SOME EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION FOR EIGHTH GRADERS

PART A: INTRODUCTION.
I. THE REASONS FOR WRITING SUBJECT.
Today, English is becoming increasingly important and necessary in
education, research and human communication. English is the common
language in modern society, as a mean to help other people, other languages in
the world to understand each other and closer monitoring. Along with computer
science, English helps students to step confidently in the future into the world, is
the key to human examination out the secrets, new things of the world.
In secondary schools, English is the subject interesting, attractive and
necessary for the students. Despite being one of the subjects is difficult, but it
has attracted many students at all educational levels participate. At the
secondary level English almost be considered core subjects, as on the high
grade, more knowledge, more difficult lessons. So some students do not absorb
all lead to discourage and do not like school, even when they are afraid of
English lessons. One immediate problem for English teachers is how to attract
students to learn right from the first moment of the lecture.
On the other hand, today's educational objectives are focused towards the
development of dynamic, creative and positive in order to enable students to
identify and solve the problem for them. To achieve this goal, changing teaching
methods respect towards learners, students are considered active subjects,
encourages active learning activities, initiatives and creativity of the students in
the process teaching is essential.
For a lively lectures, attracting students to learn, I have to explore, learn
and apply the experiences of a number of colleagues. So I boldly express my
opinions and small experience. "SOME EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING READING COMPREHENSION- FOR EIGHTH GRADERS”.
Hopefully with my small experience will get input from colleagues and
superiors to complete than the shortcomings in the process of teaching and
contribute to improving the quality of learning English.
II. THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH.
Aims to attract attention focusing, attention of eighth graders in learning
to read, and achieve a successful lesson, in the first active step, teachers should

create a lively academic atmosphere, excitement, creating favorable conditions
for psychological students. Teachers should also integrate other subjects. In fact,
Integrative teaching has helped students to learn much, actively explore, gain
knowledge and train skills. Eliminate closed thinking, isolation that inherently
problems always have a relations. These activities are extremely important.
From the excitement of learning right from the beginning of the students,
learning from the excitement they will concentrate on the content of readings.
The purpose of the introduction to the techniques taught step '' reading ''
according to active methods for eighth graders is
1. Creating a favorable environment for the good results lessons.
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2.
3.
4.
5.

Having excitement for students.
Helping students review and relate what they have learned to previous post.
Creating situation for students to show their understanding of each topic.
Creating communication, creating purpose for a concrete activity as prereading, white -reading and post-reading.
6. Giving students expanded knowledge of languages, knowledge more about
the subjects and knowledge society.
III. THE OBJECT OF RESEARCH.
-The students in grade 8 in secondary school.
-The teaching methods - Reading comprehension- to high quality of English
lessons for eighth graders.
IV. THE METHOD OF RESEARCH.
-Research documents.

-Research through teaching.
-Discuss to colleagues.

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PART B. CONTENT
I. THEORETICAL BASIS.
As we know, too many years ago, according to the teaching traditional
method, teachers are often stereotyped“teaching new words – give some
questions to check their reading ability” Teachers often impose on students the
questions, the exercises so students are passive. Therefore, I prepared some
pictures to lead the reading or otherwise not follow the old way, Students must
give their point of view that the idea of right or wrong, answering the questions
must have agreed or disagree with the ideas in the lesson, students who are very
confused can not express even one very simple sentence.
II. THE FACT OF THE RESEARCHING PROBLEM.
Perhaps none of us deny the importance of English for Vietnam in
economic integration, political and cultural world. Knowing English, good
English helped us more confidence in communication. However, every time in
reading lessons I always see these class bewildered eyes, sad, bored, very quiet
academic atmosphere, in a class has only a few active students remaining they
sit still and making classroom atmosphere is very tense. In addition, they are
familiar with the simple readings in the English program of grade 6, 7. These
issues worry me very much. Through actual teaching, I feel qualified them too
different, in the classes, only the students learn well express themselves but
other students don’t take part in the activities, some students do not have to
think, sitting in the classroom but not learning, sometimes bored school students
to sleep well in class. Through doing the tests and examination quality survey,
the results made me very sad and worried. Because the proportion of high-weak

