Applying some techniques to help pupils of grade 12 at Nhu Thanh secondary and High School do reading comprehension better

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY
In today’s global world, the importance of English can not be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken everwhere. With the help of developing technology, English has been playing a major role in many sectors including medicine, engineering, and education, which, in my opinion, is the most important arena where English is needed. Particularly, as a developing country, Turkey needs to make use of this world-wide spoken language in order to prove its international power. This can merely be based on the efficiency of tertiary education. 
It is widely spoken and written language in the world. Most of the records, documents and particulars are written in English. All the journals, magazines, articles and papers are also written in English. So without knowing English it is quite impossible for us to know the latest information, invention and new discoveries. The world is running so fast. We know that it is the age of information, communication technology and science. 
All the internet activities are conducted in English. To connect with the other person of the world within a moment, to send any application, document and other writing material there is other language but English. In order to keep pace with the world there is no other alternative to learning English. As a smart, modern, civilized and wise person one should learn English. Not only this, but also to be a higher educated person English is a must. If we want to earn vast knowledge and higher education in any branch, we are to take help from the books which are written in English. 
It is clear to us that the world seeks the person who knows English well. He can easily get service, mix with the other persons, enjoys more opportunities than others. Moreover, it helps a man to get a good job easily. An expert person in English can easily earn vast wealth by using English. So if we don’t know English, we will fail to keep pace with the progressive force of the world. Many foreign guests and delegates come to our country. They don’t know our mother tongue. So we need to learn English to communicate with them. From this we can say that we need to learn English to join the advanced and developed world. So we should be very serious and sincere about learning English as an emergency basis.
In our country, English has been regarded as the most important foreign language nowadays, especially since the Vietnamese Government carried out the open door policy, English has been taught for a long time in Vietnam. It becomes a compulsory subject in most universities and schools throughout the country. However, the emphasis on transmission of structural rules and forms often sever as the principal method of teaching English in Vietnamese schools and universities.
In Reading leassons, the students always have difficulties and challenges in understanding the content of the reading passage because of the shortage of vocabularies/structures, so that they can not do tasks well. 
The knowledge of English of the students in Nhu Thanh Secondary&high school is not good, not excellent so when they take part in examinations, they ofen get low mark because don’t have a good choice for questions
 	In my own observation through my teaching in Nhu Thanh Secondary&High School, I see that most of my students are aware of the importance of learning English in which vocabulary and grammar play an important role. However, their knowledge of English seems still very poor. Many students say that they have not paid much their attention to learn vocabulary and grammar items by heart, they have problems with word formation and usage. A lot of them have not learnt words in context; and they are lack of excitement in the classroom, etc
 	Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well.
Many people, including language teachers, hear the word "grammar" and think of a fixed set of word forms and rules of usage. They associate "good" grammar with the prestige forms of the language, such as those used in writing and in formal oral presentations, and "bad" or "no" grammar with the language used in everyday conversation or used by speakers of nonprestige forms.
Language teachers who adopt this definition focus on grammar as a set of forms and rules. They teach grammar by explaining the forms and rules and then drilling students on them. This results in bored, disaffected students who can produce correct forms on exercises and tests, but consistently make errors when they try to use the language in context.
Teaching grammar is an essential part of school education or adult learning.  Without good grammar, spoken or written words lose much of their meaning and most of their value.  Grammar is a very important thing to get right, and teachers should take extra care to impart proper grammar to all their students.  Sadly, grammar is often seen as a difficult and boring subject and one popular method of teaching is to just repeat the correct grammar for a certain situation over and over until it is memorised and able to be repeated, like a parrot.  This is dull for both teachers and students, and often only results in the students being able to repeat what they have learned, rather than resulting in a complete understanding that can be applied to all situations.
It is very clear that teaching vocabulary and grammar are too great and various to talk about. With the limitation of this paper, I will only focus on some simple signs which are regarded as the most effective methods to helps pupils of grade 12 do national high school exam with subject of English. On the other hand, Reading Comprehension is the ability to understand a written passage of text. Basically:  “Did you understand what you have read?” It is the bridge between the passive reader and active reader. It is the crucial link to effective reading which is essential for a rich academic, professional and personal life.
Reading fluency is a very important part of reading comprehension as readers who spend their time decoding words tend to lose the understanding of what is being read. If your child is still decoding at Grade 3 level it is vital to return to the basic mental tools that create a solid cognitive foundation in order to establish successful reading comprehension. These cognitive skills include attention, auditory analysis, sound blending, memory, processing speed and visual perception.
A lack of strong reading comprehension skills definitely affects a child’s success at school as academic progress depends on understanding, analysing and applying information gathered through reading. In a test, the total questions of reading comprehension is great, it covers about more than 30 percents, so the students don’t undersatnd the reading passage well, it means they can not do the reading passage well.
