OVERVIEW
 Describe Skills/Course Structure
 Identified Ss Needs
 Researched Reading Methods
 Experimented With and Observed Methods
 Combined Into One Blended Method
 Outcomes
ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE/IEP AT UF
 Skill Levels 10-60
 Low Beginner to High Advanced
 Skills => Grammar
Listening/Speaking
Reading/Writing
INFORMAL READING RESEARCH
 Observed students in levels 30 – 60
 Kept a log of challenges by 1st language group
---TOEFL/IELTS READING Scores
 Read Books AND articles about reading
 Asked ESL teachers at the ELI and at other IEPs
 Identified Important Issues
STUDENT NEEDS IN ELI/ESL READING COURSE
 READ FASTER
 ENGLISH READING SKILLS
-- TRACKING LEFT/RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM
-- FOCUSING LINE BY LINE
 INCREASED COMPREHENSION
--ABILITY TO SELECT IMPORTANT INFO TO RETAIN
MORE FORMAL RESEARCH SOURCES
 Read articles like:
 “Metacognition and EFL/ESL Reading” by Carrell, Gadjdusek, &
Wise
 “Toward A Realization of Psycholinguistic Principles in the ESL
Reading Class” by Clarke & Silberstein
 “Schema Theory and ESL reading pedagogy” by Carrell &
Eisterhold
 Read books and articles by Dr. Keith Folse like Intermediate
Reading Practice
 Read books and articles like Teaching EFL/ESL Reading and
Writing by Nation
READING HAS MANY COMPONENTS
 PHYSICAL/EYE MOVEMENTS
 MENTAL/BRAIN PROCESSING
 KNOWING SOUNDS OF LETTERS
 MEANINGS OF WORDS/ IDIOM MEANINGS
 GRAMMAR RULES AND CONNECTIONS
 FITTING IN NEW INFO TO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
BEHAVIORS THAT SLOW DOWN READING





READING EACH WORD
VOCALIZING
LOSING FOCUS/RE-READING
MAKING FAULTY EYE-MOVEMENTS
LOSING YOUR SPOT/PLACE
MORE BEHAVIORS THAT SLOW DOWN READING
 SLOWING DOWN PURPOSELY TO IMPROVE
COMPREHENSION
 NOT RECOGNIZING & FIT INTO “SCHEMA”
 NOT EVALUATING WHAT IS IMPORTANT
 TRYING TO REMEMBER ALL
READING FASTER STRATEGIES
 USING A “FOCUSER” (COLOR PLACE MARKER)
 READING IN “CHUNKS” OR WORD GROUPS
 NOT READING EVERY WORD
 READING DAILY FOR 30 MIN.-60 MIN.
 “2 PORTAL” READING
NEEDED PARTS OF THREE METHODS
CHUNKING
PREVIEW/SKIM/SCAN
SPEED READING
CHUNKING READING
 READ IN THOUGHT GROUPS
 GROUP WORDS IN MEANINGFUL PHRASES
 DON’T READ EVERY WORD
PREVIEW/SKIM/SCAN ESL READING
 ASK WHY-REASON READING THIS?
 PREVIEW
--Title/ Bolded words/graphs/charts/pictures
--CONNECT WITH WHAT YOU KNOW
 SKIM
- Read intro paragraph, first sentence & last sentence of each body
paragraph, & read conclusion paragraph
--Create an idea map (cognitive map)
 SCAN--read questions and scan for answers
 MAKE NOTES, CIRCLE WORDS
SPEED READING
 INCREASE EYE SPAN/ USE CIRCULAR & SMOOTH EYE & HEAD
MOTIONS
 FORCE Ss SPEED TO INCREASE SLOWLY
 USE A FOCUSER
 PRACTICE READING PASSAGES FASTER
 USE TIMED READINGS
 CHART/LOG TIME AND COMPREHENSION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME
COMBINED THREE METHODS
 CHUNKING READING
+
 PREVIEW/SKIM/SCAN ESL READING
+
 SPEED READING
LESSON PLAN SEQUENCE
 TARGET LEVELS HIGH INTERMEDIATE TO HIGH ADVANCED LEVELS
 SHOW POWERPOINT
 USE SHORT READINGS 125 WORDS -200 WORDS TO INTRO IDEAS
 SHOW & USE ALL 3 METHODS
 COMBINE
 KEEP TIME AND CALL EACH Ss TIME
 QUESTIONS ANSWERED AFTER STUDENTS COMPLETE READINGS
 EXPLAIN KEEPING LOG & MAKING FIRST ENTRIES
 FIRST WEEK DO 3-4 READINGS/REPEAT POWERPOINT
 AVERAGE AT LEAST 2 EACH WEEK
PRACTICE CHUNKING AS A CLASS
There is a growing interest in old railroad cars. These
old cars remind people of other time. Years ago train
travel was lots of fun. From the late 1800s to the mid1950’s some railroad cars were very beautiful. They were very comfortable, too. This kind
of travel ended when people started to use planes.