students. I thought and learn the students to find out about it so I can give
suitable methods for reading lessons, attract students to participate in the
activities which I proposed to create an intimate, ebullient and playful
atmosphere.
III. SOLUTION AND IMPLEMENTATION.
1. Solution : To overcome the above situation, teachers must prepare the lesson
well, to achieve good results in reading lessons. I apply the rules of reading
instruction.
* Rule 1: When teaching a comprehension reading, the teacher should determine
the purpose of the lesson, so that at the end of the lesson, the students learn
something new through that lesson, creating excitement, stimulating the curious,
and being interested in reading for students.
* Rule 2: Introduce the topic to help students concentrate speculation, The main
idea of the lesson, the vocabularies are used in the lesson ... Therefore, The
students’ thoughts are more focused.
* Rule 3: Before the students read the text, they should read the questions first
so that they can focus on main ideas to learn. If it hasn’t any questions, the
teacher can give one or two questions to help students to concentrate. Even the
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students can try to predict the content of replies to questions before studing with
the individual’s own ideas.
* Rule 4: The teacher only provides them with the basics of reading, the
remaining words, students can guess the meaning of those words in context, it
stimulates their minds more.
* Rule 5: The teacher should integrated teaching to help students actively
explore, gain knowledge and practice reading skills. Eliminate closed thinking,
isolation that inherently problems always have a relationship.
*Rule 6: Silent reading is the ultimate aim of teaching reading. The task of the

teacher is to help students to read to understand the content, only read out loud
to help train and test pronunciation.
* Rule 7: Discussion the words, context structures or phrases after reading. Then
the teacher will give some questions to checking their knowledge level.
*Rule 8: The purpose of teaching reading is to help students understand the
main information. So you need to train the students the ability to read a whole
sentence extensive, even more sentences rather than read every letter or word.
*Rule 9: Finally, The develop reading comprehension skills for Eighth graders.
The purpose of teaching reading not only helps students understand the lesson
that day but also teachers must help them to have the ability to read effectively.
In addition, in each lesson, teachers have to actively distribute a reasonable time,
flexibility of class activities .... but must be the main content, the main steps in
the process of teaching reading understand.
2. Applying the steps and activities for teaching reading comprehension.
2.1. Pre-reading activities:
a. Teachers should be motivated to learn from the first minute of class. The
teacher can inspire students by organizing games on the topic of the class.
Example: Unit3- lesson 3-Reading (English8).
-T asks Ss to play the game “ brainstorming about danger in the home for
children”.
-Ss work in 2 groups, T goes around and helps if necessary
-Ss work in 5 minutes.
hot water
Brain storming
gas
drug
Danger in
the home
for
knife

electricity
children
fire
b. The teacher can introduces the context or topic to create a reading purpose. In
addition, The teacher can gives some information or give reasons or by asking
questions or organizing activities to stimulate students looking for answer.
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Example: Unit5- lesson 4-Reading (English8)
- The teacher asked.
+ You are going to read a text about learning English new words. Write down
some the ways you usually use to learn new words.
+ Try to imagine the ways the text will tell you.
- Now read the text.
c.The teacher gives some statements, asking students to do the true or false
exercises based on the knowledge available.
d.The teacher asks the students to reorder the sentences according to the
sequence of the lesson contents.
e. The students predict and arrange statements to match the given pictures.
f. The teacher asks questions for students to anticipate the content of the lesson.
( can use pictures)
g. The teacher gives some suggestive words in the article, asking students to
imagine how the reading would use the words.
f.The teacher introduces new words, grammar to help students understand the
lesson.
Techniques:
- Open prediction
- True / false prediction
- Ordering pictures

- Multiple choice
- Gap-fill
- Ordering
- Answers given
- Pre- questions
- Grids
- Maching
- Comprehension questions
- Network
2.2. While-reading activities:
-Depending on the purpose of the content of each reading, the teacher will give
different types of questions and exercises to check the reading comprehension of
the students.
-Some types of questions and exercises.
+ Wh- questions.
+ Yes- No questions.
+ Check/ tick the correct answers.
+ True- False.
+ Complete the sentences.
+ Make a list of.
+ What does ….mean?
+ Multiple choice.
+ What does stand for/ refer to…?
+ Fill in the blanks.
+ Matching.
+ Correct some mistakes...
+ Find the word/ sentence that means.
2.3. Post-reading activities:
- In order to promote the positive, manipulation, creativity of students. The
teachers should ask questions in the form of.