Therefore, I have decided to choose this subject “Applying some techniques to help pupils of grade 12 at Nhu Thanh secondary and High School do reading comprehension better ”
1.2. AIMS OF THE STUDY
- When writing this innovation, I wish to offer some ideas to find the best ways to help pupils, especially, pupils of grade 12 do national high school exam with subject of English get mark.
- I do the research to know about the fact of learning vocabularies as well as grammar of students so that I can provide them with some easier ways to do the exam.
1.3. OBJECT OF THE STUDY
- In this innovation teaching, I focus on finding some solutions to guide pupils of grade 12 at Nhu Thanh secondary and High School do reading comprehension better
The class I carried out my research is 12C2, 12C3 at Nhu Thanh Secondary&High school.
1.4. METHODS OF STUDY
- The method of collecting and analyzing material for the resarch: Research for material concerning about the subject, analyse and get certain knowledge from previous researches, finally give the foundation to the research.
- Exchange method discussion: Discussion with other colleagues after visiting their classes to draw out experiences.
- Experimental method: This research is also carried out in my teaching vocabularies and grammar.
2. CONTENT
2.1 THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS:
2.1.1. Theoretical basis: 
English has played a vital role in society and made considerable contribution to education, culture, science and technology. The number of people learning English for various purposes (such as for job, business, traveling) is continually on the increase everyday. Therefore different kinds of English teaching and learning materials are available over the world, especially in Vietnam. In our country, English has been regarded as the most important foreign language nowadays, especially since the Vietnamese Government carried out the open door policy. English has been taught for a long time in Vietnam. It becomes a compulsory subject in most universities and schools through out the country. 
As we know that, the aim of teaching a foreign language is not only to provide students with the knowledge of language to solve exercises, or to do the exam, but it also helps students to have abitity to communicate with other people in that language. So, in order to communicate in a foreign language well, students ought to have good ability about Listening skill, Speaking skill, Reading skill, Writing skill. These skills can be done well or not, they are based on the number of vocabularies and grammar of students. It means that the number of vocabularies of students and the understanding of grammar structures play an important role in improving skills.
Although many children can read, reading and reading comprehension are two different things. While reading involves translating and decoding text into sounds and spoken words, reading comprehension involves taking what was just read and deriving meaning from those words. In simpler terms, reading comprehension is the ability to read, understand, process, and recall what was just read.
Proper reading comprehension can be difficult, so why bother? Even though learning how to properly read and comprehend texts is a complicated process, it is a necessary skill to master, both for work and for pleasure. 
You will need to know how to read and interpret all kinds of different texts—both on the basic, literal level and on a more in-depth level—throughout your schooling, in college, and in the working world (as well as in your recreation time!). If we think about "reading" just as a literal or surface understanding of a piece and "reading comprehension" as the complete understanding, a person can only get by in the world on pure "reading" for so long. 
Reading comprehension is essential for many significant aspects of daily life, such as:
Reading, understanding, and analyzing literature in your English classes
Reading and understanding texts from your other class subjects, such as history, math, or science
Doing well on both the written and math sections of the SAT (or all five sections of the ACT)
Understanding and engaging with current events presented in written form, such as news reports
Properly understanding and responding to any and all other workplace correspondence, such as essays, reports, memos, and analyses
Simply taking pleasure in written work on your own leisure time
Just like with any goal or skill, we can master reading comprehension one step at a time. 
2.1.2. Practical basis:
After many years of teaching English in Nhu Thanh high School, and now I am teaching English at Nhu Thanh Secondary&High School, I find that the large number of students is very afraid of learning English, especially in learning new words and grammars because according to them, new words are difficult to learn by heart, but easy to forget and English grammar is differrent from Vietnamese, so whenever the teacher asks them to check old lesson, they always feel nervous. This leads to result they have low marks, moreover, when they do the test or the exam, they always make mistakes that is why they always say that English is the most difficult subject. To solve this problem, in the past few years, I have helped students to overcome the difficulties by creating interesting lesson in every period of lesson so that students can feel more interesed in learning English. So I decide to choose this research subject. 
2.2. THE STATUS OF THE RESEARCH SUBJECT:
2.2.1. The advantages of teaching reading comprehention:
For students
- We know that English has become a compulsory subject in most schools, when students were in primary and secondary school, they were also taught this subject, so when they enter high school, they also have a basic knowledge, they are familiar with the ways of learning this subject. On the other hands, students themselves realized the importance of learning English so they spend more time, money on their study and buying facilities which help them study better. Besides, the facilities which the school has to help students study are good and enough.
For teachers: 
- Most teachers have good knowledge and good method of teaching English, besides, they love teaching. Moreover, students are interested in learning English.
- The facilities of the school like language laboratory , books , tapes , and radios are full and Administrator is interested and facilitates the teaching of the teachers so that they can prove their abilities in the best way.