Today these old cars are being put to new use. They have
been turned into ice cream parlors, snack bars, and
shops. The cars are used, too, for special rides.
At a sale of old railroad cars, one couple said they
planned to make a car into a fancy store. They would
sell sandwiches and pizzas in it. Another person wanted
PRACTICE PREVIEW /SKIM/SCAN AS CLASS
 USE SAME PASSAGE
 TALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF PREVIEW/SKIM/SCAN
- EXPLAIN EACH STEP AND SAY THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD
BE DOING WITH EACH READING
 MAKE CONNECT WITH WHAT YOU KNOW CHART ON
BOARD
 MAKE COGNITIVE MAP ON BOARD TOGETHER
COGNITIVE MAP OF READING PASSAGE # 1
Introduction P.=> topic and author’s controlling idea and
main supporting ideas (thesis)
Old railroad cars new uses
Old use comfortable and beautiful travel
# 1 Body P.=> new uses =snack bars, shops, ice cream
parlors
# 2 Body P.=>list of other new uses fancy store,
classroom studying stars, name of s town
Conclusion P.=>Prices of old railroad cars $9000,
$25,000, & $200 Restated thesis
PRACTICE SPEED READING STRATEGIES AS A CLASS
 USE SAME PASSAGE
 TALK THROUGH AND USE FOCUSER ON COMPUTER
PROJECTION OF READING
 EXAGGERATE EYE MOVEMENTS AND SHOW
POWERPOINT PROCESS
FOCUSER SAMPLE
There is a growing interest in old railroad cars. These
FOCUSER
EYES
old cars remind people of another time. Years ago trains….
STUDENTS KEEP A CHART/LOG OF WORDS PER MINUTE
& COMPREHENSION
 USE DATA FROM FIRST TWO READINGS-WORDS PER
MINUTE/COMPREHENSION
 SHOW HOW TO CALCULATE USING COMPUTER PROJECTION
 ENTRY OF DATA IS Ss JOB AFTER DAY # 1
 LOG COMPLETION IS HOW ACTIVITY GRADED-PARTICIPATION
STUDENTS KEEP A CHART/LOG
GRADUALLY INCREASE IN EACH READING:
 NUMBER OF WORDS
 VOCABULARY LEVEL
 GRAMMAR COMPLEXITY
 NUMBER AND DIFFICULTY OF COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
 BUT DECREASE SIZE OF FOCUSER TO A PENCIL
ASSESS ABILITIES OF CLASS TO DECIDE RATE OF
INCREASE
 SOME SEMESTERS ONLY USE THE FIRST THREE SETS OF
READINGS
 THIS SEMESTER ACTUALLY GRADUATED TO USING TOEFL & IELTS
TEST READING PASSAGES AND QUESTIONS
 SPEED SLOWS DOWN AT FIRST ON THOSE TEST READINGS
 LATER SPEED IMPROVES
STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING TEST QUESTIONS
BOOKS & READINGS I’VE USED
 Intermediate Reading Practices Revised by Keith Folse
 MYSTERY Readings from ELI Files
 Peterson’s Master TOEFL Reading Skills (PBT) by Peterson
 Reader’s Choice 5th Edition by Silberstein, Dobson & Clarke
 Reading Power 2 Fourth Edition by Jeffries & Mikulecky
 The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test iBT Edition by B. Rogers
OUTCOMES
 SIX YEARS (2-3 SEMESTERS EACH YEAR) OF WORKING &
IMPROVING METHOD
 ALMOST 100% IMPROVED AT LEAST A SMALL % IN SPEED &
COMPREHENSION
 ONLY 3 STUDENTS IN 6 YEARS LOGs SHOWED NO CHANGE
--1ST MANY ABSENCES AND TARDIES OVER ½ THE TOTAL HOURS
FOR SEMESTER
-2ND STUDENT WAS ALREADY AN EXCELLENT READER
-3RD THERE WAS NO CLEAR REASON
QUESTIONS?
WANT POWERPOINT & HANDOUTS?
EMAIL ME:
DKELLERM@UFL.EDU
RESOURCES
Carrell,P. & Eisterhold, J. (1988 )“Schema Theory and ESL reading
pedagogy” Instructional. Science, 26, 97-112.
Carrell,P., Gadjdusek, L. , & Wise, T. (1989) “Metacognition and EFL/ESL
Reading” Reading Matrix. 25, 108-125
Clarke, M. & Silberstein, S. ( )Toward A realization of Psycholinguistic
Principles in the ESL Reading Class” . Psychological Journal
Folse, K. (2001) Intermediate Reading Practice Revised Edition. Michigan
Press, USA.
Nation, I.S. P. (2009) Teaching EFL/ESL Reading and Writing . Publishers Routlege.
New York: USA