+ What/ How do you think .........?
+ Summarize the text.
+ Arange the events in order.
+ Give the title of the reading text .
+ Give comments, opinions on the characters in the text.
+ Rewrite the stories from jumbled sentences/ words/ visual cues.
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+ Role- play basing on the text.
+ Devolop another story basing on the text.
+ Tell a similar event on…
+ Persondized tasks.
+ Role- play.
+ Write- it- up.
3. Applied in specific lessons.
Unit 2: Making arrangements
Lesson 3 : Read ( p 21 -22 )
( Period 9th / English 8 )
I. Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will get some knowledge about
more about Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone.
II. Language contents:
+ Vocabulary: words about the telephone.
- to emigrate
- to conduct
- to demonstrate.
- a device
- a deaf - mute
- Transmit
- speech

- To lead- led (past )
- Come up with
+ Grammar: Past simple tense.
III. Techniques: chatting, eliciting, pair/ group work…..
IV. Teaching aids: E8, pictures , posters
-Time: 45’
V. Procedures.
Teacher’s activities
Students’ activities
I. Warm up :
Brainstorming
- Let Ss answer the questions by coming to the
board and write :
To chat with friend

-

What is the
Play games
telephone
used for ?
To get information
Communication
Possible answers :
to have a message
to call someone
to make arrangements
to talk to a person who lives far from
to get information at the airport or railway station Read their answers aloud
and copy .

quickly.
Entertainment.
Commerce.
* T introduces today’s topic about the life -story
of the telephone inventor .
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- T gives pictures of Alexander GrahamBell.

T asks : Do you know who it is?
When was the telephone invented?
II. Pre - reading :
A.Pre teach vocabulary :
1. to emigrate : Di cư
2. to transmit ( translation ) (v) Truyền đi
3. to conduct = to carry out (v)Tiến hành, chỉ đạo
4. to demonstrate ( translation ) (v) Chứng minh
5. a device ( translation ) (n) Thiết bị, dụng cụ
6. a deaf – mute = a person who is unable to
7.To lead- led to (past ) (v) Dẫn dắt
8.Come up with
(v) Tìm thấy, Khám phá ra.
* Checking vocabulary :
What and where
B . T / F statements prediction :
- T gives a picture.

-Listen carefully.Then
answer the questions.

- Listen carefully
-Listen and repeat in chorus,
then individually .
- Guess its meanings
- Copy down
- Play game

-Look at the poster, listen
and work in pairs to predict

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- T hangs the poster of T / F statements on the
board and asks Ss to work in pairs and guess
which statements are true or false .
a. Alexander G. Bell was born in the USA
- Read their predictions
b. He worked with deaf – mute patients in a
hospital in Boston .
c. Thomas Watson was Bell,s assistant.
d. Bell and Watson introduced the telephone in
1877 .
e.Bell experimented his invention at a lot of
exhibitions .
f. Bell demonstrated his invention at a lot of
exhibitions.
- Call on some pairs to read their predictions and
write them on the board .

III. While - reading :
* True or false :
-Turn on the tape 2 times and ask them to look at - Listen, read the text, then
their books to read the text , then check their check their predictions .
prediction
Guess Answer Correction
a

F

b

F

c
d

T
F

e

F

f

T

He was born in Edinburgh in
Scotland

He worked with deaf – mute
patients at Boston University
He introduced telephone in
1876
He experimented with ways
of transmitting speech over a
long distance

- Correct the false ones

- Read them aloud

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
-

- Ask some Ss to read the correct answers aloud .
* Ordering :
- Ask Ss to look at the exercise and read the
events of Bell’s life , then put them in the correct
order .
- Have them compare with their partners
- Call on some Ss to read their answers aloud .
- Correct and give feedback
= > Alexander Graham Bell
Was born in Scotland
went to live in Canada
went to live in the United States
worked with people who could neither
speak nor hear
worked with Thomas Watson
successfully demonstrate his invention
invented the telephone .
- Call on some Ss to read all the correct order
sentences aloud .
IV. Post - reading :
Ex 1: Answer the questions:
1.When was Alexander Gramham Bell born?
2.Where was he born?
3.Where did he live?
4.Who did he work with at Boston university?
5.When did he invent the first telephone?
Call on some Ss to answer the questions.
T corrects if necessary.
Ex2: Writing it up.
- T divides class into 4 groups to practice writing.

- Get Ss to write a paragraph about Bell ,s life ,
using the information from the text.
- Call on some Ss to demonstrate their writings in
front of class .
- T corrects mistakes and gives suggestions :
V. Consolidation:
- Ask Ss to retell the main content of the lesson
VI. Homework :
- Learn by heart new words and do the exercises
in workbook.
- Prepare the next lesson .

