| Reading is one of the basic skills in language learning.However,according to author's internship experience in a primary school in Guangzhou,it can be discovered that students are not interested in English reading and the their reading literacy is of low level.The English picture books as good supplementary reading materials of textbooks are preferred reading sources among primary school students,which can broaden their horizons.For EFL learners,English picture books can provide the real context for learning English,help students develop language ability,stimulate their emotions and cultivate their divergent thinking.It is an important carrier to realize the dual attributes of “instrumentality” and “humanism” in language teaching.This research suggests that picture books teaching can promote the reading literacy for primary school students.This thesis adopts an action research and focuses on the following two research questions:1)What can be an adaptable design for English picture books reading teaching in primary school?2)What impacts do English picture books reading class have on the cultivation of students' reading literacy for primary school students?This action research includes 26 students in Class 1,Grade 3 and lasts for 16 weeks in a foreign language primary school in Guangzhou.In the first three weeks,the preliminary investigations were conducted to confirm the problems,then the researcher conceived the overall plan of the research to solve the problems and completed the whole research by the following framework of action research:planning,action,observation,reflection.The action research progressed two rounds :The first round is the trial and exploration of picture books reading teaching,which focuses on the selection of picture books and the design of teaching activities.The second round is the adjustment and improvement.Based on the feedback from students,the reading modes and the methods of assessment are improved.Through the practice,reflection and improvement of two rounds of action research,the author draws the following conclusions :1.Probe an adaptable teaching design of picture books reading class by action research in primary school.It includes the picture book selection,reading modes,activities,assessments and so on.It suggested that in terms of the criterion of selecting picture books,the consistency between picture books,students' cognitive patterns,language level should be taken into consideration.Besides,the layout of pictures,language characteristics and emotional value are also important.Secondly,teachers ought to set the teaching objectives in order to clear the teaching procedures.By fully analyzing the pictures of the text,teachers are advised to choose the appropriate reading mode according to the students' existing language level and the characteristics of picture books,such as Picture Walk,Jigsaw Reading,Reading Circle,etc.Finally,the author also summarizes some recommended teaching activities,tasks and assessments for the picture book reading class.2.In order to verify the effectiveness of the design of picture books teaching,the researcher conducted the questionnaires,interviews and the reading comprehension tests.The results proved that picture books teaching has positive impacts on students' reading character and reading comprehension ability in reading literacy.On the one hand,the pre-test and post-test of reading comprehension ability proves that the development of picture-book reading class is conducive to improving students' reading ability.On the other hand,the results of questionnaires and interviews show that picture books class also has positive impacts on students' reading experience and reading habits.Through the combination of theory and practice,this study explores the value of the English picture books in primary school,aiming at offering educators and teachers some inspiration about the application of picture books in reading class and making it truly an effective reading resource in the primary school English reading teaching. |
PDF Full Text Request