2. GENERAL BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
ELASH – • Number of
Official contact hours:
Exit Test 648
assessing
I12 • Target : B2
students. CEFR
3. CEFR – B2 LEVEL
B2 - Upper-Intermediate level
Independent User
• Can understand the main ideas of complex texts
on both concrete and abstract topics, including
technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.
Can interact with a degree of fluency and
spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native
speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range
of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical
issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of
various options.
4. CEFR – B2 Level
OVERALL READING COMPREHENSION
Can read with a large degree of independence,
B adapting
2 style and speed of reading to different texts and
purposes
,
and using appropriate reference sources selectively.
Has a
broad active reading vocabulary, but may experience
some difficulty with low-frequency idioms.
5. OVERVIEW
Diagnosis of the problem
Analysis of existing data
Preliminary conclusions &
Hypotheses
Suggestions
7. What is the problem?
ELASH II LISTENING SCORE
(Target score: 107)
ELASH LISTENING SCORE
133.55
130.76 130.45
128.39
127.77
127.13
125.47
124.41
107 Target
8. What is the problem?
ELASH II LANGUAGE USE SCORE
(TARGET SCORE: 126)
ELASH LANGUAGE USE SCORE
128.45
127.13 126.92 126.95 126.91
126.59
125.17
126
123.75 Target
9. What is the problem?
ELASH II READING SCORE
(Target Score: 126)
126 ELASH READING SCORE
Target
120.5
119.65
119.37 119.42 119.35
118.89
117.43
116.58
FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER
10. Why can’t our students reach the target
for the Reading Section?
The test level of difficulty is
way above the average I12
students’ comprehension
level?
The I12 students’ current
vocabulary size and level do
not suffice for successfully
dealing with the ELASH
reading section?
The I12 students lack specific
reading abilities/strategies to
get the specific information
required in the task?
20. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Test
This test rates text on a U.S. school grade level. For example, a score of
8.0 means that an eighth grader can understand the document. For
most documents, aim for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0.
Flesch Reading Ease Test
This test rates text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier
it is to understand the document. For most standard files, you want
the score to be between 60 and 70.
Score Description (EFL students)
90-100 Easily understandable by an average 11-year-old student.
60-70 Easily understandable by 13- to 15-year-old students.
0-30 Best understood by university graduates
23. ELASH/WP : CONTRAST
CHART (Readability)
70
60
50
40 ELASH 2
WORLD PASS
30
20
10
0
FK GRADE LEVEL FK READING EASE
24. ANALYSIS OF OUR
STUDENTS’ WORD
LEVEL/SIZE & READING
STRATEGIES
25. The Vocabulary Levels Test (Nation, P.)
2nd One Thousand Word List
Target : I05
n=139
SCORE Number of Students Percentage
16/30 535 words 16 ss 11.50%
17/30 568 words 11ss 7.90%
18/30 601 words 19 ss 13.60%
19/30 634 words 10 ss 7.10%
20/30 667 words 12 ss 8.60%
21/30 700 words 15 ss 10.70%
22/30 733 words 09 ss 6.40%
23/30 766 words 13 ss 9.30%
24/30 832 words 06 ss 4.30%
25/30 832 words 04 ss 2.80%
26. I05 STUDENTS WORD LEVEL
2nd 1000 WORD LIST
14.00%
12.00%
10.00%
8.00% SCORE (in word families)
6.00%
4.00%
2.00%
0.00%
533 567 600
633 667 SCORE (in word families)
700 733 767
800 833
683.3 wf
29. ANALYSIS OF READING STRATEGIES
REQUIRED BY ELASH 2 TESTS
O Inferences: Readers must draw
conclusions about what is meant based
on clues in the text (“reading between
lines”).
O Scanning
O Skimming
30. Taking the Test: Steps to the
Inferential Strategy
O Test-takers are required to…
O …read the target questions or statements
carefully.
O …identify relevant information related to the
questions or statements in the text.
O …evaluate how logical the link is between the
identified relevant information and the target
statements.
O …double check their line of reasoning,
provided there is enough time.
32. Diagnosis of Teaching Strategies
O Class Observation
O Level: Intermediate
O Formative basis
O Goal: Determine level of effectiveness in the
teaching of reading strategies during textbook
activities
O Outcome:
O Listening and speaking skills are mostly integrated.
O Very good application of “stretching the task” notion.
