READ-ALOUD REVIVAL (Paper)
Noureddine Boutahar
April 28, 2008, KSU, Ohio, USA.
This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the courses on “Theory and Practice in Teaching Reading” with Dr William Bintz at Kent State University, Ohio, USA.
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
The Moroccan Context
Read Aloud, Why?
When to Use Read Aloud
References
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of taking Read Aloud back home to our country – Morocco – and how it can benefit our students learn English. Read Aloud has always been used in the United States and has been applauded by researchers, educationalists, and teachers. It is, unfortunately, ignored in Morocco where it is needed most because of different reasons. Among these are parents’ illiteracy, poverty, lack of appropriate libraries, the rise of the prices of books, and the like. By introducing it in our classrooms we will, hopefully, do our students a great service and help them learn better and easier. We will, however, do it in a way that does not interfere with the country’s national curriculum by adapting it to the needs of the students and the curriculum itself.
Introduction:
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of Read Aloud at all levels and the benefits our students can draw from it. We will start first with literature review and examine what was said about the advantages and payoffs of Read Aloud. We will then talk about the reasons why we want to take Read Aloud back home – to Morocco. We will then talk about the benefits our students can draw from it to improve the acquisition and learning of English as a second foreign language in Morocco. We will end up by showcasing the different ways we can use Read Aloud in our classrooms and how we can adapt it to suit our imposed top-down curricula so as not to interfere with the implementation of the objectives and goals of teaching English in our country.
Literature Review:
Read Aloud is a planned oral reading activity where a teacher reads a book or part of a book aloud to the students in the classroom so as to “foster the love of reading and to expose students to a variety of vocabulary, language patterns, story structures, genre and authors” (Sandra Iverson 2000). It is a widely used activity in all American schools to teach reading as a way to access information, facilitate the exchange of values, opinions, and beliefs so as to ensure and “promote the survival and evolution of democratic culture” (Kismaric 1996). Most teachers recognize its value and educationalist thoroughly approve of it. Mooney (1988), for example, regards this as a time when “the teacher acts on behalf of the author, presenting the writing with as much enthusiasm and commitment as if it were his or her own.” Reading aloud is a place to start teaching reading en route to reading silently and independently for pleasure which is the end-goal. As Elisabeth Chesla (2000) put it, “Even the most experienced readers had to start somewhere and that somewhere is the place they keep coming back to: the basics.” Some of these basics are sounding out difficult words for the readers and familiarizing them with different literary genres and styles.
Reading aloud to students is also a way to fill the gap for those who have not had the opportunity to be read to in their early childhood or who have been in classes which did not focus on reading aloud. For Janet Allen (1995), “Children who come to school having had few or no experiences with books” need the help of thoughtful Read Aloud teachers to make up for the lost pleasure and the magic they can find in books.
Besides, reading to students is a key factor in creating a risk free environment. Learners only responsibility is to listen and needn’t worry about pronunciation mistakes or unfamiliar vocabulary. The filter gets lower when they are read to and stress level decreases considerably (Allen 1995). The goal here is to build students confidence through meaningful strategies and create a warm friendly setting.
Read Aloud can, also, be used to “reassure, entertain, explain, arouse curiosity, and inspire our curiosity” (Harvey 2007) as well as “develop a schema or a sense for stories” (Vacca et al 2006). It helps struggling readers to build visual images before making sense of the printed text. So, reading aloud frequently is of paramount importance to provide a model for the learners both for reading and writing provided that teachers are thoughtful and experienced enough to expose them to different genres and content areas and use effective techniques. The choice of books is then as important as the teachers’ approach to reading. Thus, students develop reading skills and learn to read well or poorly depending on how they are taught. So, in addition to the teachers’ voice and their tone which has to adapt and adjust to different topics and writer’s attitude and tone, interactive Read Aloud should be introduced as soon as possible so as to build learners independent reading skills. Interactive Read Aloud techniques might include: think-aloud, stop-and-start discussion, making connections, students asking questions, and so forth.
