1

Etvs Lornd Tudomnyegyetem

Tant- s vkpz Fiskolai Kar

Olasz Lvia
tant, angol mveltsgterlet

The integration of contemporary childrens literature into

Teaching Englisgh to Young Learners

Tmavezet/consultant teacher: Kovcs Judit PhD, MEd,

fiskolai docens
Budapest, 2010

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Contents

Abbreviations 4
Acknowledgement 4
I. Introduction 5
1. The designation of the topic, aims, the confirmation of the essay 5
2. Hypothesis, problem definition 5
II. Children and literacy 6
1. The foreign language in the Hungarian National Curriculum 6
2. Reading Processes 7
2.1 Skills 8
2.2 Strategies 8
3. The children and second language 10
4. Literature and Children 12
5. Reading comprehension exercises 15
6. The Harry Potter Phenomenon 24
7. Assessment 25
8.Find material with limited access, copyright and other issues to consider 27
9.Examine the chosen book/text/material 28
III.Conclusion 29
References 31
Appendices 33
1. European Language Passport Evaluating System
2. Roald Dahl: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
3. Cat in the Hat CD
4. Me and My Cat
5. Me and My Cat

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Acknowledgement
I owe special thanks to Kovcs Judit PhD, Med for her insightful comments and encouragement.
It has been invaluable that she shared her deep knowledge of language and methodology with
me, and showed an interest in my work. I would also like to thank all my teachers at the
Department of English Language, ELTE-TK for the inspiring courses. Finally, thanks are due
to employees of the Library of ELTE-TK. It is a great privilege to be part of the stimulating
research environment, which undoubtedly contributed to this thesis.

Abbreviations:
ESL: English as a Second Language
TPR: Total Physical Response
CHL: Children's Literature
L2: Second Language
L1: First Language

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I. Introduction

1.The designation of the topic, aims, the confirmation of the essay

I have chosen this topic according to my wide experiences about reading. I observed my sisters
how they used the literature in their development and I could compare it to mine. Children need a
lot of tales to understand and give meaning to the world around them. They understand the tales
with a little help even if it is written in a foreign language. The closer is the represented world to
their real world the more enthusiastic they are. My main aim is to reveal the advantages of the
integrated literature on an ESL lesson. First I examined the Hungarian Curriculum in the view of
second language teaching and later the presence of the reading requirements. In the following
chapter I have a look into the world of reading processes and the connection between the child
and second language learning. Then I will reach the main field of my study. I study the literature
in generally. Then I focus on the contemporary literature, and how it can be used by a teacher
who has limited possibility to access such material. At the end I used a book to show how these
studies can be embedded into the practical side of teaching. These examples are closely related to
the read literature and my experiences in my own teaching. These activities and influenced my
teaching ideas deeply and my attitude to activities in the ESL lesson.

2. Hypothesis, problem definition

In every lesson to make the children understand us (or the text) is a very challenging thing. If we
present the topic on a very high standard or if we expect the child he/she is not yet capable their
global interest may be harmed or they loose interest in the subject. In my opinion we should
show entire works, because it will improve the child's global understanding and cognitive skills.
The main problem is the next: If the child doesn't know the story, the words in the story, how can
we help in a direct or indirect way the young learner. We do not want our learners to confidence
or lose interest in studying English but we should bear in mind the holistic principle of teaching.
Also we have to take into consideration that it is rare to have a class with equal abilities. I agree
with those who state that literature enables the teacher to differentiate with less and enjoyable
effort. I also suggest that literature referring to the child's interest and world makes them more
motivated. Therefore becomes important the contemporary literature, and it is the teachers
responsibility to chose an adequate piece of work to the learners. For choosing the proper text I
will also give some detailed information.

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II. Children and literacy

1. The foreign language in the Hungarian National Curriculum

The National Curriculum is separated into eight main sections. In the third it discusses the key
competencies relevant in the Hungarian education and one of these is the foreign language
communication competence. The foreign language communication can be described with the
elements of the first language communication (e.g.: heard and written text, creating texts). It also
states that knowing an other language also requires to understand its culture.
To be able to communicate in a foreign language the subject needs to know the vocabulary,
grammar and main types of interactions and linguistic types. Also it is important to know the
cultural heritage and traditions of a nation if we want to communicate in a language. According
to personal demands the subject should be able to read, understand and create texts orally and
use the facilities to maintain the idea of lifelong learning as well as cultural diversity. The
citizens should be able to orient themselves in the European multicultural. social, economical
environments, also to understand the connection of the national and European identity. The
pupils should gather information about European Union but this knowledge should help them to
take advantage of the new facilities in the EU. Moreover the educational system should prepare
the pupils/students for the integration into the open communities of the European countries. Each
school and student should take apart directly in the cultivation of the international connections
and relations.

In the second part of the curriculum it is divided into several subjects (mathematics, literature,
second language). The foreign language learning is obligatory in each and every school from the
fourth grade until the end of school-age (18 years). In the first five years of learning a second
language it should support the child to become familiar with the language in a playful way. The
pupils needs define the aims of the learning and the teaching of a foreign language. It is also a
principle the create a knowledge which is adaptive, and can be developed from time to time.
Therefore the main aim is to form a communicative language competence which equals with the
practically usable knowledge. The pupils are supposed to use a language proper for the situation,
and which language should be measured and evaluated by the four basic language competences.
These are: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

The main aspect for the teachers to teach the pupils to use a language in an adaptive,flexible,
sustainable knowledge which leads to a common knowledge in the child. They should realize

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and take advantage of being a part of a wider society. The Council of Europe has created a
common language evaluating system1. Using this the Curriculum determines the expected levels
for each stage in the Hungarian education. This is also used in the new Europass system and the
aims of the Curriculum are harmonized with these aspects as well. By the end of the sixth garde
each student should have a knowledge of A1- or A1 level of the chosen foreign language.
The Curriculum also describes the language as a tool in the everyday life. Namely it states that
children are supposed to read and understand easier subscripts, advertisements, catalogues,
therefore understand authentic written language. While in the teaching of the Hungarian
language the reading, grammar and literacy is one of the most important subject there is no such
rule in the English language. As we saw only the levels are given and the Local Curriculum of
the school is supposed to provide information about the requirements and the attainable
knowledge.
In the next chapter I will focus on the second language reading attributes, abilities, and facilities.

2. Reading Processes
There are many theories about how reading is processed, but in general it is to turn the signs on a
page into meaning. As teachers we always have to take into consideration that reading is an
essential ability that creates connection with the reader and the surrounding world2.
We can not forget that reading does not start when we start teaching the second language. By
examining these aspect we can help our learners to develop not only their reading ability in
second language but their first language reading ability as well. If the reader has a concept how
to read she/he may transfer this experience in second language reading as well3. Also the children
just learnt to read in their first language, some of them may not have enough experience to rely
on while reading in a foreign language. This article suggests that first language reading starts
when they already have a lot of schemata about the first language system and they have very
limited knowledge about the second language (L2) system, vocabulary. When a child has poor
reading abilities in L2 we have to consider that his/her mistake may not be a language knowledge
one but a reading ability related. Also background knowledge is an important factor to examine.
It clearly influences the success of a task given in a foreign language. Take the example of
creating stories with children 4. If we wish to recall knowledge about Little Red Riding Hood and

1 See appendix 1.
2 Hudson, Thom (2007): Teaching Second Language Reading. First Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press 57.
3 Ibid. 60.
4 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 136.

