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"Substantial Reading" and its Importance for Achieving an Advanced Level of English. (B1 to C2)

 

Substantial Reading is the learning process of reading longer easier texts for a longer period of time whilst maintaining a good level of comprehension, enjoyment and without feeling overwhelmed, or the need to take breaks. This is in contrast to intensive or academic reading, which is focused on the reading of dense shorter texts, not typically read for pleasure but rather for academic or professional purposes. Though used as a very successful teaching strategy to promote second-language development, Substantial Reading also applies to voluntary reading and recreational reading both in and out of the classroom. Substantial Reading is based on the assumption that we learn to read by reading, and through this process, to enjoy reading, and subsequently, we improve our overall proficiency in the second language in which we are studying.

There are many reasons why Substantial Reading is good for language development.

Substantial Reading builds vocabulary. When learners read a lot, they meet thousands of words and lexical word patterns, both old and new, many of which are not taught in normal English textbooks. Substantial  Reading allows the learner to develop an awareness of collocations and thousands of different phrases from Phrasal verbs to Idioms, from metaphors to slang.

Substantial Reading helps learners understand grammar far more deeply and naturally. In normal English study books, learners encounter different grammar patterns, however, they do not provide enough exposure to grammar for real acquisition to occur. Substantial Reading provides opportunities to see grammar in a natural context so learners can deepen their understanding of how it is really used by native speakers.

Substantial Reading helps learners to build reading speed and reading fluency which is essential for achieving a true level of proficiency. In particular, developing reading speed is important because it helps learners to understand language faster, better and more naturally.

One objective of Extensive Reading is reading for pleasure. This builds confidence and motivation which makes the learner a more effective user of the language. Reading for pleasure also introduces the learner to the very important skill of being able to expand their imagination in English as they get deeply involved in books of their choice.

Tips for Learning Vocabulary in Context.


Below are 8 Substantial Reading activities guaranteed to enhance your overall knowledge and fluency in English.

1. Prepare your knowledge in advance

This is a very basic activity that will make your extensive reading easier and more effective.

First, skim through roughly the amount of text you plan on reading, maybe a chapter or two at a time. You’re looking for any unknown vocabulary, but mostly the ones that appear over and over again. These are the words that are going to make it easy to understand the basic plot and elements of the story or the basic argument of the article. Lookup a basic definition for each. Then you can add context and feeling to the definition as you read and see the word in a sentence.

If you are reading a general book, next read the summary located on or inside the cover and take a good look at the cover illustration or photograph. If you’re reading an article, read the headline and the subheadings. From this information, make a prediction about what the story or article will be about. This requires you to gather all the relevant vocabulary and background knowledge you have of the subject, making it easier to contextualize and understand what you’re about to read.

2. Write book reports and book reviews

When you finish reading a book, just write out a simple review about it, including a basic summary and some of your own feelings about the text.

Writing something like this will help to create a personal understanding of the text by making you reread certain sections of the text to confirm that your understanding of the work is correct. Since this also serves as a test of your ability to recall details of the text, it’ll be much more likely that you’ll remember new vocabulary and grammar in the long run.

To make sure you really put the effort in to comprehend the book, create a blog and then write and publish your review.

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3. Timed reading

Substantial reading is already a great way to get your reading speed up, but if you’re still not as fast as you want to be, here’s how to get better.

The simplest task is a timed read. Choose a set number of pages and set a stopwatch for a set amount of time. Of course, texts vary a lot. Sometimes there’s a lot of dialogue and you can read it quickly without any problem. Other times it’s full of difficult descriptions and you have to struggle to make it to the end. So try to pick a time that would be reasonably difficult but possible, no matter whatever happens in the text.

A variation on this activity is to pick a section, read it, and time how long it takes you. Then when you’ve finished, reread that section, only now try to read it faster. It goes without saying that you should try to read it quickly the first time, or else the second part of the activity won’t be much of a challenge.