Moreover, reading aloud can be engaging and interesting to the learner if the books and topics are interesting and suit students’ linguistic and cognitive level and if the teacher’s technique is well-thought of and is engaging to the learners. So, reading aloud good books has to become a tradition and something that inspires and connects learners to the real world. As Laura Robb (2000) said,
“When I read aloud I pause and think out loud, so students know my inner thoughts, questions, reactions, and imaginings. It’s crucial for them to observe that my mind and imagination constantly interact with the text. I want them to know that it’s the interactions that make the reading pleasurable and exciting! So, many times throughout the year I model these key strategies. The Moroccan Context.
In Morocco Read Aloud is totally ignored in English classes. Also, the public knows that there is something badly amiss in the education system and that our young people are not doing well anymore. The World Bank recently issued a report which concurs with teachers and educationalists criticism for the system of education in Morocco especially access to education, equality, quality, and efficiency. The report also says that Morocco still adheres to “outdated method of teaching.” This is more alarming than most people think because our students are not doing well at the two most important subjects of all: reading and math. Reading, the subject of our discussion here, is at the very heart of the matter because it enables pupils to learn other subjects and gain knowledge rapidly. Failure to learn to read effectively may cripple students’ later schooling and affect other school subjects. This failure is partially due to two important factors: top-down imposed curricula which do not stress teaching reading – especially Read Aloud - as a skill, and teachers, at all levels, who are poorly trained or who obstinately hold to faulty romantic old ideas of teaching reading. So, the chickens have come back to roost.
Read Aloud in English Classes, Why?
Why should we focus on teaching reading aloud in English classes some people would argue? First, Read Aloud is a “practice that should continue throughout the grades” (Hopking 2004) because no one seems to overgrow the fun of being read to. Most teachers, at least here in the US, believe firmly in reading aloud at all levels, even at the upper ones. Research, also, has proven that there is a residual child in every adult person, and part of this ‘childish’ disposition is enjoying listening to stories read by parents and teachers.
The second reason is very simple: we are teachers of English and we need to start with our own subject matter in order to walk the talk. Linked to this is the fact that daily Read Aloud can provide students with the opportunity to internalize English language and its structure which will help them build their vocabulary and language patterns.
Third, if we introduce Read Aloud in English classes and succeed to improve students’ reading skills and to build the foundation for their educational success, we will – hopefully - inspire other teachers and pave the way for these language teachers, be they Arabic or French.
Also, according to 2006 statistics, 38.5% of Moroccan people are illiterate (Maghrebia 2007). This is still a frightening number though it is a big improvement in the fight against illiteracy in recent years. This means that most of our current students have not been read to at home and that the classroom is the only place where they see the printed text. So, the onus is on the teacher to fill the gap and act a surrogate mother in the classroom by reading interesting books to the students to familiarize them with books. This is because if reading scores rise “so will scores in math and science, because, as common sense would predict, reading is strongly correlated with the ability to learn in all subjects” Hirsch (2006).
Another stumbling block on the way of reading at home is poverty. One fourth of rural residents and one tenth of city dwellers in Morocco are considered poor (IFAD 2007) which means that these homes lack in books and print material and the kids grow in poor oral language environment. Linked to poverty is the price of books which is very high in comparison to the standard of living of the majority of the citizens. Reading aloud to these learners costs nothing for them, or for their parents, and the community. So, if these students are not read to at home, it is the teachers’ responsibility to read to them to narrow the academic achievement gap between the few haves and large numbers of the have-nots as well as foster the students’ reading ability and help them form a habit of reading.