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we let them know the story's Hungarian title it clearly helps them. But it only works if they know
the story in Hungarian.

2.1 Skills
Generally we think that skills are the following: reading,
speaking, writing, listening. If we have closer look on
this topic we will see that it is not so easy to separate
skills, if we want to separate them at all. There have been
many studies around this topic. I accepted the one which
states that skills are gained while practising or training.5
The reader has to learn these skills, has to improve them if
there is a need in his language development. When the
Figure 1: Example for helping decoding
skills (analyse graphic symbols), Picture learner's reading behaviour is integrated it builds up a
Grammar for Children Starte. David coherent pattern (e.g. not vocabulary but meaning will be
Vale, Macmillan Heinemann, 1999
more important). The experienced reader can free his/her
mental resources from the cognitive demands of the reading (look for information, coherency,
inconsistency in the text). Knowing these skills we can help to develop them. In general we can
state that all of the reading skills can embedded into the following four categories:
1. decoding skills
2. comprehension skills
3. fluency skills
4. critical reading skills
While assimilating a text it is hard to set up a hierarchy within the skills but this may be helpful
when we create a curriculum for our learners. If a child makes a mistake frequently we can find
the weak skill and strengthen it, and this is the reason for knowing these skills as a teacher . If
the decoding skills are not well developed we can give a task focusing on the given skill.
2.2 Strategies
While using skills we are not conscious but when we use strategies we are rather conscious. The
reader creates and maintains the meaning of the acquired text. The subject uses the skills to
generate strategies. These strategy can be predicting, confirming, reflecting, etc., and the reader
usually use them to facilitate the work of the conscious mind and rather focus on comprehension.
Here a good teacher also have to remember that if he/she knows the possible causes it is easier to
correct them.

5 Hudson, Thom(2007): Teaching Second Language Reading. First Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press 78.

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Here I will examine the three main types of reading strategies, namely pre-reading, while-
reading, post-reading strategies6. Though the classifying strategies might be as complex as it was
with the skills)
Most of these strategies are involved in the methodology of teaching reading in a foreign
language. But some are unfortunately ignored such as some factors about reading strategies. The
pre-reading activities are relevant because here we can calm the children, focus their mind onto
the text, raise their interests. (e.g. check the lighting in the classroom, provide the text to each
child). The children who just started to
learn a foreign language are not provided
with these strategies (maybe not even in
their L1) but if we wish to comprehend a
text successfully we still can do a lot for
it. A good reader checks the
comprehension during the whole reading
activity. The teacher should not forget
that text factors are as important as
strategies and skills. If we wish to call
forth the main idea of a text it is better to
have the main idea early in the text.
Setting the reading purpose may not be
relevant if we assimilating a tale but
when we read it second time we still can
Figure 2: Reading strategies, Thom Hudson (2007): Teaching
Second Language Reading. First Edition. Oxford, Oxford set a purpose (e.g. evaluating readers or
University Press
characters). To make an inference may
sound too difficult for a child but just think about questions while comprehending a text with
your class (e.g. Why went the wolf to the grandmother?). If someone does not or hardly
understands a text it is very difficult to answer to such inferential comprehension questions. But
an ideal teacher still can help. Building up routines (e.g. the W-s, who, where, what) and use
them wherever and whenever possible brings confidence to the child. The proper preparation is
also vital because unknown vocabulary may confuse the child. They are looking for a sense in
the text using their background knowledge and if they find something new they try to find it out
by guessing the general meaning, finding similar words. If they give wrong meaning to a word
in this way it may be harder to overwrite this first impression later . If we give a comprehension

6 Hudson, Thom(2007): Teaching Second Language Reading. First Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press 108.

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task about the text we can easily develop each student according to strategy or skill we wish to
develop.
Also the teacher can help his/her students if he/she knows the appropriate and inappropriate
strategies while reading in L2. For instance saying the main idea over and over is not a good
strategy, while imaging or picturing the story mentally is a proper one. The teacher should not
forget that if the student uses a strategy not proper for successful comprehension, it is not a
reason for being a poor reader, moreover being a poor reader results the usage of negative
strategies.

3. The children and second language

In the Hungarian education system the teacher meets the children at their age of 6-7. Maybe
language teaching does not start in the first grade. There has been lots of arguments about when
to start teaching L2. One of the most known theories is the theory of critical period. This
hypothesis suggests that children are more capable to acquire a language in their early childhood
and this method is rather similar to the way their acquired their first language7. Some research
suggest that children learn language in a holistic way and later this becomes into an analysing
method, when the subject concentrates only on one level of the language at a time. For example
adults learn a language separated into topics, like present simple, and they focus on one topic
each time. This study refers to a sensitive period in L2 learning. We have to bear in mind that
early L2 learning does not mean grammar teaching, we do not want the children to speak like
Shakespeare at the age of 8. According to the Hungarian Curriculum we wish to introduce the
English language in a holistic way, with games and the learning is not at all like in maths lessons
but rather than a game lesson in English. If we do a good job later on our learners will be able to
build upon that knowledge, when they are expected to become a professional user of the L2.
Here at this stage the teaching is qualitative and not quantitative. And here Hungarian teachers
has a lot to develop because it is very common that children go home and start conning the given
words. Although we teach the language most children do not learn it. They use their experiences
with their first language. They acquire the language and the success depends on the teacher. The
language input determines the whole process. In her study Kovcs (Kovcs 2009) states that the
input should be: rich, told in the target language and processed in small steps. With small
children we shall consider the thinking methods of the children. It is much related to actions, it
develops in interaction, related to the world perceptible with sense-organs and relies on schemata
children use in their everyday life. Other main characteristics to be considered while planning

7 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 20.

