Developing reading skills — страница 7

depending on the students' level, the number of people in a group, or the knowledge of the rules of a game etc. Conclusion 1. The ability to read silently and rapidly is the ultimate aim. 2. Oral reading is a specific and useful skill but not a major objective; therefore it is not essential for every pupil to acquire proficiency in it. 3. Oral reading is a useful means in the early stages to train the pupils in the technique of rapid reading. 4. Oral reading is useful throughout the course for the purpose of intensive reading in which attention is drawn to vocabulary, idioms and grammatical forms. Oral reading is an auxiliary speech exercise. It is the reading aloud of the text and not the oral reading practice of the pupils that is most important. Silent reading is a valuable

form of collective activity and ought to be practiced in class. The class should be called upon (beyond the initial stages) to read a section rapidly and then answer questions on the contents. This method forced the slow readers to accelerate their reading pace. Progressive stages. As reading is a skill for which the pupil must be trained, it is advisable to proceed in series of progressive stages with each serving as preparation for the next. The ultimate aim is free reading by pupil unaided by the teacher but with the occasional aid of the dictionary. The end, however, need not also be the means; the early stages may have objectives of their own differing from that of the ultimate aim.