O Teachers are primarily task-resolution oriented
O Reading strategies are taught neither explicitly
nor consistently
34. SURVEY OF READING STRATEGIES (SORS)
Kouider Mokhtari and Ravi Sheorey, 2002
The purpose of this survey is to collect information about the various strategies
you use when you read school-related academic materials in ENGLISH (e.g.,
reading textbooks for homework or examinations; reading journal articles, etc.).
KEY TO AVERAGES
3.5 or higher = High 2.5 – 3.4 = Medium 2.4 or lower =
Low
INTERPRETING SCORES
1) The overall average indicates how often you use reading strategies when reading
academic materials.
2) The average for each subscale shows which group of strategies (i.e., Global, Problem
Solving, or support strategies) you use most often when reading. It is important to note,
however, that the best possible use of these strategies depends on your reading ability
in English, the type of material read, and your reading purpose.
3) A low score on any of the subscales or parts of the inventory indicates that there may be
some strategies in these parts that you might want to learn about and consider using
when reading
37. Ss’ Use of Reading Strategies
Actual “A learning experience (…) perceived
Low*
to be of high quality can facilitate
Perceived High** learner self-actualization(…)”
Learning
* Based on ELASH scores, current teaching orientation,
observation of classes.
** Based on SORS results
Mercado, L. (2012)
39. Preliminary Conclusions
Vocabulary
• 70% of ELASH vocabulary within the 1-500
wise, range (COCA)
• ELASH texts demands knowledge of a lower
ELASH percentage of academic word list than WP
texts texts (5.7% vs. 22%)
• Our I05 Ss’ word level is around 684 word
appear to families (in the 2nd 1000 word list)
• Vocabulary should not represent a major
be less problem for I12 students taking the ELASH
2. Nevertheless, a minimum knowledge of
demanding 2500 word families (I12) –ideally 3000-
should be expected at the completion of the
than WP Intermediate Phase.
ones.
40. Preliminary Conclusions
Flesch Reading
Reading Ease score for
ELASH texts (60)
Ease is within the ideal
range 60-70
I12 students should be in a good
position to understand the ELASH
texts
41. Preliminary Conclusions
• …Ss’ lack of familiarity with
question formulation in the
reading section, especifically
those related to making
inferences. This weakness, in
turn, is brought about by the fact
ELASH low reading that reading strategies are not
scores are primarily being explicitly and consistently
accounted for by… : taught in class*
* Not ICPNA’s program major focus.
42. Hypotheses
Students will improve their
Performance in ELASH exams
reading skills provided that
is expected to improve thanks to
proper reading strategy
the exposure to typical ELASH
instruction is carried out in
questions.
class.
Extensive reading is likely to be
enhanced due to the
incorporation of reading
techniques that promote
interaction with the text.
(Thinking-Aloud Protocol,
Questioning the Author).
45. Anderson’s Guidelines on How to
Teach Reading Strategies
O Teach specific strategies explicitly.
O Teach strategy clusters.
O Integrate strategies consistently into your
teaching.
O Teach students a wide variety of strategies
From Neil Anderson Teaching ESL/EFL Reading
46.
47. • Making inferences
• Adjusting reading speed to match the material's
difficulty
• Guessing the meaning of unknown words
• Having a purpose in mind for why you're reading
• Highlighting or underlining
• Keying in to your prior knowledge
• Predicting meaning or direction
READING • Previewing a text for length and organization
STRATEGIES • Reading headings
• Rereading the text
• Scanning for specific information
• Skimming for the general sense or main ideas
• Taking notes
• Using a dictionary
• Using visual clues like tables, illustrations, and
figures
48. Raising Awareness –
Metacognitive Level
• QUESTIONING
THINK- THE AUTHOR
ALOUD- • JUSTIFYING
PROTOCOL
YOUR
ANSWER
50. THINK-ALOUD PROTOCOL
O I predict that …
O I can picture …
O A question I have is …
O This reminds me of …
O This is like …
O I’m confused about …
O The big idea here is …
O I believe …
O The author’s purpose seems to be…
51. STUDENT MATERIAL FOR
APPLICATION (Samples)
READING WORKSHEET
I09 UNIT 3
PART A: MAKING PREDICTIONS.
What do you think the reading at page 16 will be about? Look at the
pictures below and predict 5 words that might appear in the text. Justify
your answer.
