Improving Reading Through Writing An Article Review
Introduction
:
English acquisition for EFL
students is mainly developed through reading and composing English texts. Reading
and writing are two basic language skills in English which many students have
difficulties in it. To help students acquire abilities of reading and writing,
curricula are often designed to taught separately under belief that these two
are totally different language skills. This way unfortunately can see the
interactive relationship between reading and writing and fails to contribute connection
of reading and writing. It can see from many students do not apply what they
got from reading to writing or from writing to reading. Reading, however, can
be improved through writing as suggested by some experts. In “Reading Next”,
Biancarosa and Snow (2004) state that intensive writing was identified as a critical element of an effective
adolescent literacy program. They argue that writing instruction improves
reading comprehension and that the teaching of writing skills such as grammar
and spelling reinforces reading skills. Similarly, Carr (2002) believe that writing about a text improves
comprehension, as it helps students make connections between what they read,
know, understand, and think.
Consequently,
students have difficulties in applying reading to writing or writing to
reading. It caused by teaching separately these two language skills. Student
often forget how they should write based on reading the materials before.
However, writing often used as a tool to improve reading for students because
writing can develop students’ understanding. Before start to write, it is
benefit to know the basic background of the topic. Have knowledge about the
background of topic from reading can help students in writing task. Moreover, writing can develop students knowledge about the grammar. Sometimes, from
reading an article review we can find new word which cannot find in other
sources.
Improving reading
through writing can be one of method that used for students. Before ask
students to write an article review, give and ask them to read 1 or 5 article
review. After reading the materials, asked them about the materials from what
they read and then ask to write an article review from the passage. Be side
they can improve writing skills, the important thing that students improve
their reading abilities and develop their overall understanding to the passage.
Therefore, in order
to improve reading abilities, students should read article a lot that match
their language. This article will be explained
the rationale for improving reading through writing an article and assessment
procedures for teachers and students do for improving reading skill.
Review
of Related Theories :
a.
Extensive Reading
According to
Carrell and Carson (1997: 49-50), ‘extensive reading…generally involves rapid
reading of large quantities of material or longer readings (e.g. whole books)
for general understanding, with the focus generally on the meaning of what is
being read than on the language’. Extensive reading differs from intensive
reading. In intensive reading, students normally work with short texts with
close guidance from the teacher. The aim of intensive reading is to help
students obtain detailed meaning from the text, to develop reading skills—such
as identifying main ideas and recognizing text connectors—and to enhance
vocabulary and grammar knowledge. It is important to note that these two
approaches to teaching reading—intensive and extensive reading—should not be
seen as being in opposition, as both serve different but complementary purposes
(Carrell and Carson 1997; Nuttall 1982). However, intensive reading seems to be
the dominant mode of teaching reading in many language classrooms. This is
despite evidence that intensive reading alone will not help learners develop
their reading fluency, a crucial skill that mature readers acquire only after
repeated exposure to massive quantities of written text.
The Role of Extensive Reading in Language Learning
1.
It can provide
'comprehensible input'
In his 1982 book, Krashen argues
that extensive reading will lead to language acquisition, provided that certain
preconditions are met. These include adequate exposure to the language,
interesting material, and a relaxed, tension-free learning environment. Elley
and Manghubai (1983:55) warn that exposure to the second language is normally
"planned, restricted, gradual and largely artificial." The reading
program provided in Yemen, and the choice of graded readers in particular, was
intended to offer conditions in keeping with Krashen's model.
2.
It can enhance
learners' general language competence
Grabe (1991:391) and Paran
(1996:30) have emphasized the importance of extensive reading in providing
learners with practice in automaticity of word recognition and decoding the
symbols on the printed page (often called bottom-up processing). The book flood
project in Fiji (Elley & Manghubai: op cit.), in which Fijian school
children were provided with high-interest storybooks, revealed significant post
treatment gains in word recognition and reading comprehension after the first
year, and wider gains in oral and written skills after two years.
3.