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activities for young children are the followings (Wendy A. Scott, Lisbeth H. Ytreberg 1999)::
they can express the surrounding world with words, interpret their actions into words. Explain
the events around them supported with their logic, and they follow this in a simple way. What
you say first happens first. (Wendy A. Scott, Lisbeth H. Ytreberg 1999) They know and follow
rules as one main component of their lives. They extrapolate and use their imagination. They
may not be able to separate fact and fiction. Until the age of 5-6 they are self-centred therefore
are hardly able to cooperate. They like playing. They can play as seriously as a teenager studies.
They like when they have a product after their hard 'work'.
Later on at the age of 8-10 years they change a bit. They keep asking questions maybe more
than ten at a time. It may seem they know nothing while they are still forming their schemata
about the world. They became conscious about their studies and can divide the things they like or

Figure 3: Read and do activity, Picture Grammar for Children - Starter. David Vale, Macmillan Heinemann, 1999

do not like. This list is not full and each and every child differs from the others, therefore some
of them are more matured than others. By harmonising their needs and abilities we can help them
to develop on the most appropriate level.
Bearing these things in mind we see that oral language input is the main source for learning is the
oral language spoken by the teacher. The second most important source is the printed world of
English. They continuously develop their oral language the printed world becomes more and
more important.
Hungarian language uses Latin letters so the learners should be familiar with them, but the
teacher should bear in mind that this similarity can confuse the children. There are several

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methods to choose from. We can decide which one is the best for our class. Even if we bound
ourselves to one it does not mean we can not use approaches from an other one.
According to Wendy A. Scott 8 the main types are:
1. Phonics: In this method first we teach the alphabet as letters are pronounced. This method
should be used carefully as it can confuse children learning reading in their own
language.

2. Look and say: This method uses flashcards and operates with words. The children can
learn quickly and have the experience of the language at the very beginning of their
study. This approach also enables a lot of joyful activities.

3. Whole sentence reading: Here the teacher uses whole sentences. They have meaning and
it requires a lot from the teacher (choose sentences properly).

4. Language experience approach: this method is similar to the sentence reading one but
here all the sentences are in connection with the children.
We must not forget that these methods are adaptive and we may use them variably, depending on
the level our learners have already reached.

4. Literature and Children

The step-by-step principle should be kept in mind when we introduce the literature to our
learners. Just think about the small, lick-resist, plastic books, with one word on each page with a
colourful picture. This might be the first step into literacy in English as well. Books with pictures
and short, clear sentences might come next. It is not enough to show the pictures and repeat the
words. The children learn better when they have to use these words. And it is the teacher's
responsibility to create situations where they can use the words. Here remember to the principle
of TPR. Total Physical Response means that if the children answer with their whole body it
helps them to remember and memorize the task. Here children do not have to use the target
language but makes a physical response to the teacher's instruction. The best example on TPR is
Simon says game. I call out a word they do something in response.
Definition of children's literature

8 Scott A., Wendy and Ytreberg H. Lisbeth (1999): Teaching English to Children. Eleventh Edition. New Your London.
Longman 49-51.

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In my thesis I accept the following definition9 whereas children's literature means the literature
that has appeal for young readers. Here note that young means the age from pre-school age
until the end of teenage. This may lead the reader to some scientific knowledge or pleasant in
arts. It is also a main feature that the illustrations are more important that in adult-literature. The
number of the pictures is in inverse proportion to the readers age. The older is the reader the
fewer pictures the text has. The books for young learners can be imaginative or has a message
that remembers the reader to his/her own memories and/or observations. In the far past there
were a few books written intentionally for young readers. If there was any it had mainly
educational aims. Only in the 1800's appeared the first books written for children (Charles
Perrault and the most known Grimm Brothers, although there are still many arguments whether
these stories were written for children or not). I would also note that the original edition of the
Grimm tales has the age limit of 6.
The definition on Wikipedia is also remarkable it distinguishes 6 different categories:
1. Picture Books
2. Traditional literature
3. Fiction
4.Non-fiction
5. Biography, autobiography
6. Poetry and verse
There is also a categorization by age but as many editor as many categorization exist. According
to the aforementioned Encyclopedia there are 5 main categories of CHL. Even if we think about
contemporary or classic literature. I will try to bring a contemporary example on each category.
These are:
1. Poetry: It is the genre which has humour, action, and the most important thing: musical
language. This musicality can make a real help in learning such thing like names of the
months, days and counting. Main favourite example on this is the Little Red Riding Hood
and the Wolf by Roald Dahl. Just by listening to it makes me smile and as soon as one
understands the meaning you can not resist the laugh10.

9 Zeleny O., Robert O. (1990): Literature for Children. In: The World Book Encyclopedia, 1990, Volume 12. L 358-373.
10 See appendix 2.

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 2. Folk literature: its most precious value is its simplicity. The main character is easy to
identify with. And here I must note a very interesting type of folk tales. These are the so-
called urban legends from the recent past. Every city and place has its own legends (e.g.
strange neighbours) and we also
can use them in our teaching. Old
tales usually have a moral and
one of the best of these (which is
not very popular) is The
Stonecutter11.
3. Fiction: This is the widest genre.
It has such components like
fantasies, adventure stories,
animal stories, historical fiction,
mystery and detective stories (I
Figure 4: An example on picture book can be used in ESL lesson
recently read one of these,
namely Jack Slater - Monster Investigator by John Dougherty. It was fun to read and it
can involve any kid in the age of 9-12. It has modern gadgets like cell-phone and big
torches, badge for children monster investigators. Here it is also easy to identify with the
main character. Also it has a special content the larger-than-life situations. This category
the teacher should be careful with. We wish to introduce the valuable literature for the
children. Maybe you read some of the new, modern, sparkling and shining books. (e.g.
Winx or Hannah Montana, and I could not even decide if it is literature or something else.

But the teacher should note, that these popular icons may motivate Ls better than old, well-
known stories) There is a category true for each genre and this is picture books. These are easier
to comprehend and the pictures can help the reader to understand in inferring whether he got the
right meaning or not. Only a few are written for older reader. Books for beginner readers are in
the youngest type of books. They only became popular in the mid-1900's. These had a rather
recreational aim than teaching for purpose aim. These tell simple stories, have carefully
restricted vocabulary, and it is very easy to understand their main concept. Here I have to
mention Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)12 a very well-known writer, because he was the first
writer who kept in mind the children's special need while writing a book. His works helps learn

11 Taylor K., Eric (2000): Using Folktales, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
12 Seuss Geisel, Theodor (1954): Cat in the Hat, www.childrenssoftwareonline.com (10.03.2010)

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to read. And his works are closely related to the children's world of imagination. Just think about
Horton Hears a Who. Of this I have a very good authentic tape read by Dustin Hoffman
especially for kids13. The language is easy to understand and closely related to the children's
everyday life and imagination. Uses situations that can happen with them as well as it can be
heard in the Cat in Hat where it starts on very rainy, boring day. This also can be used in a
follow-up activity in ESL lessons after processing the picture book.