Before… After …
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
PART B: SKIMMING
Answer the questions below.
1. The main idea of paragraph 2 is that June Diaz changed careers
because:
(A) she realized she had always wanted to be a teacher.
(B) She majored in education.
(C) she wasn’t successful in her business career.
(D) She was offered a promotion.
2. According to the text, crossover teachers are not widely accepted
because
52. READING WORKSHEET / I11
PART A: (MAKING PREDICTIONS) Look at the two pictures below. In general, they reflect what
the article is about. Make predictions about its content by reading the statements below and
writing either “I agree” or “I disagree”.
1. To learn better, it is a good idea to know how the brain works. (_________________)
2. There are two types of memory (___________________)
3. The structure of our brain changes physically as a result of studying. (_________________)
4. The brain can remember better when the information is organized. (_________________)
5. The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. (__________________)
Now, read the article on page 40 in your workbook. If your prediction was correct, whisper, “Yes!”
If your prediction was wrong, whisper, “Oops!!” Say, “Aha!” or “Wow!” if you are learning
something new from the text. Additionally, write one piece of information that you learned out of
this first reading:
________________________________________________________________________________
PART B: (GUESSING MEANING FROM CONTEXT) Mark the best answer to the following questions.
Be ready to justify your answer by thinking aloud.
1. The word “resolve” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to …….. .
a. work out c. make a firm decision
b. avoid d. result
2. The word “key” in the first paragraph means …… .
a. put information into a computer c. instrument
b. unimportant d. deciding factor
3. The word “take in” in paragraph 2 is closes in meaning to ……. .
a. perceive c. ignore
b. misunderstand d. illusion
4. The expression “make up” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to …. .
a. construct c. reconcile
b. accommodate d. memorize
54. SUGGESTION 1: Incorporate
Reading into the Evaluation System
O Reading should be regarded as
an objective grade
O As of WHEN?
O The sooner the better
O How should it be evaluated?:
O Multiple Choice Quiz?
O Post-reading discussion in
class?
56. Why would this change not drastically
affect the current status (grading/ T’s
workload, etc.) ?
O Current 3rd Objective O Suggested 3rd
Evaluation Objective
O Speaking : Ss Evaluation
orally report to O Reading : Ss
teacher/class will orally report
to
teacher/class
ANY GIVEN SOURCE
SOURCE: TEXT
57. Why is this change necessary?
Ss currently are not motivated enough to
do intensive/extensive reading effectively.
Making reading mandatory and graded
will automatically increase the need for
students to get involved in the initiative.
58. SUGGESTION 2: Standardize Effective
Reading Strategy Instruction
O Direct explanation
O Modeling
O Guided practice
O Application
61. SUGGESTION 3: Provide Teachers with
Tools to Model Reading Strategies
O Training
O Video resources
O Written material:
worksheets /
professional reading/
tips
62. SUGGESTION 4: Promote Reading
Portfolios (ALP?)
O SORS.
O Reading Worksheets.
O Graphic Organizers.
O Vocabulary cards (PAVE)
O Vocabulary/learning logs
64. SUGGESTION 5: Promote the Reading
Flow Initiative
O 40 novels (ADV)
O 40 graded readers (INT)
O 18 Reader’s Digest + MAGAZINES (INT)
O 60 Forum magazines (MET)
O Graded Readers available in the library
O Basic : 150 titles*
O Intermediate : 92 titles*
O Advanced : 62 titles*
*In some cases up to 3 copies per title
65. Final Remarks
O Crucial skill
O Teaching of reading strategies
O Mandatory
O Great opportunity
O Now
66. SOURCES
O Anderson, N. (2010) Teaching ESL/EFL Reading. Education to Go, a part
of Cengage Learning.
O Anderson, N. (1999) Exploring Second Language Reading. Heinle & Heinle
O Mercado, L.(2012) English Language Technology. Cengage Learning
O Mokhtari, K., & Sheorey, R. (2002). Measuring ESL students reading
strategies. Journal of Developmental Education, 25 (3), pp. 2-10.
O Phillips, D. ((2006) Preparation Course for the TOEFL TEST. Longman
O SORS: (Adapted from Oxford 1990, pp. 297-300).
O http://www.readingrockets.org/article/21160/
O http://www.readingquest.org/strat/qta.html
O http://www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/graphic_organizers.htm
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgUbdzL7gmk
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHTwGsnQ710
