<h1 class="page-title" style="text-align: center;">TESOL- Four Language Skills</h1>
<h1 id="section_0" class="title_lg">- Teach Reading Skills</h1>
Reading is the first step into a better life. Without basic reading skills, we can’t get jobs in most fields or negotiate contracts like leases. Unfortunately, today’s hyper-visual culture makes reading less appealing to children and adults. However, you shouldn’t just throw your hands up in defeat. With a few handy tricks, you can teach reading skills to children and adult learners.
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<b class="whb">1- Find out their learning styles.</b> You need to figure this out before you can teach reading skills. Most students learn by seeing (visual learners), hearing (auditory learners), or doing (kinesthetic learners).<sup id="_ref-1" class="reference" aria-label="Link to Reference 1"> </sup>Talk to your principal or school guidance counselor about which tests you can give them.
<ul>
 	<li>Teach visual learners with outlines, diagrams, and illustrated handouts.<sup id="_ref-2" class="reference" aria-label="Link to Reference 2"></sup></li>
 	<li>Teach auditory learners through audio books, oral reports, and rhyming games.<sup id="_ref-3" class="reference" aria-label="Link to Reference 3"></sup></li>
 	<li>Teach kinesthetic learners through role-playing activities, games, and field trips.<sup id="_ref-4" class="reference" aria-label="Link to Reference 4"></sup></li>
 	<li>If you're a school teacher or are teaching more than one child, it's important to balance these approaches to appeal to different types of learners.</li>
</ul>
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<b class="whb">2- Determine their likes and dislikes.</b> One of the best ways to help kids get excited about reading is to choose material that already interests them. During the first week of school, talk to your students about their likes. You can ask about favorite movies, characters, or songs. Then you can tailor the reading material towards their interests.
<ul>
 	<li>For example, maybe several kids say that they love monkeys. <i>Curious George</i>would be a great place to start!</li>
 	<li>Maybe your kids are into magic. <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone</i> is a good choice for young readers.</li>
</ul>
<b class="whb">3- Start with easy material.</b> For very young readers, try titles along the lines of Dr. Seuss books or first-reader skill level. Literary devices like rhyming or alliteration also appeal to young readers. Look for books that are richly illustrated with engaging pictures so that students can connect words and images.<sup id="_ref-5" class="reference trusted" aria-label="Link to Reference 5"><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Reading-Skills#_note-5">[5]</a></sup> In addition to Dr. Seuss, some good examples include:
<ul>
 	<li><i>The Cat from Hunger Mountain</i> by Ed Young.</li>
 	<li><i>Little Red</i> by Bethan Woollvin.</li>
 	<li><i>Freedom in Congo Square</i> by Carole Boston Weatherford.</li>
</ul>
<b class="whb">4- Read to them.</b> As you read, angle the book so that your students can see the text and the illustrations. Make connections between the texts and the images. Before you turn the page, ask students engaging questions, such as:
<ul>
 	<li>What do you think Little Red Riding Hood will do next?</li>
 	<li>Why do you think Dr. Seuss made the Lorax speak for the trees?</li>
 	<li>If you were one of the billy goats, what would you do?</li>
</ul>
<b class="whb">5- Assign written responses.</b> Writing can build grammar, stamina, and a love for reading.<sup id="_ref-6" class="reference trusted" aria-label="Link to Reference 6"><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Reading-Skills#_note-6">[6]</a></sup> At the beginning of class, have students write a short paragraph that summarizes their homework assignment or what they read in class yesterday. To make the response a bit more enjoyable, ask them to also write about what they liked about the reading and what they disliked. Other ideas for assignments include:
<ul>
 	<li>Writing a letter to the main character.</li>
 	<li>Converting the plot of the book into a news story.</li>
 	<li>Writing an interview with the main character.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="in-block"><span id="Making-Reading-Fun" class="mw-headline">Making Reading Fun</span></h3>
1- <b class="whb">Introduce the book in a fun way.</b> You could play a game related to the book, watch a clip from a movie, or do an artistic project. Choose any fun way to get your student(s) excited about the book. Some books may be easy to match with an activity, such as one that's already been made into a movie, while others may take some thought.
<ul>
 	<li>For example, you could show them a clip from the movie <i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> before assigning the book.</li>
 	<li>Similarly, you could introduce a <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> book by playing a mystery game.</li>
</ul>
2- <b class="whb">Assign some of your favorites.</b> Pick out books that really grabbed your attention as a child or teenager. Enthusiasm is contagious. If your students see you getting excited about the reading material, they’re more likely to take an interest. Some timeless examples include:
<ul>
 	<li>Beverly Cleary’s books about Ramona Quimby</li>
 	<li>Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew series</li>
 	<li>Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books about Sherlock Holmes</li>
</ul>
3- <b class="whb">Play audio books.</b> Check out the school library or your local public library for books on tape or CD. Look for free downloadable versions of classics at Librivox.org. Audio books can fire up interest in reading. The right narrator can add an element of drama that a student might miss from text alone. Some good examples are:
<ul>
 	<li><i>The Sorrows of Young Werther</i> by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, narrated by Rob de Lorenzo</li>
 	<li><i>The Odyssey</i> by Homer, narrated by Ian McKellen</li>
 	<li>“Sonnet XIX” by William Shakespeare, narrated by Patrick Stewart</li>
</ul>
4- <b class="whb">Make connections to the outside world.</b> Students will more likely engage with the material if they can see how it relates to the real world. Think of a variety of interesting activities that could make this connection. You could:<sup id="_ref-9" class="reference" aria-label="Link to Reference 9"></sup>
<ul>
 	<li>Have students connect the reading to something in their lives. For example, you could ask them if they know a stubborn person like the narrator in <i>Green Eggs and Ham</i>.</li>
 	<li>Assign students to act out scenes or from their reading.</li>
 	<li>Plan a field trip on a related topic or theme to their assigned reading.</li>
</ul>
5- <b class="whb">Hold contests.</b> Sometimes the best motivation is competition. Keep a weekly book quota to help students stay on track. Give them small prizes for the books they read.
<ul>
 	<li>For example, you could give each student a ticket for each book they read. Set up a list of rewards they could redeem their tickets for, such as extra credit points or 15 minutes on the computer.</li>
</ul>
6- <b class="whb">Play solo or group games.</b> Search websites like PBS Kids or RIF.org to find fun games appropriate for your students’ reading levels. Look for games that you can either print out. If you can only find computer games, try making a paper-based adaptation. Some examples are:
<ul>
 	<li>Matching pictures to words or phrases that describe them.</li>
 	<li>Writing a chain story. Break the class up into groups. Give each group an opening sentence. Each student builds on the previous sentence until they have a complete story.</li>
 	<li>Playing a modified “Go Fish” game. The rules are the same as the traditional game. However, in this game, students match words, rather than pictures.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Important notes:</strong>

<b class="whb">Start with easy material.</b> For very young readers, try titles along the lines of Dr. Seuss books or first-reader skill level. Literary devices like rhyming or alliteration also appeal to young readers. Look for books that are richly illustrated with engaging pictures so that students can connect words and images.

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