- Do the exercise

- Read their answers

-Write individually .
Compare with their partners
- Read their writings aloud .
- Retell

-Answer the questions.
1.He was born in 1847.
2.He was born in Scotland.
3.He lived in the USA.
4.He worked with Thomas
Watson.
5.He invented the first
telephone in 1876.

-Write a paragraph about
Bell’s life

- Do homework

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IV.THE RESULT OF RESEARCH.
After determining the purpose of the ''Reading comprehension lesson'',
based on the level of each student or each class ( 8A and 8B), I have applied
these techniques to class 8A and class 8B. I found that the use of these
techniques are very necessary and effective. That created for reading
comprehension lessons with lively atmosphere, highly enthusiastic, specific of a
foreign language lesson. This contributed to help students to learn initiative and
confidence in communicating daily English. However in practicing the teaching
that gives rise to many problems. I tested over the last few years have seen
accurate and objective results .
The process of teaching
The method has The method
not improved
has improved
- Review the old knowledge, and
introduced a new lesson
Yes
yes
- Students can work.
Yes
yes
- Students are very active in the

No
Yes
periods.
- They practice themselves solve all
No
Yes
the problems that teachers give.
- Speaking
ability
increased
No
Yes
significantly.
- Students are interested in learning.
No
Yes
+ The above are some of the activities, methods I have studied, and applied in
the past few years. By doing so, so far the initial has been some encouraging
results.
1. For the teacher:
- I feel gentle, comfortable every class. The students are friendly, close and work
in collaboration with me during the lessons, lessons more exciting, They are not
afraid and shy as before.
- Moreover, when I take time to discuss with several colleagues to teach the
subject in school, we see that the lessons more fun, more qualified. It also
excites me to explore, create and apply various techniques to teach.
2. For the students:
- Nearly 90% of students love more subjects.
- Promote positive, initiative and creativity of students.
- Encourage students to express clearly the role of the class-centered.

- They are fearless, excited, quicker reflexes when participating in the games.
- The students interested in learning more and easy to understand a new lesson.
- The quality of their speech has improved markedly through a number of
activities. Since then, they have found learning foreign languages fun and not
very difficult. I think if you continue to do so for the next school year, the
learning and teaching foreign languages are very good.
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PART C: CONCLUSION
Reading skill is one of the four skills students need to practice in a
communicative manner. Reading helps students expand their knowledge of the
world around them, providing experience in a number of areas such as culture,
science and technology, and integration with the many subjects in the school
they study. At the same time help students grasp and remember language
knowledge. In addition, reading also gives students a habit of reading and
reading, so we need to find attractive techniques, appropriate to help teach
effectively.
I. REMOTE EXPERIENCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS .
1. For the teacher:
In order for the activities of the organization to be of high quality, the teacher
must ensure the following three steps.
Step 1: Preparing the lesson at home. Must study teaching material,
textbooks seriously and carefully. From there, find the appropriate
communication activity for this activity.
Step 2: Methodology in class. Organize timely communication activities,
use visuals in the right place, integrate all relevant knowledge that students are
learning from the subjects to implement the guideline "learning fun - fun
learning. "The teacher avoided the hard, abstract, heavy, stressful
communication. Fight against vegetarianism, against monotonous poverty in the

process.
Step 3: It is possible to relate reality to children's interest, giving them
opportunities, to help students express their speech in a variety of ways.
2. For the students:
+ Make sure you prepare your homework and next lesson carefully.
+ Boldly communicate with friends and teachers.
+ Be confident in learning.
+ Actively group activities during class for information from friends.
3. For upper management:
- It is necessary to direct the experts and master trainers planning teacher
training, enabling teachers have the opportunity to exchange and learn from
experience learning through seminars.
- The environment of foreign language so skills should be practiced according
to the characteristics of teaching methods, so need to have the room to avoid
making noise for other classes nor affected by noise from the outside. (Can be
combined with rooms of other subjects).
- Introduction the documents relating to teachers refer, learn and apply.
Above are the thoughts and experience of teaching '' Reading
comprehension for eighth graders'' which I personally have learned from actual
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teaching and reference, discuss with my colleagues, I boldly presented to the
teachers and colleagues contribute.
As restrictive conditions, the writing process I will not avoid the
shortcomings. So I look forward to the sincere advice of the departments and
colleagues to my initiative to be more complete.
Confirmation of school administrators.

Yen Dinh, April 16th 2017

I swear this is my writing, do
not copy someone else’s
The implementation

Lai Thi Thu Ha

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