Extensive Reading Integrated with Intensive Reading for Korean Middle School Students

Abstract

 Purpose: The purpose of this textbook is to help the target learners to develop the four language skills through intensive reading (IR) and extensive reading (ER) activities with character building themes.  Rationale: Reading books is one of the best ways to learn a foreign language. With IR, learners focus on the linguistic and semantic details of a passage. IR calls the learners’ attention to deconstruct sentences to understand grammar and syntax rules as well as to understand the content. ER gives students an opportunity to read longer pieces of reading, which they can read at their own speed and at their own level. ER helps learners to build reading speed and reading fluency. Improving reading speed is vitally important for acquiring a second language because it promotes learner autonomy and has a powerful impact on motivation. Moreover, ER allows the learner to develop an awareness of collocations and lexical phrases by reading extensively. In addition to the linguistic benefits of ER, learners can also gain knowledge of the world around them, helping them to develop intercultural competence. In other words, ER opens the window to the world outside of the learners’ local contexts. One of the main purposes of ER is to develop the habit of reading for pleasure. This builds the learners’ confidence and motivation which helps the learner to become a more competent user of the target language.