Reflections on the Teaching Mode of English Reading in Senior High Schools

李茜

The new English curriculum attaches great importance to developing students reading ability， including using different reading strategies. Based on the new concept， the author explains how to apply the teaching mode of English reading （pre-reading； while-reading； post-reading） by introducing the teaching design of the reading part of First Aid.

1. Preface

The new Curriculum Standard of English makes it clear that the general goal of English learning is to cultivate students comprehensive skills of using English. This ability is based on their knowledge， skills， attitude， strategies and cultural consciousness. Among them， ability includes listening， speaking， reading and writing. So reading is an important part which carries the main information in a unit. The traditional teaching mode of English reading in China only puts emphasis on word-by-word explanation， syntax analysis and translation exercises. However， the new English curriculum attaches great importance to developing students reading ability such as inferring the meaning of new words from the context and word formation rules， understanding the logical relationships between each sentence in a paragraph， picking out the main ideas in texts， understanding reading materials of different common types and using appropriate reading strategies to find information according to different reading purposes.

How to improve students reading ability as well as how to give English reading courses in an effective teaching mode are key problems for English teachers. Based on the new teaching practice， the author explains how to apply the teaching mode （pre-reading； while-reading； post-reading） by introducing the teaching design of the reading part of First Aid.

2. The application of the teaching mode （pre-reading； while-reading； post-reading）

2.1 Pre-reading

In Pre-reading， students interest is aroused， the topic and reading are led in， and some background information is introduced if needed.

To begin with， I led in first aid with a short video （A father has been cured from cancer， but is choked to death by a hamburger because no one present knows first aid.） Here， students interest was aroused. Then， I asked students to find the definition of first aid in warming up. Later， students could see a picture， “A boy was burnt by hot water”. With the question “Before the boy is sent to hospital， what kind of first aid will his mother give to him？” the reading part “First Aid for Burns” was led in.

2.2 While-reading

While-reading involves task-based reading as well as comprehending， to develop students reading ability， including using different reading strategies.

2.2.1 Fast reading

Students were requested to read the passage quickly， while using the skills of skimming and scanning. Skimming is used to identify the main idea of a text and get an overall impression of the content by reading the title， introduction， and the first paragraph， the first sentence of every other paragraph， or any headings and sub-headings. Scanning is used to find specific information quickly. In scanning， one has a question in the mind and read a passage only to find the answer， with the help of headings and any other aids that help one identify which sections might contain the information looked for， ignoring unrelated information.

About fast reading of First Aid， I prepared five cards， each of which had the main idea of the five parts. I asked students to skim the passage， paying attention to the title and subtitles， and put the five cards in right order. After discussion， I invited one group of students to stand in line in right order putting up the cards. This task was able to practice students skimming ability and make them have an overall perception of the text， at the same time， advanced the class participation.

2.2.2 Detailed reading

Detailed reading is used to help readers get a full understanding of a text， I usually ask students to have a detailed reading for each part or paragraph.

Take First Aid as an example. For part one， I got students to finish four sentences to settle the question “What are the functions of skin？” after reading paragraph one silently. They could develop their reading ability of scanning. With the question “Besides hot water， what other things can cause burns？” we came to the second part. They could refer to the pictures and find out the causes of burns together. Then， with the cohesive sentence， “Different causes can lead to different types of burns， and each type has its own characteristics”， we came to part 3 and 4， types and characteristics of burns. Students read the two parts while listening to the tape， in order to improve their pronunciation and practice their listening. Then by completing a knowledge tree， they knew the three types of burns and which layer of skin was affected in each type. Later， by looking at three pictures and finishing another knowledge tree， students knew the characteristics of burns. Students could also practice getting detailed information. Meanwhile， the teacher dealt with the new words in the process of teaching. “OK， if a person is burnt， different types require different treatment.” We came to the last part， first aid treatment. I asked students to read the part carefully， and put the key phrases of the seven steps in right order. Thus， students knew the procedures of first aid treatment for burns.

2.3 Post-reading

Post-reading is to develop students thinking and is a process of language output， through various forms of activities， such as making dialogues， role play， debate， making posters and so on. Finally， make a summary of the text and infect the students emotionally.

In the post reading of First Aid， I designed an activity “making dialogues and giving first aid”. I prepared six poker cards. Behind each， there was a situation and the relevant first aid treatments. Each group chose one card， discussed and recommended two or three students to make a dialogue and act out the first aid treatment. I also prepared a first-aid kit. Before their preparation， I set an example with one student. “Lily poured a bottle of boiled water onto her hand.” And students could refer to a dialogue pattern. Through this activity， students are able to deal with some emergencies using first aid， while practicing their speaking using the function “giving instructions”.

3. Conclusion

This teaching mode is based on the theory “l(fā)earner-centered and teacher-led”； on the principle of students full participation and cultivating students integrated English skills. In order to realize the mode， teachers should encourage students to take an active part in group cooperation and competition， and students activities should run through the whole teaching process. Lets work together， make the effective teaching mode of English reading in senior high schools more and more perfect.

（作者單位：甘肅省甘南州合作一中）