Besides, we should introduce reading aloud in Morocco because according to an informal research Noureddine Boutahar had with his students, it seems that we, English teachers, take it for granted that students can read English because they can read French. One strike against this premise, he found out, is that French is no longer well-spoken in Morocco because all school subjects have been Arabized and students no longer do well at French either. The second strike is that even those who are good at French misread English words because English is not a letter-sound consistent language like French. Students were given some English words to read before starting to take this language and the students read them in French. For example, the word “girl” was read [jirl], “fine” was read [fin], “laugh” was read [lϽgh] and so forth. The third strike – three strikes and you’re out, as they say – is that our schools use textbooks only to teach languages and very few chapter books are used to teach French while picture books are almost totally ignored.
Another reason why we should introduce read aloud in our classrooms is that almost all the students don’t have time to read, whether they come from educated or uneducated families. This is due to the fact that the world is technology-oriented and children have raised the white flag of surrender to its dictatorship. They spend most of their time doing more enticing activities such as playing video games, chatting on the net, text-messaging, listening to music on I-pods, and the list is very long that reading becomes just a boring dreaded chore.
Moreover, there is a lack of public and school libraries in our country. If they ever exist, they are never equipped enough, and they often don’t have enough good books for the growing number of students. So, our students rarely grow up having easy access to books. Also linked to libraries is the issue of professional librarians who are able not only to provide help for young people but nurture the love of reading as well. Most of our librarians are people doing that job for the sake of a pay-check and not for the love of it.
Furthermore, reading is not individual but a social experience as socio-psycholinguists say. It is a swapping of information between friends, classmates and people in general. This is true in our culture which is an oral culture, to some extent, where grand-grandparents share their stories with the kids or the whole family over a cup of green tea with mint. Linked to this is that our society is based on community life: we live in large groups and do most of our activities together in big groups. So, reading aloud to the whole class will jazz it up as if we are performing a traditional local dance together.
When should we use read aloud in our classrooms?
By virtue of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, the country’s official language is Arabic. French is the first foreign language. It is often used in business, government, and diplomacy. In addition, there are three main dialects of Berber spoken all over the country. In the north of Morocco, Spanish is widely spoken. At secondary schools, English is a second foreign language that exists with other ones like Spanish, Italian and German. It is introduced at the 9th grade unlike French which is taught at third grade. Moroccan students hear French regularly on TV, in the streets, in government offices and in songs. They have access to a plethora of books, newspapers, and magazines though all school subjects have been Arabized, as mentioned before. However, these students have very little exposure to English be it spoken or written. Also, almost no one reads for them in English at home.
At secondary school, students study English two hours a week in ninth grade while at High school the average hours of studying English ranges from three to four hours a week. As EFL teachers, this limited exposure to English hinders the high expectations we set for the performance of our students. Therefore, introducing reading aloud in EFL classes will help Moroccan students develop and improve literacy skills -- reading, writing, speaking, and listening. With careful selection and planning, teachers can involve students to search for and select books about curriculum-related topics of interest to class members. This way, EFL teachers will incorporate Read Aloud into the curriculum as follows:
• At the beginning of a unit to create a purpose for reading about a unit topic. This will help students understand better, read more easily, engage more, and focus their attention on what they have to learn. Here Read Aloud can be used as a warm-up activity.
• At the beginning of some lessons. This will help students to think actively as they listen to or read through, anticipating, questioning, and analyzing.
• In the middle of a unit to help the learners, especially the struggling ones, build up understanding of vocabulary and language patterns and encourage them to monitor their comprehension.
• At the end of a unit for recycling: this will help students to review the unit, recycle vocabulary, relate what they have learnt to their everyday life and as an add-on to a better learning and understanding.
• Any time for the sake of change: When teachers feel that students are bored of the usual texts, they can resort to Read Aloud to kill two birds with one stone: teach reading and provide change.
• As an introduction to writing, speaking or listening activities: Read Aloud will, hopefully, enhance these skills in our students because stories can provide vocabulary, ideas, and style.
• As a project work: Students can use stories as the foundation ground to work in teams to create a project work related to the story.
