Intensive Reading Course Book For Young Learners

Abstract

English education is one of the most important issues in the Korean education system. The study of English is obligatory in all schools from the third grade. Due to a huge demand for English language learning, many private academies have been increasing each year since most Korean parents want their children to be good speakers of English. One of the best ways to improve language skills is through reading. Although most English classes teach all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), there are not many opportunities for students to read enjoyable stories in their English classes. In order to help students to improve their overall English skills, this textbook focuses on reading instruction. The students will have an opportunity to read interesting story books in class and as a result, this will motivate them. However, many Korean students are unable to fully comprehend the meaning of the text for various reasons. One of the main reasons might be due a lack of vocabulary and grammar. In order to improve the student’s reading comprehension, they need to practice by reading with appropriate strategies. Although many students in Korea are able to read aloud in English, comprehension is often a problem. According to Grabe & Stroller (2002) "Reading is the ability to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this formation appropriately." Therefore, reading classes should provide efficient reading strategies to guide the students to comprehend various reading texts without difficulty. The students would be able to get the meaning of the context more easily through different reading strategies. This textbook aims to help students to read by studying related vocabulary before reading the main text, making predictions about the text, and making inferences from context. The target students of this course book are young learners which are fifth to sixth graders in elementary school. The students have studied English for at least 3 to 4 years in an EFL setting. Their level is low intermediate according to the ACTFL (American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages). The class is located in a private language institute in Bun-dang. The class consists of six to eight students of mixed gender and only English is used in class. Throughout the course, students will be able to improve their reading skills as well as their vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Students will practice reading with a variety of interesting stories and as the class proceeds, they will gradually read the story books and focus on comprehension.