SUGGEST 3 WAYS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS TO MAKE THEIR
STUDENTS READ EXTENSIVELY BY INCORPORATING THESE SEVEN
CHARACTERISTICS OF EXTENSIVE READING.
One way for an English language teacher to make her students read extensively is by setting
up a mini library in the classroom. The mini library should contain wide range of reading
materials available in different genres. This will give freedom for students to choose what they
want to read. The goal is for students to be engaging with materials that are meaningful and
interesting to them. Teacher should allocate a quite time during the class hour for student to
have an individual and silent time for them to read books of their own choice.
Another way is that, teacher encourages students to share what they are reading by allocating
5 or 10 minutes in every class time. Teacher can encourage students to volunteer themselves
to give some brief information about what they are reading and whether they are enjoying it.
This can be done as a whole class or with students in groups. Teacher can also have small
voluntary book review notes available for students to fill in and post on the class bulletin board.
Posting their reviews on a book will encourage other students to read and will also help the
teacher to check if the reading materials are within the linguistic competence of the students.
Students who volunteer themselves and post their reviews on the class bulletin board will be
rewarded with gifts at the end of the month.
Teacher should pair up students who have the same interest in reading materials to become
reading buddies. Reading buddies read the same book and can ask each other for clarification
if needed. They can even shadow read where one student reads aloud and the other reads along
and then they swap roles. Students sharing ideas together could provide motivation and help
maintain interest in reading. Allowing students to talk to each other during an extensive reading
session, a short pre-reading chat about what they have been reading so far or what they think
will happen next, might enhance engagement.