5. Reading comprehension exercises

I have already made an excursion to the field of methods but now I wish to present some
practical ideas. I wish to show a global point of view. These exercises can be grouped by
different aspects. We can do it as we saw it in Hudson's book (Hudson 2007):
Pre-Reading Task While-Reading task Post-Reading task
Previewing: make a word web around Completing: Write the Grouping the words by the
the main picture of the text. words that may occur and parts of the speech
belong to the picture grammar teaching
Present, grandmother, give, Nouns: Present,
travel, luggage, green grandmother, luggage,
vacation

special, vacation Verbs: give, travel

Adjectives: green, special

Present, grandmother, give, travel,

luggage, green
Figure 5: Ideas for reading comprehension exercises based on Thom Hudson (2007): Teaching Second Language
Reading. First Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press
Colour codes can be used here to develop the children's awareness on grammar. If we do not
wish to introduce these groups we can group them with questions: Who? When? How? What?
What doest it look like?
As we saw being successful reader requires several circumstances. Organization and preparation
issues may occur. The materials for young learners often focus on the words and sentences built
up from these words. The comprehension was to translate and understand these using the
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separate words as a basis. This method may lead that the child only has confidence when

13 See appendix 3.
14 Grellet, Francoise (1981): Developing Reading Skills A practical guide to reading comprehension exercises,, Cambridge
University Press, U.S.A. 6-7.

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he/she understands every single word and is familiar with the structures in the text. Ms Grellet
also suggests that the method 'from global to individual' is better than contrariwise. It reinforces
the idea that looking up single words in the dictionary makes a negative effect on the reading
achievement. It does not mean to present the text without prepare the children for it. Ms Grellet
also refers to the importance of authentic materials. Shall you not think about articles from the
International Herald Tribune. There are books for young readers. Books with pictures and easy
sentences, and still they are authentic, while the pictures are intended especially for the text.
Although many literateurs suggest Disney books as not quality pieces, but we can use them to
create the interest in our learners. Look at Picture 4 and ideas for comprehension task comes
easily into mind. Here you can do a read-and-draw activity or read-and-count.
Note the holistic and interdisciplinary features of the ESL teaching, therefore we cannot separate
clearly one activity from an other. Moreover when we read we also can make this activity to
force the other basic-skills (e.g. listening, writing, speaking) and on the contrary.
Find it! In these kinds of exercises Ls have to find something in the text This can be a specific
word, or expression (Find the expression somebody said) Also can be a description (What does
somebody look like?) At a higher level they are able to find synonyms as well.
Fill out! We may think this is a hard task for young learners but we can do things to ease their
work. If we group the words by colour-codes (e.g. all the verbs are red) and their place is also
red, this way they have to choose from these colour-coded words.

Figure 6: from A cool kid - like me! by Hans Wilhelm, 1990, Random House
Company

Here the task may be:

One _____ she left for a _____ vacation.

But before she ____, she _____ me a special _______.
day long went gave present
The variation of this task can be, that the children have to find out words and put into the gaps.
This can raise their grammatical awareness without knowing grammatical definitions. Thus the
teacher has to be consequent with the colour code. This also can be used as a pre-reading

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activity. For example we create a list of words in a box. First they tick the ones that remind them
of the topic. Then they colour these words with the colour code. At the end they can circle the
ones that were read in the text.
Continuing with this box they also can find words in the text that express the same thing. In her
book Ms Kovcs15 (2009)suggests to use the classroom decoration as a teaching material. In the
previously mentioned book Teaching English to Children there is also a good idea of creating the
English Corner in the classroom. If we can not afford such big place to dismiss we still can
create an English wall where these words can be put on.
Match it! Matching activities can be used from the very beginning of L2 teaching. Match the
words and pictures, sentences and characters, nouns and adjectives about a picture. (e.g. red-ball)
Be a detective! Personally I really like detective or mystery stories. So do children. If we can
make them motivated in a mystery they will be likely to help us. Think about a text that has
missing words (though the colour code can be given). They have to find out about a letter, note,
anything that can give them a clue. In the story Monster Investigator, Jack finds a letter under his
bed by a monster who tries to warn him. This is a great possibility to embed such a task.
Moreover we can use the modern technology to make it more living (photocopy a soaked paper
where not every word can be read).
Underline! By underlining the unknown words may seem hazardous (the children may focus on
what they do not know instead of what they know). We can prevent it, if we give a task (clue)
that find the words that have similar meaning and by using it, they can try to guess the meaning
without concentrating on their lack of knowledge. Vocabulary can be taught directly and
indirectly. Direct instruction includes giving word definitions and pre-teaching of vocabulary
before reading a text. Indirect methods refer to incidental vocabulary learning, e.g. mentioning,
extensive reading and exposure to language-rich contexts. Repetition and multiple exposures to
vocabulary items (e.g. through speaking, listening and writing) are important. This should ideally
be done in connection with authentic learning tasks. Vocabulary learning should involve active
engagement in tasks, e.g. learning new vocabulary by doing a class project. Word definitions in
texts aid vocabulary development. Multiple methods, not dependence on a single method, will
result in better vocabulary learning.
Who? When? What? I often used the following technique to make my students to recognize the
relations within or between the sentences. Draw a triangle or any polygon. Write the question
words there, as many as we wish to answer, as it is shown in picture 3.

15 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 60.

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 Reading speed
Optimal reading speed is also an important component of
sufficient reading (although it becomes more and more
important later) We can improve this with such exercises as
in the first language lesson. The teacher shows up a word for
a second and the learners have to read it. The next one is a
Figure 7: Recognize ralations in a text variation of this but may be better in the view that we can
give a sheet to each child and every pupil will work. The
other task may result that there will be some pupils who will give up and not working at all. Here
we make a list of similar words and a main word. The task is to find the similar one as fast as
possible. The variation of this is when there are expressions that are almost the same and they
have to find where there are the same structures.

early bird early birth

my coat my coach
never mind never mind
green land green lamp
sunny day sunny day

This kind of exercise also increases reading awareness. It is also a funny idea to write sentences
with non-sense words in them. (e.g. My mother cooked my favourite foot today.) The reader has
to find the wrong word and replace it with the proper one. Teachers can develop students
phonological skills through a wide variety of activities. Rhymes, alliteration (words which start
with the same sounds) and poetry can be used to draw childrens attention to individual sounds in
the language. Teachers can focus on individual syllables and sounds in language in the context of
book reading. It does not have to be taught in total separation from other reading activities.
Teaching word recognition skills is an important first step. The second step is to ensure that
students can develop speed and ease in recognizing words and reading connected text. To assess
fluency, teachers need to listen to their students reading aloud. They should provide feedback to
the students about their reading. They also need to determine how much is understood. The
reading of texts with high frequency words will encourage fluency if the texts are interesting and
meaningful to the reader. For non-native speakers of a language, word recognition ability must

18
match their oral language development. Repeated reading and paired reading (also called buddy
reading) are examples of activities that promote fluency through practice.16