To sum up, the Moroccan context does not provide appropriate and authentic environment for learning English. This environment is chockfull of drawbacks that run the gamut from illiteracy to information-compressing textbooks that present only the “minimum essentials” designed to teach grammar and vocabulary. There are many benefits to using Read Aloud in Moroccan English classrooms either in tandem with the official textbooks or whenever teachers feel the need for it. It can provide students with intense involvement in the topic, help them build powerful schemata, and accommodate their interests, abilities, and skills. Though teachers are required to cover the top-down designed textbook, they can use Read Aloud from time to time as a supplement at different stages of the unit to better enhance students learning abilities and skills.
References:
Allen J. (1995). It’s Never too Late: Leading adolescents to lifelong literacy. NH: Heinman. (pp. 58-59)
Elisabeth Chesla, (2000). Read better, Remember more. New York: Learning Express. (P.11)
Hopkins G. (2004). Reading Aloud. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/classmanagement/ifc040217.html (3/ 24/ 2008)
Harvey S., Goudvis A. Strategies that Work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Maine: Stephenhouse Publishers. (p.47)
Hirsch E.D.JR. (2006). The Knowledge Deficit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. (p.21)
IFAD (2007). Rural poverty in the Kingdom of Morocco. Retrieved from: http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/mar/index.htm (3/21/2008)
Laura Robb (2000). Teaching Reading in Middle School. NY: Scholastic Prfessional Books. (p. 185)
Maghrebia. (2007). Illiteracy rate in Morocco drops to 38.5%. Retrieved from: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/04/20/newsbrief-04 (3/21/2008)
Mooney M. (1988). Developing Long-life Readers. Wellington, N Z: Learning Media, Ministry of Education. (p.24)
Sandra I., (2000). Current Terms Used in Reading. Retrieved From http://apps.sdhc.k12.fl.us/sdhc2/elementary/languagearts/read_terms.htm (3/10/2008)
Vacca J. A. L, Vacca L. T, Gove M.K, Burkey L. C, Lenhart L. A, McKeon C. A. (2006). Reading and Learning to Read. Boston, MA: Pearson. (p.81)
April 28, 2008, KSU, Ohio, USA.
This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the courses on “Theory and Practice in Teaching Reading” with Dr William Bintz at Kent State University, Ohio, USA.
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
The Moroccan Context
Read Aloud, Why?
When to Use Read Aloud
References
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of taking Read Aloud back home to our country – Morocco – and how it can benefit our students learn English. Read Aloud has always been used in the United States and has been applauded by researchers, educationalists, and teachers. It is, unfortunately, ignored in Morocco where it is needed most because of different reasons. Among these are parents’ illiteracy, poverty, lack of appropriate libraries, the rise of the prices of books, and the like. By introducing it in our classrooms we will, hopefully, do our students a great service and help them learn better and easier. We will, however, do it in a way that does not interfere with the country’s national curriculum by adapting it to the needs of the students and the curriculum itself.
Introduction:
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of Read Aloud at all levels and the benefits our students can draw from it. We will start first with literature review and examine what was said about the advantages and payoffs of Read Aloud. We will then talk about the reasons why we want to take Read Aloud back home – to Morocco. We will then talk about the benefits our students can draw from it to improve the acquisition and learning of English as a second foreign language in Morocco. We will end up by showcasing the different ways we can use Read Aloud in our classrooms and how we can adapt it to suit our imposed top-down curricula so as not to interfere with the implementation of the objectives and goals of teaching English in our country.
Literature Review:
Read Aloud is a planned oral reading activity where a teacher reads a book or part of a book aloud to the students in the classroom so as to “foster the love of reading and to expose students to a variety of vocabulary, language patterns, story structures, genre and authors” (Sandra Iverson 2000). It is a widely used activity in all American schools to teach reading as a way to access information, facilitate the exchange of values, opinions, and beliefs so as to ensure and “promote the survival and evolution of democratic culture” (Kismaric 1996). Most teachers recognize its value and educationalist thoroughly approve of it. Mooney (1988), for example, regards this as a time when “the teacher acts on behalf of the author, presenting the writing with as much enthusiasm and commitment as if it were his or her own.” Reading aloud is a place to start teaching reading en route to reading silently and independently for pleasure which is the end-goal. As Elisabeth Chesla (2000) put it, “Even the most experienced readers had to start somewhere and that somewhere is the place they keep coming back to: the basics.” Some of these basics are sounding out difficult words for the readers and familiarizing them with different literary genres and styles.
