Mr. Cristian D.

Paderes
LL 207 - Teaching Language I: Approaches to Teaching of Reading and Writing
Critical Essay on
Teaching Children Literacy Skills in a Second Language/ The Strategies in Reading
Process

Reading, just like the other macro skills, requires teachers to be adept in terms of the

strategies, and understanding the variables that may contribute to the success of the instruction.

Reading is a constructive process of creating meaning that involves the reader. This involves

Phonemic Awareness, Word Identification, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The

main goal of the teacher is to develop the literacy of the students. In the context of reading,

literacy is defined as the student's ability, confidence, and willingness to learn. It is essential to

induce literacy in order to engage the students in everyday life. Albany Business Review on

January 23, 20515 published that Reading Literacy is necessary to develop a strong sense of

well-being. The publication also added that Reading stimulates a child's imagination and expands

his/her understanding of the world.

There is an ongoing debate as to whether the learner's second language is heavily reliant

on his/her first language. According to the study conducted by Mara Salmona Madrinan, the

student's first language helps in finding meaning and connection in learning his/her second

language. Moreover, conferring to WESTED on its published brief entitled "Improving

Learning, Healthy Development, and Equity in Schools and Communities" clearly contradicted

the notion that English is the only way to learn English. Research on language shows that it is

beneficial for students to continue using their first language to learn a second language. This

brief also provides that teachers can simultaneously solidify L1 and L2 by building into their
lessons powerful opportunities for students to simultaneously develop knowledge and skills in a

discipline while they are expanding sophisticated understandings of both their first language and

English.

Based on the discussion last week, there are specific strategies that teachers can employ in

their reading classes. These strategies include Decoding, Word Learning, and Study. There are

also Reading Strategies intended for Digital Reading, namely, Navigating, Coauthoring,

Evaluating, and Synthesizing. Teachers need to identify which strategy is to be used in his/her

class because this will essentially motivate them to engage themselves in meaningful reading. A

case study entitled "The Importance of Reading Strategies in Developing Reading Skills in the

English Language" by Mohamad Hasan Mohamad provides that students believe that reading

strategies positively affect students' reading standards. Also, implementing reading strategies

motivate secondary school students to read more. Moreover, teachers apply reading strategies to

their learners. Finally, the researcher recommends that teachers provide their learners with

enough time to practice reading strategies. Students should implement extensive reading both

inside and outside the classroom. Teachers should encourage students to read through the role-

play strategy.

Considering all the factors, it is indeed vital that the teacher is keen on the decisions that

he/she makes. Although honing students reading skills is a shared responsibility by the teacher

and the students themselves, it is the teacher's prime duty to design a mechanism that will help

students reach the goal. Reading is a skill that gifts an individual with not only knowledge but

also wisdom. It is a skill that contributes immensely to students' literacy.