In this section I wish to use the book by Satoshi Kitamura.17 . I chose this book because it has
several features I mentioned. Firstly it is contemporary. Secondly it is about a boy almost in the
same age as the readers. He has the everyday duties, problems and thoughts. The book has a
unique humour. I, personally, laughed on every page. And on the top of all it has nice pictures.
These contemporary books are good for teaching the inter-cultural approach as well. 18
In this books also there is a lot to see from this point of view. E.g. the whole house is a typical
English one, with the small yard at the back of the house. One of the biggest advantage of this
authentic book is that it requires a lot non-linguistic from the children's side, such as background
knowledge about the house, his/her school habits, family daily routines. We also can use our
English corner here19. Where they can find authentic material to look for information, when it is
necessary. The purpose for reading is closely connected to a persons motivation for reading. It
will also affect the way a book is read. We read a dictionary in a different way from the way we
read a novel. In the classroom, teachers need to be aware of their students learning needs,
including their motivation for reading and the purpose that reading has in their lives. By talking
to the students about the different purposes for reading, they will become more conscious of
what to focus on as they read.
The usage of different types of texts (stories, news articles, information text, and literature)
promotes different purposes and forms of reading. The use of authentic texts and tasks will
promote purposeful reading. Books and reading materials that are interesting and relevant to
students will motivate them to read more. Make connections between the reading material and
the students lives is great motivation source. Advantages of developing love for reading,
extends beyond academic success. Texts of the right reading level are neither too easy nor too
hard for a particular reader. Choosing texts of the right difficulty and interest levels will
encourage children to read and to enjoy what they are reading. Vocabulary, word length,
grammatical complexity and sentence length are traditionally used to indicate the difficulty level
of a text. The subject matter of a book is also an important factor. For instance, readers with
substantial prior knowledge of a subject will be able to use their knowledge to read more difficult

16 S. Pang, Elizabeth; Muaka, Angaluki; B. Bernhardt, Elizabeth; and Kamil; Michael L.: Teaching Reading
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac12e.pdf (10.03.2010)

17 Kitamura, Satoshi (1999): Me and my Cat? First Edition. London, Andersen Press
18 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 159.
19 Ibid. 131.

19
texts. Cultural factors are important when choosing books for non-native speakers. Some
childrens books may contain references to situations, objects and experiences that are unfamiliar
to non-native speakers.
For both children and adults, native and non-native speakers, it is important to use authentic
texts. This means materials written with readers in mind, not texts constructed to illustrate
specific vocabulary or word forms. It is also important to use a variety of authentic texts,
including both information texts and narrative or story texts. Students often have an easier time
reading information texts when they can use their knowledge of the topic. When assessing the
difficulty level of a text, it is important to consider the language used, as well as its subject
matter, interest level and assumed cultural knowledge. Apart from text difficulty, choose books
that are well-written in terms of style and language. Choose reading materials that utilize
students local context. For instance, books about what students enjoy doing would be a good
starting point. Use information texts that contain topics with which the students are familiar. This
will allow them to use their prior knowledge and to learn more about the topic. Introduce reading
materials of different types (genres) and topics. A lack of variety of materials leads to a limited
reading and language experience.
If we use the topic-based method in our classroom Kitamura's 20 book can be very useful. For
example to teach the part of the house, the utensils in it, the daily routine (Nicholas's and the cat's
daily routine, mum's daily routine) They can be asked to fill out a table about the book and then
an other one with their family. Some teachers are afraid of using authentic (non-coursebook)
materials in his/her lessons21. Some may think it is not possible to adopt these sources into an
ESL lesson. For this I can recommend the following technique.

20 Kitamura, Satoshi (1999): Me and my Cat? First Edition. London, Andersen Press
21 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 129.

20
Book Evaluation
Title of the book Me and My Cat? Muzzy and the Kings Jack Slater, Monster
Birthday Investigator
Author(s) Satoshi Kitamura Hazel Imbert John Dougherty
Publisher Andersen Press, BBC English, London Random House
London Children's Books

Level Beginner + Beginner + Lower Intermediate

Overall aims/approach To show how
Nicholas' life has
changed for one day
Types of text used Narrative, with short
dialogues
Skill/language area Vocabulary, adverb of Vocabulary, present
which book will help place, simple past,
to improve daily routine, pets
Strengths of material Vivid pictures, good
conversations
Weaknesses of More than lesson is
material necessary for the
process
Suitable for my Yes, teach home
students? (Y/N) vocabulary.
Figure 8: Book evaluation: Lazar Gillian, 1993, Cambridge University Press, 58.
How the King of How Jack and his
Gondoland has friends save the world
celebrated his birthday from monsters
Narrative with longer Narrative with funny
dialogues conversations
Vocabulary, time
continuous seqence, predicting
Good sentences on For a semester as a
present continuous reading diary
(negative as well)
Some other sentences Needs proper material
may be too difficult, by the teacher. Follow
needs proper the story, keep up the
preparation children's interests.
Yes, for teaching No, may be too
present continuous. difficult, too much
effort and may not be
successful

While doing this I kept in mind a class, that learnt English for two semesters (they are already
familiar with present simple). If we have time, or after school activity in English we can ask the
students to make some other materials which can be used in our English lessons. These materials
can be variable e.g. a puzzle with glassy surface so we can re-write on it22. In these cases
vocabulary connected to background or prior knowledge seems to be more important. A readers
interest in a subject matter will also influence the level of prior knowledge. All of these factors
are important to different degrees, depending on the reading task. A readers knowledge of the
world depends on lived experience. This is different in different countries, regions and cultures
(just think about Buddhism or Jewish culture). Reading tasks and reading instructions should be
sensitive to the types of prior knowledge that are needed from the reader to understand a text. As
I mentioned earlier books wherein the children meet objects they use and know can motivate
22 Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs Kiad 113.

21
them more than anything else. For example one of my small pupils is a big fan of Xbox. When I
asked the class to write sentences with like he always used Xbox in these sentences. Also
when you get to know your pupils, you can group them and give different texts to each group.
Recently a book has become very popular among the school where I spent my practical training.
It is for children in the age of 9-12. This is Geronimo Stilton. He is a mouse, a journalist23. This
book has a lot of popular features (that may not occurred in classic juvenile literature). He is the
James Bond for kids. He is always off the hook some way. He is clever and keen on cheese. The
story fully imaginative but the author presents the adventures with so nice style you can not put
down the book until you have finished it. As modern mouse Geronimo uses the internet, cell-
phone, microwave, etc. But my favourite feature is the wide variation of letter types. They are
dancing, whirling, spinning, changing colour, and despite of my expectations (it confuses the
child, draws their attention from the meaning to the outlook) it entertains the children.