There’s one other activity that’s truly excellent for timed reads, but it can be a bit trickier. You’ll have to find a partner who’s learning the same language as you and is at about the same level of proficiency. Agree to read a set number of pages and race each other to see who finishes first. The person who finishes first should have to give a decent summary of what they read to prove that they really read it.

4. Join online book discussions

Just like in your native language, book club discussions can provide great motivation to make sure you actually read what you want to. They also allow you to hear other people’s thoughts on the book that might have never occurred to you otherwise. This can be a wonderful way to go over confusing grammar or just make sure you’re reading what you think you’re reading. Sometimes it’s easy to have an existential crisis about what’s really on the page when you’re reading a book in a second language all by yourself.

Besides this, book club discussions can be a great way to combine together speaking/writing and reading practice. If you host your discussions in the language you’re learning, you’ll quickly be able to hold a decent conversation about the various books that you are reading. And you’ll probably have to do some quick scanning for passages you want to use. Being able to switch back and forth between different parts of language is always a valuable skill.

To find a suitable book club, Meetup is always a great place to start your search. Another alternative is to start your own which is easier if you are already a member of a language group, many of which are found on Facebook, in Blogs ect.

Also, if you have friends who are studying English, all you need to do is to convince two or three of them to join you, and you have your own book club.

5. Create chain stories

This is another activity that requires a partner at about the same level of proficiency as you.

You and a partner choose two different books. It’s probably more fun if they’re on wildly different topics. Begin by reading the first chapter or a set number of pages from one book and have your partner do the same from the other book. When you’ve finished, you each have to summarize what you’ve just read to the other person as clearly and in as much detail as you can.

Then switch books and read the next section. Even if your partner made mistakes, hopefully, you can figure them out and have some fun correcting them.

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6. Improve your creative writing

Had enough of summarizing the story? Why not try rewriting it? Creative writing based on what you’ve just finished reading can be a highly effective tool for solidifying those gains in vocabulary/grammar that you’ve made.

Perhaps the most fun time to do this is when you’re faced with a terrible ending to an otherwise good story. We’ve all had this happen to us. We’re happily turning page after page. We see that the number of pages is slowly dwindling down, but there doesn’t seem to be anything in the narrative that suggests so, and then the story just ends, as if the author had never read an ending themselves. Now is your chance to do what needs to be done. Write what they should have written in the first place.

An enjoyable alternative to this activity is to take one chapter of a book and rewrite it in a different genre. Think “Pride and Prejudice and Jamunji” or “Raise the Titanic and Harry Potter” The result can be hilarious.

And if you’ve gone through these activities a thousand times, you can always write a letter to a character in the book about something you agree or disagree with, trying to assume the same tone as the book. Done well, it can give you an entirely new connection to what you’re reading.

7. Keep memory systems

In addition to the vocabulary you pulled out from the text in the first activity, you can also memory system for those words that you inevitably miss when you’re skimming the text.

A memory system doesn’t need to be fancy. When you see a new word or phrase that you think is important, write it down in your journal. If possible, add your own definition based on context clues and an example sentence. That way, when you look it up later you can see it in context again.

And when you’re all finished with what you’re reading, go back and try to write a summary that includes all of the words you recorded in your vocabulary journal.

8. Skimming and scanning

These two activities are for those with a dire wish to be able to read as fast as a native speaker.

For skimming, pick a chapter and read only the first and last sentence of each paragraph. When you’ve finished, write out a summary. Then read the text again slowly and see if there are any important details you’ve missed. If so, what strategies do you think you could use to skim the text more effectively without slowing down? Vary how you do your skimming until it seems like you can read anything in no time, and still be able to write the equivalent of a late night school essay.

But maybe you don’t need to read the whole text. Maybe you just want to be able to find answers to specific questions as quickly as possible. That’s where scanning comes in. For this, it’s best if you can find readings that come with questions. Often books that have been marked for book clubs will include questions in the back. Otherwise, you might try generating some of your own questions based on the topic of the book or chapter.

Well, I hope that you find these 8 activities helpful and that you are able to improve your proficiency in English is a fun, challenging way.

Good luck and good learning.

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