Some strategies used to teach Reading Skill to grade 10 students at Ham Rong High school

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
It is undeniable that English is an international language, which plays an important part in social life. It links people all over the world in many fields: science, technology, business, communication, education, and so on. It also helps people to approach the endless knowledge of human beings. Therefore, teaching and learning English have become the necessity in every country.
	In Vietnam, English is one of the foreign languages, which is compulsory from primary to university. In secondary school, Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing are four main skills which students have to learn when they learn English. Reading seems one of the most difficult skills. Many students make mistakes and find it difficult with reading texts, reading tasks and reading exercises, so how to read effectively is a big question. Being a teacher of English, I find it necessary, meaningful, and practical to do a research named “Some strategies used to teach Reading Skill to grade 10 students at Ham Rong High school”. I hope that this research can give benefits to teachers, students and people concerned about this field.
1.2. Hypothesis
The grade 10 students at Ham Rong upper secondary school may use a variety of strategies to do reading comprehension and do reading tasks more actively and exactly.
1.3. Research questions
In the study, some following questions will be answered:
What is the present English teaching and learning situation of the grade 10 students at Ham Rong upper secondary school?
What are strategies that students often use when they learn reading?
1.4. Objectives of the study
This study is aimed to identify present English teaching and learning situation of the grade 10 students at Ham Rong upper secondary school. And then, some of their reading strategies and vocabulary strategies are given. In addition, some suggestions which could be useful for students’ and teachers’ reading comprehension at this school will also be given.
1.5. Methods of the study
The major method is used in this study is quantitative one. That is all considerations, comments, remarks, assumptions, suggestions and conclusions given in the study are largely based on the data analysis. Data collections for analysis in the study come from the following methods: Theoretical study; Questionnaire for students; Teacher interview; Class observation.
1.6. Scope of the study
	There are many kinds of reading; hence, there are many different kinds of strategies but for the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, this study only focuses on reading comprehension strategies of the grade 10 students at Ham Rong upper secondary school, not every kind of reading strategies and on a large population. In addition, this research is also carried out on some teachers of English in that school which can help to find out English reading strategies used by the grade 10 students in that school more easily and exactly.
1.7. Overview of the study
	The study includes three main following parts
Part 1 (Introduction) includes Rationale, Hypothesis, Research questions, Objectives of the study, Methods of the study, Scope of the study and Overview of the study.
 Part 2 (Development) is composed of three main sections. 
 Section 1 is Literature review which will discuss theoretical background related to the purposes of the study. 
Section 2 will present Data collection and analysis. 
Section 3 is Major findings and suggestions of the study.
Part 3 is the Conclusion and the weakness of the study as well as some suggestions for further study.
	 2: DEVELOPMENT
 2.1: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1.1. Introduction
In this chapter, some general theories related to reading strategies and vocabulary strategies such as theoretical background of learning strategies, reading, reading strategies and vocabulary strategies will be given.
2.2.2. Theoretical background of learning strategies
Successful second language learners are usually people who know how to manipulate strategy levels in their day to day encounters with the language. Although research on learning strategies is increasingly popular, there is no agreement regarding the definition of learning strategies. Up to now, there have been many different definitions of learning strategies. First, Weinstein and Mayer (1986) (in O’Malley and Chamot, 1990) defined learning strategies facilitation “as a goal and are intentional on the part of the learner. The goal of strategy use is to “affect the learners’ motivational or affective state, on the way in which the learner selects, acquires, organizes, or integrates new knowledge”.
According to O’Malley and Chamot (1990), “learning strategies are special ways of passing information that enhance comprehension, learning or retention of the information” or in their other words, learning strategies are “the special thoughts of behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information”.
Wenden, A and Rubin, J (1987) claimed that learning strategies were composed of the following components:
- They are specific actions or technique
- They can be observable/behavioral or non- observable/mental
- They are problem-oriented
- They can contribute directly or indirectly to learning
- They may be consciously employed and became automatized
- They are changeable.
Obviously, there is not yet a comprehensive definition of learning strategies. Each researcher defines learning strategies from a different perspective: cognitive, meta cognitive, communication, social-affective. This shows the complexity of defining learning strategies. Probably, because of its complexity, researchers worked out taxonomy of learning strategies instead of defining them.
2.2.3. Theoretical background of reading
2.2.3.1. Definition of reading and reading comprehension
Language is a process of communication between someone who has something to express and someone who receives the message. Speakers and writers attempt to communicate idea while listeners and readers try to get the appropriate meanings, while receptive cannot be called passive because the listener or the reader must create his own meaning by using his past experience and ideas he has gained before to understand a message.