Although we have to be careful because if those

fictional words which may entertain them in their first
language may confuse them in L2. But still, if there is
a possibility to connect the children's interests and our
teaching we can do it. When choosing books, it is
important to consider the students interests, as well as
Picture 9: Geronimo and his whirling letters. the subject matter of the text. In the classroom,
Lost Treasure of Emerald Eye (2004 February)
Edizioni Piemme. Milan, Italy teachers can focus on words and concepts that may be
unfamiliar. This is especially important for non-native
speakers. Discussing new words and concepts with
students before reading a text is generally helpful. It helps to activate prior knowledge and
improve comprehension. After reading, they should summarize what they have learned about the
topic. Let me turn back to Kitamura's book, I will show some technique how to use with certain
pages. These ideas can be generalized and used with other materials as well.
Activity 1 (appendix 4.)
Level: Beginner
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: picture
Procedure:
known vocabulary: brandish, broom

23Stilton, Geronimo: Lost Treasure of Emerald Eye (2004 February) Edizioni Piemme. Milan, Italy

22
The children look at the picture and count the things in the room they also have at home. (robot,
skates, skipping rope) they name them.
Than they can draw their bedroom and write the objects name into their own sheet. . They
construct an understanding of the text by assembling and making sense of the words in context.
Vocabulary knowledge is difficult to measure. It is, however, very important in learning to read
and in future reading development. Words that are recognized in print have to match a readers
oral vocabulary in order to be understood. This is important for children who are developing oral
proficiency, as well as for non-native speakers of a language. In later reading development, when
students read to learn, they need to learn new vocabulary in order to gain new knowledge of
specific subject matter.
Activity 2:
We already know the plot. We can play a bit with the title.
Me and My Cat?
Level: Beginner+
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: sheet, pen
Procedure: After selecting groups they have to write questions about the story.
Then the groups exchange their sheet and try to answer to each other questions.
We can put these predictions on the English wall and later we can if they were right or not.
Instruction can improve comprehension by focusing on concepts and the vocabulary used to
express them. Comprehension can also be enhanced by building on students background
knowledge, e.g. by having a group discussion before reading. Teachers can guide students by
modelling the actions they can take to improve comprehension. These actions include: asking
questions about the text while reading; identifying main ideas; using prior knowledge to make
predictions. Teaching a combination of different strategies is better than focusing on one.
Different methods have been found to be effective in teaching text comprehension. Teachers can
use combinations of the following: Co-operative or group learning; graphic organizers (e.g. flow
charts, word webs); asking and answering questions; story structure; summarizing; focusing on
vocabulary.
Activity 3. (appendix.5)
Level: Beginner+
Time: 25 minutes
Materials: picture, paper, pen
Procedure:

23
We can use this to teach can/can't structure.
What can you do if you are a child/cat?
To use TPR here, you can make them to write one sentence about this. They read out and none of
them should be the same. They they all stand up. They read out the sentence act out and sit
down. (I can jump. - and the kid jumps, then sits down).
According to the publication of International Academy of Educationsee 12 teachers can provide
opportunities for children to develop their oral language through show-and-tell activities and
later story telling. Young children should be encouraged to use oral language to express
themselves while learning about print and books both at home and in school. It is well known
that how important the social background is.
This means having opportunities to speak and use the language heartily. For a young child it is
important to hear words in context, and connect the meaning with the sound form. They will
understand the read text if they can connect with a word in their oral vocabulary.

6. The Harry Potter Phenomenon

If we consider recent reading habit surveys we can have more proper picture about what to teach
and how to teach. We may be disappointed about the childrens reading habits. If we consider
their social background we may see that they have to fit in with their family. They may not have
books at home, not even in their first language. A survey made24 in 2003 shows us how reading
was pushed into the background. Also we have to admit that having books do not evidentially
means reading. My grandparents had all of the classics at home (Jkai, Petfi) but when I asked
them they told they didnt like them, didnt read them at all. This survey revealed a rankling
picture about reading in Hungary. The 14 % percent of the population never reads, 7% reads only
once a month and 29 % reads not even once a month. Therefore we can say that 50% of the
population has not got reading in their everyday life. How we can expect children to read in L2 if
they hardly read in their L1? If we broaden this survey to such media like internet and newspaper
we get a brighter picture. These data become important in our teaching when we wish our
children to read in their free time and if we keep them in our mind when we integrate popular
literature into our L2 teaching. The most debated piece in this question is Harry Potter. I agree
that25 this is no more a single piece of art. We can not even decide if it is for children or adults,
because both group can read it. Also the reader can be a well-educated or hardly educated. When
see 12
24 Gyenes Erika (2005): Olvassi Szoksok. In: Tallkozsok a kultrval, els kiads. Budapest, MTA
Szociolgiai Kutat Intzet, 1786-1047; 5.)
25 Gyrgy, Feny D./ Mariann Schiller(2006): A Harry Potter egy jelensg s egy regny. In: Feny D. Gyrgy: Kibl lesz
az olvas? Els Kiads. Budapest, Animus Kiad

24
we may think that the era of the printed literature is over, suddenly comes a story, and changes
everything. Also it is not only literature but a lot else. Secondary products and services (t-shirts,
small gifts, fan-clubs and summer camps) a whole Harry Potter market. As it has spread around
the world there was (and still is) an intellectual debate. Some says it is a symptom of the
commercialism of the literature. I agree with that opinion which says it was for those who got
used to the thickness of information in video games, TV programmes. They enjoyed this easy-to-
follow story. Well it is not a masterpiece in the classical way but not even a crap. We have to
consider the usage of it. Ms Kovcs also refers to it as a cultural mediator between Hungarian
and British culture. We can use its cultural elements to compare it to our culture. One of the
greatest task is to to create Harrys schedule in his school.
Personally when Ive read it in English I enjoyed it and its language and structure was easy to
read and follow and my reading process was full with joy. Some critics see it as a negative
feature but this also can help us in raising childrens interest in reading. The children of the
present era got used to such a vivid, quick, colourful information flood they almost not able to
calm down for reading. If you watch a TV programme for kids, you may see an unreal, shining
world. I think we can use it with creativity or ignore it but then we ignore the childrens interest.

7. Assessment:
There are two forms of reading assessment. The first is to find out how well children are reading
in order to help them improve (diagnosis). Diagnostic assessment is about giving feedback and
assistance to learners. The second is to measure how much progress has been made. Both forms
of assessment are needed for effective reading instruction. In beginning reading, assessment is
normally done by listening to students reading aloud. Teachers assess word recognition and
fluency in this way. Beyond this stage, assessment should focus primarily on text
comprehension. Text comprehension is usually assessed through questions.
Questions should focus on main ideas and viewpoints, not minor details. These are called higher
order questions. Methods of assessment vary with the types of responses students make to the
questions. The students responses can be spoken or written. Written responses can be in the
form of a multiple-choice response, short answers or extended pieces of writing. Materials used
for assessing reading should ideally be authentic. They should reflect the type of reading
normally encountered in daily life. Use assessment to find out how well students are reading, and
also how to help them read better. Choose a method of assessment appropriate for the level and
type of student. Higher order questions take the form of how and why, rather than what.

