Biography Fun

Abstract

In most Korean EFL classrooms, intensive reading skills are emphasized in order to prepare students to read efficiently and strategically. Due to various reasons (i.e. lack of time, resources, etc.), extensive reading is not a common approach in EFL settings in Korea. Based on my experience of teaching English in Korea; however, parents want their children to learn integrated language skills through more than just textbooks. English instruction in Korea is usually just follows an “intensive reading procedure” which focuses on a close study of short passages, helping learners to read efficiently and strategically. Today, EFL reading instruction includes more than teaching language skills. Specifically, teachers teach reading skills/strategies for understanding such elements as content, textual features, rhetorical elements as well as cultural background. In order to teach Korean EFL learners to read effectively in English, it is not only important to train them to use appropriate reading strategies, but it is important to help them to develop a positive attitude toward reading in English. Therefore, I would like to incorporate a combination of intensive and extensive reading methodologies in my textbook. This portfolio aims to give them valuable opportunities to read books in English leisurely without the burden of being graded or tested. Another goal of this book is to get students to learn English through reading and then to use it through a variety of interactive activities such as class presentations, discussing topics, and interviews. The target students of this course are seventh or eighth grade middle school students, between the ages of thirteen to fifteen. The textbook, however, is suitable for both middle school students and those in upper grades of elementary school, and will be used in an English classroom at a public co-ed middle school in Korea. The extracurricular class will be conducted with ten to twelve Korean students. It will be held in a designated classroom for 5 months and will meet twice a week, two hours per day after the regular school day is finished. There is no additional fee for this program and textbook. The school library and the class library will be accessible for the students to read and write in their reading journals. To study with this textbook, the students’ language proficiency must meet the proficiency level of intermediate low to intermediate high according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012). They have never studied or lived in English-speaking countries. They have a limited knowledge of vocabulary and a fair command of grammar. I have chosen this target group of students because I taught a tutee of this age group for two years and I would like to apply the language and teaching skills that I have acquired to this textbook. Moreover, it will be a great opportunity for me to modify, enhance, and improve the materials, activities and exercises that I have used in the past.