E.N.S.M.

Reading comprehension
Chapter 1 What is reading?
Ms. Leonor Yolanda Zepeda Sánchez
Alanís Espejel Fabrizio Alejandro
Benítez Moreno Andrés Valentín
Delgado Zamora Susan Abigail
Flores Corzo Megan
Gamboa Gutiérrez Frida
Gayosso González Jessica Abigail
López Apolonio Luis Ángel
Maldonado Madariaga Irving Josué
Olvera Hernández Evelyn Priscila
Intro
What is reading?

Reading is the process of perceiving and understanding writing, whether through

sight, listening (audiobooks) or through touch.

It is worth mentioning that reading involves the reader, the text and the interaction
between the reader and the text.

Reading is like infectious disease: it is caught not taught Christine Nuttall

(1983)
(and you can't catch it from someone who hasn't got it...).
 1. The Reader
Engagement in the reading process
Recalling your experience
is based on their past experience,
both in learning how to read and
also in the ways reading fits into
their lives.

*What memories do you have about

your experiences while learning to
read?
*Is it a pleasure or a bore?
*In what ways is reading a part of
your life now?
 The family influence

Families foster a variety of experiences

that affect reading. Children note why
parents read, to gain information about
their professions, about world and
community events, about house
maintenance; to relax; or to explore
new interests.
Homes that are filled with magazines,
newspapers, and books send a clear
message to children about the value of
reading. Those who grow up in homes
where reading is seldom seen have a
very different view of the value of
reading.
 function
words

➢ In reading native language text,

readers aren’t usually aware of
vocabulary unless they encounter
unfamiliar words.

many unfamiliar
words
=
break down
content
words
➢ Another vocabulary factor that
readers content with is:

several possible meanings of

any one word

➢ IMPORTANT
types of text
features
 3. The interaction between reader and text.

What is reading?

Reader-Reader Reader-Writer Context

 Interaction between purpose and manner of reading.

-People read for a purpose. -Reading for full comprehension.

-Reading for detail.

-Skimming/Scanning.
Interaction through reading strategies.

-In order to construct meaning from a text.

•Reading strategies/ Reading skills.

✓successful readers do:

-Recognize words.

-Use text features.

-Analyze words.
 Interaction through schema.

SCHEMA refers to the knowledge readers bring to a text.

✓Structure

✓Vocabulary

✓Grammar

✓Level of formality.

CULTURE/SCHOOLING.
Models of reading

Do you remember them?

Models of reading
Models of reading
1. Bottom-up theory: reader constructs the text from the smallest units (letters to
words to phrases to sentences, etc.); process becomes so automatic that readers
are not aware of how it operates (sce Eskey 1988; Stanovich 1990). [Decoding].

2. Top-down theory: readers bring knowledge, expectations, assumptions, and

questions to the text and, given a basic understanding of the vocabulary, they
continue to read as long as the text confirms their expectations (Goodman 1967).
Readers fit the text into knowledge (cultural, syntactic, linguistic, historical) they
already possess, then check back when new or unexpected information appears.
Models of reading
3. The interactive model: - current trend - both top-down and bottom-up processes
are occurring, either alternately or at the same time. The process moves both
bottom-up and top-down, depending on the type of text as well as on the reader's
background knowledge, language proficiency level, motivation, strategy use, and
culturally shaped beliefs about the reading.

Further references. Barnett's More Than Meets the Eye (1989) and the collection of
essays Interactive Approaches to Second Language Reading (Carrell, Devinc, &
Eskey 1988).
Models of reading

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Highlights (Summary)

Understanding reading means understanding the way the reader acts, what the
reader brings to the text, what strategies the reader uses, what assumptions the
reader has about reading, and how reading texts can vary due to language and
organization of information.
Highlights (Summary)
1. The reader: Each reader is unique - a sum of life experiences (from the family,
community, school, society, and culture). Readers may differ in how they use their
background knowledge due to individual differences.

2. The text: Most readers have an extraordinary amount of information about

different types of texts: where they come from, what features cach type of text
typically exhibits, and how texts can dilfer due to language considerations
(organization of information, grammar, cohesion,vocabulary).
Highlights (Summary)
3. Interaction between reader and text: Readers bring to each text areas of
knowledge (content, formal and linguistic schemata plus reading strategies) that
are crucial in shaping what happens in the reading process. While the text remains
the same during cach reading of it, the information the reader brings to that text
fluctuates as comprehension grows; thus, the interaction between reader and text is
constantly changing.

4. Models of reading: Top-down, bottom-up, and interactive are the three models of
reading that have been recognized and researched. Most experts accept some
version of the interactive model is the best description of the reading process.
Sources
From Reader to Reading Teacher: Issues and Strategies for Second Language
Classrooms. Aeberson, J., Lee Field, M., CUP, 1997, UK.

Essential Teacher Knowledge. Core concepts in English Language Teaching.

Harmer, J. Pearson Education Ltd., 2012, UK.