- Most students have motivation in their study
2.2.2. The disadvantages of teaching reading comprehention:
For students:
- As I said above, the large number of students is very afraid of learning English, especially in learning new words and grammar because according to them, new words and grammar are difficult to learn by heart, but easy to forget. Besides, some students are lazy in learning vocabularies and grammar, they don,t have motivation in their study.
- Classrooms are too crowded so some students don,t have opportunity to practise their English in class.
For teachers:
- Some of teachers have difficulty in teaching new words and grammar because they have not created an interesting learning environment.
- There are also some teachers who have not applied new teaching methods so this makes students feel bored when learning English.
2.2.3. Specific survey in classes 12C2, 12C3
Class
Excellent
(%)
Good
(%)
Fair
(%)
Poor
(%)
12C2
4,5
11,8
46,1
37,6
12C3
5,7
12,9
47,6
33,8
2.3. SOME TECHNIQUES TO HELP PUPILS DO THE READING COMPREHENSION BETTER
2.3.1. The importance of teaching reading comprehention
Reading comprehension is the understanding of what a particular text means and the ideas the author is attempting to convey, both textual and subtextual. In order to read any text, your brain must process not only the literal words of the piece, but also their relationship with one another, the context behind the words, how subtle language and vocabulary usage can impact emotion and meaning behind the 
text, and how the text comes together as a larger, coherent whole.
For instance, let's look at the first line from Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Now, a completely literal interpretation of the text, just based on word-meaning, would have us believe that 'all rich men want wives.' But the context, word choice, and phrasing of the text actually belie that interpretation. By using the phrases "universally acknowledged" and "must be in want of" (emphasis ours), the text is conveying a subtle sarcasm to the words. Instead of it being an actual truth that 'rich men want wives,' this one sentence instantly tells us that we're reading about a society preoccupied with marriage, while also implying that the opening statement is something people in that society may believe, but that isn't necessarily true. 
In just a few short words, Austen conveys several ideas to the reader about one of the main themes of the story, the setting, and what the culture and people are like. And she does so all the while seeming to contradict the literal words of the piece.
As we know that, reading comprehension plays an very importannt role in a test or in an exaxmination. Reading comprehention is the understanding of what a particular text means and the ideas the author is attempting to convey, both textual and subtextual. In order to read any text, your brain must process not only the literal words of the piece, but also their relationship with one another, the context behind the words, how subtle language and vocabulary usage can impact emotion and meaning behind the text, and how the text comes together as a larger, coherent whole.
Teaching reading in the English language course should include the following set of learning goals:
- enable students to read a wide range of texts in English.
- develop awareness of the structures of the written English texts.
- develop the ability of criticizing the content of texts.
- practice different types of reading according to the purpose of reading.
- exposing students to different types of texts to build solid knowledge of the language and to facilitate reading in the future.
Four types of reading:
- Skimming: reading for the gist or the main idea of the text.
- Scanning: reading to find specific information.
- Extensive reading: reading for pleasure and general understanding.
- Intensive reading: reading for getting the details.
A good reader:
Reading research shows that a good reader should:
- be able to read extensively as well as intensively.
- integrate information in the text with existing knowledge.
- be able to use the two models of reading in processing a text.
- be able to skim or scan a text depending on what he reads and the purpose of reading.
- read for a purpose. His reading serves a function.
2.3.2. How to teach reading comprehension skill to help pupils do the test and the examination better.
*/ Pre-Reading
Pre-Reading Activities
Why are Pre-Reading Activities Important?
What are some Pre-Reading Activities that You can Implement in the Classroom?
+/ Discussion
+/ I’m listening to You
+/ Quotations
+/ Guessing from Words
+/ Guessing from Pictures:
+/ Pictionary
+/ Guessing from sentences
+/ How many words do you know?
+/ Speed chatting
+/ Brainstorming
+/ True or False
+/ Introducing Vocabulary
This reading stage is very important because pre-reading activities help students prepare for the reading activity by activating the relevant schemata, and motivating them to read. Pre-reading activities can also help learners anticipate the topic, vocabulary and possibly important grammar structures in the texts.
Some activities in pre-rading stage:
- Discussion: 
Create a discussion about the topic. Teacher prepares 4 sentences expressing opinions about the topic, then sticks them in 4 corners of the classroom. Students go and stand near the opinion they disagree with the most. The group explains why the disagree about the topic.
- Guessing from Words
Before students look at the text they are going to read, the teacher writes 5 or 6 words from the text on the board and asks the students to guess the topic or teacher can use the Spider words to introduce new topic.
Select some of the key words from the text. Put the class into two or three groups. In turn, a learner from each group (at the same time) comes to the whiteboard. They are told the word and they have to draw that word. They are not allowed to use letters or numbers in their drawing. The other students try to guess the word and earn points for their team. This can get very lively indeed!
How many words do you know?
The teacher prepares the board by writing the letters of the alphabet in 3 or 4 columns. The students form two lines standing behind each other. Use 2 colored markers s