It increases
the students' exposure to the language
The quality of exposure to
language that learners receive is seen as important to their potential to
acquire new forms from the input. Elley views provision of large quantities of
reading material to children as fundamental to reducing the 'exposure gap'
between L1 learners and L2 learners. He reviews a number of studies with
children between six and twelve years of age, in which subjects showed rapid
growth in language development compared with learners in regular language
programs . There was a "spread of effect from reading competence to other
language skills - writing, speaking and control over syntax," (Elley
1991:404).
4.
It can increase
knowledge of vocabulary
Nagy & Herman (1987) claimed
that children between grades three and twelve (US grade levels) learn up to
3000 words a year. It is thought that only a small percentage of such learning
is due to direct vocabulary instruction, the remainder being due to acquisition
of words from reading. This suggests that traditional approaches to the
teaching of vocabulary, in which the number of new words taught in each class
was carefully controlled (words often being presented in related sets), is much
less effective in promoting vocabulary growth than simply getting students to
spend time on silent reading of interesting books.
5.
It can lead to
improvement in writing
Stotsky (1983) and Krashen (1984) reviewed a number of L1 studies that
appear to show the positive effect of reading on subjects' writing skills,
indicating that students who are prolific readers in their pre-college years
become better writers when they enter college. L2 studies by Hafiz & Tudor
(1989) in the UK and Pakistan, and Robb & Susser (1989) in Japan, revealed
more significant improvement in subjects' written work than in other language
skills. These results again support the case for an input-based, acquisition-oriented
reading program based on extensive reading as an effective means of fostering
improvements in students writing.
6.
It can motivate
learners to read
Reading material selected for extensive reading programs should address
students' needs, tastes and interests, so as to energize and motivate them to
read the books. In the Yemen, this was achieved through the use of familiar
material and popular titles reflecting the local culture (e.g.. Aladdin and His
Lamp). Bell & Campbell (1996, 1997) explore the issue in a South East Asian
context, presenting various ways to motivate learners to read and explaining
the role of extensive reading and regular use of libraries in advancing the
reading habit .
7.
It can
consolidate previously learned language
Extensive reading of high-interest material for both children and adults
offers the potential for reinforcing and recombining language learned in the
classroom. Graded readers have a controlled grammatical and lexical load, and
provide regular and sufficient repetition of new language forms (Wodinsky &
Nation 1988).Therefore, students automatically receive the necessary
reinforcement and recycling of language required to ensure that new input is
retained and made available for spoken and written production.
8.
It helps to
build confidence with extended texts
Much classroom reading work has traditionally focused on the exploitation
of shorts texts, either for presenting lexical and grammatical points or for
providing students with limited practice in various reading skills and
strategies. However, a large number of students in the EFL/ESL world require
reading for academic purposes, and therefore need training in study skills and
strategies for reading longer texts and books. Kembo (1993) points to the value
of extensive reading in developing students confidence and ability in facing
these longer texts.
9.
It encourages
the exploitation of textual redundancy
Insights from cognitive psychology have informed our understanding of the
way the brain functions in reading. It is now generally understood that slow,
word-by-word reading, which is common in classrooms, impedes comprehension by
transferring an excess of visual signals to the brain. This leads to overload
because only a fraction of these signals need to be processed for the reader to
successfully interpret the message. Kalb (1986) refers to redundancy as an
important means of processing, and to extensive reading as the means of
recognizing and dealing with redundant elements in texts.
10.
It facilitates
the development of prediction skills
One of the currently accepted perspectives on the reading process is that
it involves the exploitation of background knowledge. Such knowledge is seen as
providing a platform for readers to predict the content of a text on the basis
of a pre-existing schema. When students read, these schema are activated and
help the reader to decode and interpret the message beyond the printed words.
These processes presuppose that readers predict, sample, hypothesize and
reorganize their understanding of the message as it unfolds while reading
(Nunan 1991: 65-66).
b.