What happens in the communication process is the writer or the speaker (the encoder has message in his mind, which he wants somebody else to share. It may be an idea, a fact, a feeling, an agreementTo make this possible, he must put it into words: he must encodes it. Then, it is available outside his mind as a text. The text is accessible to the mind of another person who hears it or reads it: who decodes the message it contains. When it is decoded, the message enters the mind of the decoder and communication is achieved. Therefore, reading plays the role as a half of the communication process. It is said that reading is a process through which the reader draws out the full amount of information and understands what the writer wants to say through the message. William, E (1990) (qtd. in Grellet, F, 1990).stated that reading “is a process whereby one looks at and understand what has been written”. “Reading and reading comprehension or understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible. While reading, readers do not only bring their knowledge about the language but also the knowledge about the text, which is considered to be specifically important. Readers build up expectations, make predictions about what is to come and the extent to which their predictions are accurate is one of the factors that influence their reading. This process, therefore, has three elements involved: the text that is read, the background knowledge of the reader and the contextual aspect relevant to interpret the text.
2.2.3.2. Classification of reading
3.2.1. Reading aloud
The word “reading aloud” has a number of common interpretations. It may mean reading aloud a very complex skill, which involves understanding the black marks first and then the production of the right noise. Very few people are required to read aloud as a material of daily routine except for radio newscasters, clergymen, perhaps actors and that is all. To the huge majority, the importance of reading aloud is minimal.
 3.2.2. Silent reading
Reading may also mean silent reading and this is the interpretation, which is most likely for the term. This is, perhaps, the nearest approach to the essence of reading. It is obviously that by far the greatest amount of reading that is done in the world is silent unless there are special circumstances (such as reading to someone who has lost the spectacles) and a reading room is always a silent room. However, the nature of silent reading skill is far from uniform. It varies according to the use to which it is being put. They might be the survey materials, to gain superficial comprehension, to study the content of what is read in some detail or to study the language in which the material is written.
 3.2.3. Classification according to the purpose of reading
People, generally, do not read unless they have a reason (or a purpose) for reading. They read an article, a passage, an advertisement and a story because they think they are interested in the issues mentioned in these things or at least these texts interest them. That is, people always have a need of some kind that can be satisfied through reading. Furthermore, in the case of the effective reader, his reason for reading also determines his type of reading and the relevant reading skills to be used because the purpose could be a very general one like reading a novel for pleasure or escape. Therefore, it could be specific like looking up a telephone directory for somebody’s number or address and he or she can not be in the same way.
It is now recognized that one text may be read on a variety of styles and that reader will have different purposes at each stage of the reading process and will apply the appropriate strategies (Hedge. T, 2000).
 3.2.4. Extensive reading
Extensive reading means the readers have a general understanding of the text without necessarily understanding every word. The object of this kind of reading is to cover the greatest possible amount of text in the shortest possible time. With this, the readers can choose the reading materials. Only after a glance at the reading passage, they know whether they should go onto it or not.
Depending on the purpose of reading, people may be skimming or scanning as they are reading extensively.
 3.2.5. Skimming
Sometimes, the readers need to get the general idea or gist of a text. The way to do this is not by reading every word. Skimming is the sort of reading which would be appropriate if the readers’ tutor asked them to read several books or articles. When the readers are skimming, they go through the passage quickly, jumping over parts of it in order to get the general idea of what is about. People skim to get the gist of the text but not to find the answer to particular questions. According to Wood, J (1990) in “Teaching English as an International language”, skimming occurs in the following:
 - When the readers look at the content of the book, or at the chapter headings, sub headlines. This is sometimes called previewing. Another example is when the reader glances quickly through a newspaper to see what are main items of the day. This will often mean just glancing at the headlines.
- When the reader goes through a particular passage such as newspaper article merely to get the “gist”.
	3.2.6. Scanning
	It is said that the readers skim material to get the general picture. To find out precise information they will need the practice the technique of scanning. The term “scanning” is often used for reading to find specific answers. They use the result of the skimming to find relevant sections, and then look quickly through those sections looking for key words that are relevant to the question. It will help the readers read and find information and quotes faster.
Techniques when scanning that you should know what you are looking for and looking for it as rapidly as you can. Do not worry about all the “good information” you are passing over and discarding on the way. One practical technique to follow in scanning is to fix your question in mind and then run your eyes as fast as possible down the pages or columns of the print until you find the answer. The key to this technique is keeping the question fixed in your mind. Make use of heading, indentations and italicized words. These will often give you clues about where the information you are seeking is located.
	3.2.7. Intensive reading
“Intensive reading means reading short texts to extract specific information, this is an accuracy activity involving reading for details” (Grellet, F, 1990). In contrast to extensive reading, intensive reading is to understand a text in detail. To this kind of reading, readers are required a very deep understanding of the black marks on the paper with short texts. As reading intensively, people have in their mind the purpose of achieving full understanding of the logical argument, the rhetorical arrangement or patterns of the text, its symbolic, emotional and social over stones, of the attitudes and purposes of the author and the linguistic means that they employ to achieve their ends. Through intensive reading, the readers must arrive at a profound and really detailed understanding, not only what it means but also of how the meaning is produced. The question “how” here is as important as the question “what”.