25
When choosing materials for assessing non-native speakers, be mindful of words and concepts
that might be unfamiliar.

While thinking about assessment it is a good thing to know the possible reasons for the child's
mistakes. It may be a reading problem which occurs in L1 lessons as well and it is not a language
problem. For instance if our learner thinks about something else while reading this may not be
cause of being a poor reader but may result from being a poor reader. Therefore if we know the
cause we can help. I think it is very important for the teacher and for the child as well to be able
to follow his/her development in reading. In a course-book26 there is a self evaluation page at the
end of each unit. Here the child can see how much she/he reached acquire during the unit. Here
again comes the idea of English corner where we can put the names of the children in a table:

Name You are good at You should practice Well done ....
J.J. Simple present Adjectives Reading diary
H.B.
Figure 10: Reference to the children about their development

In lower classes we can use symbols instead of writing words in the table:
Name You are good at: You can practice: Well done:

J.J. Fruits Numbers

H.B.
Figure 11: Reference to the children about their development in lower classes
Use assessment to find out how well students are reading, and also how to help them to read
better. Choose a method of assessment appropriate for the level and type of student. Higher order
questions take the form of how and why, rather than what. When choosing materials for
assessing non-native speakers, be mindful of words and concepts that might be unfamiliar.
Sensitivity to cultural factors also means taking time to discuss and explain unfamiliar concepts
and vocabulary. In foreign-language teaching, it is helpful to present cultural information in the
students native language. This serves as background knowledge before the students attempt to
read in the foreign language. . The more children read, the more vocabulary and knowledge they
acquire, and the more fluent they become in reading. Having opportunities to write will also

26Skinner, Carol and Bogucka Mariola (2008): New Friends 1. Hungarian version: Kuti Zsuzsa. Harlow, Pearson Longman

26
improve reading ability. Students should have access to plenty of books and reading materials at
home and at school. Sustained silent reading programmes can be used to promote reading
practice. Encourage students to read independently and extensively. Encourage students to read
different types of texts. Teach students how to choose books of the appropriate reading level.
Develop students interest in reading by connecting reading with their interests, hobbies and life
goals.

8.Find material with limited access, copyright and other issues to consider
The first thing a teacher can do is browsing on the internet. But here always note the copyright
issue. The teacher may break the law if he/she uses a copied material in the classroom, and here
we may not use the term 'the end justifies the mean'. Especially in that cases when with a little
effort the teacher can reach free materials. If the school has not got a strict financial limitation
the teacher shall use the amount according his/her syllabus in a flexible way. In the library you
can have a look on the following book: Best Books for Children27. I found this book extremely
useful because it has a grouping by age and within age by topic. The book consists more that
25,000 titles. If you may need a book for specific purpose you can definitely find some in this
book. In case of you are not able to find a book at your local book store you can try in libraries
and in second-hand bookshops. On-line catalogues can ease your efforts as well. On-line
shopping is also available and it is more easier than one may think. You do not have to pay on-
line (although you can do it) there are several possibilities (e.g. order the book and when it
arrives to the nearest shop you can go in and purchase it).
If you are familiar with the possibilities provided by the internet you can register on-line pages
and there are several where there is only one criteria: you can download as many teaching
materials (e.g. lesson plans written by other teachers) as many you uploaded.
Also an important thing that if you use the copy machine in the library the copyright is paid to
the library. If you need a rare book you can ask your library to order it from somewhere else.
This option is not for free (e.g. in the Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library). Ian if it seems
impossible to find a book you can contact the publisher company but if you can not decide if the
material is free of charge or not, you can do it.
There is a wide variety of books to choose from, and teachers often are confused what to choose.
Here is also recommended to make a table containing our expectations and features we need in a
book. Here you only have to put a tick, if you think the book meets your expectations.

27 Gillespie T., John and Naden J., Corinne (1990): Best Books for Children (Preschool through Grade 6) Fourth Edition. New
York, R. R. Bowker

27
Title
Starts from phoneme-
grapheme
correspondence
Pictures are related to
the tasks
The publisher provides
syllabus
Has stories in it
(continuing from unit
to unit)
Can be used in topic-
based teaching
Provides enough
possibility to practice
Has wide variation of
exercises
Figure 12: Table for choosing a (course)book

Although in many school it is not only the language teacher who decides about the course-book.
Therefore they not only have to examine the book by itself but consider the fact that our aims
and attitudes can be inserted or not. Almost every course-book has a CD or cassette with
listening tasks. This also should be examined before we decide.
In my opinion it also very important to know how good are our learners at different subjects. If
he/she hardly can read in his/her first language we may start the developing from a lower level.
In many school in Hungary the language teacher is not the one who teaches the class all the other
subjects. Therefore it may useful to attend some of their mother language lessons to make a
survey about their abilities.
9.Examine the chosen book/text/material
Every teacher has been in a situation where she/he could not decide whether the chosen material
would be proper for a specific class or not. The following technique can give some help in it.
You can use the Fry-method if you wish to check the readability of a text. This may seem very
complicated but it is not at all. Edward Fry worked out this method and it is still used with
publications in the U.K. (to make sure that everyone understands it). The steps are the following:
1.You have to choose three 100 word sections.
2.The you count the sentences in them. (you will get three different numbers you have estimate
them to the nearest tenth).
3.Now count the syllables in each section.

28
4.Place it to the graph.
This may be very useful when we do not really know our students and we are afraid of under-or
overestimating their abilities.

Picture 13: Fry Graph,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_readability_formula, 10.03.2010.

To teach from a course book is the easiest way. Therefore if the children can not acquire
something, we may say it is not our fault. This is the biggest mistake. If we can not find the way
to the child's mind, heart, if we can not make him/her to be interested enough to learn that is not
his/her fault. There is always a method, a trick we can use to make them believe they are just
playing not learning. And I found these tricks extremely useful when I had a child who simply
didn't like learning (I think these kids only wish to find an excuse, a reason to their lack of
experience).

III. Conclusion
In the view of the previous chapters I can highly recommend to use literature in TEYL. Not only
because it improves the children's abilities, but it also can be integrated into other subjects as
well. The modern technology provides the wide range of authentic teaching materials and the
teacher should be prepared to use them and to teach the children to use them. It is also the
teacher's role to be conscious about cultural values that a piece of text can contain. Literature is
not the only tool to help us in our teaching. Materials for other three basic skills can not be
clearly divided from reading. When we write we also read, when we speak we also listen, etc.
So we can use these to force each other and the development should be holistic. Still the oral
language is the main source when a child learns a L2 but print is the second one. And as the child

29
is getting older and older printed material will become the main source for educating himself/
herself. Our task is to prepare them to be able to face these challenges. Our colleagues may give
valuable help as well if we wish to integrate our subject to the topics children are learning at
other teachers (e.g. physics or history). Unfortunately at the college we are not able to see whole
curricular processes and how the children are developing from monolingual to bilingual. The
comparison of different teaching methods (as I mentioned on page 7.) should worth further
examination. But here also note every method is adoptable. If we like something in one, we
should not be embarrassed to use it.