Reading aloud to students is also a way to fill the gap for those who have not had the opportunity to be read to in their early childhood or who have been in classes which did not focus on reading aloud. For Janet Allen (1995), “Children who come to school having had few or no experiences with books” need the help of thoughtful Read Aloud teachers to make up for the lost pleasure and the magic they can find in books.
Besides, reading to students is a key factor in creating a risk free environment. Learners only responsibility is to listen and needn’t worry about pronunciation mistakes or unfamiliar vocabulary. The filter gets lower when they are read to and stress level decreases considerably (Allen 1995). The goal here is to build students confidence through meaningful strategies and create a warm friendly setting.
Read Aloud can, also, be used to “reassure, entertain, explain, arouse curiosity, and inspire our curiosity” (Harvey 2007) as well as “develop a schema or a sense for stories” (Vacca et al 2006). It helps struggling readers to build visual images before making sense of the printed text. So, reading aloud frequently is of paramount importance to provide a model for the learners both for reading and writing provided that teachers are thoughtful and experienced enough to expose them to different genres and content areas and use effective techniques. The choice of books is then as important as the teachers’ approach to reading. Thus, students develop reading skills and learn to read well or poorly depending on how they are taught. So, in addition to the teachers’ voice and their tone which has to adapt and adjust to different topics and writer’s attitude and tone, interactive Read Aloud should be introduced as soon as possible so as to build learners independent reading skills. Interactive Read Aloud techniques might include: think-aloud, stop-and-start discussion, making connections, students asking questions, and so forth.
Moreover, reading aloud can be engaging and interesting to the learner if the books and topics are interesting and suit students’ linguistic and cognitive level and if the teacher’s technique is well-thought of and is engaging to the learners. So, reading aloud good books has to become a tradition and something that inspires and connects learners to the real world. As Laura Robb (2000) said,
“When I read aloud I pause and think out loud, so students know my inner thoughts, questions, reactions, and imaginings. It’s crucial for them to observe that my mind and imagination constantly interact with the text. I want them to know that it’s the interactions that make the reading pleasurable and exciting! So, many times throughout the year I model these key strategies. The Moroccan Context.
In Morocco Read Aloud is totally ignored in English classes. Also, the public knows that there is something badly amiss in the education system and that our young people are not doing well anymore. The World Bank recently issued a report which concurs with teachers and educationalists criticism for the system of education in Morocco especially access to education, equality, quality, and efficiency. The report also says that Morocco still adheres to “outdated method of teaching.” This is more alarming than most people think because our students are not doing well at the two most important subjects of all: reading and math. Reading, the subject of our discussion here, is at the very heart of the matter because it enables pupils to learn other subjects and gain knowledge rapidly. Failure to learn to read effectively may cripple students’ later schooling and affect other school subjects. This failure is partially due to two important factors: top-down imposed curricula which do not stress teaching reading – especially Read Aloud - as a skill, and teachers, at all levels, who are poorly trained or who obstinately hold to faulty romantic old ideas of teaching reading. So, the chickens have come back to roost.
Read Aloud in English Classes, Why?
Why should we focus on teaching reading aloud in English classes some people would argue? First, Read Aloud is a “practice that should continue throughout the grades” (Hopking 2004) because no one seems to overgrow the fun of being read to. Most teachers, at least here in the US, believe firmly in reading aloud at all levels, even at the upper ones. Research, also, has proven that there is a residual child in every adult person, and part of this ‘childish’ disposition is enjoying listening to stories read by parents and teachers.
