Page 101 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Reading

ally) high quality illustrations. The language in authentic books is richer and
commonly more complex than that in adapted materials. However, a num-
ber of authentic picture books contain language that is appropriate for YLs,
too (e.g. books by Steve Antony or Chris Haughton).
Adapted books or graded readers, on the other hand, are written for the
purpose of language learning and include vocabulary and language struc-
tures that are adapted to the learners’ level. Graded readers contain vocab-
ulary that is ‘graded’ according to the language levels, e.g. Level 1 is usually
restricted to 400 headwords (these are key words that have their own en-
try in a dictionary). Language structures in graded readers for the first levels
are simplified, sentences are usually short and repetitive. The main aim of
the illustrations is to help readers understand the words in the text. Many
authors are in favour of using graded readers for EFL learners, e.g. Harmer
(2007) claims that one of the fundamental conditions of successful reading
for pleasure is that students read material which they can understand – if
they are struggling to understand words, all the pleasure of reading is taken
away. Graded readers are also more appropriate for independent reading.
Picture books are a powerful tool for teaching English to YLs as they pro-
vide a visually rich, engaging, and contextually relevant language learning
experience. By combining visual elements with spoken and written lan-
guage, learning can be developed through different modalities. The nar-
rative and dialogues in the books provide examples of proper grammar and
vocabulary usage. What is more, picture books often showcase characters
from various backgrounds, exposing young learners to diversity and pro-
moting cultural awareness. Table 6.3 (p. 102) provides examples of picture
books which can be used for either focusing on specific language aspects or
dealing with different topics relevant for YLs.
As the world is getting more digitalised, printed books are changing into
e-books. Many readers still prefer an actual book, its smell and touch and es-
pecially for YLs, printed books are a must. Nevertheless, digital books have
their benefits, too. They are easily accessible for learners and many of them
have interactive elements that recreate the events of the story or where read-
ers can do game-like reading comprehension activities. Another useful fea-
ture of e-books is the read-aloud or read-along function where learners can
follow the storyline by listening to it and reading it together with a narrator.
Many of these books highlight words as the narrator reads them, so a reader
can follow along. They can pause the narration or repeat a certain word or
sentence. These e-book features help readers decode the words and boost
their reading motivation.

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