30
References:
Skinner, Carol and Bogucka Mariola (2008): New Friends 1. Hungarian version: Kuti
Zsuzsa. Harlow, Pearson Longman
Vale, David (1999): Picture Grammar for Children Starter. First Edition. Oxford,
Macmillan Education
Vale, David (1999) Picture Grammar for Children Starter. First Edition. Oxford,
Macmillan Education
S. Pang, Elizabeth; Muaka, Angaluki; B. Bernhardt, Elizabeth; and Kamil; Michael
L.: Teaching Reading
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/EducationalPracticesSeriesPdf/prac12e.pdf
(10.03.2010)
Taylor, K. Eric (2000): Using Folktales, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Grellet, Francoise (1981): Developing Reading Skills A practical guide to reading
comprehension exercises. First Edition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
Wilhelm, Hans (1990): A cool kid like me! London, Random House Children's Books
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/ (10.03.2010)
Fry Readability Fromula: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_readability_formula,
(10.03.2010.)
Stilton, Geronimo: Lost Treasure of Emerald Eye (2004 February) Edizioni Piemme.
Milan, Italy
Dougherty, John (2006): Jack Slater Monster Investigator, London, Random House
Children's Books
Gillespie T., John and Naden J., Corinne (1990): Best Books for Children (Preschool
through Grade 6) Fourth Edition. New York, R. R. Bowker
Kovcs, Judit (2009): A gyermek s az idegen nyelv. First Edition. Budapest. Etvs
Kiad
Gillian, Lazar (1993): Literature and language teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press
Kitamura, Satoshi (1999): Me and my Cat? First Edition. London, Andersen Press
Seuss Geisel, Theodor (1954): Cat in the Hat, www.childrenssoftwareonline.com
(10.03.2010)
Hudson, Thom (2007): Teaching Second Language Reading. First Edition. Oxford,
Oxford University Press
Scott A., Wendy and Ytreberg H. Lisbeth (1999): Teaching English to Children.
Eleventh Edition. New Your London. Longman

31
 Zeleny O. Robert (1990): Literature for Children. In: The World Book Encyclopedia,
1990, xxxkiadsxxx Volume 12. L
Gyrgy, Feny D. and Schiller, Mariann(2006): A Harry Potter egy jelensg s egy
regny. In: Feny D. Gyrgy: Kibl lesz az olvas? Els Kiads. Budapest, Animus
Kiad

32
Appendices

Appendix 1.

The Europass Language Passport is a document in which you can record your skills and competence
in Languages. It was developed by the Council of Europe as one of the three parts of its European
Language Portfolio (see www.coe.int/portfolio), in which you can document and illustrate your
experiences and achievements in more detail.
The Language Passport provides a review of all the languages you can use to a greater or lesser
extent. This may include partial competences in some languages: you may, for example, be able to
read in a language but not speak it very well. The Language Passport can include competence gained
both inside or outside formal education. Thanks to the levels of the Common European Framework
of Reference, you can present your language proficiency in a comprehensible way, which is also
internationally comparable.
Understanding
Listening
A 1: I can understand familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and
immediate surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.
A 2: I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most
immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local
area, employment). I can catch the main points in short, clear, simple messages and
announcements.
B 1: I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly
encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main points of many radio or TV
programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is
relatively slow and clear.
B 2: I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument
provided the topic is reasonably familiar. I can understand most TV news and current affairs
programmes. I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect.
C 1: I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships
are only implied and not signalled explicitly. I can understand television programmes and films
without too much effort.
C 2: I have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast,
even when delivered at fast native speed, provided I have some time to get familiar with the
accent.
Reading
A 1: I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and
posters or in catalogues.
A 2: I can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in simple
everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can
understand short simple personal letters.
B 1: I can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. I
can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters.
B 2: I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt
particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.

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C 1: I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I
can understand specialised articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not
relate to my field.
C 2: I can read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally
or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialised articles and literary works.
Speaking
Spoken interaction
A 1: I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things
at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I'm trying to say. I can ask and answer
simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
A 2: I can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of
information on familiar topics and activities. I can handle very short social exchanges, even
though I can't usually understand enough to keep the conversation going myself.
B 1: I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is
spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest
or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).
B 2: I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native
speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting
for and sustaining my views.
C 1: I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for
expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I
can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skilfully to those of
other speakers.
C 2: I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with
idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. I can express myself fluently and convey finer shades
of meaning precisely. If I do have a problem I can backtrack and restructure around the
difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it.
Spoken production
A 1: I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.
A 2: I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe, in simple terms, my family and other
people, living conditions, my educational background and my present or most recent job.
B 1: I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams,
hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can
narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.
B 2: I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of
interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of
various options.
C 1: I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing
particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.
C 2: I can present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the
context and with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember
significant points.

Writing
A 1: I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms
with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel
registration form.

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A 2: I can write short, simple notes and messages. I can write a very simple personal letter, for
example thanking someone for something.

B 1: I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. I can write
personal letters describing experiences and impressions.
B 2: I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an
essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of
view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.
C 1: I can express myself in clear, well-structured text, expressing points of view at some length. I
can write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report, underlining what I consider to
be the salient issues. I can select a style appropriate to the reader in mind.
C 2: I can write clear, smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style. I can write complex letters,
reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure which helps the
recipient to notice and remember significant points. I can write summaries and reviews of
professional or literary works.
The self-assessment grid can be consulted on the website of the Council of Europe
(www.coe.int/portfolio).

35
Appendix 2.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's
door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid
grin,
And Wolfie said, ``May I come in?''
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
``He's going to eat me up!'' she
cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and
tough,
And Wolfie wailed, ``That's not
enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!''
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
``I've got to have a second helping!''
Then added with a frightful leer,
``I'm therefore going to wait right
here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the
wood.''
He quickly put on Grandma's
clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then
she said,
``What great big ears you have,
Grandma.''
(http://www.xs4all.nl/~ace/Literaria/Txt-Dahl.html 10.03.2010)
36
``All the better to hear you with,''
the Wolf replied.
``What great big eyes you have,
Grandma.''
said Little Red Riding Hood.
``All the better to see you with,'' the
Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and
smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this
child.
Compared with her old
Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said,
``But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat
you have on.''
``That's wrong!'' cried Wolf. ``Have
you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've
got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.''
The small girl smiles. One eyelid
flickers.
She whips a pistol from her
knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang bang, she shoots
him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, ``Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat.''
Roald Dahl, Revolting Rhymes
Appendix 3.

The Cat in the Hat read by Kelsey Grammer

Horton Hears a Who read by Dustin Hoffman
How the Grinch Stole Christmas read by Walter Matthau
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? read by John Cleese
The Lorax read by Ted Danson
Yertle the Turtle, Gertrude McFuzz, and The Big Brag read by John Lithgow
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose read by Mercedes McCambridge
Horton Hatches the Egg read by Billy Crystal
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back read by Kelsey Grammer

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Appendix 4.

38
Appendix 5.

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