The second reason is very simple: we are teachers of English and we need to start with our own subject matter in order to walk the talk. Linked to this is the fact that daily Read Aloud can provide students with the opportunity to internalize English language and its structure which will help them build their vocabulary and language patterns.
Third, if we introduce Read Aloud in English classes and succeed to improve students’ reading skills and to build the foundation for their educational success, we will – hopefully - inspire other teachers and pave the way for these language teachers, be they Arabic or French.
Also, according to 2006 statistics, 38.5% of Moroccan people are illiterate (Maghrebia 2007). This is still a frightening number though it is a big improvement in the fight against illiteracy in recent years. This means that most of our current students have not been read to at home and that the classroom is the only place where they see the printed text. So, the onus is on the teacher to fill the gap and act a surrogate mother in the classroom by reading interesting books to the students to familiarize them with books. This is because if reading scores rise “so will scores in math and science, because, as common sense would predict, reading is strongly correlated with the ability to learn in all subjects” Hirsch (2006).
Another stumbling block on the way of reading at home is poverty. One fourth of rural residents and one tenth of city dwellers in Morocco are considered poor (IFAD 2007) which means that these homes lack in books and print material and the kids grow in poor oral language environment. Linked to poverty is the price of books which is very high in comparison to the standard of living of the majority of the citizens. Reading aloud to these learners costs nothing for them, or for their parents, and the community. So, if these students are not read to at home, it is the teachers’ responsibility to read to them to narrow the academic achievement gap between the few haves and large numbers of the have-nots as well as foster the students’ reading ability and help them form a habit of reading.
Besides, we should introduce reading aloud in Morocco because according to an informal research Noureddine Boutahar had with his students, it seems that we, English teachers, take it for granted that students can read English because they can read French. One strike against this premise, he found out, is that French is no longer well-spoken in Morocco because all school subjects have been Arabized and students no longer do well at French either. The second strike is that even those who are good at French misread English words because English is not a letter-sound consistent language like French. Students were given some English words to read before starting to take this language and the students read them in French. For example, the word “girl” was read [jirl], “fine” was read [fin], “laugh” was read [lϽgh] and so forth. The third strike – three strikes and you’re out, as they say – is that our schools use textbooks only to teach languages and very few chapter books are used to teach French while picture books are almost totally ignored.
Another reason why we should introduce read aloud in our classrooms is that almost all the students don’t have time to read, whether they come from educated or uneducated families. This is due to the fact that the world is technology-oriented and children have raised the white flag of surrender to its dictatorship. They spend most of their time doing more enticing activities such as playing video games, chatting on the net, text-messaging, listening to music on I-pods, and the list is very long that reading becomes just a boring dreaded chore.
Moreover, there is a lack of public and school libraries in our country. If they ever exist, they are never equipped enough, and they often don’t have enough good books for the growing number of students. So, our students rarely grow up having easy access to books. Also linked to libraries is the issue of professional librarians who are able not only to provide help for young people but nurture the love of reading as well. Most of our librarians are people doing that job for the sake of a pay-check and not for the love of it.
Furthermore, reading is not individual but a social experience as socio-psycholinguists say. It is a swapping of information between friends, classmates and people in general. This is true in our culture which is an oral culture, to some extent, where grand-grandparents share their stories with the kids or the whole family over a cup of green tea with mint. Linked to this is that our society is based on community life: we live in large groups and do most of our activities together in big groups. So, reading aloud to the whole class will jazz it up as if we are performing a traditional local dance together.
When should we use read aloud in our classrooms?
By virtue of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, the country’s official language is Arabic. French is the first foreign language. It is often used in business, government, and diplomacy. In addition, there are three main dialects of Berber spoken all over the country. In the north of Morocco, Spanish is widely spoken. At secondary schools, English is a second foreign language that exists with other ones like Spanish, Italian and German. It is introduced at the 9th grade unlike French which is taught at third grade. Moroccan students hear French regularly on TV, in the streets, in government offices and in songs. They have access to a plethora of books, newspapers, and magazines though all school subjects have been Arabized, as mentioned before. However, these students have very little exposure to English be it spoken or written. Also, almost no one reads for them in English at home.
