| Many researchers have pointed out that by reading plentiful English articles,second language learners can have deeper memory on language and enhance their overall language capacity.However,the English teaching in most primary and secondary schools in China is often test-oriented.Students are usually required to memorize vocabulary and grammar with endless drilling,while in the meantime,reading materials are limited to textbooks,and approaches of teaching reading lack innovation,resulting in students’ generally small amount of reading,poor reading habits,and weak reading ability.In “Curriculum Concepts” of English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education,it is mentioned that using books and newspapers can further develop learning channels and enrich teaching resources in English.Therefore,in recent years,the proportion of reading English newspapers in teaching reading has increased,but there is still a lack of empirical research on how middle school teachers can make full use of newspapers to design activities and develop proper approaches in English reading classes.This study aims to practise different teaching methods of English newspaper reading in order to answer the following questions:（1）In what aspects can teaching reading with English newspapers improve the English reading ability of junior high school students?（2）What do students think of English newspaper reading?（3）What teaching approaches can teachers adopt to effectively teach reading with English newspapers?The study selects 77 junior high school students as subjects.Intensive newspaper reading lessons are given regularly to teach the subjects certain reading skills and English expressions.Qualitative evaluation（homework on newspaper articles）and quantitative evaluation（exams on newspaper articles）are both carried out.The present study adopts the experimental methods of questionnaire survey,pre-reading and postreading tests and student interviews.Based on the data,conclusions are drawn as following: For junior high school students,reading English newspapers can significantly increase their reading quantity,raise their reading interest and improve their reading habits and ability.Through empirical study,the author also puts forward some suggestions in hopes of helping to improve junior high school students’ English reading ability. |
