This document outlines techniques for teaching ESL reading skills, including pre-reading, making predictions, introducing vocabulary, and multiple readings. It recommends that instructors help students make predictions about the text before reading through questions. Students should then read once to answer initial questions, and re-read while highlighting key points and evidence. The process aims to build reading comprehension and have students engage critically with texts.

2.  The most important concept to convey is that reading, like writing, is a process.
 Strong readers don't just sit down with a text, read it once, and completely understand
it.
 They employ techniques like pre-reading and making predictions to connect the
particular text .
 Build reading comprehension.

3. PRE- READ TECHNIQUE.
 Where did the material come from?
 Who wrote the article?
 What is the title of the piece?
 Who are the intended readers?

4. Make Predictions
Instructors will assist student comprehension by constructing questions about the
reading for students to answer before they read the assigned text for the first time.
Doing this helps students make predictions about the text and encourages critical
interaction when they read.
QUESTIONS:
 How many groups of people can you think of that have strong feelings about
animals?
 Judging by the title, what do you think the purpose of this article is?
 The article first appeared in People magazine? Who do you think the audience
is?

5. Introduce Vocabulary
 Reading exercises are an ideal way for these students to expand their working
vocabularies.
 Instructors should create a vocabulary list of important or challenging words.
 Students can look up the words in a dictionary and write down the definitions.
 ESL students learn the meanings of new words and phrases and to apply those
meanings.

6. FIRST READING.
 Read the text one time.
 After they answer questions that connect the earlier steps of the reading process
with their working understanding of the text.
 QUESTIONS:
Did any of your predictions about the text based on the title turn out to be true?
What, if anything, surprised you?
What is the author's purpose or argument? Is he/she trying to persuade, inform,
describe, etc?

7. Re-Reading
 After, students should look for the author's claims and assertions and
determine if he/she backs them up effectively
 Highlight the major points of the writing.
 Highlight the evidence and supporting information the author provides in
a different color.
 Mark up the text! Ask questions and write comments in the margins.
What is the style of the article? Formal? Informal? Funny? Scholarly? Is it
effective?

8. Final Thoughts
 The above process of how to teach ESL reading skills can be extended in many
different directions depending on the purpose of the assignment, the level of
the student population.
 Students could summarize the reading or respond to it by extending an
aspect of the reading they found interesting.