Narrow Reading

A current focus in language learning is on reading, of which there are two types of great benefit to the second language student: extensive reading and narrow reading. What exactly is narrow reading? Narrow reading is an effective way for students to improve their vocabulary by allowing them to see new vocabulary repeatedly in a variety of contexts. tudents must read regularly in order to be exposed to large amounts of authentic !nglish and to build their vocabulary. "owever, in narrow reading, students read numerous articles on one specific topic, for example #cloning technology.$ %y continually reading on the same topic, students constantly see the same vocabulary being used again and again. &ver time, they learn this new vocabulary through this repetition in context. 'n effect, the student becomes an #expert$ in this topic by developing a wide (nowledge of the issues and vocabulary involved. o, how does one start a narrow reading program? )here is an excellent 'nternet tool which will allow you to choose your topic of interest and locate readings on that topic. )his is the #*oogle Alert.$ *oogle alerts are email updates of the latest relevant *oogle results based on your choice of topic. )o use this service, students should follow the process described below: *o to *oogle alerts at www.google.com+alerts Register your email address ,it-s free and you won-t get any .un( mail or spam/ 0hoose a topic of interest ,hybrid cars1 Angelina 2olie1 music downloading1 same3sex marriage1 etc./ 0hoose a fre4uency of update 5 one a day1 as it happens1 or once a wee(

)hat-s all there is to it6 Now, you will receive lin(s to news articles about your topic of interest. o, if you choose the topic of hybrid cars, you will receive regular lin(s to articles about this topic. %y reading numerous articles on the same topic, you will see a lot of the same vocabulary occurring on a regular basis. 'n this way, you can learn new vocabulary as you become more familiar with the issue. After a couple of wee(s or a month, choose another topic to do narrow reading on a different issue, with different vocabulary Again, *oogle alerts are an excellent way to find interesting articles and see new vocabulary repeated over and over again, and in context. )he ! 7 classroom can be an important part of a student-s language learning experience. "owever, one cannot go to class forever, and sooner or later the student is faced with the necessity of ta(ing on the language learning tas( without the help of an instructor. Reading is an essential part of the learning process, and something that the student can do alone, provided he or she ma(es the experience en.oyable by reading at the appropriate level, and about things that he or she is interested in. )his can be achieved through both extensive reading and narrow reading.

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