At secondary school, students study English two hours a week in ninth grade while at High school the average hours of studying English ranges from three to four hours a week. As EFL teachers, this limited exposure to English hinders the high expectations we set for the performance of our students. Therefore, introducing reading aloud in EFL classes will help Moroccan students develop and improve literacy skills -- reading, writing, speaking, and listening. With careful selection and planning, teachers can involve students to search for and select books about curriculum-related topics of interest to class members. This way, EFL teachers will incorporate Read Aloud into the curriculum as follows:
• At the beginning of a unit to create a purpose for reading about a unit topic. This will help students understand better, read more easily, engage more, and focus their attention on what they have to learn. Here Read Aloud can be used as a warm-up activity.
• At the beginning of some lessons. This will help students to think actively as they listen to or read through, anticipating, questioning, and analyzing.
• In the middle of a unit to help the learners, especially the struggling ones, build up understanding of vocabulary and language patterns and encourage them to monitor their comprehension.
• At the end of a unit for recycling: this will help students to review the unit, recycle vocabulary, relate what they have learnt to their everyday life and as an add-on to a better learning and understanding.
• Any time for the sake of change: When teachers feel that students are bored of the usual texts, they can resort to Read Aloud to kill two birds with one stone: teach reading and provide change.
• As an introduction to writing, speaking or listening activities: Read Aloud will, hopefully, enhance these skills in our students because stories can provide vocabulary, ideas, and style.
• As a project work: Students can use stories as the foundation ground to work in teams to create a project work related to the story.
To sum up, the Moroccan context does not provide appropriate and authentic environment for learning English. This environment is chockfull of drawbacks that run the gamut from illiteracy to information-compressing textbooks that present only the “minimum essentials” designed to teach grammar and vocabulary. There are many benefits to using Read Aloud in Moroccan English classrooms either in tandem with the official textbooks or whenever teachers feel the need for it. It can provide students with intense involvement in the topic, help them build powerful schemata, and accommodate their interests, abilities, and skills. Though teachers are required to cover the top-down designed textbook, they can use Read Aloud from time to time as a supplement at different stages of the unit to better enhance students learning abilities and skills.
References:
Allen J. (1995). It’s Never too Late: Leading adolescents to lifelong literacy. NH: Heinman. (pp. 58-59)
Elisabeth Chesla, (2000). Read better, Remember more. New York: Learning Express. (P.11)
Hopkins G. (2004). Reading Aloud. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/classmanagement/ifc040217.html (3/ 24/ 2008)
Harvey S., Goudvis A. Strategies that Work: Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. Maine: Stephenhouse Publishers. (p.47)
Hirsch E.D.JR. (2006). The Knowledge Deficit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. (p.21)
IFAD (2007). Rural poverty in the Kingdom of Morocco. Retrieved from: http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/mar/index.htm (3/21/2008)
Laura Robb (2000). Teaching Reading in Middle School. NY: Scholastic Prfessional Books. (p. 185)
Maghrebia. (2007). Illiteracy rate in Morocco drops to 38.5%. Retrieved from: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/04/20/newsbrief-04 (3/21/2008)
Mooney M. (1988). Developing Long-life Readers. Wellington, N Z: Learning Media, Ministry of Education. (p.24)
Sandra I., (2000). Current Terms Used in Reading. Retrieved From http://apps.sdhc.k12.fl.us/sdhc2/elementary/languagearts/read_terms.htm (3/10/2008)
Vacca J. A. L, Vacca L. T, Gove M.K, Burkey L. C, Lenhart L. A, McKeon C. A. (2006). Reading and Learning to Read. Boston, MA: Pearson. (p.81)
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