The main conclusion to be drawn from all of these is that there are different styles of reading and that they are determined, not by the text but by the readers’ reasons for reading. However, to understand a text, these types of reading are not used isolated. The effective reader is the one who is able to adapt his style to his purposes and does not read everything slowly and intensively, which is also the necessarily achieved goal of any teaching reading program.
 2.2.4. Theoretical background of reading strategies
4.1. Definition of reading strategies
There are many different definitions of reading strategies. it is stated reading strategy as methods used in reading to determine the meaning of a text. On this website also gave other definition of reading strategy as the varied processes a reader uses to make meaning from written language. It can be seen that, reading strategy is the ways that help readers read better.
4.2. Types of reading strategies
For most second language, learners who are already literate in a previous language, reading comprehension is primary a matter of developing appropriate, efficient comprehension. According to Brown, H. D (1994), there are ten strategies for reading comprehension.
1. Identify the purpose in reading.
2. Use grapheme rules and patterns to aids in bottom-up decoding (especially for beginning level learners).
3. Use efficient silent reading techniques for relatively rapid comprehension (for intermediate to advanced levels).
4. Skim the text for main ideas.
5. Scan the text for specific information.
6. Use semantic mapping or clustering.
7. Guess when you are not certain.
8. Analyze vocabulary.
9. Distinguish between literal and implied meanings.
10. Capitalize on discourse markers to process relationships.
	As above, Brown, H. D (1994) stated that there are ten useful strategies for readers, but he also gave other strategies which many bring benefit for them. Therefore, he showed the SQ3R strategies as following:
SURVEY: skim the text for an overview of main ideas.
QUESTION: the readers ask questions about what he or she wishes to get out of the text. READ: read the text while looking for answers to the previously formulated questions. RECITE: reprocess the salient points of the text through oral or written language.
REVIEW: assess the importance of what one has just read and incorporate it into long-term association.
First, it is SURVEYING. It means readers have to look at pictures, photos, maps, bold prints, captions, and headings to help them for an idea of the topic and purpose of the written texts.
QUESTIONING is the second technique. The readers pretend they are interviewing the author of the written text. Based up on what they surveyed, what questions do they want to ask the author, they write their questions neat to the pictures, photos, maps, bold prints, captions, and headings.
The third technique is READING. They have to read the text, use a pencil or pen to mark the text, and underline words or ideas that they think are important.
One more strategy is RESPONDING. As the readers reads, they try to find the answers to the questions they asked. Remembering that as they read, they can ask more questions, be sure to write the answers in the margin.
REVIEWING is the fourth strategy. When the readers finish reading, review the written text and answer some following questions: Can you answer the questions that you asked? Do you understand everything about the written text?
The last technique is REFLECTING. The readers close the text, think about what they have read, discuss the main points with someone and answer these questions: Do you agree or disagree with the author(s)? What surprised you about the written text? What do you find to be confusing? What did you learn?
2.2.4.2. Types of vocabulary strategies
Pyles, T and Alges, J (1970) stated “when most of us think about language we think first about words. It is true that the vocabulary is the focus of language. It is words that sounds and meanings interlink to allow us to communicate with one another, and it is word that we arrange together to make sentences, conversation and discourse of all kinds”. It indicates that vocabulary is essential for learning a language.
According to Schimitt, N (1997), there are five following vocabulary strategies:
4.3.1. Determination strategies: are used when reader are faced with discovering a new word’s meaning without resource to other person’s expertise. They can have the meaning of new words from many techniques: guessing from their structural knowledge of the language, guessing from cognate, guessing from context, using reference material, and word lists and flash cards.
4.3.2. Social strategies: are used for both discover the words meaning and consolidate a word once it has been encountered. They can be defined as those are used to understand to word by asking some one who knows it.
4.3.3.Memory strategies: are approaches which related new material to existing knowledge using some form of imagery or grouping. The strategies can be listed as followed: picture/ imagery, related words, unrelated words, grouping, word’s orthographical, words’ affixes, roots and word class.
4.3.4.Cognitive strategies: this group includes repetition and mechanical means of learning vocabulary such as: verbal and written repetition, word lists and flash cards, study aid using and vocabulary notebook.
	4.3.5. Meta - cognitive strategies: the readers use them to control and evaluate their own learning by having a conscious overview of the leafing process. The readers can employ such strategy as: using English-language media, skipping or passing new words, continuing to study over time and testing themselves with word test and using spaced word practice can be considered as organized activities by the readers themselves.
2.2.5. Summary
 Section 1 has presented the relevant literature, which has helped to for the theoretical framework for the study. Different aspects related to learning strategies, reading and reading strategies as well as vocabulary and vocabulary strategies have been discussed.
Through what has been mention in this chapter, it is important to reconfirm that when reading comprehension, reading strategies and vocabulary strategies are necessary for any r