Designing reading activities for reading EFL classes

Summary: This work approaches the issue of developing language by reading activities in the EFL classroom. Designing and using reading activities are the approach for generating ideas of any written piece of text.

Key words: Designing reading activities, using reading activities, reader knowledge, reading skill, reading strategies.

Nowadays, our independent Uzbekistan is focusing on developing in every area. As the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev Miromonovich said: "At the time internalizing new technologies we need to pay attention on the youths’ reading books, being friends with books, raising level of reading of population. For all of this, we need to set and promote our national literature and world literature on social network". [1] This speech sounded like an appeal. In addition, we need to notice that glorifying Uzbek literature to the world is the current issue for us.

As today, the books are the most important resources on teaching and learning foreign languages in the economical development and social life of our country, we have known that everybody who teaches must know the effective ways of teaching and learning foreign languages by essential books, that’s why in this article I’ve worked on designing interactive activities for reading in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes.

Reader knowledge, skills and strategies include: [2]

· Linguistic competence: the ability to recognize the elements of the writing system; knowledge of vocabulary; knowledge of how words are structured into sentences;

· Discourse competence: knowledge of discourse markers and how they connect parts of the text to one another;

· Sociolinguistic competence: knowledge about different types of texts and their usual structure and content;

· Strategic competence: the ability to use top-down strategies, as well as knowledge of the language (a bottom-up strategy). [3]

· The purpose(s) for reading and the type of text determine the specific knowledge, skills, and strategies that readers need to apply to achieve comprehension. Reading comprehension is thus much more than decoding. Reading comprehension results when the reader knows which skills and strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understands how to apply them to accomplish the reading purpose.

According to my searching, I want to say that, reading is an affective process. This affective dimension sees reading as enjoyment, pleasure, excitement, even magic. Without leaving their chairs, readers can visit a different city, a different country, a new and strange world.

Reading also helps students to see how English is communicated through writing, which is why a good writer is also a good reader. Reading is essential for a young learners’ success. All too often, the barriers faced by children with difficulty reading outweigh their desire to read and, without proper guidance, they never overcome them.

Reading is a key part of learning English. As teachers our achievements will be more effective in the discussions or tasks if our students feel strongly about a particular topic. Any good teacher can turn a reasonable authentic reading text into a useful and fulfilling activity, so why not take the same skills you might use with a newspaper article and turn them to good use, bearing in mind various aspects of the newer medium that are peculiar to it.

while working on this work I came to the following conclusions:

— It is possible to develop other language skills by developing reading skills;

— Using authentic materials will be effective while teaching reading in EFL classes, especially they develop critical thinking skills of learners;

— It is possible to design several exercises on the basis of one and the same text;

— In university students try different types of reading, in order to teach certain types of reading the teachers should design correct type of exercises.

It is possible to say that text reading can be better understood by sharing, exchanging and socializing through group work. It makes the classroom student-centered and the teacher can get the experience of finest activity in the classroom.

The learners become more free, they can explore and notice their own improvement within a friendly and fellow feeling environment.

Bibliography

1. Ur P. A course in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press., 1996.
2. Liz Driscoll. Reading extra. A resource book of multi-level skills activities. Cambridge University Press. 2005.
3. Harmer J. The practice of English language teaching. New Delhi: Pearson Education. 2007.

Remarks

1. Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh.M.Mirziyoyev. September 13, 2017 year
2. Ur P. A course in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press., 1996
3. Harmer J. The practice of English language teaching. New Delhi: Pearson Education Ltd. 2007.