This document discusses using graded readers in English lessons. It provides models for literature teaching, benefits of graded readers like helping students practice reading and gain fluency. Potential disadvantages are that simplified texts may lose the original work's style. The document also provides strategies for choosing readers, engaging students in reading activities before, during and after reading assignments.

1. Graded Readers
• Models in literature teaching
• Benefits in using graded readers
• Disadvantages in using graded
readers
• How to use graded readers in the
English lessons

2. Reasons for not using readers
• Students are lazy to read
• They will not understand the
• text
• They are not able to concentrate on a
text for too long
• There is no time for reading in the
lessons

3. Models in literature reading
Models
The language
model
The cultural
model
The personal
growth
model

4. Process of reading
• People are reading when the words
understood become thoughts and ideas
• Comprehension is the capacity for
understanding those thoughts and ideas
• Readers relate the text they read to their
own personal experiences, they compare
and evaluate.

5. Questionnaire for teachers
• Do you use Graded readers in your lessons?
• Do you use any other reading material?
• How do you choose the material to be read?
• What goals do you set for reading activities?
• How do you motivate your students to read?
• Do you believe that a teacher can influence
the learner´s attitude to reading?

6. Why do we read?
•For information
•For pleasure
•(We ALWAYS read with a
purpose)

7. Definition of a graded reader
• A graded reader is one of a series of
books ranked by grade level, reader level
or another level of difficulty.
• Graded readers are used by learners at
specific stages of their foreign language
learning and whose purpose is to
practice reading and to gain reading
fluency.

8. • “The literary language which is unique to
the original is “translated” into
something else. It is claimed that by
transforming the literary work into a
simplified version, it loses the texture of
the original and the language shifts from
literary to non-literary” (Carter and Long)

9. Example
• Stand: the opposite of sit
• Stand: take a position (I ll stand by your
side)
• Mantain a certain position (Stand first in
class)
• Occupy a place (The house stands on a
hill)
• Remain valid (The order still stands)

10. Graded readers: a flexibe tool for
language teachers

11. Creating the basic motivational
conditions
• Appropriate teacher behaviour
• Pleasant and supportive
atmosphere in the classroom
• A cohesive learner group with
appropriate group norms.

12. Generating initial motivation
• The learners should be prepared for the task
• Learners have to know the teacher is ready to
help them
• It is essential to support the learner´s
cooperation.
• Learners should know the purpose of the
reading.
• The material should be relevant for the
learners

13. Maintaining and protecting motivation
• Presenting tasks in a motivating way
• Setting goals
• Protecting the learners´self esteem and
increasing their self-confidence
• Promoting cooperation among the learners
• Creating learner autonomy

14. • Selecting a book
• Presenting the work
• Maintaining momentum
• Deciding on activities and group
work
Organizing a literature lesson

15. Stages in the lesson
•Pre-reading activities
•While reading activities
•Post reading activities

16. Pre-reading activities
•Guess the story from the
cover
•Jumbled chapter titles
•Working with pictures

17. While reading
• Answering broad questions
• Comparing commentaries
• Making questions
• Listing main events
• Completing paragraphs
• Choosing vocabulary
• Horoscopes

18. After reading
• Comic strips
• Radio articles
• News Articles
• In the character´s shoes
• Book reviews

19. Pre-reading activities
(The Picture of Dorian Gray)
• In groups, plan two activities
you´d give a group of
eleven/ twelve- year-old
students before reading the
story.

20. Using The Portrait of Dorian Gray
• Pre-reading activities:
• Getting in the mood: ask students to discuss how they
choose their friends
• Keep a record of their commentaries
• Then, ask them if they like portraits and if they´d like to
have one of their own
• Photocpy the cover of the book; make groups, give a copy to
each group and ask them to describe the picture as much
detailed as they can.

21. While reading activities
• Worksheets:
• Say whether some sentences are true or
false
• Put events in the right order
• Make an oral presentation defending/
opposing Dorian´s decision of not
showing the portrait.

22. • Establishing the characters:
• As you read, complete the diagram
• Character 1 (Dorian)
• Character 2 (Basil) Character 3 (Lord Henry)
• Character 4 (Sybil) Character 5 (James Vane)

23. After reading activities
(to be done in groups)
• Using the imagination:
• A- Imagine you are one of Dorian´s servants and tell your
mates what you have seen in his house.
• B- Imagine you spent a day as one of the characters in
the story.Describe the events that happened to you.
• Describe a situation you found frightening.
• Describe the character you found more interesting in the
book.
• Write a report after Dorian´s death as if you were Lord
Henry.
• Write a commentary making clear whether you feel pity/
sad/anger for Dorian.

24. Worksheet for chapter two
• Dorian never saw Lord Henry again. He devoted his
time to have pleasure; he went to parties, to expensive
restaurants and to the theatre. One day, Dorian met a
very beautiful girl; she was Sybil Vane, she was the
leading actress in the play Dorian had decided to
watch. She was not a very good actress but she was the
most beautiful woman Dorian had ever seen.
• Sybil fell in love with Dorian, she did not know if he
was rich or poor, she only knew she loved him with all
her heart. Sybil´s mom was not happy with this love,
she said Sybil was too young and that she´d be alone as
her son, Sybil´s brother, was going to Africa.

25. Helping students with activities:
• Students can work with the following link in
order to have more information on the literary
work:
•
• http://cregocristina.edu.glogster.com/the-
portrait-of-dorian-grey

26. Expanding the story
We can ask students to watch the
video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4
Umh-intCQ

27. Favourite scenes
• Work in a small group. Make a list of all the
scenes in the film that people in your group
liked. Each person should suggest one or two
of their favourite scenes.
• Number these scenes in order of most to least
preferred by the whole group.
• Report back to the whole class

28. Watching one scene
 Watch one scene (maybe chosen by the
teacher) and write notes on the topic below:
 Setting
 Film
 Book
 Character
 Film
 Book

29. Comparing
• Problem:
• What is the main problem the story deals
with?
• How is it presented in the film?
• Climax:
• What happens to bring about the ending?
• How does the film show the climax?