Writing an Article Review
An article review or critique is a specialized form
of writing in which the reviewer engages
with a scholarly source — usually a journal article or academic book — by reporting its main ideas, claims,
positions, or findings, and the reasoning which supports these ideas and by critiquing its contribution to
knowledge in the discipline in which it is published. Thus, scholarly review or
critique consists of summarizing and
evaluating an academic source that is of interest to academic audiences. A critical review is much more than a simple summary; it
is an analysis and evaluation of a book, article or other medium. Writing a
good critical review requires that you understand the material, and that you
know how to analyze and evaluate that material using appropriate criteria.
c.
Structure
of a Critical Review
Critical reviews, both short (one page) and long (four pages), usually
have a similar structure.
Introduction
The length of an introduction is usually one paragraph
for a journal article review and two or three paragraphs for a longer book
review. Include a few opening sentences that announce the author(s) and the
title, and briefly explain the topic of the text. Present the aim of the text
and summarise the main finding or key argument. Conclude the introduction with
a brief statement of your evaluation of the text. This can be a positive or negative
evaluation or, as is usually the case, a mixed response.
Summary
Present a summary of the key points along with a limited
number of examples. You can also briefly explain the author’s
purpose/intentions throughout the text and you may briefly describe how the
text is organised. The summary should only make up about a third of the
critical review.
Critique
The critique should be a balanced discussion and
evaluation of the strengths, weakness and notable features of the text.
Remember to base your discussion on specific criteria. Good reviews also
include other sources to support your evaluation (remember to reference). You
can choose how to sequence your critique. Here are some examples to get you
started:
·
Most
important to least important conclusions you make about the text.
· If
your critique is more positive than negative, then present the negative
points first and the positive last.
· If
your critique is more negative than positive, then present the positive
points first and the negative last.
· If
there are both strengths and weakness for each criterion you use, you need to
decide overall what your judgement is. For example, you may want to comment on
a key idea in the text and have both positive and negative comments. You could
begin by stating what is good about the idea and then concede and explain how
it is limited in some way. While this example shows a mixed evaluation, overall
you are probably being more negative than positive.
· In
long reviews, you can address each criteria you choose in a paragraph, including
both negative and positive points. For very short critical reviews (one page or
less) where your comments will be briefer, inlude a paragraph of positive
aspects and another of negative.
·
You
can also include recommendations for how the text can be improved in terms of
ideas, research approach; theories or frameworks used can also be included in
the critique section.
Conclusion
This is usually a
very short paragraph.
·
Restate
your overall opinion of the text.
·
Briefly
present recommendations.
· If
necessary some further qualification or explanation of your judgement can be
included. This can help your critique sound fair and reasonable.
Procedures
1.
Have students write about the texts they read.
Having students write about a text should enhance reading
comprehension because it affords greater opportunities to think about ideas in
a text, requires them to organize and integrate those ideas into a coherent
whole, fosters explicitness, facilitates reflection, encourages personal
involvement with texts, and involves students transforming ideas into their own
words (Applebee, 1984; Emig, 1977; Klein, 1999; Smith,1988; Stotsky, 1982). In
short, writing about a text should enhance comprehension because it provides students
with a tool for visibly and permanently recording, connecting, analyzing,
personalizing, and manipulating key ideas in text.Students’ Comprehension Of
science, social studies, and language arts texts is
improved when they write about what they read, specifically when they:
· Respond to a Text in Writing (Writing Personal
Reactions, Analyzing and Interpreting the Text)
· Write Summaries of a Text
· Write Notes About a Text
· Answer Questions About a Text in Writing, or Create
and Answer Written Questions About a Text
2.
Have Students Respond to a Text (Writing Personal
Reactions, Analyzing and Interpreting the Text)
Writing an extended response to material involves either
a personal reaction to the text or analysis and interpretation of it. The
former includes writing a personal response to narrative material read or
writing about a personal experience related to it. Analysis and interpretation
activities, in contrast, focus on writing an analysis of the characters in a
novel, writing a paper showing how to apply material that was read, composing a
letter to another student explaining how to play a game described in a text,
and analyzing a text in writing to develop a particular point of view. Newer
and better understandings of textual material are likely to occur when students
write about text in extended ways involving analysis, interpretation, or
personalization (Langer and Applebee, 1987).
