High School English Reading Class Based On Genre Analysis Teaching Method

The competence to read is one of the most important abilities in the process of English language learning so that it deserves much attention in school. Nevertheless,due to the limitation of English teachers' professional knowledge and the influence from traditional teaching approaches, some problems emerge as follows: first,attention is paid main to the forms and usage of words and expressions rather than the discussion of their implied meanings and communicative purposes. Second, the neglect for text's own features,including different features of genre is also popular.All of these problems significantly limit the development of students reading ability and are contradictory to the demand from the core competencies of the English course.This study is a lesson study. Therefore, compared with action research, it has a different structure Genre-based teaching approach has provided a new angle and concept basis for English teaching methodology. Genre is thought to be a communicative event. Texts of different genres vary in textual structure and language features because of their unique communicative purposes, based on which,genre-based teaching arouses learners' awareness for the structures, rhetoric, and language features, and repeat these features in their classrooms as well, so as to build up a structure, which is different from the traditional one, for the design of English reading class. It assumed that it will have a positive effect on promoting students'reading quality and cultivating their thinking ability.This study is a lesson study, aiming at specific English reading class. It is a genre-based lesson plan for English reading class, which is organized by the author,guided by experts and carried out in a cooperative form. With repeated practice,observation and analysis, teachers' reflections and the feedback from students, this study gives a deep insight into the influence on English reading class, teachers teaching behavior and students manner. This lesson study is always focused on the following questions:1. How do English teachers further interpret the genre features of reading material and design the teaching goals according to these features?2. How do English teachers design reading activities and choose proper teaching strategy to demonstrate the features of genre?3. Do students improve their abilities to apply the information they get from the reading material to better understand the meaning of the text?The lesson study was carried out in classes of senior one . This team consists of 5 English teachers from this school. Two rounds of lesson study involving two types of texts, ie. narrative and expository articles . In the lesson study of narrative writing, we started with time sequence of the essay and led the students to be concentrated on the special feature: flashback. We discussed much about the relationship between the choice of expressions and the feeling and thinking that the author wanted to deliver. As the result the students ,in the imitation narrative writing after class managed well the time sequence as well as their wording. In the lesson study for expository writing, we paid special attention to the appropriate textual structure and expressions that match the writers' purpose. We raised questions on evaluative and comprehensive level in order to develop the students'awareness of genre and cultivate students' audience awareness. The positive effect of this lesson study has fully proved in the production of a travel booklet.Based on the practice of two rounds lesson studies, a reading class teaching plan has been created, which has its foundation on genre analysis theory and is suitable to current teaching situation. This plan successfully guides students to move forward from the superficial understanding to deep thinking, and it improves student's comprehension and practical abilities. Nevertheless, it still remains to be explored how to apply the teaching design and methods to more articles with different genre features.