills was conducted with the hope of contributing to some... mostly intermediate level Concerning the warm- up activities in motivating students to develop their reading skills, in 2015, Nhung wrote The use of warm- up activities in motivating 10th form students. .. above, the present study tries to investigate the warm- up activities in motivating the 11th grade students to develop their reading skills Aims of the study The study was conducted with the aims to: