READING SKILLS IN THE MALAYSIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM

TOPIC 3 &
SELECTING, ADAPTING AND PRODUCING ACTIVITIES &
MATERIALS FOR DEVELOPING READING ALOUD AND
COMPREHENSION SKILLS

SYNOPSIS

Topic 3 introduces you to the key concepts and issues related to teaching reading in
the Malaysian English primary curriculum. The module provides insight into the
nature of reading skills, strategies for metacognition, and describes characteristics of
effective reading pedagogy in the primary school context.

This will be followed by a section on selection, adaptation and production of activities

and materials for various reading activities.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you will be able to:

define the purpose of reading activities in the primary classroom
articulate and deepen primary pupils appreciation and understanding of
reading
identify the learner characteristics that enable effective reading
differentiate types of activities and questions that enable higher order thinking
in reading
reflect on what you have learnt.

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FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS

Reading skills in the Malaysian primary school

English language curriculum

Reading
Reading Skills Reading Aloud Skills
Comprehension Skills

Session Notes: During this module it is expected that course participants will
self-study and be prepared to do these activities in the tutorial in groups or pairs
to construct additional meaning with classmates.

Preview: Reading Survey

Fill out the reading survey below1.

Be prepared to discuss answers with the class.

1
Survey from Unit 10 Teaching Reading: sfs.scnu.edu.cn/chendm1/PPT/Unit%2010.ppt.
Module 3 adapts several materials from this PPT source accessed from the world wide web July, 2012.

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 D
D
A
A
D
A
D

D
A

Reading Activity Chart2

Task

Work with a partner, fill in the chart below with what you already know about
reading.
Once complete, discuss answer together in group.
Add any new information you hear in class.
Next, discuss the question that follow the reading chart.

2
Adapted from Unit 10 Teaching Reading.

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 Exercise: Reading Activity Chart

Reading Reading Aloud Silent Reading Skimming Scanning Comprehension

Activities
Aspects

Objective 1. Practice 1. Reading 1. Get the gist 1. To read 1. To check

pronunciation, for pleasure. of the text. 2. To locate readers
intonation and 2. Reading 2. To skim the specific reconstruction
informatio
stress. for specific key issues of texts.
n
2. Reinforce what information. or events. 2. Questions
3. Noticing
has been learnt. 3. Self-study asked to
key words
3. Hear contents evaluate the
several times and readers
paraphrase their comprehending
English level on a given
pronunciation. subject.

1. Scan 1. Questions
Technique Usually a group Usually an 1. Look for vital
for a to follow up and
activity individual ideas.
activity specific discussion.
2. Read main
word, 2. Write in
1. Can also be points.
phrase, their own words
in groups to 3. Skip facts
name, on what they
How & why achieve and details.
do I do it? date or have
learning 4. Read the
place. understand
outcomes. title.
2. Focu about the given
5. Read the first
s on the text.
and last
letter of 3. Illustrations.
paragraph of
first line.
summary

Problems 1. Need to have 1. Hard to 1. Hard to 1. Pupils can read

1. Teacher needs to
with the determine
a system of determine but they do not know
activity be sensitive to what
evaluation what pupils pupils what has been read.
pupils to who
know.
and checking know. 2. Pupils are not
cannot read aloud
to ensure encouraged to
well.
what pupils repeat verbatim.
2. Make readers
had read. 3. Ask questions to
nervous.
determine pupils
3. Does not
understanding
represent students
level.
accurate reading
ability.

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 Question: What makes effective readers? What skills do effective readers use?

Reading Activity Chart

Check and review your answers below.
Answers may vary.

Reading Reading Aloud Silent Reading Skimming Scanning Comprehension

Activities
Objective Reading aloud is Silent reading can Skimming is Scanning Comprehension is
used to practice be used for a variety used to check means to read used to check
enunciation, stress, of purposes, including readers get the to locate readers
intonation and reading for specific main idea, or specific reconstruction of
reinforce what has information, gist of a text. information. texts that have been
been learnt in class. enjoyment, and self- read.
Reading aloud allows study.
pupils to hear Skim a Move your Teachers ask for
contents several Silent reading gives newspaper eyes across reconstruction of
times and rephrase pupils the choice to report if you sentences and meaning, inferences
their English select what they want wish only to entire predictions, and
pronunciation and to read, that brings understand the paragraphs, conclusions to be
enunciation internally joy and interest to our main events noticing only made inside the
and in spoken pupils. the clue words lessons to show
language. to locate an pupils cognitive
answer. process.

Technique Usually a group Usually an individual Look for the Scan for a Questions to follow
activity activity most important specific word, up, and discussion.
ideas. phrase, name,
date, or place What would you do
However can be used Read for main name, etc. if you were the main
in class or in groups ideas. character in this
to achieve learning Use the arrow story?
outcomes. Skip facts and scanning
How & why details. pattern Comprehension can
do I do it? straight down be shown by asking
Read the title or the column. pupils to write in
legend of their own words or
graphics. Focus on the draw a picture of
first letter of the story sequence
Read the each line. in lower primary.
beginning and
last paragraph
or summary

Problems Teacher needs to be Teachers cannot tell I can learn to I can learn to Some pupils can
with the sensitive to pupils what the student has skim without scan without read, but do not
approach who cannot read learnt or read without actually actually understand what
aloud well. a system of understanding understanding has been read.
evaluation and any of the text. the meaning in This is really difficult
Reading aloud can checking to ensure the text. for the teacher to
make readers pupils are actually Difficult for the ascertain.
nervous and therefore learning from what teacher to Difficult for the
does not accurately they read. determine what teacher to Therefore, teachers
represent student the student determine must ask for
reading ability. knows. what the reconstruction of

21
 student knows. meaning,
inferences,
predictions and
conclusions to be
made inside the
lesson. Pupils must
not be allowed to
just repeat
verbatim.

What do effective readers do?

Effective readers

read silently and aloud

have a clear purpose in reading
read phrase by phrase, rather than word by word
concentrate on the important bits, skim the rest, and skip the insignificant parts
use different speeds and strategies for different reading tasks
perceive the information in the target language rather than mentally translate them
guess the meaning of new words from the context, or ignore them
use background information to help understand the text.

Exercise: Skimming & Scanning

Task

Read the Readers Digest article, Extraordinary uses for dishwashing soap, to
practice skimming for information.
Answer the skimming questions that follow.
Next, read the New York Times article, Marriage trends in the United States, to
practice scanning for information.
Answer the scanning questions that follow.

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 Extraordinary Uses for Dishwashing Soap3
1. Kill weeds kindly

Be gentler to the environmentnot so much to weedsby using a natural plant killer

rather than harmful herbicides. Mix 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of
salt and 1 gallon of white vinegar. Pour the solution on weeds sprouting in the cracks
and crevices of sidewalks, front walks, and patio pavers.

2. Wash away ants

Outdoor ants can be just as annoying as indoor ants, particularly if they've invaded
the crevices in your patio where you eat. Get rid of them with a simple 50/50 solution
of water and white vinegar with a dash of dishwashing liquid. (You can substitute
glass cleaner for the vinegar if you want.) Spray the affected area with the mix, wait
a few minutes, then happily return to your picnic.

3. Add life to your locks

If your hair isn't looking so lovely, try mixing a dollop of dishwashing liquid into your
shampoo. It fights grease in hair, as well as on dishes!

4. Clean your blender

Forget about taking your blender apart to wash it thoroughly. Instead, fill it partway
with warm water and dishwashing detergent, cover it, and run it for a few seconds.
Empty it, rinse it, air-dry it, and call it a day.

Skimming Questions

What are 4 additional uses for dish soap?

The additional uses of dish soap are to kill weeds kindly, wash away
ants, add life to hair and helps in cleaning the blender.

What are the main ideas behind this article?

The main idea of this article is about extraordinary uses of dishwashing
soap besides use to wash dishes.

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 How can I clean my blender with dish soap?
Fill your blender partway with warm water and dishwashing detergent.
cover it, and run it for a few seconds. Lastly, empty it, rinse it and air-dry
it.

Exercise: Scanning

Marriage Trends in the United States4

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Jessica Schairer has so much in common with her boss,
Christine Faulkner, that a visitor to the day care center they run might get them
confused.

They are both friendly white women from modest Midwestern backgrounds who left
for college with conventional hopes of marriage, motherhood and career. They both
have children in elementary school. They pass their days in similar ways: juggling
toddlers, coaching teachers and swapping small secrets that mark them as friends.
They even got tattoos together. Though Ms Faulkner, as the boss, earns more
money, the difference is a gap, not a chasm.

Ms Faulkner is married and living on two pay checks, while Ms Schairer is raising her
children by herself. That gives the Faulkner family a profound advantage in income
and nurturing time, and makes their children statistically more likely to finish college,
find good jobs and form stable marriages.

Ms Faulkner goes home to a trim subdivision and weekends crowded with childrens
events. Ms Schairers rent consumes more than half her income, and she scrapes by
on food stamps.

I see Christines kids theyre in swimming and karate and baseball and Boy
Scouts, and it seems like its always her or her husband whos able to make it there,
Ms Schairer said. Thats something I wish I could do for my kids. But number one,
that stuff costs a lot of money and, two, I just dont have the time.

But striking changes in family structure have also broadened income gaps and posed
new barriers to upward mobility. College-educated Americans like the Faulkners are
increasingly likely to marry one another, compounding their growing advantages in
pay. Less-educated women like Ms Schairer, who left college without finishing her
degree, are growing less likely to marry at all, raising children on pinched paychecks
that come in ones, not twos.

It is the privileged Americans who are marrying, and marrying helps them stay
privileged, said Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University.

4 New York Times accessed July 2012.

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About 41 percent of births in the United States occur outside marriage, up sharply
from 17 percent three decades ago. But equally sharp are the educational divides,
according to an analysis by Child Trends, a Washington research group. Less than
10 percent of the births to college-educated women occur outside marriage, while for
women with high school degrees or less the figure is nearly 60 percent.

Motherhood outside marriage now varies by class about as much as it does by race.
It is growing fastest in the lower reaches of the white middle class among women
like Ms Schairer who have some postsecondary schooling but no four-year degree.

Married couples are having children later than they used to, divorcing less and
investing heavily in parenting time. By contrast, a growing share of single mothers
have never married, and many have children with more than one man.

Scanning Questions

What are the names of the women in this story?

The names of the women in this story are Mich.Jessica Schairer and
Christine Faulkner.

Who is a single mother?

Miss Schairer is a single mother.

What does Andrew Cherlin from Johns Hopkins University say about
marriage?

Andrew Cherlin says that the privileged Americans are the ones who
are marrying, and marrying helps them to stay privileged.

What percentage of births occur to women with college degree?

The percentage of births occurs to women with college degree
is less than 10%.

Now, take a break before you move on to the next topic.

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 Reading Comprehension: The Process5

Be prepared to discuss the reading comprehension process.

Next, read the skills, examples and complete the task that follow.

Skill Example Question Types

Main ideas and Main Idea: The main message the author is conveying to the What are the main ideas in this
supporting details reader. text?
Who are the main characters?
Supporting Details: The information that "backs" up the main What details support the main
message. ideas?

Inference, Inference is using all the clues in the text and arriving at a What clues lead you to think
predicting and conclusion of what will happen. There may be some degree of that?
drawing truth in the decision made. Inferring is reading between the How does that character feel?
conclusions lines. Why did the author write this
story?
What would you do if you were
Inference and prediction are NOT the same. Inference allows the main character?
for many more questions than prediction.

Predicting is making an educated guess on what will happen Predicting Questions

based on your background knowledge. Predictions are What is happening in the story?
answered at the end of the story. What will happen next?
What else could happen?
Drawing conclusions is using evidence in the story to draw
logical conclusions about what happened. The author often
gives away hints during the story and this makes it exciting to
read. When we draw a conclusion, we take the clues the
author has given us and use it with what we already know from
our experience to help us understand what is happening in the
story.

Sequencing refers to the identification of the components of a

Sequencing story, such as the beginning, middle, and end, and also the What happens first? (Once
ability to retell the events within a given text in the order in upon a time). How do you
which they occurred. know?
Where is the middle of the story
The ability to sequence events in a text is a key (then, later, along with)?
comprehension strategy, especially for narrative texts. The How does the story end (In the
ordering of events in a story, along with connecting words such end)?
as once upon a time, then, later, afterwards, and in the end,
are good examples of textual features.

Teacher may organize a lesson that pre-teaches transitional

vocabulary to showcase sequencing in reading.

Cause and effect Cause and effect is to demonstrate to children that our What happens if you go outside
actions have measurable results and they need to make a link in the rain without an umbrella?
between actions and effects. What happens if you dont eat
lunch?

5 This section adapted from google web search July 2012.

26
 We teach cause and effect every time we help a young child "If you drink your milk, you will
recognize a relationship between two things, or when we grow big and strong!"
demonstrate that one event is the result of another. "If you clean up your toys, you
can go play outside."

Synthesizing recognizes that the thinking process evolves Ask for a prediction, inference
Synthesizing during the learning process. The reader's thinking changes as and then when the pupils realize
they gather more information. New information makes the the story changed they can
reader re-evaluate and increase what they know. revise their reading schema.
Reflection can also be another
Synthesizing is closely linked to evaluating. Basically, as we way to synthesize information
identify whats important, we interweave our thoughts to form a after the lesson.
comprehensive perspective to make the whole greater than
just the sum of the parts. Reflection: KWL:

What I know
See Vygotskys (1978) zones of proximal development for What I want to know
further information. What I learnt from this story

Evaluating Evaluating and determining importance has to do with What is the most important
knowing why youre reading and then making decisions about information in the story?
what information or ideas are most critical to understanding the What order do events occur in
overall meaning of the piece. this story?
Draw me a timeline of events to
show what you think is most
important.

Comprehension Task

Return to the New York Time article, Marriage trends in the United States, and
answer the following comprehension questions.

Questions

In your own words, write down the main point that the article is making.

The article is discussing about the marriage trends in the United States.
Single parent find it hard to meet the ends of the family basic necessity,
this not allowing them to send their children for extracurricular activities.
Meanwhile, family with good parent and children relationship bond are
more likely to live a happy life.

What is happening to marriages in the United States with women who do not
have college degrees?

Marriages among women who do not have college degrees in the United
States is growing fastest and it varies by class and race as well.

Compare marriage trends in the United States with those in Malaysia. Are they
similar or different? Why do you think so?

The marriage trend in the United States and Malaysia are more likely the
same. The graduated couples tend to be marry late and having children
later and fewer compared to yesteryears. The married couples also
27
invest more time on parenting. The contributing factors are such as their
family background, exposure to the current living style and education
background.

Practical example: Main Ideas

The topic of this encyclopedia entry is skateboarding.

1. Skateboarding was first invented in the United States.

2. Skateboard was created by California surfers.

3. The aim of creating skateboard is to have a surf-like experience on land

when waves were flat.

4. The first skateboards were made from wooden boxes attached to roller skate
wheels.

5. Later on, boxes were replaced with thinner wooden planks.

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 Example: Main Ideas

The history of skateboards.

Yes, it is stated directly. It is stated on the first line of the paragraph.

1. Skateboarding has its own cultural image.

2. Skateboarding was initially tied to surfing.

3. Skateboarding became associated with rebellious young people.

4. Skateboards as urban and unruly youths.

5. Promote skateboarding as a sport with a respectful and supportive

community.

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 Inferring Reading between the lines

Task

Read the text below and then answer the questions that follow.

It was 3.15 p.m. Miss Hindon left the room. She was not gone long. When
she returned ten minutes later, she saw that the board was not the same.
Who erased the notes she had written?

Miss Hindon looked at her pupils. Ban Min was reading a book. Dannys
head was on his desk. Jamri was drawing a dragon. The others sat very still.
No one would tell Miss Hindon who had erased the board. She had a plan.
Who wants to go for recess? she asked. Ban Mins hand was dirty. Jamri
had pencil smudges on the side of his hand. Miss Hindon knew who had
erased the board.

Questions

1. Who erased the board?

Ban Min has erased the board.

2. What clue told Miss Hindon the person who had erased the board?
Ban Mins hand were dirty.

3. At what time did Miss Hindon return to the class?

Miss Hindon returned to the class at 3.25 p.m.

4. How did you get the answer to question 3?

The text told that Miss Hindon left the room at 3.15 p.mp. and she
returned ten minutes later.

5. What is an inference? How do we make an inference?

An inference is using all the clues in the text and arriving at a conclusion of what
will happen. Using all the clues given and draw a conclusion or do a predicament
of what will be the possible outcome.

6. Proficient readers make inferences. Why is making inferences important for

effective reading?
Making inferences is important for effective reading because it leads to
the clues in a text, tells us what is upcoming in the text and allow us to
think how would we react if we were one f the character in the text.

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 Example: Predicting Outcomes & Drawing Conclusions

Predicting outcomes and drawing conclusions are two specific types of

inferencing skills. In both instances, the reader has to make use of information
and clues from the text and combine these with his previous knowledge to either
make a prediction or to draw a conclusion.

Predicting Outcomes

The prediction equation

information and
what you
clues in the PREDICATION
already know
reading

Drawing Conclusions

information and
what you
clues in the CONCLUSION
already know
reading

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 Task: Predicting & Drawing Conclusions

A text is provided below. Formulate as many questions for predicting and

drawing conclusions as you can.

Malik was returning home late after visiting a friend when he suddenly realized
that he was being followed by a small group of men. He knew that they were a
gang of robbers. He ran dodging in and out of alleys trying to shake them off.

Just when he thought he was running out of breath, he spotted a graveyard. He

heard the clock strike twelve. Quickly he ran into the graveyard, found an open
grave and jumped in! He hid there and waited. Nothing happened. Everything
was quiet and still.

Nearby he heard the sound of crickets. In the distance, an owl hooted. He

decided to take a peek.

At that moment, the robbers saw his head above the edge of the grave. They
surrounded him.

What are you doing here? they asked.

This is my grave, replied Malik, I just came up for a breath of fresh air.

The robbers..Malik..

From: Longman Primary English, Pearson Education Asia Pte. Ltd.

My questions

- 1. What did Malik realized when he was returning home late after visiting
his friend?
2. What strategy did Malik use to shake off the people who was following
him?
3. Why did Malik jumped into an open grave?
4. Why Malik decided to peek when he was inside an open grave?
5. What was the robbers reaction upon hearing Maliks response?

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 Cause and Effect

There are several cause and effect patterns. Writers may explain causes only,
effects only or a cause and effect chain.

1) Causes only

This type of explanation focuses on two or more causes of one effect.

Example:
cause
good
eating
effect habits good
health
cause exercise

2) Effects only

This type of explanation focuses on two or more effects and one cause.

Example:
strength
effect

cause gymnastics

effect
good
coordination

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3) Effects only

In this explanation one cause leads to an effect, which causes another effect, and so
on.

cause cause effect

practising you get to play

your skills
soccer on the school
improves
team

Reading Aloud5

Definitions Reading Aloud Benefits

enunciation: 1) To articulate or encourages independent reading

pronounce (words), clearly and
distinctly
2) to state precisely or formally
pronunciation: the act, instance or
manner of pronouncing sounds
intonation: the pattern or melody
of pitch changes in connected
speech, especially the pitch patter
of a sentence
rhythm: a pattern of beat, accent
evident in speech forms. Flow,
pulse, cadence of speech. In
music, rhythm, the beat.6
increases the quality and quantity
of independent reading
helps pupils with pronunciation
creates interests in books
is useful for pupils to read
independently
improves listening and provides
pronunciation practice
enables teachers to model good
reading
helps pupils internalize language
and structures they will apply to
their own reading one day.

6 Definitions, Dictionary.com, July 2012.

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 Reading Aloud Self-study

Task

To find reading aloud activities please consult Google and YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/
Search for read aloud activities with key words such as: enunciation,
pronunciation, intonation, or rhythm.

Now, take a break before you move on to the next topic.

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 Criteria for Evaluating Text for Reading Development

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.

Why teachers need to assess texts?

Even if you have little control over the choice of textbooks, it helps to be aware of
their strong points and limitations so that you can exploit them effectively, supplement
them if necessary and perhaps argue the case for their replacement.

The three main criteria for evaluating texts for reading development:
suitability of content
exploitability
readability

Suitability of content
The most important criterion is that the text should interest the readers. It is possible
to develop reading skills on a text that bores you or the readers but interesting
content makes the learners task far more rewarding. EFL readers are increasingly
offered well written gripping stories, presented to look like real paperbacks, which
attract pupils to read out of class.

Find out what pupils like

One way to double check is to find out what pupils actually read, bearing in mind that
books read in the L1 may tell you more about reading tastes than those in the foreign
language. Find out which books are borrowed most often from the library: this is
usually a good indicator of preferences. Keep an eye on what pupils read in class. If
pupils want to read this material, half the battle has been won. You can take care of
text with literary merit once pupils already enjoy reading.

Selecting texts for classroom study

It is often better to begin with material chosen chiefly for enjoyment (intrinsically
motivating) until reading skills improve. And even if you are training pupils
specifically to read, for instance, university level medical texts, you may get better
results if you use simpler and more motivating materials to begin with. School
36
textbooks often provide simple models of academic discourse; it is useful to have a
collection of them on subjects suited to the class.

Exploitability
Also known as facilitation of learning, exploitability is the most important criteria after
interest (intrinsic motivation). Pupils learn by focusing on the meaning and purpose
of the text. The focus of a reading lesson is how language is used for conveying
content for a purpose. We want pupils to develop the ability to extract the content
from the language that expresses itto become effective readers.

Simulating real-life purposes

Authentic texts can be motivating because they are proof that the language is used
for real-life purposes by real people. How can the text be used in a foreign language
environment? In the case of functional texts, this is straightforward: a travel
brochure, magazines, newspapers, etc. Text of this kind lend themselves to
outcomes of integrating many skills.

Readability
This often refers to the combination of structural and lexical difficulty. It is important
for the teacher to assess the right level for the pupils you teach; to do this you must
assess the pupils themselves.

Many teachers have to cope with classes where the gap between the strongest and
weakest pupils is very wide. A library for extensive reading should cater for the full
range of levels of pupils in the class. Most teachers, however, work in circumstances
where it is not possible to provide differentiated materials for regular classroom use.
We shall assume you will have to compromise by choosing material that suits most of
the pupils in the class, and that you compensate for this by giving individual attention
to pupils who are behind the others, or are capable of handling more difficult
materials. Be prepared ahead of time with strategies to teach reading to both the
advanced and emerging readers in the classroom.

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Structural difficulty
Readability also involves structural difficulty, which is harder to assess. New
grammatical forms (tenses, structural words, etc) often cause no problems if the text
is comprehensible in other respects. A more likely cause of structural difficulty is
sentence length and complexity. Experienced teachers can usually assess whether
a text is structurally about the right level without using formal methods. But it is also
possible to work out its readability index. This is a way of assessing a text by giving
it a kind of score. To make use of it, you first need to work out the readability index of
texts that you know are suitable for the students. This gives you a yardstick against
which to measure the readability of texts you are considering using.

Calculating the readability index

Typically, measuring readability is based on counts of average word length and
sentence length. The assumption is that if you pick a typical stretch of 100 words of
text, the more syllables there are in it, the more difficult it will be. This is because
more syllables = longer words, and longer words tend to be less familiar. Similarly,
the fewer the sentences in the 100word stretch, the more difficult it is, because
fewer sentences = longer sentences, and thus more complex ones. To assess
books, the viable methods suggest you choose three typical 100-word passages from
the near the beginning, middle and end and average the count of these.

Cloze as an indicator of readability

A readability index is useful because it enables you to compare new texts with
familiar ones which you know are at the right level. An alternative measure is the
cloze test; it does not permit you to make comparisons, but is often favoured because
it needs little computation and is useful in an extensive reading program.

A text for classroom use should be such that a typical student could score about 45
percent on a cloze extract; it would be challenging but not too difficult to read with
support from the teacher. For independent reading (self-study), texts need to be
easier; students should be advised to choose books on which they score at least 60
per cent.

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 Reading Development Questions

What are the three criteria that teachers should use to evaluate the value of a
reading text?

1. Suitability of the content

2. Exploitability
3. Readability

What should teachers consider when selecting reading materials for the class?
1. Find out what pupils like to read. For example, topic that interests
them.
2. Reading materials should be appropriate with pupils English
proficiency level.

What are authentic texts and why are they important in teaching reading?

Authentic texts: Magazines, newspapers, poems, rhymes, brochures,

pamphlets.
It acts as a catalyst of motivation as the language used is for real-life
purposes.

What is readability index?

Readability index is a way of assessing a text by giving it a kind of
score. Readability index is measured based on counts of average
word length and sentence length. Readability index enable us to
compare new texts with familiar ones according to the right level.

How do I calculate the readability index in a text?

Readability index in a text can be measured based on the counts of

average word length and sentence length. The more the word count,
the more syllable in the text, the more difficult it would be.

What is readability and why is it important in teaching reading?

Readability is the combination of structural and lexical difficulty. It is

vital to cater all level of pupils proficiency in reading.

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Example: Cloze Test

In cloze tests, the words are deleted systematically. The interval at which words are
deleted is usually between every fifth and every ninth word. However, if every
seventh word has been deleted in the first few sentences, then every seventh word
must be deleted for the rest of the text. The most common purpose of the cloze test
is to measure reading comprehension.

Task

The cloze test contains a passage with 12 gaps which you have to complete
from a selection of words or phrases in the box.
Read the passage, then fill in the gaps with one of the words or phrase.

outlet source off

which unlikely along
while keen to due to
extent reaches sought

Cambridge Cloze Test7

How do you turn something from yellow to green? Your art teacher would tell you to

add blue, but American Kevin Newman would disagree. He would point to the pair of

water heaters installed in his garage, which, 1. along with a hose and some

chemicals, turn the fast-food by-product yellow grease into green biodiesel.

Yellow grease is waste cooking oil from restaurant fast food fryers. It is a marginally
due to
valuable commodity, 2) its use as an additive in animal feeds and

cosmetics, but it can only be sold if it 3) reaches a certain standard. In the past,

a lot of yellow grease went to waste, to the 4) extent that restaurants had to

7
Cambridge cloze test, adapted from: http://www.examenglish.com/ECPE/ECPE_cloze.htm, July 2012.

40
pay for it to be taken away.

This was ideal for home-brewers like Kevin Newman, who picked up gallons of

grease from their local fast food 5), outlet and turned it to clean fuel at a cost of

about $1 a gallon. These days, governments are 6) keen to find alternatives to

petroleum, and waste vegetable oil has become highly 7) sought after. Thats

great news for the restaurants, 8) which can sell to the highest bidder.

Its good for the environment too, as the fuel is renewable, local, and gives 9) off

far less pollution than petroleum. It isnt great for Kevin though, as he loses his

cheap 10) source of yellow grease to the bigger companies. It's 11) unlikely

to make much difference to the general public either. Biofuels may be cheap, but

currently only 150 million gallons of them are produced per year, 12) while diesel

consumption is a staggering 38 billion gallons.

41
 Cloze Test Answers

How do you turn something from yellow to green? Your art teacher would tell you to
add blue, but American Kevin Newman would disagree. He would point to the pair of
water heaters installed in his garage, which, along with a hose and some chemicals,
turn the fast-food by-product yellow grease into green biodiesel.

Yellow grease is waste cooking oil from restaurant fast food fryers. It is a marginally
valuable commodity, due to its use as an additive in animal feeds and cosmetics,
but it can only be sold if it reaches a certain standard. In the past, a lot of yellow
grease went to waste, to the extent that restaurants had to pay for it to be taken
away. This was ideal for home-brewers like Kevin Newman, who picked up gallons
of grease from their local fast food outlet, and turned it to clean fuel at a cost of
about $1 a gallon.

These days, governments are keen to find alternatives to petroleum, and waste
vegetable oil has become highly sought after. Thats great news for the restaurants,
which can sell to the highest bidder. Its good for the environment too, as the fuel is
renewable, local, and gives off far less pollution than petroleum. It isnt great for
Kevin though, as he loses his cheap source of yellow grease to the bigger
companies. It's unlikely to make much difference to the general public either.
Biofuels may be cheap, but currently only 150 million gallons of them are produced
per year, while diesel consumption is a staggering 38 billion gallons.

42
 Module Reflection

What I learnt:

I have learnt about the various kind of reading activities such as

reading aloud, silent reading, skimming, scanning and
comprehension. I have also got to know on the criteria for evaluating
text for reading development. The three major criteria are suitability
of content, exploitability and readability.

What I want to learn / know more about:

I want to know more about the readability, way to calculate the

readability index and the use of cloze text as an indicator of
readability.

What I think about what I learnt:

I have learnt on the various reading activities which will be helpful to

integrate in the primary classroom when I am teaching reading skill.
Besides that, I have also learn the way to select a text based on its
content and pupils learning ability. In addition to it, I have also learnt
the readability and ways to calculate readability index to cater pupils
learning.

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 Extension Activity

KBSR Year 6

Task Summary

You have just completed part of the module on reading skills. The next section is
designed for you and a partner to use the materials provided to create a micro
teaching lesson.

Procedure

Read the KBSR Year 6 text below.

With a partner, select ONE of these activities: skimming & scanning,
comprehension or reading aloud.
Create a micro reading lesson based on the text provided.
Present the lesson in class.

44
45
 Reference

Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com downloaded from the World Wide

Web, July 2012.

Unit 10 Teaching Reading,

sfs.scnu.edu.cn/chendm1/PPT/Unit%2010.ppt. PPT downloaded from the World
Wide Web, July 2012.

KBSR Malaysian primary school textbook year 6, access from IPGKBL campus.

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com downloaded from the World Wide

Web, July 2012.

Nuttal, C. 2005. Teaching Reading Skills. Macmillan Books: Oxford.

Readers Digest: http://www.rd.com downloaded from the World Wide Web, July
2012.

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Appendix

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