This document discusses reading in the context of an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. It addresses what reading is at its most basic level, which is the recognition of words, but notes that understanding is the key aspect of teaching reading. It also discusses the different reasons why people read, such as for pleasure or to understand instructions. Finally, it considers whether reading is truly different in a foreign language compared to one's native language, concluding that the main challenge is not being able to recognize words and derive meaning.

1. INTRODUCTION
A literacy-rich environment in a pre-school should emphasize the importance of
speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all the students. This involves the
selection of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities; reflection
and thought regarding classroom design; and intentional instruction and facilitation by
teachers and students.
In this paper I have designed a classroom to allow my students to explore the
elements of literacy. The literacy rich environment emphasizes the importance of
speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students. This involves the selection
of materials that will facilitate language and literacy opportunities, because literacy-rich
environments can be individualized to meet student's needs, I am able to create both
independent and directed activities to enhance understanding of concept of print and
word, linguistic and phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development.
All of this occurs in a concrete setting giving students multiple opportunities to
gain the skills necessary to participate in the general education curriculum. For
example, books, technology, manipulative materials, art projects, and explorative
activities which can be used around a central theme.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Reading in the EFL classroom takes many forms, but is often used as a way of
introducing grammar or vocabulary items. The ‘teaching’ of reading has found its way
into many classes, but often just in terms of teaching (or practicing) techniques such as
skimming and scanning. In some classes students are asked to read out loud, turning
what is fundamentally a private receptive activity into a more public and production-
orientated activity. This type of reading is often decried as not being realistic. However,
that isn’t really the case as there are often instances in real life when we read things out
to each other (bedtime reading to children, reading a short article out at the breakfast
table, reading a menu at a restaurant – for example, when we find something interesting
or when we want to discuss what we might eat or drink).
Another thing we must remember is that many people claim that they do not read
much in their own language. In fact this isn’t really the case. It’s simply that most people
equate reading with reading novels and long texts, whereas we spend a lot of time
reading in our L1 (first language) – we read instructions, recipes, messages (especially
text messages), emails, information about what’s on TV, etc. So, for whatever reason
and in whatever way we ‘do’ reading in the class, reading is not uncommon. But what
exactly is reading
At the most basic level reading is the recognition of words. From simple
recognition of the individual letters and how these letters form a particular word to what
each word means not just on an individual level, but as part of a text. In English, as in
many other languages, different combinations of the same letters can be used to form
different words with completely different meanings. Recognition of the actual word is not
enough on its own to constitute reading.
Understanding what we are reading is the key and is certainly the main point of
teaching reading in a class. It’s not much good if our students simply stare at a text.
Understanding a text is quite a complex issue.

3. There are a number of reasons why we read and this will often influence what we
read and how we read it. We might read for pleasure. In this case it is most likely that
we will be reading a book of some sort, maybe a novel, or perhaps a poem. We could
also be reading the lyrics to a song and our reasons for reading it may be slightly more
complex than simply for pleasure. We could be reading it because we have heard the
song, but didn’t quite catch the words.
In other words, there might be multiple reasons why someone might read a text.
But working out the purpose is a key factor when it comes to teaching reading. Why we
are reading something will make a difference to how we read it, and in what depth. We
must also bear in mind the purpose of the text from the writer’s point of view. Somebody
wrote the text and they had a reason for doing so. It could be that the writer’s and the
reader’s reasons are the same, or similar. But it is equally possible that the two have
different purposes. The writer has a message they want to convey and they encode this
message in the words and style they choose. The reader then tries to decode the
message by reading the same words. This encoding and decoding doesn’t simply exist
on the level of meaning, but also on the level of why the text was written.
At first glance the question seems rather silly. Of course reading isn’t different,
whatever language you are reading in. The text might be written using a different
alphabet or characters, it might be written from right to left, or bottom to top, but
fundamentally the same processes are going on. Well, at one level this is certainly true,
but it may well be that we are not really conscious or aware of how we are reading in
our own language. Reading was a skill we developed as we grew up and as we became
acquainted with different types of text. Once we start seeing these texts in a foreign
language we are unable to decode the message. The problem is probably not that we
are not using the correct techniques, but that we are unable to recognize the words and
meaning. This causes us a big problem.
The problem is that we begin to panic. We start to try and use different techniques and
strategies to understand the text. We start to read every word in a way that we wouldn’t