1. WEEK 1 – Teaching Reading and Vocabulary in The Primary ESL Classroom
Definition of Reading
1. The action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud:
"suggestions for further reading"; "reading skills".
2. Written or printed matter that can be read
3. Reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts. It is a
complex skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of
information (Anderson et al., 1985).
4. Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic
interaction among: (1) the reader's existing knowledge; (2) the information
suggested by the text being read; and (3) the context of the reading situation
(Wixson, Peters, Weber, &Roeber, 1987, citing the new definition of reading
for Michigan).
5. Reading is a process undertaken to reduce uncertainty about meanings a text
conveys.
6. The process results from a negotiation of meaning between the text and its
reader.
7. The knowledge, expectations, and strategies a reader uses to uncover textual
meaning all play decisive roles way the reader negotiates with the text's
meaning
Reading for literary experience
The reader becomes involved in imagined events, settings, actions, consequences,
characters, atmosphere, feelings, and ideas; he or she brings an appreciation of
language and knowledge of literary forms to the text. This is often accomplished
through reading fiction.
PURPOSES
Reading to acquire and use information
The reader engages with types of texts where she or he can understand how the
world is and has been, and why things work as they do. Texts take many forms, but

2. one major distinction is between those organised chronologically and those
organised non-chronologically. This area is often associated with information articles
and instructional texts.
Source: Mullis, et al., 2006.