3.
Have Students Write Summaries of a Text
Summary writing practices studied ranged from writing a
synopsis with little to no guidance (e.g.,writing a one-sentence summary) to
the use of a variety of different guided summarizing strategies such as writing
a summary of text using a set of rules or steps; developing a written outline
of text and converting it to a summary; locating the main idea in each paragraph
and summarizing it; and creating a written/graphic organizer of important
information and converting it to a summary.
Writing summaries about a text proved to be better than
simply reading it, reading and rereading it,vreading and studying it, and receiving
reading instruction. The above reading activities served as control conditions
in all but four studies (74 percent). The average weighted effect size
decreased slightly, to 0.48, when summary writing was compared to control
conditions only involving reading activities.
4.
Have Students Write Notes About a Text
This writing practice involves sifting through a text to
determine what is most
relevant and
transforming and reducing the substance of these ideas into written phrases or
key words. Intentionally or unintentionally, note takers organize the
abstracted material in some way, connecting one idea to another, while blending
new information with their own knowledge, resulting in new understandings of
texts.
5.
Have Students Answer Questions About a Text in
Writing, or Create and Answer Written Questions About a Text.
Answering questions about a text can be done verbally,
but there is greater benefit from performing such activities in writing.
Writing answers to text questions makes them more memorable, as writing an answer
provides a second form of rehearsal. This practice should further enhance the
quality of students’ responses, as written answers are available for review,
reevaluation, and reconstruction (Emig, 1977).
6.
Teach students the writing skills and processes that
go into creating text.
Students’ reading skills and comprehension are improved by learning the
skills and processes that go into creating text, specifically when teachers:
·
Teach the Process of Writing, Text Structures for
Writing, Paragraph or Sentence Construction Skills (Improves Reading
Comprehension)
·
Teach Spelling and Sentence Construction Skills
(Improves Reading Fluency)
·
Teach Spelling Skills (Improves Word Reading Skills)
7.
Increase how much students write. Students’ reading comprehension is improved by having
them increase how often they produce their own texts. In the following sections,
we discuss each of these findings in turn by discussing the theory behind the
practices and the results of the analysis. In several places, we also elaborate
the activities involved in implementing the practices. Results are reported in
effect size statistics, which allow us to understand the magnitude of impact an
instructional practice can have on student outcomes. When reading these
sections, readers should keep in mind three important aspects of effect sizes.
Conclusion
Writing practices
cannot take the place of effective reading practices (see Biancarosa and Snow [2004]
and NICHD [2000] for a review of such practices). Instead, writing practices
complement reading practices and should always be used in conjunction, with
each type of practice supporting and strengthening the other.
This study shows
that students’ reading abilities are improved by writing about texts they have
read; by receiving explicit instruction in spelling, in writing sentences, in
writing paragraphs, in text structure, and in the basic processes of
composition; and by increasing how much and how frequently they write. Our
evidence shows that these writing activities improved students’ comprehension
of text over andabove the improvements gained from traditional reading
activities such as reading text, reading and rereading text, reading and
discussing text, and receiving explicit reading instruction.
The empirical
evidence that the writing practices described in this report strengthen reading
skills provides additional support for the notion that writing should be taught
and emphasized as an integral part of the school curriculum. Previous research
has found that teaching the same writing process and skills improved the
quality of students’ writing (Graham and Perin, 2007a; see also Graham, in
press; Rogers and Graham, 2008) and learning of content (as demonstrated in
Graham and Perin [2007a] and Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, and Wilkinson [2004]).
Students who do not develop strong writing skills may not be able to take full
advantage of the power of writing as a tool to strengthen reading.
References
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(2002). Top ten principles for teaching extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign
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